Get out on the water for some safe and seriously pleasant social distancing

With all the panic surrounding the coronavirus, if there was ever a time to be out on the water then this is that time.

Just back from a fishing tournament in Palm Beach, I made the decision about the days, weeks, even months ahead while intently staring at baits I was trolling skipping across deep blue water that this arena was the safest bet when it comes to “social distancing.”

Though the fishing was incredibly slow during the tournament for cobia, wahoo, king mackerel and blackfin tuna, I was in hog heaven.

My good friend Dan Cornell had traded in his 45-foot Hatteras sportfishing boat for an incredible 60-foot Viking fishing machine. Docked in Fort Lauderdale, it was my first look at his new ride — and what a ride it is.

Like any new boat, it takes time to get the feel of the boat, where to store this and that until you instinctively know where everything is. A bit intimidated, she proved as easy to handle as the Hatteras, with space galore. What a fishing machine!

Heading out at dark-thirty through Palm Beach’s Lake Worth Inlet, we decided to high speed troll for wahoo for the first hour of daylight. If you are not familiar with this technique, heavy artificial lures are trolled at a staggering 15 knots. That is cooking along. But by the end of that hour, not one strike.

Reeling in everything, we decided to give kite fishing a go.

Rarely seen around these parts, kite fishing is very popular and a productive way to catch fish in Florida, especially king mackerel, wahoo and sailfish. Using live baitfish called goggle eyes that cost $100 per dozen, kites are set way away from the boat and midway down the lines holding them are clips that hold your fishing line and live bait.

The object is to have only the bait in the water, and not yards of line and swivel snaps, so that the bait looks like it is struggling on the surface. The bites when doing this are usually very visual, but other than very small king mackerel, the fish were simply not chewing.

Listening to the radio it seemed that all the other boats around us were complaining about the lack of fish.

We gave the kites two or three unproductive hours and once again changed tactics.

This time we “bump trolled” with live bait. We were bumping the engines in and out of gear just enough to keep the lines straight behind the boat while not going too fast so our precious live baits didn’t drown. Other than a couple of small kings it just wasn’t happening.

For me, it was so odd to be in one of the hottest spots in Florida and nada. We saw very few flying fish, and other than a handful of fish-indicating frigate birds, the ocean was barren.

Once again, all lines were brought in and, as a last-ditch effort, I decided we should cover as much ground as possible. There had to be at least one fish in that big ocean.

With that said, I pulled out ballyhoo festooned with a variety of colored skirts and set out a spread of eight to 10 different lures. Trolling at around 7 knots, we zigged, zagged and went from around 120 feet of water out almost to 800 feet deep.

Nothing. Not even a single strike. I rarely get blanked, but remember that old song that goes “mama said there would be days like this”? Well, this day mama was right.

With millions of dollars worth of the hottest sportfishing boats imaginable plying the waters that day, the winning fish was a 15-pound king mackerel!

The only big fish caught all day was landed by a dinky little boat that decided to high speed troll for wahoo the moment he left the inlet and entered the ocean. In only 80 feet of water, they caught a 200-pound big eye tuna but it didn’t count for anything since only blackfin tuna were on the list of target species. I can only imagine how bummed those guys were.

Run for the Bulls

With that tale complete, here is an update on this year’s “Run For The Bulls” mahi tournament on May 16.

An e-mail has gone out to last year’s participants who get first refusal until April 25, when people on the waiting list get a shot.

Entry fee is $600 (cash or check), which can be dropped off at the Hilton Head Boathouse tackle shop.

For entry forms or to get on waiting list, e-mail info@runforthebulls2020.com or call 843-681-9557.

In the meantime, get out on the water for some safe and seriously pleasant social distancing.