1999 FISHING WITH KEVIN MODERA

THE TRIP

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Our fishing trip with Kevin this past June started out as a Tarpon fishing trip.  However, the tide and the weather did not cooperate.  As an alternative, Kevin decided to take us just (1-5 miles) outside the reef looking for schooling Black Fin Tuna Fish.

On the way out to the reef (about 1 hr fast boat ride) we stopped a couple of places where Tarpon had been caught before.  We managed to catch a couple of Barracuda, but, no Tarpon.

When we got outside the reef we began trolling southeast looking for birds diving which would mean schooling Tuna.  We had trolled for only about 5 minutes when Norma hooked a small tuna which gave her a lot of fun on spinning tackle.   

About 10 minutes later, we spotted a lot of diving birds in the distance and headed that way.  Soon we could see the fish striking in the huge school of bait fish.  We could also see quite a few sharks feeding off of the havoc that the feeding frenzy was causing.

Kevin paddled us in as Norma and I cast towards the school. We caught several Tuna in the 3-5 lb range when all of a sudden Norma looked down and right beside the boat was a pair of Whale Sharks.

The female decided to get to know us better and came up to the surface very close to the boat.  She then got vertical and opened her huge mouth and we could see the tremendous amount of sea water and minnows fall into her mouth and throat.

The female was about 25-30 feet long and her head was about 3-4 ft wide. She was a light brown with white dots on the top of her head and the male was a much darker color and remained several feet under the water preventing us getting a close look.

After about 10-15 minutes, the Whale Sharks moved away and we went back to fishing.

It was very hot that day and I started to get too much sun so Kevin started up the engine and we headed to the silk cayes where he would fix us a shore lunch of Lobster broiled over an open fire of coconut husks and driftwood with salad and melon for desert.

After lunch we looked around the island and then headed back to the Inn at Robert's Grove.  On the way we encountered a feeding school of huge (15 -20 lb) Jack Cravelle which gave both Norma and I a lot of fun on the spinning tackle.  We each caught one before the school disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

I, being a native Floridian, should have known not to spend a lot of time unprotected under the mid day sun in the tropics. (Kevin had a Bimini Top which he would have put up had we asked him to).  I actually got so much sun on my neck, ears and lips that I could not make the bell for another trip a couple of days later.

I was able to get a few very good pictures on this trip in between both of us fishing.

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