So for the fishing trip, I was deck-handing for a gentlemen, his thirteen year old son, and the son’s best friend who all live in New Orleans. We left Venice and headed out south pass. Hit a rig in 350’ looking for bait and Amberjack. Saw a couple of cobia, that I should have nailed with a live hardtail, but the sharks got it first. Then we headed to a rig in 600’ and within about 15 mins we got a wahoo on live bait within 10 feet of the gaft before he cut the mono (tuna fishing). Then we headed south along the first rip, and ran into acres of blackfin busting. I got about 3 or 4 tuna out of the school casting lures. Caught the Venice tuna slam with a blackfin, skipjack, and a baby yellowfin. Picked up one or two on a ranger, one on a pink diamond jig, and one on a silver diamond jig. Although I was putting my lure where it needed to be, I was not getting bit very good so I kept tying on smaller and smaller stuff, finally dropped the live hardtails on them and they still wanted nothing to do with it. The school finally sounded after a little less than an hour. So I asked him whether he wanted to go deeper for Yellowfin or shallower for AJ’s and snapper. We went into about 550’ and I dropped a jig down about 300’ working it up moderately fast, I hooked about a 25-30 pound blackfin on my avet. The son had a good time with the fish but the sharks got a chunk or two before he got it up. No big deal, we left figuring the sharks would do the same again. The next rig the13 y.o. best friend gets his biggest fish of his life, about a 75 pound amberjack. It put a hurting on him, but he did a great job, and with a little coaching didn’t even think about giving up the rod. Everybody was stoked. We hit a 25 pound almaco after that, and I got a little almaco on a knife jig. The next couple of rigs we put a few snapper in the box and headed back in. I got the biggest snapper on the knife jig, about a 26” fish.
I will definitely have to build a jigging rod, Hopefully an OTI Blank. And get the whole metered colored line. Jigging is addictive and everybody on the boat was impressed at the catch rate of it. Just have to save up a little coin after my Christmas vacation to Puerto Vallarta, as I will have to get a new reel as well, probably a saltiest.
The fifth photo shows the lures I got some fish on (besides the knife jig), Two 4 oz Diamond jigs I pour, in pink and silver tape, then a 3 oz chrome ranger, and a 4oz blue/white ranger with a little holo tape.
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The next two photo’s are of the ranger and the couple are my diamond jigs in green silver and some glow tape. I will have to dress some hooks and use the diamond more for snapper next time.
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