Offshore fishing

[Briankinley2004]

Any offshore fishermen here. I quit fishing freshwater about 10 years ago when I got addicted to this sport. I have blown enough money to buy all of woodmizers equipment and then some but what a rush. Im afraid my family may do an intervention if I don't get help soon.

[Magicman]

Nice Dolphin fish, but I think restaurants now call it Mahi-Mahi or something like that so folks won't think that it is a Porpoise.

[Briankinley2004]

Yea we call them mahi but little ones chicken dolphin. They are also called dorado. LA state red snapper season opens Feb 1 so I hope to go down that weekend, weather permitting. I haven't been offshore fishing since before Thanksgiving

[LeeB]

I used to fish quite a bit when I was still working in the G.O.M. but haven't wet a hook in years. I never really fished with my pole much. Only used it to catch bait and then switched to a hand line of 1/4" poly. I liked going for the big ones. At one point I had so much fish I had a fish fry for the hospital where Lindy was working at the time. Fed over 200 and still have fish left over and more at home. They voted me employee of the month and I didn't even work there.  :D

[Briankinley2004]

Funny you mention that. I have seen rig workers fishing with heavy hook and line a lot. Never saw them catch anything until one day we were nearing a rig and you could see a large, maybe 8' long object flopping around on the end or their crane. Got a little closer and they had a large shark winching up. Those things are a nuisance around platforms and pester us some when we spearfish.

[gspren]

  Is that your boat or do you charter? I have been trying to do a bit more salt water fishing the past few years but inshore or bay. I also want to get into surf-fishing this year, lots to learn.

[LaneC]

 That was my passion too. if you think you have an addiction now, fishing with a rod and reel, then do not Spearfish or you will surely have a problem. Spearfishing is a truly great (and expensive) sport. I used to be in the Frogmen spearfishing club. We did real well at the tournaments with the Helldivers, Aqua Aces etc.

[Briankinley2004]

GS that is a friend of mines hatteras. I own a 30' cat with twins. He cruises at 10 knots but has direct tv, 3 baths and 3 bedrooms. I cruise at 30 knots and pee off the bow. We usually overnight on his and make those quick day trips on mine although I can do overnights.

Lane. Too late. I took my first hit of the spear fishing drug about 8 years ago and have been an addict since. Recovery isn't an option. I have dove with some of the hell divers but don't do the rodeos. I claim to have quit shooting the big ones since the AARP is sending me junk mail but I still love to go. Just not as hard core as I used to be

Here are some of our spearing trips






My wife with an a j she shot. Lucky for her she stoned him

[LeeB]

Nice amber jack. Great eating. That is the type of fish I would go after with my hand line. Biggest shark I ever caught was an 11'6" bull shark. If I actually wanted to catch sharks I would rig up a steel leader with two pieces of medal above it that would clank when jigged and the bait a foot or so below that. Worked amazingly well. Figured that out by accident. I would use just about any old scrap for sinkers rather than buy them. A short piece of chain and a small steel ring gasket worked best.  :D

[LaneC]

  Nice fish. I am glad she stoned that one too, she may have gone for a ride :D. Do yall use riding rigs so you can let them go in a hurry?

[petefrom bearswamp]

Looks like you have waaay to much fun.
I dont do this kind of fishing so dont know the terminology.
What is stoned?

[LaneC]

"Stoned" means that the fish dies as soon as you shoot it. With these big fish like this, if you do not stone it and instantly dispatch it, they will fight like crazy and sometimes with all of the debris, ropes, pipes etc. underwater it can become pretty dangerous. You try to hit the vertebrae to instantly take the fight out of them. (It is also better by not attracting as many sharks if they are stoned and you get them up pretty quick).

[doctorb]

Do NOT take this the wrong way....but why spear a tarpon?  They are a prized gamefish and are unbelievable to catch on a rod and reel.  I can see you spearing it for a trophy mount, I guess.  But, as far as I know, tarpon are released to fight again because their fight is a lot more impressive than their meat.  I have never eaten tarpon and I've never seen it on a menu.  Again, I have no problem with your obsession.  Looks like a blast.

[DelawhereJoe]

600 yds off the beach.

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[DelawhereJoe]

....not quite what I wanted....but it worked.....hopefully.

[Briankinley2004]

  Nice fish. I am glad she stoned that one too, she may have gone for a ride :D. Do yall use riding rigs so you can let them go in a hurry?

Negative on the riding rig. I'm always prepared to let my gun go. I use the JBL so I'm not out as much as a riffe. When I shoot an aj I always make sure I have a pipe close to grab. I keep cable cutters in my b c and have the hog tail swivel on my gun too.

[Briankinley2004]

Do NOT take this the wrong way....but why spear a tarpon?  They are a prized gamefish and are unbelievable to catch on a rod and reel.  I can see you spearing it for a trophy mount, I guess.  But, as far as I know, tarpon are released to fight again because their fight is a lot more impressive than their meat.  I have never eaten tarpon and I've never seen it on a menu.  Again, I have no problem with your obsession.  Looks like a blast.

That was my first and last tarpon to shoot. They are considered trash fish around here as we don't have a big tarpon fishery. In Louisiana if we can't figure out a way to eat it it has to be bad 😂😂. That one didn't go to waste   We used it for crab bait and the Asians down here eat the heads

[petefrom bearswamp]

Thanks for the enlightenment on the meaning of stoned regarding spear fishing
I was worried there for a minute

[Raider Bill]

  Nice fish. I am glad she stoned that one too, she may have gone for a ride :D. Do yall use riding rigs so you can let them go in a hurry?

Negative on the riding rig. I'm always prepared to let my gun go. I use the JBL so I'm not out as much as a riffe. When I shoot an aj I always make sure I have a pipe close to grab. I keep cable cutters in my b c and have the hog tail swivel on my gun too.

I like Sea Hornets for free shaft and have a JBL for line spearing.

[Briankinley2004]

We can't free shaft around the rigs. Usually in water 150' -400' deep. Even when it's shallow there is usually a murk layer over the bottom making it impossible to see.

[Magicman]

My present customer owns a tuna fishing service out of Venice, LA.

[Raider Bill]

I'd have to run out 100 miles to get anywhere near that depth.

[LaneC]

Yes Pete, a stoned fish is a good fish :D. Venice is a great place to leave out of for offshore trips. Fourchoun (foo-shon) is another popular spot we always went out of.

[LeeB]

Just beware of Golden Meadows and Port Sulphur, respectively. 

[tule peak timber]

Me in Baja a few years back. The gun is a Riffe, serial number 001. Fish are wahoo, pez fuertes, and groupers. All free-dive fish from offshore pinnacles in blue water. Now just pics on the shop wall....Rob

  

[Raider Bill]

Funny how different areas are. I've never seen a Riffe gun around these parts. Do you have Sea Hornets?

[Ianab]

I'd have to run out 100 miles to get anywhere near that depth.

That's another cool thing about the Pacific Islands. Deep water as soon as you leave the harbor. We did a game fishing charter in Rarotonga a few years back and where trolling for Wahoo in about 1,000 ft of water. Glanced at my phone, and I had wifi signal from our holiday house on the beach  :D

Couple of miles further out and it was more like 10,000 ft.

We did actually catch a fish (it was a slow day) about 500 yards off the end of the airport runway

[Briankinley2004]

My present customer owns a tuna fishing service out of Venice, LA.

Whats his company name? I know a couple guys over there. We go out of Port Fourchon near Grand Isle. I keep my camper down there all year and yes set cruise on 50 going through the meadow. Those wahoo are nice. I have caught a few but never shot one. They are some fine eating. We hit the Mississippi Canyon about 25 miles out. The middle of it is probably 3,000 feet

[Magicman]

Lee McLean.  Here is his fishing service: http://venicesportfishing.com/

I just sawed wall paneling for a new lodge that he is building.

Many years ago I fished with Charlie Hardison's (sp) outfit out of Port Fourchon.

[Briankinley2004]

Don't know him but have heard the name. Charlie Hardison died. He was actually from Monroe, my area. His son in law took the boat over but got busted by Feds   The fines and economic situations forced him to give the boat to the bank. I rent my r v spot from the current owner and the boat sits across the street from my camper. It's still named capt charlie. Renovations on it are almost complete including new engines. They are located north of the old place

[Magicman]

The last time that I fished there we were on the Sailfish, which was in Charlie's fleet.  At least we booked through Charlie's service.

[Briankinley2004]

That's been a while, just fishing with  Charlie has been a while. He's been dead along time

[Magicman]

Yup, 12 years or more.  Ouch!