Why the dead fish?

[YumaJames]

Was fishing this last Sunday and Monday and came across fish jumping all over the place around the 10-20 mile markers, Salvo Pandejo, and the Caballo areas (see Youtube video :

. Usually see fish jumping, but nothing like these two days. And when I was heading home on Monday afternoon (it was really calm and hot) I came across thousands of dead fish floating on the surface about 10-15 miles southwest of Rocky Point, they were spread out over several miles. Looked like they were rock bass, partially decomposed, hard to tell. Stunk like crazy in the heat. Wonder why they died?

O2 or CO2 levels?
Water too warm?
Large fish below?
Netting?

 

[Jungle Jim]

Hey Yuma...........

The splashers are schools of small predators like juvenile Mac's, Sierras, Leatherjackets, etc., feeding on the ga-zillions of baby fish larvae AKA: "FRY", at this time of the year. The Sea is a living soup bowl right now.

The steenkin floaters are the usual "by catch" or "collateral kill" shoveled overboard by those sneaky trawlers draggin the bottom a few days before the beginning of the legal shrimp season that starts this coming Thursday.

Those dead zones are often pretty good trolling for some big solitary "Bull" Dorados and Makos, which is exactly what I'll be doing this coming Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

Tight Lines & Bloody Decks,

JJ

 

[YumaJames]

Thx JJ, makes sense. I was wondering if those fish were dumped by the trawlers, I'd just never seen so many before.

 

[Kelney]

So how was the fishing?

 

[YumaJames]

We caught Dorado a couple weeks ago, Sunday and Monday trolled Caibo, Caballo, Salvo Pandejo but unfortunately didn't see one. Caught some rock bass and lots of triggers, but nothing big. Stopped into the 12-20 miles reefs on the way back to bottom fish, hoping to pull up half a dozen 100 lb groupers like Shawn always does, all I caught was heat stroke.

 

[Jungle Jim]

Stroked out..........

Man you ain't kidding. Last time we went out it was an effin nightmare. Sweat just pouring off from head to toe. Drank a gallon of water every thirty minutes but still couldn't keep up. Not a drop of pee during a six hour cruise. When my hands started cramping up reeling in the Dodo's I told Cap'n wifee to get the hell outa here and head for the barn. Air temp 98, water temp 93, humidity 58% and we have a fresh water tank and hosed each other down every ten minutes but still total negative on the hydration levels. Got the boat to the marina and on the trailer and just left everything on board. Got to the condo, sat down in the cold shower for an hour then passed out. Gotta suffer to have fun!

Those lines of floating, bloated, steenkin by-catch that you saw represents just a small fraction of what was actually taken on board those trawlers when each haul hit the deck and the very few shrimp sorted out. Many of the critters netted don't have swim bladders so sink as soon as they go over the side. A sheet-load of them went down the gullets of the hordes Brown Pelicans, Brown Boobies and Blue-footed Boobies that are always on call when the nets are pulled in. And as I said above, when the dead spread out along a current line they attract small fish that in turn attract bigger fish that in turn attract me.

JJ