Gulp Alive

Gulp Alive

Gulp continues to catch fish, on my Cuba trip the guides could not believe how good it was, we fished shad on jig heads and it was awesome.
In Key West I had less opportunities to fish with it, but every time I used it I caught good fish.

REELS

Penn 950 SSM

Penn 950 SSM

The Penn 950 SSM Fixed spool reel came along for the second year and we also used them on the Cuba trip. It may look outdated but it is the proverbial "brick !*^~house" reel that will not let you down.

I have now landed thousands of pounds of fish on this reel with dozens of individual fish over 100lbs. I like its huge capacity and I fish it with around 400yds of Berkley Big Game Braid 50 lb test and that still leaves room for plenty of backing. There were times this trip that I was very grateful of that extra capacity.

Like I have said, an old fashioned looking reel but as tough as nails and certainly built to last with no signs of corrosion and no wear and tear except for the occasional scratch. The only modification I have ever done to this reel was to fine-tune the drag.

Penn Atlantis 4000

Penn Atlantis 4000

The Penn Atlantis is a new model and I have to say that I'm mightily impressed. It is labelled as a braid special and that is what I used it for. I was provided with one of the smaller models and loaded it with 20lb Big Game Braid which to be fair is a little over the top, but if you are going to test a reel it is no use pussy footing about !.

One of the best ways to field test any reel is to catch a stack of Bonito on it. These fish, which we had up to 20lbs, will literally destroy any reel that is not up to standard.

The braid lay is very good and the drag actually works. For a reel that was on an intensive two week test it stood up very well and is showing no signs of corrosion.

Watch this space, as this reel will have huge potential.

ABU Sorren

ABU Sorren

The Abu Sorren is a reel I use for my normal coarse fishing. The test model was loaded with 30lbs Big Game Braid; I deliberately wanted to see if this reel would take some severe punishment.

It stood up pretty well. The drag could be better, but I would expect it to be fine with say maximum 20lb braid. Several lemon sharks up to 80 lbs made it squeal a bit, but at the end of the trip it was still working well.

This reel is not made for this type of fishing so the test was totally extreme. In normal use it is a good value reel that would take plenty of punishment.

Penn International 975 CSLD

Penn International 975 CSLD

This is my second year with this reel and again I subjected it to some severe use. I overloaded it with 30lb Super line and it stood up to everything I gave it including several huge Amberjacks and Sharks.

This reel simply inspires confidence, you just know that it will not let you down. At the end of fourteen hard, hectic days there was no sign of corrosion and the reel was working as well as it did on day one.

A reel built to last with a brilliant lever drag that will cope with every situation.

Pflueger Torsion

Pflueger Torsion

The Pflueger Torsion fixed spool reel was designed and developed for the Australian market. My sample was loaded with 20lb Berkley Big game Braid and the reel is exceptional. It has survived my Cuba trip and the Key West trip with no maintenance at all.

All of my reels are washed with fresh water from a hose after every day out on the ocean. Water contamination can be a problem with many reels but this Pflueger just kept on working. The drag is superb and so is the winding power.

My reel has now a few scratches, which shows it has been subjected to some rough wear and tear. A very sensible handle makes this an angler friendly reel. Again I think this is a reel that will last a very long time.

Penn International 30VSW

Penn International 30VSW

The Penn International series all have an awesome reputation; I used it for something it was not designed for. I loaded it with 80lbs Berkley Big Game mono and used it for wreck fishing for Big Groupers and Jew Fish, not to name some very nasty sharks.

Black Grouper such as this one put huge pressure on every part of your tackle

Most of the time I had the drag locked down so that I could only pull line off with a glove. However some of my fish certainly pulled some off. Everything about this reel is over the top, and it needs to be to survive serious big fish fishing.

The International isn't actually designed to fish for huge Bull Sharks such as this, bur it took it completely in its stride

I cannot fault this reel at all. Buy one and you have a reel that will last you a lifetime.

RODS

Waveblaster EVO

Waveblaster EVO

I had two Wave Blaster Evo models with me, so good were these rods that I have had to leave them with the Key West Guides. Forget the spec that is in the book, you can fish almost any line on them and not break them. I fished 30 lb through 65 lb Super Line on them and they were simply awesome.

Big Amberjacks, Sharks and Groupers are not a problem for these rods. I had the two-piece models that fitted together at the butt joint. They are light yet very powerful.

Top class fittings and Fuji guides make this rod a serious bit of kit for anglers of all abilities.

Waveblaster Travel - Four Equal Sections

Wave Blaster Four Piece Travel Rod

A large percentage of the research and development budget in recent years has been spent on producing travel rods that offer the same feel, strength and flexibility as the more traditional one and two piece rods. This particular model was to be my new Tarpon Rod. I matched it with 20lb Berkley Big Game mono and it is a dream. The rod says 20 lb/30lb class and it is spot on.

Tarpon were very thin on the ground on this recent trip but the rod accounted for some huge Sharks and it was certainly a fun rod to fish with. At no time do you feel that the rod is going to break and the four piece construction makes it so easy to travel with. Top class fittings and a very durable finish make this a brilliant buy for a multitude of venues.

It is now a firm favourite.

Conolon Pro Uptide Traveller

Conolon Pro Uptide Traveller

I have raved about this 4 piece 9’6” / 7’6” rod on many occasions, most of the time I use it in the 7’6” mode. I have now landed thousands of pounds of big fish on this rod.
Its soft tip makes it great for Sail Fish and Tarpon. Its forgiving action makes it great for deep water and wreck fishing. I frequently use 50lb Super lines on it at the top end, but also 12lb Big Game Mono at the bottom end.

If you wanted to fish your way around the world using just a single rod then this would be the one, it's amazingly versatile. The adjustable handle makes it perfect for fixed spool or multiplier reels.

For a rod costing less than £100 it is the very best.

Shakespeare Ugly Stick Boat 20-30

Shakespeare Ugly Stick Boat 20-30

I knew that there must be a reason for so many charter boat skippers from all parts of the globe buying and using Ugly Sticks for a huge variety of fishing styles. After this trip I now know the reason...these rods are unbreakable. I certainly did my best but now believe that no human can break one during a normal fishing situation.

I overloaded mine with 20lb/30 lb class one with 80lb Big Game Mono and you still couldn't break it. Unbelievable value.

ABU Garcia Esprit Braid Boat 15-25

This is still my favourite Tarpon Rod even though I use mono with it. It's light and extremely responsive. I have not managed to break one and have now had dozens of Tarpon over 100lbs on it.

For a sub £80 rod it is exceptional value. Ideal for deep-water fishing with braid and you can fish 50lb Super lines on it with confidence.

LINE

Fireline Braid

This was my second adventure with FireLine Braid and I cannot fault it. It is very angler friendly and most importantly ties very good knots.

On this adventure I used 20,30 and 50lbs test in moss green. You quickly notice the round profile, which helps casting and avoids line dig-in on the spool.

Berkley Big Game Clear.

My all time favourite sea fishing mono. I have caught everything on this line. Yet again on this trip the lines great abrasion resistance caught me many bonus fish.

Extremely tough and angler friendly and will perform under extreme pressure when other brands fail.

Stren Fluorocarbon Leader

Every situation required Stren Fluorocarbon Leader material, and it never let us down.

Leaders rubbing against the sandpaper like skin of these bruisers had to be replaced fairly regularly but they NEVER let us down throughout the trip.

At less than £10.00 for a 100yds spool this must be the best Fluorocarbon line on the market and it offers great value for money.

If offers good knot strength and it's tough enough to tie directly to Super lines. I cannot fault this line at all.

NOTE

Although I work as a consultant for Pure Fishing I will not give any product a good report if I think it is poor.

My report is a fair review of all of the products I had with me on my latest Big Adventure.

Roy Marlow

Today I am with Keith and we are to fish with Captain Manny. Captain Manny is a Cuban who we have fished with many times before, a brilliant guide who always delivers for us.
The weather is great and we have a plan, like I always say any plan is better than no plan. We left the harbour to go and catch Threadfins for bait, but as soon as we left we saw the Pelicans diving on Pilchards. Out came the cast net and with Keith driving the boat we put Manny on top of them. Two throws and we filled our bait well.

This guy is a master at catching bait with the cast net

Plan A was now out of the window and we decided to fish over a deep-water rock pile and chum with live pilchards. With the sea the calmest for weeks we made a 35-mile run west and with the aid of our electronics dropped anchor on top of a load of fish in 235ft of water. Within minutes, Keith and I were catching some big Mutton Snappers on our live pilchards, and do they scrap.

Keith posing with a fine Mutton Snapper

I used a variety of tackle, most with 50lb Fireline braid; at these depths this product is fantastic. Bite detection is brilliant and I could hold bottom with a 4oz sinker. I always attach about 20 ft of mono to the braid and then about 14ft of 50lb Stren Flouro carbon leader below that. I have written many features where I tell you not to fish braid direct to a short leader, it is not good. The Muttons were joined by some Amberjacks, which break your back; I skilfully left those to Keith.

Keith has to sit down after fighting this Amberjack to the surface

A few big nasties were joining us as we both had our hooked fish taken. Not good when you are already having a battle and a toothy critter joins in, problem is you are out gunned and out teethed.

We constantly were throwing in a few Pilchards and suddenly I saw a Tuna flash through.
I picked up my Berkley Muscle spin rod loaded with 30lb Fireline braid and a 30lb Stren Fluorocarbon leader to a small 2/0 live bait hook and dropped in a pilchard.

I have raved about this rod before, they are very good and extremely strong as you can see and will handle 30lb Superlines.

The Muscle rod in action as a Tuna tries to gain its freedom

I had a couple of fish drag me through the motors bending the guides. Normal guides would have broken along with the rod. Without doubt Tunas are as tough as they come and never give up.Also Sharks love them so you have to pull hard or your chances of landing one are next to zero. I managed to land one of 32 lbs and Keith had one of a similar size and next drop he had one of half that size...a thirty pounder bitten clean in half by a shark !!.

Roy with his Tuna

I hate to see good fish eaten by Sharks, they can become a pain. It was time for my Beasty Tackle as I could now see several Sharks around the boat and it was time to give them some serious steel. My Beasty outfit is a Big Penn International, 80lb Big Game Mono and a 20-30 Ugly Stick Boat Rod, a combination not to be messed with. Problem is Sharks are not particularly sporting just hard work so I played my usual trick. I hooked a Reef Shark and gave the rod to Keith so I could take pictures; he fell for it and was not amused as you can see from his face.

Keith firmly attached to a Reef Shark whilst Roy carries on fishing for proper fish

Keith soon had the shark alongside the boat but it did give me a chance to catch another species. I landed this Jack Crevalle during Keith’s tug o war.

A Jack Crevalle for Ray

The Sharks were now getting serious and I saw a monster Hammerhead lurking well back, the nasties had now eaten our last four fish so they had to be taught a lesson.
I hooked on what remained of a Bonito I was fighting and dropped it in behind the boat.

What remains of a Bonito is hooked on to the heavy gear in an attempt to catch a Hammerhead Shark

I was waiting for Harry the Hammerhead but a Reef Shark suddenly came from under the boat. I lifted my bait out of the water and it was like watching a trout take a dry fly.
The Shark grabbed my bait when it was at least a foot out of the water. Not good, so I gave the rod to Manny who fell for the camera trick, immediately asking how he had fell for it having laughed at Keith for doing the same. It was not a happy Manny as you can see, however it did give me and Keith the chance for some more great fish.

Now Manny is attached to a shark whilst our two intrepid heroes continue to try and catch more proper fish

The fish were going ballistic behind the boat every time we threw in a few Pilchards. I think this is one of the best sequence of pictures I have ever taken. This is what happens when the fish are hot.

A dozen or so Pilchards are netted from the livewell

They are flipped behind the stern of the boat

Within seconds a couple of big fish are chasing the pilchards

Now they have been joined by a few friends

Its getting seriously busy now

And now the ocean seems to be full of huge fish charging around after the Pilchards...Awesome

What a day we had, and what a way to end a trip to paradise. Loads of fish with great company.

Our other Shipmates also had an awesome day, catching Tunas and Amberjacks among other species. Robin also hooked a big Jew Fish, it pulled so hard it released the anchor and it got back into the wreck.

I hope you have enjoyed just a snapshot of our epic adventures around Key West. It has been another great adventure, my advice is if you want to do it, do it soon or you will not be fit enough to stand the pace.

Team Gulp 2009. From the left - Ray, Robin, Lemon, Damon, Keith & Manny

Goodbye from Team Gulp 2009.

We quickly caught a load of Threadfins and small Blue Runners for bait on our Sabiki rigs and headed out over the reef. We fished off Weston in 120 through 180 feet of water. Two Threadfins on our flat lines and two Blue Runners on the Kite and a slow drift looked good, but the ocean seemed devoid of life. To me the colour was not right the water was slightly milky and not the deep blue it should have been. The wind had moved the blue water out to 220ft, not such a good depth for Sailfish. Listening on the radio it soon became obvious that no Sails were being caught.

I did catch a decent Dolphin but that was about it.

A Dolphin fish, otherwise known as Mahi-Mahi - Delicious

I suggested an early move back to Key West. We made a move into the shipping lane where our other shipmates joined us who had been out with Captain Chris on board Cool Water. They had been out over the reef but apart from a load of Yellow Tails it had been tough.

Keith quickly hooked and landed a Tarpon which gave Lemon Geoff and myself confidence. We were only fishing about 100 yards apart.

The other half of the crew were only 100 yards away

I had a couple of Lemon Sharks that pretended to be Tarpon, the difference is that they do not jump and the initial run is a lot shorter.

Roy playing a Lemon Shark whilst deparately hoping that it's a Tarpon

Then with about an hour to go Lemon Geoff hooked something that started heading towards Cuba, problem was it did not jump so we were not certain of the species.
We slipped the anchor and gave chase. Then disaster struck, his line had fouled a sunken crab pot and the rod was shaking violently. I told Geoff to slacken his drag and we desperately tried to manouver the line off the snag. Suddenly a good 200 yards away a very upset Tarpon leapt for the sky still attached to the rod and line, at least we now knew the species.

Captain Jay did a few wiggles of our boat above the snag and it came free. Thank goodness we were using Berkley Big Game 20lb test mono, this is the most abrasion resistant mono I have ever used. We gave chase with the fish pulling really hard. I had seen the fish jump and had an idea of its size, but this fish was making all of the wrong moves and was not fighting like a Tarpon. I gave Lemon loads of encouragement but I actually felt that the worse was going to happen. During all of the years Tarpon fishing I have landed many hundreds of this species and this one was not fighting to the rules.

After 20 minutes the fish started to come up and to our amazement we could see that the hook was wrapped around its belly. We desperately needed to count this fish so I eventually got hold of the leader and pulled it to the boat.

Lemons first Tarpon - A lovely fish that led them a merry dance

A release counts when you either touch the leader or you get the leader into the rod.
When I first started fishing the Keys some 35 years ago this seemed a very strange set up, but you quickly realise why it is this way. These fish, which can average 100lbs, are just too big to bring on board without them doing a lot of damage to themselves and you. Plus the fact that every one is released.

I could now see the problem, this fish had another line and hook around its belly and although Geoff had hooked the fish in the mouth the line had snagged around the second hook meaning Lemon had had little control over his fish. Eventually I freed both hooks and Geoff had landed his first Tarpon unassisted. High fives followed.

In the mean time Robin on board Cool Water with Keith also successfully released a Tarpon.

We headed back to the dock relieved that Lemon had broken his Tarpon duck. A tough day for us all. Tomorrow is Day 14 our last day, the wind is forecast to drop and we need to finish on a high.

Watch this space.

We had a team meeting to plan our options for the day. Our plan was a cunning one, we knew that the tides in the harbour were wrong in the morning for Tarpon so we decided to go back to Jew Fish Basin to fish for Sharks on the outgoing tide.

We anchored up and started chumming with our Barracudas and Lady fish that we caught yesterday. As the sun got higher we started to see the shadows of the sharks coming up the flat on our chum line. The water is around 6 feet deep and they look like silent submarines. Every time one came towards our baits, which were chunks of Barracuda on a 6/0 circle hook down to 14 inches of wire, we hummed the music to Jaws. Even Captain Jack who is as dry as they come joined in.

First fish to me; it was a Dusky Shark about 100lbs

Then it was Keith’s turn with a Lemon Shark

As the sun got higher the visibility got better and every so often we see a monster shark hanging back from the pack, these were possibly big Bull Sharks. We alternated between Lemon and Dusky Sharks for the next two hours.

As you can see this is all relatively light spinning tackle. My trusty Penn 950 SSM reel must have now caught a couple of thousand pounds of fish this trip. I match it with my favourite travel rod an Abu uptider without the extension. I have said this many times if you only have one rod to take anywhere for sea fishing around the world this is the rod to take. Its light glass tip is forgiving especially when you fish with Superlines and you can bend this rod severely. My reel easily holds 400yards of the new 50lb Fireline braid and plenty of backing to go with it. I don’t like to be undergunned when there are monster nasties around. These Penn fixed spool reels might not look modern, but one thing is for certain they will take some severe punishment.

We were getting ready to go back to Key West when I saw a monster shark approaching my bait. Bail open and the mandatory count to five, close the bail, point the rod and wind. Then hang on.

The Shark raced off and the drag smoked, but I could still see the monster shark in the chum line, so what was emptying my reel with a substantial amount of drag?. I decided to play my old trick on Keith so that he would take the rod. I told him I needed some action pictures of him and he fell for it.

I could see the last few turns of super line on the spool that meant that this fish was almost 400yards away. I threw the anchor on to the buoy and we gave chase with Keith looking very angrily at me, he knew I had conned him.

But what was on the end of the line?. Now Keith does not take prisoners and after a bit of huffing and puffing we were on top of our fish. I had only foul hooked a substantial Dusky in the fin that Keith is holding, no wonder it did not stop.

Be it a shark or a carp, if you hook them here then they are going to take a bit of getting in.

The tide was slacking so we decided to race back to Key West to fish the last of the incoming tide off Fleming Key for Tarpon.

Our standard tackle for this game is a twenty-pound outfit with Big Game mono and a multiplying reel. We chum with Mahora cut into three pieces and on a good day can use three 50lb sacks of chum. 12 feet of 50lb Flourocarbon leader to my favourite 4/0 circle hook is attached to the 20 lb test and you free line back among your chum.

We anchored among the boats and within minutes Keith hooked a big Tarpon.

Hold on tight Keith, these buggers can PULL

This was a big fish and it looked likely that we were going to have to dodge a few anchor ropes

Tarpon are experts at throwing hooks whilst jumping. The advice from the experts is to lower the rod when the fish jumps, hence the saying "Bow to the King"

After untangling the line from the anchor ropes of three sailboats, the Tarpon then tried to jump into someone else's boat before we were finally able to safely release it.

Minutes later it was my turn for some action.

Another Tarpon sets sail for freedom

My reel screamed as a 130lb Tarpon went skywards

130 lbs of muscle does a dance on the surface

I had put Keith on the camera and he shot these awesome pictures.

You wouldn

This fish was a beast and I played it hard for almost 30 minutes before we released it. We lost a third in the ropes after this.

What a day, loads of big Sharks and Jumped three huge Tarpon in less than 90 minutes.

Our other shipmates were out with Captain Damon, loads of fish, too busy to take any good pictures. Lemon Geoff did some serious weight training with a big Hammerhead Shark. Needless to say Harry the Hammerhead whipped his arse.

Another great day in paradise. I am tired and battle scarred, my shipmates are all in bed and I am struggling to keep awake. What will tomorrow bring? Watch this space.

We quickly caught a rake of Threadfins and small Blue Runners on our Sabiki rigs and headed out to Weston. A quick look at the Permit patch but no one was home. The neat thing about Weston is that the 180 ft mark is only 500 yards off the reef, so with no more ado we set up with our freelined, bridled Threadfins drifting 20 and 30 yards behind the boat.

Fishing with the bail open and just holding the braid you can feel when the bait gets frightened, and frightened they do. I felt the hit, let the line run free for the mandatory count of 5, closed the bail, pointed the rod and wound. If you have never caught a sail fishing this way, let me tell you it is an awesome sight to see it tail walk all over the ocean.

Hooked Sailfish seem to spend more time in the air than underwater. It certainly makes for visually exciting sport.

Robin had never caught a Sail so I gave him my rod and started with the camera. The following sequence is just a few of the fantastic pictures I shot.

The hooked Sailfish has taken 200 yards of line in a couple of seconds

Its an unforgettable angling experience to be attached to a leaping Sailfish

The Sailfish lit up, the colours are vivid and I shot these close ups as it raced around the boat. It is not easy to take a good picture of a Sailfish because most times when they jump they have the sail folded down.

The camera doesn't do justice to the amazing colours that the Sailfish displays during the fight

A close up of the amazing beak on the Sailfish

I gave my camera to Captain Tony, on went the glove, as we needed a picture of Robin's first Sail release. I have released loads of Sailfish and normally do not bring them on board. However this was Robin's first. I grabbed it around the bill and with an almighty effort pulled it straight into the boat for a quick photograph. It turned out to be a thick-bodied fish as you can see.

Robin's first Sailfish...what a tremendous fish.

The action did not stop here, a little later we had three rods out and had a triple hook up on Sails. It was pandemonium as three Sails tail walked almost in unison across the waves.

Robin was on one rod, I was on the other, Tony was trying to bring the kite in, and the third rod was in the rod holder bent double. The end result was that Robin and I both landed our Sails after some under and over maneuvering of the rods and a few trips round the boat. High fives followed after we released our fish.

Dolphin and Bonitos followed, but now they seem boring after the Sailfish.

Our other shipmates Keith and Lemon Geoff went Tarpon fishing with Captain Jack. It was hard work, however they did hook three monsters among the sailboats and played dodge the anchor ropes.

Tarpon are very clever and always willing to take advantage of hazards such as anchored sailing boats

Unfortunately the anchor ropes won which is extremely frustrating especially on a tough day such as this.

Tomorrow is day 12, we are pacing ourselves but it is extremely tiring. I am with Keith tomorrow and we have another cunning plan, watch this space.