Big Pullage from BIG Virginia AMBERJACKS!!
King -Sized Virginia Pullage
Big Amberjack Report 7 June 2008

I was I the mood for some major pullage, and I knew a big jack would do the job. With a variable wind forecast, I tried to ignore the heat index prediction of over 100 degrees. I also tried to ignore that a round trip south would cost $500 bucks! Well, at least the bait was free.

We left Rudee Inlet, Virginia at first light along with all the other boats heading offshore for tuna, and quickly hunted down live bait. With the help of my handy Bag-O-Worms Fishbites, we headed south with a live well of perfectly sized AJ snacks.

The ride was easy, with slick-calm seas. Upon arriving at the South Tower, the water was 77 degrees, and hoards of big hungry jacks were waiting for us. As we approached the tower, and circled the area, schools of jacks eagerly followed us around. A 40-pound cobia also glided up to the boat to take a look, and I tossed him a bait, which he slammed. He made a beeline for the tower, and was gone. Ok, I hoped my luck was better with the jacks.

I dropped my first bait down to about 20 feet, and my line immediately began peeling off my TLD 30. Hooked up! Citation jack! These fish are power-houses, and gave me the battle I was looking for. After releasing a few big jacks, I wanted to play with my Torsa, so I jigged a few on my Braid Slammer jig. The AJs nailed my jig on most every drop. The Torsa is an amazing reel, handing 50 and 60-pound jacks like a dream. I love my Torsa! The action was incredible, and I was getting over-heated. We could have caught them all day, but it was HOT!

Click the images for a closer look.

So as we took a break, we attempted to feed clams to schools of big spadefish, which completely disregarded our offerings. A few more cobia also circled the boat, but they weren’t hungry either. I also saw a turtle, and a few 4-foot sharks. We also watched the jacks explode and boil on the surface as several schools of bait swam through. It was like visiting a marine aquarium.

We had a brief motor scare when one of the twins wouldn’t turn over. A long ride in on one engine in the heat did not excite me. We tried a few things, and it finally turned over on its own. Probably a loose wire.

A few more jacks, and we were done. As soon as we left, we intercepted Jake on the Matador, heading out with a charter for an over-nighter. We gave him the scoop on the tower, and spotted him our left-over live baits. They were set.

We had another smooth ride in, and arrived back at the dock around 5:30pm. Another great day on the water!!

It's SUMMER TIME!!