Reel Draggin’ Tackle at Sea Fishing Seminar, Report for Sept 14, 2007
Fishing this day Aboard JJ's Rock

Location: Ocean City, Md. - Sunset Marina
Boat: 48' Ocean Yacht Super Sport
Captain: Rick Huckleby
Mate: Clarence
Depart 5am
Return 5pm

Details: The Tuma fishing off Ocean City has been just that, fishing. There have been a few YFT and Long Fin caught, but the big bite has just not shown up in the canyons. The other day a few YFT were landed at the Hambone, so we figured that would be our best bet. Left the Ocean City dock at 5:00am and just short of the Hambone we put the Tuna Spread out which consisted of these ten lines:
- 2 long Long lines off of the out riggers about 300 feet back, 5" Blue Super Slammers over hoos.
- 2 long lines of the riggers with 16" Rainbow Squid Bird Bars
- 2 Short Riggers with 32" green/black 5" Super Slammer Bird Bars
- 1 Short Shot Gun 32" Green Slammer Bird Bar
- 1 Long Shot Gun, 13" Big green bird with the RDT 510 Blue/White Super Slammer Daisy Chain
- Off the port corner, a Planer Rod rigged with a 5" Purple/Black Super Slammer over a Hoo
- Off the starboard corner, we pulled a variety of jets, hoos, and chains

It was quiet for about the first 45 min, then all hell broke loose. Multiple lines went down and anglers jockeyed for position in the pit. During the fight two more lines down and more anglers at the transom with bent poles. I kept the anglers dancing to keep lines from getting tangled, while Clarence gaffed the first false albacore, followed by another and another and they just kept coming. This was a Seminar Charter and the main topic was how to use RDT Spreader Bars, and how to handle a spread. So, with the dismal Yellow Fin reports we decided to use the school of Albys for our demonstration. Capt Rick kept the boat on the fish the entire time while Clarence handel ed the fish, I kept the spread out moving from the port side to the starboard side. We went through about 30 or more Ably's when we noticed that one angler was having a bit of a time with his "little tuny". He took a hackling from the others as he brought the fish to the boat. The fish saw the boat before we did, and he took another 25 to 50 yd's of line and Clarence and I just smiled, this was no Albys. A few minutes later we gaffed a nice 47# YFT. As we iced him another line rips from the outrigger and a few minuets later we add another 40# YFT to the box. We worked that area for the rest of the day. The total was 56 Albys and 2 Yellow fin.

The Albys took everything, but mostly the spreader bars. One of the YFT's took the Green/Black Super Slammer Bar and the other took a Rainbow Bar. For what we were out there for, it was a successful trip. The anglers got to see how to work a spread hard, we tried to always keep ten lines in the water and demonstrate multiple hookups. Several times we had all lines down.

Thanks Capt Rick and Mate Clarence, see ya on the 28th.