[Arkansastide85]

1-26/27

We had a great trip.
Bottom fishing was slow and uneventful. Made two quick stops in 350-470 ft and the machine looked great at both stops but fishing was very slow and we didn’t give it long.
Tuna fishing on the other hand was great. BFT were fierce all night, we had a hard time keeping up with them all at first but after a few hours it got back to a manageable bite. YFT were slow for the first several drifts but got better as the night went. Most fish were caught on Halcos but around 3 am the Frenzy bite turned on with bigger fish.
Trip totals...
33 YFT
268 BFT
28 BBs
4 AlmacoJack
1 big Squid
View attachment 126114 View attachment 126115 View attachment 126116 View attachment 126117 View attachment 126118 View attachment 126119 View attachment 126120 View attachment 126121

BBs?

 

[Capt.matt]

BBs?

Beeliners

 

[Mangochas]

1-26/27

We had a great trip.
Bottom fishing was slow and uneventful. Made two quick stops in 350-470 ft and the machine looked great at both stops but fishing was very slow and we didn’t give it long.
Tuna fishing on the other hand was great. BFT were fierce all night, we had a hard time keeping up with them all at first but after a few hours it got back to a manageable bite. YFT were slow for the first several drifts but got better as the night went. Most fish were caught on Halcos but around 3 am the Frenzy bite turned on with bigger fish.
Trip totals...
33 YFT
268 BFT
28 BBs
4 AlmacoJack
1 big Squid
View attachment 126114 View attachment 126115 View attachment 126116 View attachment 126117 View attachment 126118 View attachment 126119 View attachment 126120 View attachment 126121

Any red snaps around that rig?

 

[DaleR]

Sounds like a good trip!!!!!

 

[esgeo]

Thanks for the report as always! Is that a ribbon fish or something else next to the squid?

 

[jbuyrum]

I think it might be a cutlass fish but I didn't know those were in the gulf

 

[Capt.matt]

Thanks for the report as always! Is that a ribbon fish or something else next to the squid?

We call them Snake Mackrel but I’m. It sure if it’s their real name or not.

 

[Capt.matt]

Any red snaps around that rig?

Not really, a few big ones. We usually catch Scamps and YellowEdge there but we didn’t catch much of anything that day.

 

[Capt.matt]

We are looking for 10 more fishermen to make our trip on Monday.

 

[Nate]

We are looking for 10 more fishermen to make our trip on Monday.

Capt. Matt,

Is it calm enough to go, and there may be rain in the forecast. How does that affect the YFT bite? Does it decrease the topwater and frenzy bites?

 

[Mangochas]

Not really, a few big ones. We usually catch Scamps and YellowEdge there but we didn’t catch much of anything that day.

You guys can fish for Tuna and i would be on the bottom doing what i have done for over 43 years but just deeper than what i am used to fishing. Love to get some real scamp again.

 

[spikedog1967]

Nice trip. You slaughtered the bf, plus a decent amount of yf. Which rig did you fish?

 

[Capt.matt]

Capt. Matt,

Is it calm enough to go, and there may be rain in the forecast. How does that affect the YFT bite? Does it decrease the topwater and frenzy bites?

The forecast looks great for Monday and Tuesday, it doesn’t rain on us very often at night out there but it doesn’t seem to effect the bite much.

 

[rwc3500]

@Capt Matt - does Grouper season close this year from Feb thru March? I heard someone mention it on this last trip, but google doesn't confirm if its closed or not.

 

[Mangochas]

The forecast looks great for Monday and Tuesday, it doesn’t rain on us very often at night out there but it doesn’t seem to effect the bite much.

We get our best bites just before a bad front with a strong southwest wind. Once the front passes and BOOM the bite goes dead.

 

[Capt.matt]

We are down to needing 6 more

 

[Undersize]

Tpwd website on ribbon/belt/Cutlass fish

Atlantic Cutlassfish (Trichiurus lepturus)

Information about the Atlantic Cutlassfish (Trichiurus lepturus), a species found in the State of Texas

tpwd.texas.gov

A bunch of Asian people eat the hell out of them.

I've been signed up for the Feb 16 and 17 trip for a while. Taking my dad. First tuna trip for us.

Curious if anyone knows what causes a sharp change in color like this.
28.8642197, -89.7586394

 

[esgeo]

Curious if anyone knows what causes a sharp change in color like this.
28.8642197, -89.7586394

Looks like a sediment plume from the river with a lot of suspended clays.

thanks for the cutlass fish link. I looked at the snake mackerel description on Wikipedia and it seems like that was a fitting description too.Either way, it Makes sense why those benthos jigs work so well in the gulf.

 

[Capt.matt]

Well guys, we did not meet our minimum. We had to cancel tomorrow’s trip.

 

[CenTex_JP]

What was that squid taken on?