It looks like we’re going to be spared a direct impact from Hurricane Lee, but he is going to go by close enough to mess things up starting probably on Thursday. Lee has weakened significantly, but will grow in size and push a pretty good swell our direction. Put a little wind on top of that and it’s rough enough to cancel the OC Marlin Club Challenge Cup for this weekend. Hopefully Lee doesn’t mess fishing up too much and hopefully we’re only out of the ocean for a couple of days.
Being on the ocean has been a lucrative endeavor for flounder fishermen like Captain Kane Bounds lately. Anglers fishing on his Fish Bound have had very, very good flounder fishing with fish up to 9 1/2 pounds.
Captain Chase Eberle of Chasin’ Tides has been running ocean and bay trips the past few days and has been putting his anglers on good fishing for both.
Captain Monty Hawkins of the Morning Star enjoyed a day of calm seas and very good mahi fishing today.
Yet another fabulous day at sea spent in pursuit of mini-mahi (if wishing all the while for something larger!) News in print and broadcast warning all who will listen to keep at least 500 feet above sea level while hurricane Lee absolutely pummels the whole east coast has, again, in the finest of Samuel Clemens style, “been greatly exaggerated” from the ocean’s actual condition.. (Here ‘Mark Twain’ had been reported to have passed. When a reporter knocked on his door and inquired of the news, Mr. Clemens replied, “News of my death has been greatly exaggerated.” ..I’d say.)
If anything, swells were less energetic today. For a long while the wind was less than 5 knots – even calm, and the ocean became mirror like.
Sea Bass Bob gave today’s concrete reef sacrifice a hearty push – down to Lindsey’s Mini-Reef it went.
By & by we came upon a small buoy. Fancy that. Beneath it was a goose egg.
Next one too. Searching and looking – found what the boys thought was a tuna (I’ve seen wahoo not care a bit about a boat a few feet away, not tuna – but maybe!) Whichever – it was wholly uninterested in our offerings. We nicked a few small mahi
..and then mayhem.
That’s why we do this.
Soon the boys were counting fish and then we were done. Brion from Newark DE won the pool and off we went.
Tomorrow is sold out.
Forecasters have us moored up while weather passes after that. I’ve already cancelled Thursday & Friday. Nothing ferocious. Just enough wind and sea to bag it. Will we lose Saturday too?
Maybe.. Lee should be north of us by then. See how it shakes out.
Have been seeing some big jellies. Jellyfish get a whole lot bigger than we’ll ever see in these parts (assuming ocean acidification is arrested) but these jellies are huge for here. Vic got a pic of one – no ruler next to it but 18 to 20 inches seemed likely. Species? BederndifIknow stingyurazzicuss..
Leatherback sea turtles – world’s largest turtles – migrate to Canadian waters to feast on humongous lion’s mane jellies. How big? I’ll let Smithsonian tell you..
“While eating jellyfish appears to have been a successful strategy for leatherbacks for millions of years, there are disadvantages to having a gelatinous diet in the contemporary world. Plastic debris, which now litters the oceans, often looks very much like jellyfish. Studies have found more than a third of examined leatherbacks have plastic in their intestines and the proportion for dead leatherbacks is double that.”
Anyway – That’s why we pick up balloons. Takes no leap of imagination to see a creature that eats jellies making the mistake of eating a mylar balloon. Once most of the color is worn away? Looks mighty similar. I had one 5 feet away once and still thought it was a man of war.
Judging by the dental work – there’s no backing it out. Yes, the Spielberg alien creature-like mouth picture I shamelessly stole off the web for this post is the inside of a leatherback sea turtle’s mouth. One way in and no way out.
Cannot end well.
We press ahead.
Cheers,
Monty
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