Offshore adventure scores Mahi

[Shawsee]

Great write up Skunk! I can't believe you went out that far by yourself. Awesome report and great work for being all alone that far out. Great video and love the music, hats off to you! Thank you for sharing.

[reelapeelin]

Proof positive...when you gotta go, YOU GOTTA GO!!...

[Redneck]

You guys and your Mahi . I wish we had them out west
NICE!

[Blue_Runner]

Good job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry you "gaffed and released" one but that is understandable.

TRY not to let them off the gaff and put em in the box asap......THEN fist pump!! Never lost one the way you did YET but have been VERY nervous before. I caught a 23 lb cow once and my gaff man got her in the throat/gills. He stood in the middle of my boat holding her and she proceeded to paint the ENTIRE cockpit and crew red. She thrashed on the gaff for every bit of 1 minute solid. Wish I had a pic.

p.s. Oh and if you ain't careful, those tails will slap you in the nuts! Ask me how I know.

[jasoncooperpcola]

That is awesome! Like a few others said, i hope to do that when i repower my V20. I like what you have done to your boat. I love the hardtop.

I went fishing with a friend last week and we got in a school of small chicken dolphin and between 5 people we caught 48 chicken dolphin.

I am not too sure about eating them though. They seemed "mushy." (I filleted one and after seeing the meat, i froze the rest for shark bait/chum.)

Are the chicken dolphin good to eat? Are they the same as the big dolphin?

[SkunkBoat]

here in Jersey, you gotta go 40 miles to have any reasonable shot at dolphin and the little ones 5 lbs and under are the norm. So losing that big one really hurt. But the little ones are just as DELICIOUS! In fact, my experience in Florida has been that really big ones over 30 are mushy and grey. I did have to resort to my brothers technique of skinning them with pliers first, then filleting. When I did the first one I filleted then skinned and kind of squished the meat. Its not like cleaning Fluke!
By the way, I saved belly strips for Fluke (summer flounder) bait. Nice and firm and bright yellow skin. I bet they rock as bait.

[Giorgio]

Skunk where do you port your boat? My friends are thinking of doing that same trip, but not sure if the boat would make it. They will be coming from Breezy Point and I'm not sure of the miles to the hole. I always went from Point Pleasant and it wasn't that far, I think 25 or so. I wasn't looking for Mahi Mahi, Tuna and Sharks. No Tuna but two Sharks, one Hammerhead released and one Mako, that was two years ago.
Does anyone know the distance from Breezy to the Glory Hole or can they catch Mahi Mahi a little closer. I told them to head out to the pots or any floating lumber and give it a shot. I'm still not sold on taking a 20' into the ocean that distance. Skunk nice going.
Thanks for any input.

[awthacker]

Great trip! I couldn't dream of going that far.

Last Wednesday we took my V (175 HP two-stroke) with four guys and full dive gear on a lobster trip. 28 miles out. The current was ripping and we were having trouble with the anchor, so we ended up idling all day to stay on top of our divers. Then ran back nearly 35 miles due to making an out-of-the-way stop on the way in. I gotta admit, I was starting to get nervous about fuel (I have no gauge). We burned 50 out of 60 gallons.

[Blue_Runner]

Regardless of size I've never had a piece of fresh dolphin I didn't like. We always skin em like in the pic. Then cut the meat out and cut out the bloodline and red meat that was next to the skin - kinda like double filleting. Belly definitely make nice durable strip baits for flounder when we don't have flounder belly. Holds up real good to multiple bites and unsolicited attacks by Mr. Crabby.

I don't blame you for being bummed about losing the big on that way. On my first offshore trip on my V out of Hatteras, NC I was on the gaff when the first 12 lber came to the side. I wiffed about 3 times and the hook pulled. I was totally bummed out for about 10 minutes until the next one hit.