An offshore trip to Twin Peaks snags smiles, first-ever billfish
On Saturday, Elliott and I fished with Ben from Shimano. Ben is an accomplished freshwater angler. He consistently places well in bass tournaments, but he has limited offshore fishing experience. Our plan on Saturday was for Ben to catch his first billfish.
Brody, the amazing fish-finding and stock-trading dog, was unable to join us. He believed that BTC would sell off in advance of the SpaceX IPO and needed to get into a position to buy the dip. I don’t understand these things, but I am glad Brody does. So, I did not complain when Brody dropped out at the last minute. Thankfully, he reviewed the satellite data and told us to fish at a spot we call Twin Peaks in 500 feet of water.
Elliott, Ben, and I pushed away from the dock at 5:30 in the morning. Conditions were perfect. Clear skies. Calm seas. Beautiful sunrise. On the 65-mile run to Twin Peaks, Elliott coached Ben on the basics of circle hook fishing for billfish. It sounded simple. Watch your circle-hooked ballyhoo in the trolling spread. Drop back on the strike. Wait a few seconds. Push drag to strike. Keep rod bent while we chase the fish with the boat. Five easy steps to your first billfish.
Upon arrival at Twin Peaks, the ocean was alive. Flying fish were everywhere. Small tuna were busting minnows on the surface. We could see mahi underneath large weed patches. Ben said Brody really is a fish-finding dog. Elliott and I laughed and agreed.
Almost immediately, a mahi attacked Ben’s ballyhoo. Everything went according to plan. Ben dropped back, waited a few seconds, pushed the drag to strike, and kept the rod bent while we chased the fish with the boat. Great practice, and we put a few fish tacos in the fish box.
A bit later, a small blue marlin struck Ben’s ballyhoo. In the excitement of his first billfish bite, Ben let the reel backlash. The score was Billfish 1 and Ben 0. On the next pass over Twin Peaks, a sailfish made it Billfish 2 and Ben 0. He was excited and disappointed at the same time. When the score got to Billfish 4 and Ben 0, he was still undeterred.
Then it happened. Everything went according to plan. Ben dropped back, waited a few seconds, then pushed the drag to strike and kept rod bend while we chased the fish. In short order, a beautiful sailfish came to the boat. We took a few pictures and quickly released Ben’s first billfish.
On the ride in, Ben raised a sailfish release flag and smiled the whole way back. Shortly after returning to the dock, Ben kept with billfish tradition and jumped into the water. He was still smiling.