(Originally published Mar/Apr 2016)
By Capt. Bob Bogan
The fall of 2015 was one of the best canyon seasons since the early 1990s.
We were blessed with a beautiful warm water core that reached all the way from Block Canyon to the Hudson Canyon. An amazing amount of diversity and abundance of pelagics lived and fed in that break which at times stretched 20-plus miles inshore of the 100-fathom edge. Tackle-busting bigeyes were a normal occurrence. Yellowfin 25 to 125 pounds ranged throughout it. Thirty- to 60-pound longfin albacore cruised in it. Mahi-mahi lurked under every pot buoy and weed-line. Wahoo were more than willing to crush a jig. Swordfish up to 400 pounds hunted in that break and even an occasional marlin was caught and released. Baitfish, such as squid were abundant, but were hard to catch, probably because they were too spooked by all the creatures that wanted to ravage them.
In 2015, the Gambler started making trips mid-September and continued through mid-November. It was good fishing right up to the final trip. That’s not to say that we didn’t have a few slow trips through the season. There were days when the fish didn’t bite or the conditions were poor, but overall, it was just good, old-school canyon fishing.
Hopping a ride on a party boat is a great way to get off to the canyons.
