Taking the ‘new ride’ for a ride

Recently, Brody (the amazing fish-finding and stock-trading dog) and I have been doing a lot of offshore fishing. On a recent trip, sea conditions were rough, and Brody commented that we need a bigger boat.  

 

While the Pathfinder 2500 Hybrid is a great all-round boat, we needed something larger with twin engines to fish comfortably and safely offshore. To my surprise, Brody even volunteered to sell some of his meme stock holdings to pay for it! 

 

After doing some research, Brody and I selected a Yellowfin 32 as our offshore fishing platform.  

 

Our first trip in the Yellowfin was on Sunday. My brother (David) and son (Elliott) joined us for the shakedown cruise. Our plan was to target cobia around ledges and reefs in 60 to 80 feet of water.  

 

To better stack the odds in our favor, we cast netted several dozen large menhaden in the harbor. 

 

While catching the menhaden, we noticed a lot of boats returning from the ocean. As we approached the mouth of the jetties, it became clear why the other boats returned. Sea conditions were rough.  

 

Undaunted, we proceeded on out. The Yellowfin handled the rough conditions with ease. Soon, we were comfortably cruising at 35 miles per hour with the autopilot engaged. It could well be the happiest I have ever seen Brody. I wondered if he was thinking the same about me.

 

Upon arrival at our fishing location, David picked up a Shimano Terez medium heavy spinning rod paired with a 6000 frame Saragosa reel. He baited up with live menhaden on a 6/0 circle hook. As he deployed the bait behind the boat, a cobia ate it. 

 

First trip. First bait in the water. First fish. We were elated.

 

After a round of high fives and a celebratory beer, we got back to cobia fishing. The bite was steady. We released nine cobia and kept two for dinner.