July 13: The Journey Out
Our day started this past Monday, July 13th, at 4:30 AM - leaving Falmouth Harbor on Capt. Willy’s charter boat Machaca. With Capt. Willy was first mate Ryan, in his second season, and four members of MFCC: Tom W., Pete U., and Bryan S. and son Garret. All arrived early and excited. The Machaca pushed on time, and we settled in for the long ride to the Canyons. It was a beautiful sunrise and a smooth ride.
On the way out Capt. Willy was working the phone and checking other “Intel” to choose our spot. Options from Oceanographer to West Atlantis Canyon were all possibilities. Fish and the number of boats in each Canyon were evaluated. He settled on the canyon shown in the chart below and it turned out to be a wonderful decision!
The rest of the ride out was getting to know each other, taking turns resting on beanbag chairs and breakfast.
First Fish and a Detour to Tile Fishing
We arrived at our first fishing spot at 11:30 and put out our trolling spread. Six lines with a mix of spreader bars, rigged Ballyhoo and lures (Nomad). Our first fish hit at 12:11! A decent sized yellowfin. We didn’t know it yet, but it was also one of our smallest.
A solid yellowfin brought aboard early in the day.
We hooked up with another shortly after that. The group wanted to go tile fishing, and because we were right near a known spot of Capt. Willy’s, we brought in the spread and started bottom fishing in very deep water (Thank God for electric reels.) To get the exact depth we fished for tile, please login to MFCC or start a membership.
Thank God for electric reels — the setup that made tile fishing manageable. Please login or start a membership to unlock the exact depth we fished for tiles.
Most of us had never fished for tile, so we didn’t know what to expect. We caught fish on every drop and multiple fish on most. We caught tile, cod, hake, pollock, and one redfish.
A mixed bag on deck — cod, pollock, and tile all coming up together.
A redfish, brought up from the deep water.
A handsome tilefish, hauled up from the depths.
Double header — two tilefish at once.
After about an hour and a half of fishing we were ready to get back to tuna.
The Calm Before the Storm
The water temperature was warm at 83 degrees. The air temperature was pleasant, and everyone was in shorts enjoying a mostly calm day 110 miles offshore. The mid-afternoon was a little slow. The Machaca worked in conjunction with a sportfishing boat out of Plymouth that was in the Cape Cod Blue Water Classic and targeting blue marlin. This was the calm before the storm — both fishing and wind. What came next was almost surreal.
Six Lines, Thirty Seconds
As the sun started to set, the bite was on! We hooked up with a good-sized yellowfin and brought it over the gunnel. Before we had a chance to bleed it, we reset the lines of the spread we’d brought in, and then it happened: in less than 30 seconds all six lines in the water popped. With Capt. Willy at the helm, we only had five people to bring in fish. It was quickly decided to leave the longest line alone and fight the other five. Like a beautifully orchestrated tango, we worked together bringing in all five fish. Not a single crossed line, unkind word, or unhappy fisherman.
Four of the five brought aboard — the deck tells the story of the chaos.
Even Capt. Willy was impressed. The blood on the deck was reminiscent of a Civil War battlefield. Now the work for first mate Ryan was not enviable — we pitched in with what we could without messing up his system.
The crew, all smiles after boating the fish from the six-line frenzy.
Cleanup and a Well-Earned Meal
Bryan cut out the cheeks of all the fish for us to put on the grill before each head went overboard.
The heads, ready to go overboard after the cheeks were cut for the grill.
We took turns manning the raw water to wash down the deck. The squid the fish were feasting on was collected and put in the bait cooler — well over four pounds of squid came out of the fish after being bled and gutted. The fish box had to be rearranged to fit the haul. It was now time for a dinner break.
Capt. Willy pulled out the grill and cooked up some hotdogs and bratwurst. I’m not sure if they were delicious or if I was hungry — probably a little of both — but dinner was a celebration. We continued to fish well past sunset, chasing schools of skipjacks that held bigger fish beneath them. The limit for yellowfin is three per person and we hit it easily. The biggest issue was fitting all the fish in the ice boxes, at one point moving all the food into one cooler so we could use it for more fish.
Me with a solid yellowfin as the sun sets on a memorable day.
As evening set in we settled down for our second meal — we missed lunch because the fishing was so good. This meal was chicken and steak kabobs over rice and the tuna cheek meat. The tuna was marinated in a bag with soy sauce and Capt. Willy’s secret seasoning (everything bagel). It was fantastic!
Night Drift and Bigeye Watch
After dinner we set up for a night drift — four rods out targeting bigeye. We took turns keeping watch. During my turn I was happy to have a pod of porpoises keep me company; they were attracted to our lights. Many different fish came by for a visit.
We caught two fish over the evening shift, both yellowfin.
The Ride Home
The wind and the waves picked up overnight. By morning the beautiful calm seas were gone. We drifted over 6 miles.
Rough water on the ride in — the calm seas of day one were long gone.
We had two more bites at first light, both yellowfin. As a group we decided to try our luck targeting mahi-mahi. We had seen some earlier on in the trip but did not target them. We had no luck — the ocean was rough and it killed our ability to locate them visually. We decided to start heading back to shore with a stop for some more tile fishing. Once again, fish on every drop. The ride in was windy and rough, but the Machaca handled it well and kept us safe and dry.
Back at the Dock
We hit the dock by 4 P.M., and the real work for Capt. Willy and Ryan started — well over 40 fish needed to be filleted.
Dockside filet work begins — well over 40 fish to process.
We attracted a crowd at the dock, including my wife, who came to get me with a cooler too small for our share of the haul. I took home close to 80 lbs of tuna, pollock, and tile fish. My family and friends are sharing the bounty!
Close to 80 lbs of tuna, pollock, and tile.
Fresh tuna, cubed and ready for the table back home.
One of the best parts of the trip — a homemade poke bowl from the catch.
Tight Lines!
Pete U. — MFCC member for 7 years and counting.
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Awesome read and congratulations on what’s looks like one awesome trip. That’s hell of an experience. I look forward to go with my Partner.
Peter – What an amazing trip and so many great catches! Thank you for sharing your experience!
Nice report Pete! Show us some pics at eastmans!
So pumped the weather and fish cooperated for you guys and we were able to make this trip happen. Great recap Pete. Thank you for sharing!
What a great experience for M.F.C.C. members.
What an amazing trip. Fishing Willy is awesome congrats!