MVP
05-18-2014, 05:59 PM
Got an invite to fish the Hi Mar Striper tournament on Sat 5/17 with my friend Raul on his 25 Cape Horn (EASTWICK) out of AH. I do allot of fishing with him in the fall for blackfish as that is our first love so striper fishing with him was a first. Being this tournament was being run by the Hi-Mar guys who have always treated me well and do good with money they raise it was a no brainer to do my first striper tournament.
Raul was able to get out a few times during the week so he was dialed into the bite. He is a real good fisherman and even a better Captain so I new I was in good hands. I was able to speak to two of my striper pro buddies Steve from the LEGACY and Freddy from ANDREAS TOY to get some advise as they have been on the water much more than I. Big thanks to my 2 brothers from another mother for sharing info with me. Considering the bad weather the day before and the current weather conditions for the day we put our game plan together and hoped for the best.
We met at the boat and 4 am and went on the hunt hoping to find the bait close by without having to run to Great Kills. Broke out my 10 foot cast and found them right away. No real good readings but we could hear them. Four throws of the net and we had enough bait to fill the live well. Being one of the first boats out I think really helped as there was no boat traffic. Made a left out of the marina and were set up to drop lines in for the 5:30 start. 10 minutes into our drift I had the first striper of the day which was nice 16 pounder. We picked at the blues and stripers for the next 2 hours and had nice box of fish already up to 20 pound striper. By 8am boats started to anchor up in area we were fishing so decided to work outside of the fleet that was forming and do our own thing. It paid of as we found area that was holding more stripers then blues and kept short drifting that area for the biggest of the day that pushed scale at 26.4 pounds and ended up being the second biggest striper of the tournament. With tide changing and having 2 decent fish for the weigh in we decided we needed to go on the hunt to find a fish in the 30 + pound range to give us a chance at the win. Made the run out to the ocean and fish area that produced a 38 and 39 pounder in 2012 when he won this tournament. As we turned the hook ocean did not look to bad except for the large swell that was still left over. Set up with our livies in area that is known to produce big bass but it was not meant to be. We only saw a few bluefish being caught by a few of the boats that were trolling the area. Even though fishing was slow in the ocean I am glad we made the run as we would have been second guessing ourselves if we did not give it a shot. GO Big or Go home I always say. Also glad we made the right call and fish inside to take advantage of the morning bite.
Decided to run back in and weigh in a little early and beat the rush of boats. We were weighed in by 315 and leading the tournament as we headed back to marina to clean the boat and get our things in order before driving back to see if our weight would hold up.
Got to Barhs and waited for final results to be posted. We ended up in third place in the tournament missing second place by .2 ounces but we were lucky to get second place in both Calcuttas as guys in second place did not enter the Calcuttas. Cha Ching !!!
At the end of the day I got to fish with my good friend, we caught fish, we supported a good cause, we got fed, I bought home fish for my mom and neighbor and came home with more money than when I woke up in the morning after paying all expenses. I would consider that a big fat Win
Congrats to Capt. Derek for his first place win as it was good to see a full time Captain who puts in the time on a daily basis bring home the win.
I have great respect for captains who do this on a daily basis both professionals and private. It is one thing to catch fish but it is a totally different thing to run a boat and make all the decisions to keep customers and friends safe and give us a successful day on the water.
Special thanks to the guys from the Hi-Mar Club for putting together a great tournament and for all their good will in paying it back forward to those in need.
Raul was able to get out a few times during the week so he was dialed into the bite. He is a real good fisherman and even a better Captain so I new I was in good hands. I was able to speak to two of my striper pro buddies Steve from the LEGACY and Freddy from ANDREAS TOY to get some advise as they have been on the water much more than I. Big thanks to my 2 brothers from another mother for sharing info with me. Considering the bad weather the day before and the current weather conditions for the day we put our game plan together and hoped for the best.
We met at the boat and 4 am and went on the hunt hoping to find the bait close by without having to run to Great Kills. Broke out my 10 foot cast and found them right away. No real good readings but we could hear them. Four throws of the net and we had enough bait to fill the live well. Being one of the first boats out I think really helped as there was no boat traffic. Made a left out of the marina and were set up to drop lines in for the 5:30 start. 10 minutes into our drift I had the first striper of the day which was nice 16 pounder. We picked at the blues and stripers for the next 2 hours and had nice box of fish already up to 20 pound striper. By 8am boats started to anchor up in area we were fishing so decided to work outside of the fleet that was forming and do our own thing. It paid of as we found area that was holding more stripers then blues and kept short drifting that area for the biggest of the day that pushed scale at 26.4 pounds and ended up being the second biggest striper of the tournament. With tide changing and having 2 decent fish for the weigh in we decided we needed to go on the hunt to find a fish in the 30 + pound range to give us a chance at the win. Made the run out to the ocean and fish area that produced a 38 and 39 pounder in 2012 when he won this tournament. As we turned the hook ocean did not look to bad except for the large swell that was still left over. Set up with our livies in area that is known to produce big bass but it was not meant to be. We only saw a few bluefish being caught by a few of the boats that were trolling the area. Even though fishing was slow in the ocean I am glad we made the run as we would have been second guessing ourselves if we did not give it a shot. GO Big or Go home I always say. Also glad we made the right call and fish inside to take advantage of the morning bite.
Decided to run back in and weigh in a little early and beat the rush of boats. We were weighed in by 315 and leading the tournament as we headed back to marina to clean the boat and get our things in order before driving back to see if our weight would hold up.
Got to Barhs and waited for final results to be posted. We ended up in third place in the tournament missing second place by .2 ounces but we were lucky to get second place in both Calcuttas as guys in second place did not enter the Calcuttas. Cha Ching !!!
At the end of the day I got to fish with my good friend, we caught fish, we supported a good cause, we got fed, I bought home fish for my mom and neighbor and came home with more money than when I woke up in the morning after paying all expenses. I would consider that a big fat Win
Congrats to Capt. Derek for his first place win as it was good to see a full time Captain who puts in the time on a daily basis bring home the win.
I have great respect for captains who do this on a daily basis both professionals and private. It is one thing to catch fish but it is a totally different thing to run a boat and make all the decisions to keep customers and friends safe and give us a successful day on the water.
Special thanks to the guys from the Hi-Mar Club for putting together a great tournament and for all their good will in paying it back forward to those in need.