winter haven Fishing Report 2025

Thursday, October 4th, 2012

Hi friends. I don't know what's going on with me, it's like the fish just elude us in the morning time and around lunchtime, people start to get very down about our fishing day, myself included. We had a horrible morning. A boat just a few miles from us got on a kelp and had good fishing on bluefin, yellowfin, and dorado. Okay, maybe that means that we're in the right area. Nope. We went in all kinds of different directions only to find a boat already on a kelp catching fish or a boat already working the area. Very frustrating. Around lunch time, the mood on deck was starting to sour and the mood in the wheelhouse was the exact opposite of laughing babies, sunflowers, and Labrador puppies. It was straight death. I was pretty sure that I was about to lose my turkey caesar salad all over the dash and that would've been the highlight of my day up to that point. Yep, it was that bad. But as our boss's old boss, Steve Loomis, used to say, "west is best."

So I made the decision -- we're going to head west all day until we don't see a boat on the radar or we fall off the earth. As I was checking my water temperature charts, looking at the next area where I was sure that I was going to go and find another boat or non-biting fish, it happened. Not the sound of a single fish popping on the sonar or the mast-man yelling at me to rotate trollers, but the sound of a school -- a gigantic school -- on the sonar. I flipped from the computer screen to the sonar screen, throttled back the mains, and spun the wheel hard to starboard. In the excitement of the moment, I managed to tangle up the chord for the gyros in the wheel as I was spinning too (sweet), so I'm yelling in the P.A. system, chasing down the school, and trying to untangle the chord all at the same time and just like that, the school is off the edge of the screen, swimming away with my heart.

As I sit looking at a blank sweep of the sonar for a few seconds and the thoughts of ripping the wheelhouse chair from its base and throwing it out the window, I finally realize that Jed is screaming down at me from the mast. He was screaming profanities, but not directed towards me, at least not directly. His screams read something along this line, and I'll clean it up for everyone at home, "they're f-ing shinning!!" Bingo, as I came back around, the sonar lit up once again right in front of the boat and after a few seconds -- which seemed like a century -- the fathometer ran red. Oh my gosh, they're under us, thick! I can't remember if I cursed when I called for the bait to rain down on the school after we stopped the boat but I apologize to our anglers if I did. In all honesty, I don't think they could hear me on the P.A. as everyone was screaming their heads off as well and after shutting down the mains and running out to the back deck, the most beautiful sight I could've seen was right before my very eyes; fishing boiling everywhere and all the rods bent over. Sonny Jim!

We drifted with that school of five hours and after the initial rush where they were biting sixty pound line for a couple of hours, we kept two to five going for the remainder of the stop. We finished the drift with 120 bluefin tuna (limits) in the 15-30 lb. class and 40 yellowfin tuna in the 12-18 lb. class. Like I said before, Sonny Jim!

So there you have it. A day in the life of a sport-boat captain. It's life of stressing like you're a lady of the night in church and then in the blink of an eye, you're the fireman carrying out the baby from the house fire to place it into the loving arms of it's mother. Here you go, ma'am.

-The Supreme Team

Hello there Polaris Supreme fans,
                                             Today was another travel day for us, this morning we had or seminar on fishing for giant YFT.  The crew went over fly lining, big bait , jig fishing, sinker rig, and kite fishing. We also handed out all the loaner gear and the guys started rigging up. Around 1600 we made a drive by the Rocks and found two 25 lb YFT willing to bite the jigs now we have fresh tuna for tomorrow nights dinner! Speaking of dinner its about time for me to go get ready for dinner so until tomorrow tight lines!!

Gunny and the Crew.

Sep. 7

Normal turn around today. Nothing crazy happened. It was hot hot hot. The bluefin were bigger then we thought. The small one went 139.something and the biggest one went 146. Pigs. Or cows rather. We'd like to do the same this trip. We left on the annual Robin Gledhill Blue White private charter with captain Tommy Rothery at the helm. After getting bait and some lunch it was nap time for most. Me included. It was nice With a shower and a cup of coffee right after makes me feel like a million bucks. We did the seminar and had a lovely prime rib dinner. I skipped it and cooked up some of the escolar passenger John caught last trip and was too scared to keep. They're not the prettiest fish and after hearing rumors of what happens when you eat too much of it in one sitting he said no way was he keeping it. So i tried it tonight. I had it for dinner. Tommy won't let me say what happens on here so I'll just say that it's a very oily fish and you should be able to figure it out. I'll let you know tomorrow John. The weather out here is smooth and we should experience some more in the near future.

Drew

Full day trip 18 passenger 90 Yellowfintuna (limits)

One lucky kelp produced fast and furious action on yellowfin, skipjack, yellowtail and a few dorado. 122 yellowfin tuna, 122 skipjack tuna, 56 yellowtail, 8 dorado.