Offshore season calls for early mornings and open water miles

In May, Brody (the amazing fish-finding and stock-trading dog), Elliott (my son), and I switched our focus from inshore to offshore fishing.  

The run from our dock to the offshore fishing grounds is a long one – about 70 miles. Preparation for an offshore trip takes hours. Checking boat operation and safety gear. Fueling the boat. Rigging and organizing tackle. Loading up on food, drinks, and ice. Offshore fishing is time consuming and a good bit of work. However, we love it. 

Typically, we meet at my house at 4:30 a.m. Elliott checks the weather forecast and offshore marine conditions. Brody and I review satellite, sea surface temperature, and current data. Then we compare notes, and Brody picks our fishing destination. 

At 5 a.m. we leave the dock. It is still dark. We use GPS, RADAR, and FLIR to navigate from Beresford Creek to a few miles outside of the jetties. If the forecast and the actual sea state match up, I plug in the GPS coordinates for the location that Brody has selected for us to fish. Then power up, set the autopilot, and sit back for the two-hour ride. 

After about 30 minutes, the eastern horizon transitions from black to pink and orange. Then the sun breaks the horizon. No matter how many times we see this, it is always a wonderment.  

When the ambient light is sufficient, I configure the boat for daylight running. Navigation lights and FLIR are turned off. Brightness on the multi-function displays is turned up. If sea conditions allow, I increase the speed of the boat. Elliott and Brody settle into beanbags for a short nap. 

Alone at the helm, my job is to monitor depth, sea surface temperature, and to look for current breaks, weed lines, and floating debris. These are positive indicators of a good place to fish. Once located, Elliott and Brody wake up and deploy the trolling spread. Elliott prefers to pull a mixed spread. Two strip teasers. Two lures on the short riggers positioned just behind the teasers. Ballyhoo rigged with circle hooks on the long riggers. 

Then we observe, adjust, and wait. Over and over and over again. Sometimes a blue marlin or sailfish will come out to play. Sometimes they don’t. For us, either way, it is a great day.