I finally decided to order my first new boat ever today. Even though, my 2001 Maverick Pathfinder 2200V was 5 months old and only had 50 hours on it when I bought it. It only only has 150 hours now. I still couldn't call it my own. Besides I have a great sponsorship package for the Chew On This Saltwater Fishing Show www.chewonthis.tv worked out with Shearwater Boats and Ft. Myers Marine. I decided to go with the Shearwater 22 Bay Boat and the 225 Yamaha HPDI VMAX. I am still contemplating putting a tower on it. The costs for a tower have been very high but it would make for some excellent angles for the "Chew On This Show." The 6 to 8 grand for one though is a little more than I can swallow. If anyone is interested in getting a well taken care of low hour Pathfinder then just click the picture to read about the 2200V Pathfinder I have for sale.
"Surprise, Surprise"
We started the week off concentrating on Snook for the upcoming Edison Big Snook Tournament and then switched over to Jewfish. Don't worry we didn't forget about the Tarpon, they are still as thick as ever too. We had one heck of a surprise while filming the last segment of the "Chew On This Saltwater Fishing Show" Inshore Grouper Slamn' Edition, www.chewonthis.tv . I usually write these reports in chronological order. However, I am going to switch things around and start off with the Wednesday charter, Scott Webber from Chicago.
First of all, Scott was so siked up about getting a Tarpon that he even snuck away from his fiance a day early so he could fish before she came down from Chicago. I met Scott at the Cape Coral Yacht Club at 6:00a.m. sharp. It is very important to get an early start on the Tarpon. We ran out to the Causeway to get bait and then back into the river for some Tarpon fun. Once we anchored up and chummed a few Threadfin, we saw Tarpon all over the place. I had told Jason earlier in the week that he would see 200 plus Tarpon before the day would be over. I am not sure if he believed me then, but once he saw them he almost couldn't believe it himself. With Tarpon rolling all over the place I hooked up three Cape Fear Advance Tech spinning rods with very lively Tailhooked Threadfin. The next thing I knew a bait was getting busted right next to the boat. I told Scott to reel in and toss his bait over there. When his Thread landed it was consumed immediately. Low and behold it was a Snook about 25 inches long, not a bad way to start out the day.
Now it is time to get down to business. Scott fished hard for the next 45 minutes but he missed his shot at landing a nice 30 to 40 pound Tarpon when it jumped and threw the hook. We decided to leave the Tarpon rolling and try the next spot. When we arrived the conditions didn't look conducive for catching fish. Boy was I wrong. When we arrived I told Scott we will only give them 15 minutes before we left. What do ya know, that is all they needed. I baited Scott up and within 5 minutes an 80 pound plus Tarpon was leaping through the air. Scott was working the Tarpon over as well as getting worked over himself. On several occasions Scott thought the battle was over but I knew it wasn't. Eventually Scott managed to land this wonderful beauty. These Tarpon are extremely heavy as Scott soon found out when he tried to lift the heavy beast up for a quick pic. He eventually managed and what a beauty she was. We finished up the day at the Waterfront Restaurant with a high quality lunch.
Time to turn back the clock to Tuesday. I called Captain Butch and my cameraman Joel Sorentino to see if they wanted to finish up the filming of the show. Joel met me at the house and we picked up Captain Butch after filling the well up with ladyfish. Off we went for some Jewfish action. The first stop didn't produce a bite. The redtide really affected the big Goliath Groupers. With all of the dead ones we have been seeing around I don't know what has happened to them. I went to the next structure and immediately felt a thump. I reeled down and set the hook. For a second or two I felt something but after that I knew the hook must have missed it's target because I no longer felt any weight on the end of my line. I reeled back up and checked my bait to see what it looked like. I then dropped it back down and waited for the hit. There it is, Thump!! I reeled down and reared back and laid the wood to the fish. I knew I had my monster Jewfish on the other end of the line. I put pressure on the fish to get it to come up. I turned it's head and up it came. OH MY!! a 20 plus pound Snook surfaced and tail walked across the water. I was shocked, I actually thought she was even bigger when she first surfaced. What a catch. She really put a wonderful show on for us. The Chew On This Saltwater Fishing Show is going to be great with fish like this. I can't wait till I finish it up.
Finally, I decided to end the day with some Tarpon action. Typically the Tarpon action is the best in the early morning, but for some reason it was just the opposite on this day. We decided to fish one of my favorite spots. The Tarpon were all over us. We both tail hooked our baits and tossed them toward the rolling fish. Within 5 minutes I had the first one on and she put on a spectacular show for us. She went a hefty 25 to 30 pounds with is an awesome feat on 8 pound spinning tackle. Those Tarpon are great especially when they cooperate. Within 10 minutes I had hooked into another one and handed the rod over to Joel. Joel has yet to catch his first Tarpon and I wanted to help him out. He almost landed it but after 10 minutes it spit the hook on a jump. Soon Joel had another chance to catch his first Tarpon on his own rod. He fought the fish for a good 15 to 20 minutes and even got it to the boat on two or three occasions. However, the Tarpon got the better of Joel again. Not 10 seconds after Joel was broken off, the Cape Fear went off and Joel grabbed it for what turned out to be his last shot of the day. Joel fought that Tarpon for a good 5 minutes before it finally shook the hook loose. Oh well, maybe next time.
In conclusion, I am going crazy with all these Tarpon we see day in and day out. They don't always bite like I would want them too but it is still a blast to see a 50 plus pound fish roll in the wild right next to me. The big Snook are also on there way and we are starting to see more and more everyday. Don't delay, book now or you will miss out on your chance to tangle with the silver king.
The Chew On This Saltwater Fishing Show is a week or two from being completed. Check out the website at www.chewonthis.tv . The fish are on film and in the show for the most part. It is going to be one of the best fishing shows for Inshore fishing you have ever seen. You can pre order your copy now. Shirts, Hats, and Visors are being made up for the "Chew On This Saltwater Fishing Show." The hats will have the "Chew On This" logo on front with web address on the back. The Visors will say "Chew On This" in words. Tshirts will have logo on front and back with web address and slogan. Visors will go for $15 and hats $20. T-shirts will be $15. Email @ Captchancey@aol.com for more info.
Click to see the Chew On This "Sharkn' It Chokolooskee Style" webpage. Once you have viewed the preview you can purchase a full featured VHS or VCD which includes scenes from the next episode to view in your VCR or DVD player. Each video is only $12 plus $4.95 shipping and handling. This is the first episode of ten. Be sure to get it while it lasts. Limited production video, get your copy today.
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