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| Is wood the best flotsam you can find? |
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What’s that on the horizon – a floating log? Jackpot! Find something floating offshore and there’s a good chance it’ll be shadowed by mahi-mahi, wahoo, and sometimes tuna. But what’s the best find? Is it barnacle covered wood, a ball of seaweed, or something far stranger? I asked five professional anglers, to find out their favorites.
Mate Chad Meeks, the Waterdog, Jupiter, FL – A large dead whale is the best I’ve seen. Every pass down wind we’d get covered up with white marlin. The stench was hardly worth it, though.
Capt. Cliff Parker, the Big Easy, Hatteras, NC – In the summer of ’94 Castro allowed thousands of Cubans to leave on anything that would float. When the USCG intercepted these people, the rafts were left to drift north in the Gulf Stream. It was horrible to see what these people had to do the leave a country, but fishing around the rafts was excellent.
Capt. Elson Myers, the Outer Limits, Oregon Inlet, NC – Right after a hurricane we found a full-grown white tail buck deer. This spring another captain spotted a backpack and grabbed it. Inside was the owner’s information, and it had been dropped overboard from the Staten Island Ferry just eight days prior.
Mate Clint Bradley, the Arc-Strike, Jupiter, FL – We found a refrigerator and baitfish were jumping into the doors to get away from attacking mahi-mahi. Last week we found a TV covered in barnacles and weeds, but there was nothing on television.
Capt. John Oughton, the Pretty Work, Islamorada, FL – This summer we found a Coke machine floating around and smoked a ton of gaffer dolphin, then slammed some big wahoo. Damn thing took my change, though!
-- by Jon Meade
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