The Canyon Draggin'
A 28 foot 2002 Grady White Sailfish, powered by twin Yamaha 4 cycle 225F's. Our cruse speed is between 24 and 28 Kts, weather permitting and if/when we need to run, we can do an easy 45kts with a full load. That puts us in the canyons in roughly 2 hours, depending on where along the edge we start. We take no more than four anglers and the Captain. Fishing the Canyon Draggin' is an all hands operation, there is not much sleep other than on the way out and back. With a crew of four plus the captain it may sound cramped but its all about crew management and the size of the cockpit in this Grady White. At the beam she is 9'6" wide and at the transom she is 9' wide. The cockpit is clean, all deck and we keep it that way while fishing. One angler will always take a turn in the port chair to increase situational awareness in the spread and around the boat. More eyes in the spread is what helps us see that blue suited one in time to drop something back and nail him. This puts only three anglers in the pit running the spread at any given time. With the captain at the helm throughout the day, the cockpit is run by the anglers and the captain lending direction and recommendations as needed.
Crew
Captain Ken Lahr is a U.S.C.G licensed Merchant Mariner with 30 years fishing experience, fishing off the DELMARVA pensula since 1997. He also has fished from New South Wales and Queensland Australia almost every year since 1995, learning a great deal from some of the best fisherman in the world. Capt. Ken grew up fishing the finger lakes of New York state for lake trout, Northern Pike and both small & large mouth bass. Capt. Ken got the itch for offshore fishing during a short visit to Long Beach Ca at the age of 15.
Captain Ken Lahr will be sure to give you a great day of fishing and the trip of a lifetime. His goal is to give anglers a very memorable day onboard the Canyon Draggin' encouraging all hands participation.
Fishing Range
Launch time is usually 5am, although when the BFT show up we like to get an hour early jump on the fleet. Departing at 4am has often allowed us to ice our limit of BFT before the fleet shows up. This gives the crew a chance to decide if they want to stay on the BFT and C&R or, pick up and run to the canyon where we can hunt down some YFT, pitch light tackle at pots for Mahi or deep drop for tiles. The poles dry alarm sounds at 2pm. Once sounded, the crew brings lines in and smartly readies the Canyon Draggin' for the run back to port. Timing is everything, being a trailer boat from Annapolis Md, offshore runs make for a very long day. Our maximum range from the nearest point of land is 100nm. We are usually 45 to 80nm from port. Early in the spring (May) we may venture to the limits of our range if conditions and intel warrant. The Canyon Draggin' is a trailer boat. This allows us to follow or go to the fish. This becomes very important early or late in the season as the bite could be quite far from Ocean City. Our normal launch points are Ocean City and Chincoteague Va.
Safety:
The Canyon Draggin' is skippered by Captain Ken Lahr who is USCG licensed and has been fishing the DELMARVA waters since 1997. Safety always comes first. There will be no drinking to excess allowed and anyone who shows up to the boat intoxicated will be turned away and they will forfeit whatever money they paid. The Canyon Draggin' is being equipped with state of the art electronics. Every primary system has a backup to ensure ultimate safety. We have 2 VHF radios (plus a hand held), two independent multi function display systems (GPS Plotter, Radar & Sonar) with an additional handheld GPS. Of course we are also EPIRB equipped. The Canyon Draggin' can handle much more weather than the typical crew. On questionable days we may clear the outer marker only to find it to rough to continue. Return to port decisions are made by the captain and in the interest of safety. If the Canyon Draggin' does not get to fish,anglers will be offered a complete refund or a chance to reschedule. If in the captains opinion a fair days fishing has been completed then it shall be so logged in the books as a completed charter.
Electronics:
The very latest in electronics, the Canyon Draggin' is fitted out with two Lowrance HDS10m Multi Function Display systems that include high resolution GPS, 3D-Bottom topography, High Definition Digital Radar and the latest Lowrance Broad Band Sonar system coupled to two very high resolution Airmar transducers. The Lowrance HDS system is also equipped with side scan sonar and the ability to record and correlate raw sonar data with GPS track history throughout the trip. This allows us to do our own analyses (over the weekend and a few beers) of the bottom. We have our own bottom analysis software that allows us to map not only more detailed contours or wreck debree fields, but we also get a good look at the bottom sediment type. This knowledge will allow us to pinpoint the best DEEP drop areas. This is high end stuff; considering the Lowrance BB sonar can paint a 600 foot bottom with a high resolution 200 kHz sonar transmission or easily out to 2000 feet with 50 kHz. The two HDS systems are networked and will provide 100% backup capability of all systems. We have two fixed mounted Standard Horizon radios. We also carry a hand held radio, hand held GPS unit and a complete set of up to date charts.
Tackle:
Only the Best! All our reels are AVET reels. We carry the light SX, MXJ for pitching as well as the heavier EX and EXW 4/0 2-speeds for trolling. Our spread will consist of spreader bars and a few meat rigs. We usually start the day hitting the Blue Fin haunts, put four or five lines out and try to get our two BFT's on ice as soon as possible before making a run to the canyon so we can hunt up the elusive yellow fin. When fishing for yellow fin we usually have about nine lines out. We'll fish hard until the 2pm alarm goes off signaling its time to ready the boat the return run to port.
Fishing Goals:
Simple, put meat in the box and make sure your expectations are exceeded.
What to bring:
For starters, we do not allow excessive drinking. A beer or two is fine; I will not allow anyone to become intoxicated.
I will always have plenty of water on board. If you want something else, bring it. Consumption of alcohol shall not be excessive.
- Food, bring enough for a full day. You get hungry out there and having a full belly helps you feel better in rough seas.
I recommend that you stay away from greasy food.
- All ice box items will be transferred from your cooler to the boats coolers. Keep yours in your car and be sure to keep enough ice in your cooler to keep your meat cold after return. We do not allow extra coolers to be brought aboard.
- Sunscreen, hat etc for sunburn protection
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Soft Soled Shoes, no work boots, black soled shoes or bare feet allowed
- We supply all tackle & Bait, but if you want to bring your own, that's fine too
- Keep an ice chest with ice and a lot of very large zip lock bags in your car for the catch.
- Camera & Film
- Travel light, your small bags will be kept below in the main cabin.
Sea Sickness - If you do not get offshore often or you are susceptible to sea sickness I strongly recommend you follow these directions:
1. Before you go to bed the night before take a full adult dose of the drowsy kind of Dramamine and don't drink to excess the night before.
2. One hour BEFORE you get to the dock, take a NON-DROWSY Dramamine.
3. Don't drink alcohol, at all.
4. Stay away from spicy or greasy food the night before. Deep fried chicken is not going to be your friend!
5. Don't drink too much coffee. One or two cups in the morning, no cream & sugar.
6. Drink plenty of water. Dehydration comes on faster than most realize offshore, it will bring on sea sickness. Lots of water will also help you keep alert throughout the day. Drink LOTS of water all day long.
THE TRIP WILL BE TERMINATED WITH NO REFUNDS if any ILLEGAL DRUGS or FIREARMS are brought aboard
THE TRIP WILL BE TERNINATED WITH NO REFUNDS if the Captain's judgment determines intoxication of a member of the party to be of concern. The Captain asks the members of the party not to become intoxicated to a point where he has concerns about the safety of the people on board.
Every charter has a different idea about what to expect from their sport fishing adventure. Contact me through email before your trip and express any concerns you may have. A short discussion will allow me to prepare in advance for type of sport fishing each individual expects. Too sum it all up I am setting this day aside for you and I want it to be a memorable sport fishing experience.
The End of the Day
Fishing the Canyon Draggin' is an all hands event. The day is not over until the fish, boat and tackle are cleaned and properly stowed. The Canyon Draggin' and trailer have a fully equipped fresh water wash down system and fish cleaning station. This allows us to completely wash the boat down, flush motors and clean fish immediately upon return. In general, we get back to the dock between 4 and 5pm depending on where we have been fishing. The Captain expects everyone to understand that cleaning the boat and fish is an all hands effort; taking the ride means you agree to man the mop or belly up to the cutting table at the end of the day. When we depart/return from Ocean City, anglers are welcome to take advantage of the Sunset Marina fish cleaning facility at their expense vice cleaning the fish them selves.
