# Vacation pig



## NITRO-RIDER (Jan 26, 2007)

I SPENT A WEEK AT va beach, last week and chartered a trip wednesday. We casught a total of 10 of these amber jacks. Here is the larger of the 2 i caught, or should i say, reeled in. I was very dissapointed with the charter, I spent 12 1/2 hrs on the boat and really only fished about 45 min. But i did get to feel several powerful fish and got some good eating fish to boot.


----------



## freyedknot (Apr 10, 2004)

nice catch you got there . how did it come about you only got to fish 45 minutes on a 12 hr trip?


----------



## NITRO-RIDER (Jan 26, 2007)

Trolling! We had to take turns reeling in fish, 1 at a time, between 6 of us. It took 20 -30 min. between fish to get all set up and back to the tower they wer getting them from. The fish in the picture were not caught trolling, but by tossing them and feeding the bait out and hooking them (by the mate or the captain), then they handed you the pole. The mate did pull in 1 big king makeral, by hand, he thought it ha gotten off. So we also got to watch that. I will never go offshore deep sea fishing again, at least not on my dime. Oh, and has anyone else ever heard of the bad luck superstition about bringing bananas on a boat? I didn't ,and was felt like I was scolded for not knowing and bringing some. Had to throw my bananas overboard.


----------



## homebrew (Apr 13, 2009)

Funny, I have actually heard that about bananas. I think it is because you could slip on the peel (which apparently used to be slippery when we ate a variety of bananas that are no longer commercially available due to disease). 
Oh, and our current banana (the Cavendish, IIRC) is in danger. All of the plants are clones of each other so there is no genetic diversity and they may be wiped out by disease.

Enjoy them while you can!

As for charter boats, I've never been deep sea fishing, but I won't troll for walleye on Lake Erie for the same reason you describe. Drifting and casting is fishing, trolling with all that crap between you and the rod someone hands you to reel in just ain't right. Heck, even kids want to do it themselves.


----------



## Big Joshy (Apr 26, 2004)

yeah guys trolling is only fun if you are the one calling the shots and deciding where to go, how fast, what baits to use etc... Otherwise you kinda feel like the kid who has his dad hand him the pole after the fish is hooked. Only difference is your not a kid anymore.


----------



## Lewzer (Apr 5, 2004)

I took a near shore fishing trip out of Ft. Lauderdale a few years ago. I agree with you. I'll never do another one unless work pays for this one too.
The captain and mate did everything like you described, caught the fish and then handed you the pole. Then to top it off, they went nuts WOW!!!! WHAT A GREAT FISH!!! THAT'S A FISH OF A LIFETIME!!!!!!! When I reeled in a 12 or 30" barracuda.
They didn't know what to say when I asked them why they were getting excited about those dinks. I've caught bigger green carp out of small local ponds.


----------



## NITRO-RIDER (Jan 26, 2007)

They explained the banana bad luck due to when they used to ship them, tarantulas would be mixed in with them and the crew was getting bit and dying.


----------



## symba (May 23, 2008)

NITRO-RIDER said:


> They explained the banana bad luck due to when they used to ship them, tarantulas would be mixed in with them and the crew was getting bit and dying.


Yeah, it must be those deadly non-venomous tarantulas!


----------



## CHOPIQ (Apr 6, 2004)

They brag about the fish you catch saying they are a fish of a lifetime because they want you to keep it and bring it back to the dock to a taxidermist. Which just happens to be a taxidermist they are associated with.
I've had a lot better luck on head boats then charter boats. Also a lot cheaper.


----------



## danjaquino (Jun 2, 2005)

Damn, that's a nice pig Bobberattacker, did she fight hard?


----------



## bopperattacker (Sep 12, 2008)

danjaquino said:


> Damn, that's a nice pig Bobberattacker, did she fight hard?


she fought like a mack truck!!!! Landed her on 4 pound test.


----------



## Buckeyeheat (Jul 7, 2007)

bopperattacker - nice catch dude. What'd you get that on? Chicken wings? Ham?

Nitro - nice fish. I agree completely. I caught a fish-ohio 29" steelhead on a charter but all I did was reel - not sure how I can honestly take credit for catching it. Big Joshy said it right. Won't do it again. To me, fishing is learning HOW to catch fish.

Regarding the bananas, here's one of the quotes today on my iGoogle: "It is bad luck to be superstitious." - Andrew W. Mathis


----------



## bopperattacker (Sep 12, 2008)

jhietter said:


> bopperattacker - nice catch dude. What'd you get that on? Chicken wings? Ham?


Dozen Krispy Kreme Donuts on a number two hook. She slammed it.


----------



## dKilla (May 1, 2007)

D*mnit! I forgot to tell ya about the bananas. 

Nice fish there. I hear ya, trolling can be a bit mundane but it's many times the most effective way to locate fish in a big ocean. Being from the east coast and having spent many hours on offshore trips I can tell ya that it's just a matter of time before you have a trip of a lifetime. Its just like anything else though, you have to decide what you wanna fish for and go to the right area at the right time. Pelagic fish are highly migratory so you almost have to plan the location of your vacation around the migratory patterns of your target species. 

You could catch 10+ white marlin a day off Ocean City, md in July but there wouldn't be one within 500 miles in December. I've had days fishing off of Cape Hatteras for marlin in July and august where you couldn't put a bait in the water for 2 minutes without getting bit by a dolphin (mahi mahi). So rather than marlin fish, we switched to light tackle and were treated with non-stop drag singing action for 8+ hours, straight. However, if we would have been there a month later, dolphin would have been scarce making marlin fishing more of a viable option. 

Bottom line, I guess, is you have to fish for what's available, when it's available. They could take ya out to a baren spot in the middle of the ocean, bait ya up, hand you the rod and let ya sit there and fish for nothing for hours- something tells me most people would rather catch a few fish. 

Now, as far as them not letting you manage your own rod...I don't quite get that. I know you were dropping down on big structure for those AJs and some people might have a problem getting wrapped up- but I've seen you flip a jig under a treelimb that was hanging 8 inches off the water and have it fall in 10 feet further back toward the bank. I'm pretty confident that you could manage!


----------



## OHBMQUINN (Sep 11, 2007)

Looks like some monsters you didnt miss anything here its been tough on tues evenings nice fish you caught


----------



## jennis9 (Jun 13, 2008)

The banana story goes a little further than just the turantulas... they love to hide in bananas. it is true they do come aboard with the bananas and that is ONE danger, but the bananas also ripen and decay faster than other fruit because of the high sugar content and when it does it releases a chemical reaction that makes the rest of the fresh fruit/veggies brought aboard begin to decay faster as well. Thus bringing fruit flies and maggots. So, it was thought that bananas brought death and decay to long voyages. 

Those amberjack are fun to get in. Sorry you were disappointed about only getting to reel in the fish, but Charter Captains are really protective of their gear. You may have noticed some pretty heavy duty equipment - and I am sure none of us would want to replace it if it was lost or broken or gets the rest of the rigs in a nest. Some of those reels are $300 themselves! 

Those guys have no idea what your skill level is - and I agree, it only take one trip i the right place at the right time to make the best memory of your life!!!! It does feel like a boat ride and not a fishing trip sometimes - I agree.

PS - bopper - that's in poor taste and not appropriate for this family forum.


----------



## andyman (Jul 12, 2005)

Poor taste..maybe, but very subjective to the reader.
Not appropriate?....you do own a TV, correct? Well within the confines of social tolerance these days.

Trolling blows. I cant stand it.
I'e been on a few offshore trips. Every time we go on vacation near a beach, someone always thinks "Well Andy likes to fish, so...." and can't figure out why I don't want to go offshore fishing.
Plus the cost....arggg. I have an uncle with way too much money, and he has a coupel off shore boats. He asked me to fish in a white marlin tourney a couple years back off of the Jersey shore.
Between the cost for the tourney and the gas to run out 20 something miles and troll all day...it was well over a grand or two a piece.
Talk about feeling guilty when you show up and you're salt water fishing knowledge is minimal at best.
I did land a white marlin and a monster tuna, which was cool. 
But dam...that's a long expensive day.
I'll stick with kayaks and smallies.


----------



## bopperattacker (Sep 12, 2008)

jennis9 said:


> PS - bopper - that's in poor taste and not appropriate for this family forum.


It's called a joke. The thread is about Vacation Pigs, and I've had a few vacation blunders in my day

poor taste. I am the king of poor taste and bad decisions. I live my life on them.


----------



## FSHNERIE (Mar 5, 2005)

Jacks will ..fight till their tail comes out of the water.Next time tell them to put you on some donkeys......


----------

