Sport Fishing Travel Blog of photographer Scott Kerrigan

July 17 – Red Hook is really starting to fill up for this moon. It’s a little early in the cycle for everyone to be fishing today, only a dozen or so boats going. The trade winds are blowing today at a brisk 20 knots in the morning and even stronger by mid day. I rode along with Bob on the new Paul Spencer boat Southpaw today and he went one for one. This bite started on a short rigger teaser and within moments this fish has taken a look or a bite of most everything in the spread. No jumps and a quick battle had me hoping for some excitement near the boat. Careful for what you wish for. I did get a few shots of a nice clean fish in the air filling the frame at the end of the leader.
 
 
 
And then things changed quickly as I felt the need to dive for the deck to avoid the inbound missile. Luckily the roll of the boat had the fish impacting the hull side just inches below the covering board and bouncing off into the water. A check of my camera had this image below as the last frame captured before I bailed…

 
 
 
July 18 – Riding aboard the 72′ Merritt boat Tyson’s Pride today. More heavy rain and strong trade winds today. Our first bite comes on a short rigger teaser and comes strong and fast to the boat. The pitch goes out but never even gets a sniff. Our second morning bite also starts on a teaser and this fish eats the pitch just right. Ten minutes into the battle the line goes slack. Turns out to be a fluke accident with the circle hook breaking just below the barb. A long afternoon with no more sightings. Rain and lightning all evening long.

 
 
 
July 19 – From the eye of the storm … dawns first light arrives in the form of an amazing electrical storm over the East End of St. Thomas. While sitting on the boat having some coffee, I could see several power line transformers arcing while the power surged and flickered in the residential hills surrounding Red Hook Bay. Not good. The National Hurricane Center reports a 30% chance of the overhead patch of weather forming into something tropical. By late afternoon, this prediction would be increased to 60%. I decide to take a lay day today and stay on island. While visiting Neptune Tackle, I end up running into an old friend Tyler. He is now Captain of one of the Double Header skiffs that specialize in this areas inshore fishing and also are masters of targeting the Yellowfin bite out off the edge. It doesn’t take long before he puts together a plan to dash out between squalls and show me some Kingfish. Like the Blue Marlin a few miles offshore, the kings remain elusive even in an area where they were biting just yesterday. I wasn’t for a lack of talent or effort however. They did catch a few fish and even broke a new high tech jigging rod while applying some heat on heavy braided line.

 

 
 
 
July 20 – Aboard the Paul Mann boat Prime Time today. This is day one of Fin Gaddy’s charter, owner of the newest Paul Mann boat named Qualifier. Big improvement in the weather today, some sunlight and just a little rain. First encounter is a teaser bite that doesn’t play along. Next is a long rigger lure bite, down and tight. Bent butt outfit in the chair for this one. Fin is a tackle enthusiast and this outfit is a favorite for 80lb line. A longer than average blank, cut to stay firm with an old school cork grip mounted with a light weight composite reel. A perfect tool for this job.

 
 
 
This fish pulls off on the leader without showing herself much. The next teaser bite eats the pitch and the 50lb bait. This short lever rod is also equipped with a mini bent butt for stand up leverage. This fish does a few hops on the leader for the camera. A third teaser bite again eats the 50lb pitch and it’s first series of jumps is across the spread with an interesting background. The Hatteras boat Amirita is coming up the drop right behind us and gets a nice show of the action. Within one minute on the line the circle hook pulls and we are done for the day. End up 2 of 3 bites, and see two others.
 
 

My stock photo web site host is continuing to tweak and refine the user experience. They now offer visitors to my site the ability to leave a comment below a photo. These comments are only visible by me and the person leaving the comment. So now’s your chance to look around AquaPaparazzi.com and let me know what you think about any particular image.

I’m just back from St. Thomas with a Virgin Island fishing report. I arrived on island within minutes of the leading edge of a tropical wave. So it was no surprise that there would be some rain and wind. Little did I know…
 
 
 
Day 1 – Fishing aboard the 58′ Paul Mann boat Prime Time today. Pouring rain and squalls all morning. A mid day arrival of charter party has us hitting the South Drop for a few hours. We end up with one billfish bite in just a few hours of trying.

 
 
 
 
Day 2 – Prime Time again today with a full day and an early start. Continuing steady rain with plenty of wind. Photo conditions were terrible but the fishing was ok. We ended up releasing 1 of 3 bites. A second fish that might have been a catch was cut off by accident. While we were hooked up, Bubba Carter on the Tijereta made a close pass in the hope of getting a bite. Sure enough he did. Happens all the time and it’s the right thing to do. The random part is the initial run by his fish was directly toward the one we had close to the boat. And since the moving line is the cutting line, we lost ours with 50′ to go. The good news is that it makes for some great photos of a neighboring boat (below) and Bubba did end up getting his fish. And I got to say hi to mate Terry and old friend Tony as they roared by. So a happy ending.

 
 
 
 
Day 3 – I’ve been wanting to ride with Ronnie Fields for a while now and today was my chance. The 60′ Sportsman boat Big Oh was hitting the North Drop for the first day of their summer season. Even the light tackle and very light leader they fish didn’t scare me away. I figured I might get some shots of jumps near the boat and some water splashing photos. Sadly, both of the fish they released today did not jump. But the team delivered on the splashing water opportunities. As the backing performance of the boat gets sluggish (below), Ronnie is forced to give back some line and have the crew open the tuna door and let the sea back out where it belongs.

 
 
 
 
Day 4 – The last few days have been spotty on the North Drop so today on the Prime Time Butch decides to give the South Drop a try. His clients also have a flight to catch so they have to be at the dock early. The rain is intermittent today with moments of actual sunshine. We spend most of the day near the FAD and start out with a rare 35lb Dorado. Ahh, another benefit of the South Drop. When the call for lines out comes, we have released two Blue Marlin. What a great way to wrap up a trip.

 
 
 
 
Day 5 – Today I have the good fortune of riding along with an old friend Terry aboard the 72′ Merritt boat Tyson’s Pride. I first met Terry in the Mona Passage when I was working on the Key Venture while we were rafting off Jim Edmonston’s mothership the El Zorro for a few weeks. Terry and the Tyson’s Pride stopped by for a few days of what turned out to be very slow fishing that season. Now 20 years later I get a chance to spend a day with him and his ace crew of Shaun and Newt. Turns out that he is going to try to get his seven year old son Charlie his first Blue Marlin today. A good day for the cameras, despite the return of the steady rain. Since the North Drop is still spotty, we again hit the South Drop and go right to the FAD. Charlie wastes no time and gets right to work on a small Blue Marlin. After watching Charlie catch his first Tarpon the day before, and now a billfish from his dad’s fighting chair … the name Charlie Robinson is one we will be seeing in the future associated with some notable catches. We have a strong day by releasing 3 of 4 marlin bites and seeing 2 other lookers. This turns out to be more action than anyone on the North Drop saw. It’s going to be crowed at the FAD tomorrow…

 
 
 
 
Day 6 – The newest boat in the fleet is the 57′ Paul Spencer boat Southpaw. This state of the art vessel looks like any other sleek, modern, sportfisherman from the outside (photos 1 and 2 below). But what you don’t see is the high tech components within. Most notably the propulsion system is Volvo Penta and their pod drives (photo 3 below). I can’t wait to see this hardware in action. Unfortunately, we trolled the North Drop all day today without a bite. The fishing overall is terrible today with very few bites. Looks like the action today is South with the Chach catching 5 of 9 bites. I will say that the ride is very smooth and there is little or no vibration at any speed. I’ll have to try my luck again next moon.
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Just wandering through some saved links this morning and found myself drifting back to the Caribbean. I was happy to re-visit a blog site for a photog friend who lives and shoots there full time. Josh is dialed into the local scene and has an eye for beauty on an island that is provides it at every turn. If you want to take a virtual trip to Grenada and see some fantastic photography, take a look at Josh’s site “Modern Day Gilligan“. It is an explosion of color and scenic beauty from a jem of an island.

Marlin mag’s latest issue hit the news stands this week. Their choice for a cover photo always interest me and this issue is no exception. They chose the first frame in a sequence I captured last summer while riding along with Capt. Butch aboard the Prime Time in St. Thomas. Clearly this first frame is the best choice, since the composition goes south as the fish flattens out during the second half of the jump. To see the entire motor drive sequence, click the image above to start the movie. This shows that you don’t need all the bells and whistles in a fancy digital camera motor drive, you could shoot this sport with a single shot. What do you think?

I’m in Isla Mujeres this week and happen to be overlapping one of the annual fishing tournaments held here on the island. This event is the Gran Torneo de Pesca and is unlike any other tournament I have ever seen. For staters, the prizes for first thru tenth place are on display in a parking lot. And as far as tournament trophy’s go, they are very useful. First place is an SUV, second is a pickup truck, third is a compact car, fourth is Ponga skiff, and fifth thru tenth are various levels of mopeds and scooters. Lets just say that most of the participants aboard the 114 boats entered are a wee bit motivated to do well in this one. The target species (in order of highest points to lowest) are Blue Marlin, White Marlin, Wahoo, Dorado, Tuna, Kingfish, Barracuda, and other. One fish from each category can be weighed each day for each team. This other category lets you pick one more fish to bring in each day, such as a Bonita, AJ, snapper, grouper, etc. They have a minimum length for the billfish and a 10lb minimum for the meat fish. Note the missing Sailfish category. The Sailfish is obviously the most common and revered fish here and forces teams to use all their skills to place in this event.

Day 1 of 2 – It’s blowing today. They say it’s been blowing for the last two weeks now. This sure is unusual weather for late May. I catch a ride with Tammy and Dave aboard the 59′ Spencer boat Double Trouble. They decide to go long odds and run 30 miles South to the edge down below Punta Morales. A 33 knot cruise and a Carolina ride make this seem easy even with 20+ knots of wind. Little or no crowd down there but the fishing was slow. They did manage to catch a small undersized White, an undersized Wahoo, a keeper Dorado, and an undersized Kingfish. Then the current changed and the weed moved in and things shut down. The evening weigh in is a sight to see with a line for your moment at the scale snaking well down the dock. One Blue and many whites were brought in today along with plenty of grande meat fish.

Day 2 – The same or even more wind today. Again riding aboard the Double Trouble. Today Dave runs out front of Isla with the bulk of the fleet and we start in deep water. Out here the current runs strong and I mean to tell you it was rough on the deep side of the edge. Several keeper Dorado and a fat 18lb Bonita go in the box early. A White teases in half way then peels off without eating. Then a long lull before another White appears on the bridge teaser and eats a flat line. While pulling drag this keeper size White pops up behind a long rigger and goes ahead and eats that before pulling off both rods seconds later. Terrible luck.

Day 3 – Riding with Anthony aboard the Keen M today. Wind conditions have improved slightly from yesterday as it appears the weather is going to do what the forecasters say it will do – improve. Only a few boats out today. We pick away all day and end up with 20 billfish bites total (3 white Marlin and 17 sailfish) and a Blue Marlin sighting. Also plenty of Dorados, from peanut to 30lbs. Spent about 30 minutes live baiting a Bonita on some wire as it’s not too late to see a Mako up on the bank. We saw one Whale Shark on the ride in.

Day 4 – The weather is getting nicer everyday. We went deep early and had three white marlin bites along with some nice Dorados. Ended up running inshore for the late afternoon sail bite. Ended up with 21 billfish bites today. We saw several large turtles while trolling. Good solid fishing for late May.

Day 5 – Calm and sunny today with a nice gaffer Dorado right out of the gate. Then a deepwater Sailfish shows up and finds a hook. Not long after a welcomed White Marlin makes a showing. Lots of jumps and photos. A few more sails in the afternoon complete the day.

Day 6 – Flat calm today. Deep early with not much action. A few sail bites and a gaffer Dorado. No signs of the White Marlin. We spend about an hour bouncing a bait on the bottom in 1100 feet of water looking for a daytime Swordfish. No bites. Only a cookie cutter shark on the bait when we wound up (above). A move to the inshore zone in the afternoon was quiet also. A few sail bites to be had. Our final push was to try to catch dinner and the Mangrove Snapper and Gag Grouper were very excited to see our baits. The action was fast and furious for the short time we spent at it. Even caught two snapper on one live bait – a double hooked Cigar Minnow (below).

I recently decided to treat myself to some more memory cards. With file sizes ever expanding, my old collection of 1, 2, and 4 GB cards were seeming a bit small during some days offshore when the action heated up. Add the occasional movie clip to that and those cards fill up fast. So I surfed around and found an attractive offer for a two pack of Lexar 300x UDMA 16 GB CF cards. They arrived one week ahead of my departure for a photo shoot in the Yucatan. Plenty of time to test them out. Luckily I did since one failed after just a few captures/dumps/formats. Although the matching card is still working now, I sure can’t trust it to do any better. So after a tech call to Bombay, where they diagnosed the sick card to be in need of replacement, I was transferred to Lexar customer service in Boise. They couldn’t have been more helpful. Normally exchanges are only done with the company where you purchase the item (Adorama). They not only offered to exchange both cards just in case, they are even overnighting the two replacement cards to me in time to make the upcoming trip to Mexico. Maybe my subtle hints of how happy and trouble free my SanDisk experience has been going all these years had something to do with it?  Fingers crossed…

UPDATE – The replacement cards arrived on time as promised in time for my trip. I shot for 8 days exclusively with these two cards and loved it. It’s so nice to have plenty of space. The Lexar cards performed fast and flawless.

Interesting news out of Hollywood today – The season finale of the U.S. TV series House, airing tonight (Monday, May 17 (8:00-9:01 PM ET/PT)), was captured with Canon’s EOS 5D Mark II. This makes it “the first network television prime time drama episode to be shot entirely on a Digital SLR camera,” says a Canon USA press release. In addition to shooting the episode on the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon EF lenses were used for a complete Canon workflow for image capture. Recording every second of footage to compact flash cards, the crew for HOUSE took full advantage of a completely digital workflow and was able to complete filming the entire episode in just 10 days. That is pretty amazing how far the DSLR has come. Yikes, why does it take me several weeks to edit a batch of fish pictures?

Happy Earth Day! Enjoy each and every day you are aboard. The above creation consists of ≈1500 sportfishing/travel photos from my collection assembled in a mosaic work of art. This print is available in sizes up to biblical proportions – original file is 30″ X 30″ 568MB.

Volcano eruption in Iceland causes global disruption of air travel in Europe! This incredible display of power and energy from a volcano that has been dormant for 200 years. Really? Did Eyjafjallajoekull have to do this right now? What’s that, you can’t pronounce the name? Well neither can I, although I do have a few other names for it now that it has jeopardized my long awaited photo shoot in Cape Verde…