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Saturday, February 09, 2008

This 15 hour offshore fishing trip by the partyboat Capt. John was run with Capt. Tony Langston in the driver's seat. Capt. Mike Malloy was also aboard as the required second captain on this extended length trip.

Leaving Galveston's Pier 19 at around 4:30 AM with 35 fishermen aboard, and making the turn at the end of the south jetty, the run offshore began. The targeted destination for the day, A rock formation about 70 miles out, was found to already have a boat on it. That scrapped fishing there, later would have to do. During the course of the day, several stops were made which included a production platform in 150 ft. of water, a sunken rig and four rock formations in 150 to 165 ft. of water, in the same general area. These assorted pieces of structure produced ling, grouper, vermilion snapper, amberjack, Bermuda chub, African pompano, etc. Several of the moves were made because of the red snapper that were coming up and which could not be kept, plus the vermilion weren't biting. At that point, a run back to the original first stop was made, and the other boat had left.

With only a short time left to fish at this seventh stop of the day, the hoped-for kingfish bite was hot. While there, fourteen hit the freelined sardines presented to them; they ranged from about 20# to a real "smoker" of 38# . This was one of those trips where the anticipated vermilion snapper bite didn't quite come up to expectations, but the rest went pretty much as planned...fishing. The day's total catch consisted of:

* 14 kingfish to 38#
* 2 Spanish mackerel
* 25 Bermuda chub
* 22 vermilion snapper
* 14 triggerfish
* 1 amberjack
* 14 rockhind grouper
* 1 barracuda
* 1 Warsaw grouper of 16#, (a second one of 40# was released after venting)
* 3 ling to 25#
* 3 creolefish
* 3 African pompano to 10#
* 1 lane snapper
* 1 Atlantic spadefish
* 1 scamp grouper
* 1 yellowmouth grouper

At this time, there are no additional 15 hour trips on the books for the Capt. John. However, if extended length offshore fishing trips are of interest to you, eight of those great to be on 36 hour trips are on the schedule and run through the middle of May. To make your reservations on these or any other Capt. John offshore fishing trips, give the Pier 19 office a call at either 409-762-8808 or 713-223-4853.

Saturday, February 02, 2008

The 36 hour tuna safari run this weekend on the partyboat Capt. John, out of Galveston's Pier 19, had Capt. Tony Langston as the primary captain. Also aboard as second in charge was Capt. Mike Malloy.

After making a southerly turn just past the end of the South Jetty, the trek offshore began for the 29 fishermen aboard. Their destination,through about a 3' chop, was Stetson Rock, located about 72 miles SSE of The Island. The usual suspects, kingfish, were there for this Saturday afternoon stop. When the run to the next stop began, 68 kingfish had been gaffed, decked and iced, and a spinner shark of 125 lb. was also taken. Freelined Spanish sardines were the baits of choice for most.

The trip's second stop, for the overnight tuna fishing period, was at the Boom Vang spar production platform which is about 127 miles to the south of The Island in 3,450 ft. of water. Seas were now running in the 3-4 ft. range. During the overnight and just after sunrise, several drifts from near the platform to a couple of miles downwind/current produced several yellowfin and numerous blackfin tuna. Bait presentations used were freelined or Carolina rigged chunk baits and sardines, diamond and butterfly-type jigs. This overnight period had 4 yellowfin and 241 blackfin tuna joining the group in the fish boxes. At daybreak Sunday, there were four yellowfin hookups, unfortunately two were lost, but one of the two that were caught was the trip's heaviest. Steve Mullins had his 85 pounder hit a freelined chunk bait that was being fished relatively shallow. About an hour later, and over a mile from the strike point, it was gaffed and brought aboard.

After the run inshore to a rock in 170 ft. of water, fishing began primarily for vermilion snapper. When they were finished and the run home began through a 3 ft. following sea, 232 vermilion snapper, a scamp grouper and several triggerfish were in the fish boxes, sort of enjoying the ice as best they could.

Working the deck with Nascar proficiency was Ben Arnold, Kenny Swanson, John Webb and Eddie Lentz. Victoria Poses kept the snack bar working just as smoothly. The captain can put the boat on the spot, but these are the folks who play a huge part in your trip's success.

The trip's catch totals included:

* 6 Yellowfin tuna (2-40#, 2-50#, 2-70#, 1-75#, 1-85#)
* 241 Blackfin tuna to 16#
* 232 Vermilion snapper to 3#
* 1 Scamp grouper - 8#
* 1 Mangrove snapper - 9#
* 68 Kingfish, 20-35#
* 32 Gray triggerfish
* 1 Spinner shark - 125#

Mark Hall (Nacogdoches), had a 75# yellowfin tuna, 4 blackfin tuna, 3 vermilion snapper and the trip's only scamp grouper.

Tom Au (Houston), with a 40# yellowfin.
Jon Jeager (Kansas City, KS), wound in two yellowfin of 40 and 70#, 14 blackfin and 20 vermilion snapper.
Jared Gordon (Silsbee), with the 125# spinner shark and 4 kingfish from Stetson Rock, and 14 blackfin at Boom Vang.
Greg Boenker (Krum), 4 kingfish, 10 vermilion snapper and 5 blackfin tuna.
Bruce Boenker (San Antonio), 8 blackfin, 1 kingfish, 20 vermilion snapper and 6 triggerfish.
Mike Decuir (Brenham), the 9# mangrove snapper, 10 blackfin tuna, 3 kingfish and 20 vermilion snapper(2 day limit).
Rita Baumann (Texas City), had 4 blackfin tuna, 4 kingfish, 8 triggerfish and 20 vermilion snapper.
Craig Quenstedt (Houston), 4 blackfin, 1 kingfish and 20 vermilion snapper.
Bruce Quenstedt (San Antonio), 8 blackfin, 1 kingfish, 6 triggerfish and 20 vermilion snapper.
L. D. Robinson (Bayou Vista), 20 blackfin, 10 vermilion snapper, 2 kingfish.
John, Fred & Bill Bogar (League City and Seabrook), had 30 blackfin tuna and 10 vermilion snapper between them.
Steve Mullins (Houston), last but certainly not least, Steve came in with 12 blackfin tuna, 3 kingfish, 4 vermilion snapper and the trip's heaviest yellowfin tuna, a nice one of 85#.

There are six more of these 36 hour tuna safaris on the books at this time; give the Capt. John's office staff at Galveston's Pier 19 a call to experience some of this multi-species fishing. While tuna are the primary target, you can see from this trip's catch totals that they aren't the only species that end up in the Capt. John's fish boxes. For reservations, call today, 409-762-8808 or 713-223-4853, the office staff and the fish out there are waiting to hear from you.

Saturday, December 08, 2007

This 36 hour offshore fishing trip by the partyboat Capt. John was headed up by Capt. Tony Langston, also aboard to assist him was Capt. Rhonda Cummins. Leaving Galveston's Pier 19 with 34 fishermen aboard a turn south was made after passing the end of the south jetty. Seas were running about 4 ft. and the ride in the direction of Stetson Rock began. The first stop of the trip was made at mid-afternoon with kingfish the primary target. This rock formation, about 72 miles offshore, has around 65 ft. of water over the top. The kingfish were there, and when a move farther offshore was made, 21 of them, to 22 lbs. were in the fish boxes. They hit freelined sardines. Also taken was a sardine eating sandbar shark, estimated to be about 6-1/2 ft. in length. It was released at boat side after a 45 minute fight with Rob Richardson.

Leaving Stetson, a run to the Boom Vang Spar platform began for the overnight fishing; hopefully, the yellowfin tuna would be there. Unfortunately, wind and sea conditions were picking up. Upon arriving at Boom Vang, which is 127 nautical miles SSE of the island in 3,150 ft. of water, fishing for tuna began. Chunk baits, Diamond jigs, butterfly jigs and sardines weren't generating a lot of interest, and this lack of action made a move necessary after a number of drifts. Nancen was the next area to be fished. Nancen Span production platform is about 8 miles to the East of Boom Vang in 3,675 ft. of water. During the numerous drifts that were made from near Nancen to about a mile or so downwind/current, blackfin tuna came aboard in numbers but the yellowfin weren't as enthusiastic about eating. The same offerings were presented to them as were at Boom Vang. When the move inshore started just after daybreak on Sunday, 151 blackfin tuna to 18 lbs. and 3 yellowfin tuna were in the fish boxes. The two heaviest yellowfin went 68 lbs. and 72 lbs. Both ate blackfin chunks that were freelined out. "Breezy & Bumpy" were still there, too, still making things a bit on the uncomfortable side when fishing.

Fishing stops made on the way back to port at Galveston's Pier 19 were in the Claypile area. Rocks in 220-230 ft. of water produced vermilion snapper, yellowtail snapper, rockhind grouper, triggerfish, etc. For the final run to port, and while fishing at Claypile, the winds dropped as well as the wave heights. Those 2-3 ft. wave heights were welcomed by everyone.

The trip's total catch consisted of the following:

* 3 yellowfin tuna, 2 heaviest at 68 and 72 lbs.
* 151 blackfin tuna to 18 lbs.
* 21 kingfish to 27 lbs.
* 130 vermilion snapper
* 5 yellowtail snapper to 3 lbs.
* 5 rockhind grouper
* 21 bluerunner
* 1 doctorfish
* 9 triggerfish

Al Calloway, Katy - 6 blackfin tuna, 2 kingfish.

Randy Derusha, Aubrey, and sons Kirby, Joseph & Daniel - 20 blackfin tuna, vermilion snapper, 8 kingfish. Randy had a 72 lb. yellowfin, the trip's heaviest.



Tom Au, Houston - 20 blackfin tuna, 1 yellowfin tuna.

Tuing Luu, Houston - 20 blackfin tuna.

Rob Richardson, Lone Oak - 4 blackfin tuna, 1 kingfish, 5 vermilion snapper and the 6-1/2 ft. sandbar shark., released at Stetson Rock.

Robert Cannon, Waller - 2 kingfish, 5 blackfin, 8 vermilion snapper, 4 triggerfish.

Bryan "Mudskipper" Treadway, Missouri City - 6 blackfin tuna, vermilion snapper and triggerfish.

Kyle "Billfish" Bradley, Missouri City - 6 blackfin tuna and the 68 lb. yellowfin tuna.

Other than the shortage of yellowfin tuna in the catch, this was another of those reliable, multi-species catches. As far as the yellowfin total was concerned, it could have been better, since several were lost at boat side or very close to it. "Breezy & Bumpy" were the uninvited guests but they are the well known and sort of expected visitors on these overnight winter trips. The good side was the catch which came aboard and it was not only taken by fishermen from Texas, but also from Oklahoma, Washington and Virginia. Make your reservation on one or more of these 36 hour tuna trips aboard the Capt. John -- give the Pier 19 office a call at either 409-762-8808 or 713-223-4853. If you know anything about keeping "Breezy and Bumpy" away, bring a load of that with you.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

This 36 hour offshore fishing trip by the partyboat Capt. John out of Galveston's Pier 19 was run with 36 fishermen aboard. Unfortunately, that cast of unwanted characters, "Breezy & Bumpy" showed up as Capt. Tony Langston was heading the Capt. John's twin hulls in a southerly direction. Also aboard was Capt. Rhonda Cummins as the second captain on this extended length trip.

As they progressed to the BoomVang Spar platform, 127 miles to the south of The Island in 3,450 feet of water, it was becoming apparent that "Breezy & Bumpy" were growing and had brought a couple of other nasty friends with them. Several drifts were made from near BoomVang to downwind and current with some blackfin tuna action and no yellowfin tuna sightings or hookups. The trip's most unusual catch was an Atlantic pomfret that hit a Shimano Butterfly jig at about 500 feet. James Ferguson wound it up and over the rail. The pomfret is a deep water fish that's something of a rarity. With tuna fishing being on the slow side, partially due to increasing wave heights and wind that were making drift speeds increase, a move was made during the early Sunday morning hours to the West Cerveza platform. This production platform is about 82 miles south of Galveston in around 900 ft. of water. The rest of overnight fishing was done while tied off to this platform. Diamond jigs, butterfly type jigs and sardines produced a few more blackfin tuna, rainbow runner, barracuda, amberjack, etc.

After sunrise, a move farther inshore was started with "Breezy & Bumpy" still in attendance. Stops made, while working the way home, were over some rocks in about 180 ft. of water, 73 miles offshore at Stetson Rock (no kingfish) and at another production platform in 170 ft. of water, 68 miles SSE of The Island. These stops produced vermilion snapper, a ling, rockhind, scamp and yellowmouth groupers, lane snapper, etc. The trip's total catch was made up of:

* 27 blackfin tuna to 18 lb.
* 108 vermilion snapper to 3 lb.
* 20 lane snapper
* 1 almaco jack
* 4 amberjack
* 1 horseeye jack of 14#
* 7 barracuda
* 10 triggerfish
* 2 rainbow runner
* 9 bluerunner
* 2 rockhind grouper
* 1 scamp grouper
* 1 yellowmouth grouper
* 1 Atlantic pomfret, 28" total length

Mike Lentz, Moore, Oklahoma - 18 vermilion snapper, 2 lane snapper, 2 blackfin tuna.
Larry Levern, Norman, Oklahoma - 2 blackfin tuna, 15 vermilion snapper.
Aaron Hardin, Texas City - This 9 year old fisherman had amberjack, barracuda, triggerfish and vermilion snapper.
Al Calloway, Katy - 4 vermilion snapper, 1 lane snapper and the 14 lb. horseeye jack.
Rita Baumann, Texas City - 1 blackfin tuna, 18 vermilion snapper, the yellowmouth grouper.
Peter Letts, Dickinson - 3 bladkfin tuna and 18 vermilion snapper.
James Ferguson, Bellville - vermilion snapper, 4 blackfin tuna and the Atlantic pomfret that hit his Shimano Butterfly jig at 500 ft. while fishing near the BoomVang Spar production platform.

This 36 hour trip was indeed an adventure, considering the deteriorating weather conditions. Winter offshore always has the possibility of changing conditions that aren't in the forecast. Wave heights were forecast to be 3-4' Saturday and 3-5' Sunday. That's all part of that phrase "That's why it's called "Fishing", not "Catching". Bouncy conditions do at times affect the fishing and the catching and this could have been one of those times, you never know. With sea conditions similar to this trip, more tuna, etc. have definitely been caught.

To book your spot on one of these 36 hour trips by the partyboat Capt. John, give the Pier 19 office a call at 409-762-8808 or 713-223-4853. Several are on the schedule through April 2008, call and make your reservations and bring the Blessing of the weather Gods with you - every bit helps...hopefully the weather forecast makes an accurate contribution too.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

This was the first of three 15 hour trips on the schedule for the partyboat Capt. John. It was headed up by Capt. Johnny Williams. Also aboard as second captain was Capt. Rhonda Cummins. Leaving Galveston's Pier 19 a bit late after an alarm clock malfunction, and later entering the slightly choppy Gulf, all 64 of us fishermen were set on "go".

After a run to the SSE, the first stop was made over a rock formation about 70 miles out, in 130 ft. of water. During the course of the afternoon, three other rocks in that general area were fished. This was the same area where kingfish were swarming on last weekend's 36 hour trip. This time, the water was an off color, sandy green, and for whatever reason, they weren't there in any numbers. Only 2 were caught today. Vermilion snapper were there, along with an assortment of other bottom and mid-water feeders. Some red snapper were there also. Those caught were de-hooked, vented and released, hopefully to grow and fight again another day.

The trip's total catch was made up of the following:

* 305 vermilion snapper to 4 lb.
* 50 lane snapper
* 1 mangrove snapper
* 1 amberjack of 33#
* 3 rockhind grouper
* 1 grasby
* 2 kingfish to 18#
* 1 jolthead porgy
* 42 bluerunner
* 3 creolefish
* 3 Atlantic spadefish
* 36 triggerfish
* 3 Atlantic sharpnose sharks

Ronnie Vaughn, Allen, with a 10 vermilion snapper limit to 3#, along with lane snapper, bluerunner and a triggerfish.

"The" Aaron Hardin, Texas city, had vermilion snapper, bluerunner and triggerfish.

Tom Creel's Group of 12 from Enid, Oklahoma had vermilion snapper, bluerunner, Atlantic sharpnose shark and the 33 lb. amberjack. The amberjack was caught by Bryan Creel, Tom's brother.

Phumphrey Lawson, Shreveport, LA, and his 9 year old son, Heith, with vermilion snapper and Atlantic spadefish.

Coming back to Pier 19 on the late side to offset the late leave, with another multi-species catch, was the end to a nice day offshore. That colorful hang of all those vermilion snappers looked nice, too. To make your reservations on one of these 15 hour trips, give the office a call at 409-762-8808 or 713-223-4853. The office staff has your spot at the rail, waiting for you. The offshore residents are waiting to go home with you, call today!