We missed nothing being away. Poor Madeira suffered with Rain, Rain and more Rain. One of their worst winters in something like 12 years.
04 Jan 2002 Calm weather but Mackerel sky. BET (Big Eye Tuna) biting. Watched another boat get 2 for 6 around 40kg each.
12 Jan 2002 Just had another spell of uncomfortable weather, wind, rain and a big dust haze. The forcast is for the weather to clear up next week.
16 Jan 2002 Reports of 4 Sperm Whales off Canical.
17 Jan 2002 NOT FOR THE FAINT HEARTED.
Sandy Mitchell of London was staying at Reid’s Palace Hotel and is writing a story for Country Life. His project was Whales and Dolphins as a feature of the two excursions each week, exclusive for Reid’s. Looking for these beautiful creatures, anything else that popped up in the game fish catagory would also be of interest. So we set up for Tuna and were ready with lines out as we headed west.
I had already told Sandy of the possability that there may be stripped or common dolphins feeding on needlefish well off shore. This had been happening for the past three years and I had made the observation and recorded it in my log as commencing about mid January. So on a long shot he was prepared with wet suit, mask and snorkel etc.
We headed off to the west and went as far as the wind line off Punta Do Pargo. Sandy went through all the actions in the chair in readiness for a Tuna. Adjusting the harness and going through the technique of using the rod. Sandy was a natural. If only we could find the Tuna. Then we saw the first signs as a school of needlefish started showering. Preditors were underneath. No Dolphins, but then we saw a Tuna bust. Big fish – 150 lb (75kg) + Big Eye. No bites. A little further on the engines reved up and I knew Anibal had spotted something, maybe Tuna? When we got there we could see Common Dohphins all over in pods of 5-10 leaping out and feeding on needlefish, 3-4 miles off shore. “What do you think?” asked Sandy. In a flash he had donned the wet suit and was swimming with the Dolphins about 20 yards from the boat. A head came up and all I heard was “Amazing”. They were leaping 10-15 feet out of the water right alongside him. After half an hour he got back in the boat. The look on his face told the story. Next thing he ripped off his wet suit “Don’t need this thing, do you mind if I go again?” After another half an hour he was back on board “How deep is the water here?” he said. “Between 2 and 3 thousand meters” I said. His large eyes were his responce.
But it is very safe. So long as the boat crew know the score. I have no hesitation doing this and would recommend it to anyone who wants first hand face to face live experience with some of the most beautiful animals on this planet.
Sandy was the first person I know of to come to Madeira to do this, and achieved his goal in one day. Good Luck, well that’s all you need. His entry in my visitors book reads as follows and I quote:-
“The pressure was on to produce results! Peter delivered. We found a pod of Dolphins and I swam with them for one hour. Unforgettable”.
19 Jan 2002 Reports of 8-10 Pilot Whales off C. Giro.
20 Jan 2002 Charter, no dolphins today but lots of Turtles. Few Manx Shearwater. First Kittywake. One White Marlin free jumping.
25 Jan 2002 Half Day. Portuguese Man War (Bluebottles) to the day. Same day last year – current change. Many many Turtles. Heavy swell. Serious storms and Westerly gales of the North of us. Large pod of Atlantic Spotted Dolphins. Some Manx Shearwater 5 or 6, no more.
29 Jan 2002 Reports of Big Eye Tuna caught yesterday, size about 20 kilos each.
31 Jan 2002 Calm. Clear sky. Madeira remains locked in the middle of a small high pressure that is wedged under the continuous intense lows that barrel across the North Atlantic. Westerly gales are pounding England while Madeira remains warm and sunny.
One Albacore 30lb. Large group of common dolphins off the harbour AM. 100+. Strong East wind whipping around PM. High glass seems typical this time of year.
05 Feb 2002 Calm and sunny. No dolphin today, but clean water off shore. Some Turtles. Manx Shearwater showing in groups of 2-6 or 8. Total of 20+. One large group of Trigger fish on a broken barrel. Most of them inside. Anibal tried to life it on board to show everyone. A split in the barrel let them all go. But we saw them anyway.
06 Feb 2002 No Charter. Calm and Sunny. Important LOG notice. For the last 3 years I have noted a large group of SPERM WHALES pass by Madeira on Feb 21. 30 or more in the group. It will be interesting what happens this year. These Sperm Whales are in a big family group and hang around for a week or more. PM – mod NE-rain in sight. BET caught today, 20kg x 3.
07 Feb 2002 Strong NE. No tuna today. Large group of Common Dolphin feeding on Needlefish. Pilot Whales x 5 or 6. Small groups equals 100 + 10 or more Bottlenose. Nasty PM. Observed 6 or more Kittywake gulls, lost winter plumage. Turtles, turtles everywhere.
12 Feb 2002 Lumping up from the South. Clear water and flying fish. No Turtles, no Dolphins. Lots of Needlefish. HEAVY DUST!
16 Feb 2002 No charter for us today but some Big Eye Tuna caught, 50-80 lb size. Strong East-NE . Dolphins feeding off needlefish or herring.
21 Feb 2002 The Sperm whales are due today off Madeira. Weather conditions are so bad I doubt anyone will be going out for the next few days. We have 45 kts of NE coming off a slow moving1045 high pressure to the NW of us. Typical trade wind set-up that will establish itself and continue through summer. Fortunately they are not so fierce as the weather warms up.Thus Madeira remains dry and sunny during this trade wind period. Of SPECIAL INTEREST right now is a Cory’s Shearwater on its winter migration to the South Atlantic. This bird has been tagged and monitored by Dr Frank Zino of Funchal Madeira. Frank is our Doctor here. He is the man who keeps the fleet on it’s feet. He is a leading Ornithologist who has a distinguished record in the study of resident and migrating sea birds. The following is an extract from Dr Zino. This study is right on the cutting edge of science. The results, as they unfold,will tell a story that has been a mystery ever since the study of these birds began. Sent: 21 February 2002 00:36 Subject: RE: Your Cory’s Shearwater > ” The Tag is made by Microwave Telemetry in the USA whose boss is a fellow > called Paul Howey. This is a new generation PTT and works with a solar > panel, which is a huge advance on the old ones which had a battery and thus > a life of some 21 days. This works as long as there is sun, the tag stays > on and there are no technical hitches. It was given to me by the Max Plank > Institute in Germany. The PTT costs some US$3000 and then some £15/day for > the information. It emits up to satellites which then push the information > down to a centre in France, it is processed in Toulouse and forwarded to me by e-mail each morning. > > The bird tagged is a breeding bird from the colony on Selvagem Grande of > Cory’s Shearwaters ( C.b. borealis). I am not sure of the birds age, but they only start breeding at some 7-10 years of age so it is at least that > old. It was tagged on 3rd October 2001 at Baia das Cagarras on Selvagem Grande. It went to Africa and returned 4 times to feed it’s young before > setting off on migration. It is now at about 40S 54W.” end quote. Now the mystery is what track will the bird take on returning to its nesting site. My guess is that being at 40 S it will follow the Roaring Forties accross towards Africa. As it gets close to the African coast it will pick up the SE Trades and get a free ride up to the Equator. From there it will have to make its way to the Selvargem Islands 90 miles SW of Madeira. I think this is the most exciting thing I have heard of in years. Get you atlas out. I will update the log as much as I can.
25 Feb 2002 Sorry there hasn’t been much to report but we have had some strong NE winds and just over a week ago there was SNOW on the mountains which CNN mentioned and the beach at Porto Santo was covered in snow! No not normal for Porto Santo but we do get snow up on the mountains sometimes in winter. However the coconuts thrive in the marina and it remains warm on the waterfront.
Today calm and some Big Eye Tuna caught. Good size.
26 Feb 2002 Flat calm. Common dolphins all over feeding on small needlefish or other small bait. Small amount and small pods. First Cory’s 3 or 4. Still no whales, I note that on March 4th 1998 they showed up. 11 days later?
28 Feb 2002 No charter. Light west. Sperm Whales sighted off Desertas x 4 going south. I think the main bunch has given us the slip.
05 March 2002 Light NE, cool, during afternoon stronger and getting cold! Small group of Bottlenose 5-6, would not play. 5 Cory’s, dirty water.
06 March 2002 Nice size BET caught today.
Reports of Big Eye Tuna schools further south, should be here very soon.
10 March 2002 Flat calm but Heavy Dust. BTW Ashley, hope you had a wonderful 40th.
15 March 2002 Having a spot of uncomfortable weather again, but it is looking better for next week.
Frank Zino’s bird (Cory’s Shearwater) is still in the same area!
18 March 2002 Calming down at last.
19 March 2002 Father’s Day – Portugal. Almost calm. FRESH TUNA. Brian and Jan Worthy – lots of action today.6 for 6. Albacore x 3 and Big Eye Tuna x 3. Fish around 30 lb in size each. Cory’s and Manx Shearwaters on bait schools. The tuna were full of tiny anchovy. Had a bite from a Spearfish.
Large group of Common and Stripped Dolphin, mid way off the airport.
20 March 2002 Almost calm. Left early and got 3 for 4 Big Eye Tuna (BET). Large bait schools on the surface turning the ocean black. Garfish and all manor of octopus, squid and small anchovy in tuna.
Common Dolphin feeding. Beautiful day.
21 March 2002 Large area of baitfish – anchovy. Pilot Whales 60-70 in the group. Then Sperm Whales – large group heading west, with tuna mixing in around the 20-30 kilo size.
Large group of Stripped and Common Dolphins. Birds – 50/50 Manx – Cory’s.
6 tuna caught upto 50kg each. TUNA ARE DEFINATELY HERE.
22 March 2002 Flat calm, beautiful day. One group of friendly Tursiops – Bootlenose x 20 with young ones, missed the Whales! Saw very large Portuguese-man-of-war. Large Turtles as well with horney plates on their back. Noted that as usual the turtles are gased up this time of year and are unable to swim down as we approaached – must be the beer they are drinking?
Almost ran over a Swordfish around 300 lbs, just off the edge.
Had a phone call last night saying 200 lb + BET busting in front of the harbour. About 10 tuna were caught – late.
BOOTIFUL!
All our tuna have been caught on lures made by ‘Dustin Foo’ of London.
23 March 2002 Fished TUNA TUNA TUNA and more TUNA. Most boats caught 20-30-40 tuna. Aguiar and Nick.
More tuna and Albacore than I have seen in 5 years. Tuna feeding all over on small anchovy. BET 20-40 lb in size. Awesome bite. Spectacular – likes of Micronesia. There were schools of tuna busting as far as the eye could see. The bite was from Funchal to Cabo Girao.
28 March 2002 Today we have our ‘Bad Singers’ of East London back again. The score for today is Peter x 1 Albacore and Billy x 1 Tuna, Barry yet to hook up. Tuna busting but not biting !!
2 Big Fin Whales came up for a short time and we didn’t see them again. Clean water, Dolphins around and a couple of Turtles in the tide lines. Triggerfish on the garbage. Saw one great Shearwater. Leste is still here and at one point visibility was no more than 3 miles. Hope it lifts soon.
On Tuesday night, two commercial boats caught 12 tons between them. Good landings of Mackerel coming in all sizes.
30 March 2002 Barry, Billy and Peter. Dolphins everywhere. Commons by the hundred. Large groups of Pilot Whales. Saw large groups of BET am. in rain squalls. No bites
01 April 2002 April Fools Day! The ‘Bad Singers’ again. Hundreds of Common Dolphin. Tuna jumping all over the place but still will not bite! Agh! The boys are in fine singing tune.
02 April 2002 Pilot Whales – East. Looked a very young lot with babies as well and pods 8-10 in each.
Still no tuna for Barry, Billy and Peter.
03 April 2002 Large school of frigate mackerel – caught one!
OK, the log writer is signing off for 10 days – if anyone is desperate? for news of fishing in Madeira then just email Captain Peter and he’ll tell you.
19 April 2002 OK, I’m now back! Following is a summary of current events until now.
Tuna remain in abundance around Madeira. Although the ocean current has slowed down large schools of Big Eye and little Tunny are all around. Divers tell me that along the coast the water is black with Mackerel and Trumpetera (small red fish with long snout, occurs in massive shoals). Mackerel have not been seen in Madeira is such quantity for 6 years. The B E T are feeding off shore on oceanic anchovy. Common Dolphin are joining in the feasting. B E T are being caught upto 150 lbs but average upto 40-50 lb. The big ones 200-300 lb will come later.
A note of interest! Amoung the 40 BET Roberto Ribeiro caught in one day, stomach contents revealed something of a puzzle. A small pink and white Candy (Sweet) wrapper of plastic appearance had Spanish writing in the label. Now – did this fish swim past the Canaries and pick up this wrapper? My guess yes – what do you think?
Dr. Zino’s bird is on the move. Last time we reported this on Feb 21 his Cory’s Shearwater was approx 300 miles SE of Buenos Aires. Now at large for approx 200 days. It’s stayed in this area for a good while right where a steep temperature gradient in the ocean was occuring. Two weeks ago it slowly started moving north along the coast as the southern winter progressed, but never going near land. Then a few days ago it took off. It has been doing 300 miles a day for the last 4 days in a bee line for Madeira. The northern spring is calling.
World famous yachtsmen like Pete Goss get over excited when they do 300 miles in one day, but here is a little Cory’s Shearwater doing it none stop all on it’s own – AMAZING. The bird should come to roost on it’s home ground which is a small group of rocky Islets 80 miles south of Madeira called The Salvagens.
I think the El Nino is behind us. Madeira seems to be coming out of a down cycle. Good night from me and it’s Good night from him.
22 April 2002 Light to mod NE. For the following of Dr Zino’s bird the lastest is -
His Cory’s Shearwater is Half a degree (30 miles) south of the Equator and 28º W. It is still doing 300 miles a day in a north direction., The interesting thing now will be the direction it takes to come home. Will it do the same route as the old navigators took and make a figure of 8 around with the trade winds, or will it head up the west coast of Africa directly into the wind. My guess is that it will go directly into the wind (NE trade) by flying right down on the surface. The wind is not so strong ie, 5 to 10 knots less. Also these birds use ground effect as any pilot can explain. This is the pressure wave between the wing and the surface and these Shearwaters are masters at it. Hense the name.
If you are looking for the present location on a map, it is right by St Peter and Paul’s rock!
At lunch time today the fishing score is 2 for 2. 1 Albacore and 1 BET around 50lb.
Total for the day was 11. 3 BET and the rest Albacore. Vast schools of Albacore feeding on small squid and anchovy. Small and large BET 20-30kg adn 100+kg. Small groups of common Dolphin feeding. Large group of medium sized birds heading north in formation. 50-100. Looked like the same I have seen on the North Norfolk Coast.
23 April 2002 Calm. Dolphins and Tuna disappeared today. Birds everywhere going E. Bulwark’s Petrel all over. Appeared 4 days ago. The Portuguese name for this bird is Alma Negra which translate as Black Spirit. The way they fly around and between the waves is just like a spirit. Also saw a Black Turn, first one for me.
Dr. Zino’s bird is sitting right on the Equator amid thunder and rain squalls. Typical doldrums weather in this latitude. Violent wind and rain from any direction then flat calm and heat. The bird is most likely resting after travelling 3000 miles in 10 days.
25 April 2002 Mod NE. Fished late today. Just a few small Albacore.
27 April 2002 Quite half day, but large areas of bait marking from Garajau to Santa Cruz – I suspect Trumpetier. Sounder screen Red.
28 April 2002 Dr Zino’s Cory’s Shearwater has crossed the Equator, it took a left turn, then the satelite has gone off. Hopefully it will come back on, if not the story ends here!
29 April 2002 NE Trade – strong. Ocean temperature rising. Strong current from north, off shoot of Gulf Stream pull off. Clean water, many large Turtles 20 or more. Oceanic garbage with Trigger fish and bluebottles. Large area of small Albacore, caught 5. BET being caught on North side in rough water.
01 May 2002 FIRST BLUE MARLIN OF SEASON CAUGHT. It’s on its way in, don’t have a true weight yet but estimated at 450-500kg, that’s a thousand pounder! I’ll update when we have the info.
Didn’t quite reach the thousand pound mark. The fish was measured at Length 11′ 2” short by 6′ girth. Using a formular to get the weight it came in at 920 lbs tops. It was caught by the Marina manager Costa and some friends off their boat. It’s a good size to start the season off. It was DOA at the boat.
Shortly after Peter went out with Dr Zino and they saw 6-8 beaked whales. An unknown species as they were unable to get close in the time available.
02 May 2002 Strong NE trade. Steady high pressure centred over the Azores.
Cory’s. It looks as if the satelite tag has fallen off Dr Zino’s bird. However this has been a world record for the time one has stayed onto a Cory’s Shearwater – 202 days. What Frank thinks is that the bird may have been deep diving and washed it off. He pointed out that these birds were recorded while filming ‘The Blue Planet’ feeding down as deep as 15 feet alongside Yellowfin Tuna and Dolphins. Who knows a Shark may have eaten the whole thing. Bird and all. It happens!
Good news is that Frank has the sponsorship and funding for 6 more tags this summer. So there will be more to come.
03 May 2002 Strong NE trade. Tuna schools moving off shore, no bites. Ocean covered with the downwind sailing Velella. Sure sign of warm currents. Small pods of Common Dolphin all the way to the west.
05 May 2002 Strong NE trade. Blue – Blue water full of large Turtles.
07 May 2002 Light NE trade. Large group of Pilot Whales bow riding etc. Small group of Atlantic Spotted Dolphins plus Turtles. Tuna started biting around noon – so the clients wanted to go in – what, Oh Dear!! (thats the polite version).
Nobert – my crew, went in the afternoon by himself n his outboard boat. Got 2 tuna 50/60 lb each and had a Blue Marlin 3-400 lb come to the back of the boat. It took a small tuna lure and striped one of his small reels.
08 May 2002 Flat calm. 2 Big Eye Tuna 50/60 lb each. Shoals of tuna 100/150 lb jumping over a wide area. No bites. ie “Barking Dogs and Jumping Fish never bite”. An old fishermens saying.
Very clear water with many Turtles. We released one from certain death. It was caught up in a tangle of old rope. We must find 4-5 every year from this situation. Fishing net, ship cargo net and bales of old rope are the death of so many Turtles. This is only what we find. How many more are there dying from this senseless discard of this rubbish. The Ocean is full of it. The Atlantic is in cerious trouble.
09 May 2002 I am told Albacore and BET are biting and some are in various boats including the Katherine B. Will post details when the boys get back.
09 May 2002 They did get back! Tuna tuna tuna. The BET bite is on. 2 for 5. Most boats are catching 5-10 fish each 50-150 lbs right in front of the harbour. Large areas of small Albacore to the west – caught 2. So many large Turtles.
Family group of Pilot Whales and Sperm Whales out wide. No time to look at them so I do not know how many. Very few Dolphins, but we also caught one Cory’s Shearwater that got tangled in the bait line. It was very happy to fly away. I checked for a tag but there was none.
10 May 02 Calm. Extensive area of Albacore working from the Harbour to 10 miles out and all the way to the Desertas. Caught 11. Commercial fleet pulling good tonage of Albacore.
Small groups of Common Dolphin thoughout.
11 May 02 Calm. First White Marlin strike off the Harbour. Little fellow – 50lbs, very pretty. Took 6 shots at a green lure but could not find the hook. Fished to the Desertas. Saw large school of BET busting close to Desertas.
Common Dolphin busting on Trumpetiera off
Airport looking like tuna! Incredibly spectacular . Group of 10 Pilot Whales in same area. One dead Turtle, most likely a victim of the plastic which they eat because it resembles jellyfish in the water. It blocks their intestine and causes death. Large number of large Turtles seen. Reports of pods of Grampus by the Airport.
12 May 02 Late start today, going for the evening bite. Absolutely flat mirror calm. Fished all the way south 15+ miles. Vast areas of little Tunny (Frigate Mackerel). Observed the most amazing thing. They followed the boat in the stern waves, also alongside us and infront bow riding like dolphin. All of 10 inches long. Dozens and dozens of them. Turtles everywhere. Strike from one White Marlin close to the harbour. Caught 4 Albacore and 1 BET.
Large group of Common Dolphins, 100 or more.
13 May 02 Flat calm. Reports of 15+ Fin Whales half way to Porto Santo heading north.
14 May 2002 Reports of 8 Sperm whales off Garajau. Tuna BET caught right under the whales – same as Pohnpei. Everything happens late pm.
15 May 2002 Raised one White. One caught. Reports of a school of Whites this morning.
One large old Grampus off Cabo Girau. Turtles, flying fish. Water temperature up to 19.5c
The log will be quiet for a few weeks as I’ve to go back to the UK due to a family bereavement. Peter will be back fishing by next weekend and I will update in early June when I return. TTFN.
Hello again – sorry for the long delay in getting this up and going. Paper work like you wouldn’t believe to deal with and a big Thankyou to everyone who sent me emails of condolence. Now – back to fishing and log writing.
16 May 2002 Strong SW rain PM. Just a word about the Grampus yesterday. This was about as close as I have ever been to one, 20-30 yds. Usually very shy of the boat. 100-300 yds is about it. This was a large old fellow with a tall but rounded Dorsal. Colour was that silver grey of a full moon. Very distinctive heavy scarring. A number of holes in the flesh either from giant squid or cookie cutter sharks.
24 May 2002 Tuna had a good bite. Strong NE trade. Jose and Nobb ran the Katherine B.
25 May 2002 Peter returned form UK at 1.30am. Strong NE trade. Albacore and Big Eye busting for ’seconds’.
26 May 2002 Clean water and plenty of Turtles. No current today.
Large catches by commercial boats of Albacore and Big Eye.
28 May 2002 Light NE. Very clean water. Plenty of XOS Turtles, flying fish everywhere – clear wing, pink wing and black wing. Saw one White Marlin – wide, no bite. Late pm. saw 10-20 Tursiops plus 3-4 Pilot Whales plus 3-4 Northan Bottle Nose Whales heading west, in two mixed groups travelling together.
29 May 2002 Schools of White Marlin off harbour area, frigate mackerel in same area. Caught one White 70-80 lb. spat the hook at the back of the boat so our Hungarians didn’t get to see the fish before we could release it. Clean water and turtles, tuna boats working wide to the south.
30 May 2002 Strong ENE . Tuna boats off Cabo Girao. First time I have seen them marshall up on this runa ground in 5 years. Some Whites in the same place. Group of 10+ Tursiops heading East. One boat had 2 Blues on 700 and 800, lost both.
31 May 2002 No current, No birds! Large numbers of Atlantic spotted heading west. Same group at this time in 2000. At that time mistaken for Striped. 2000 or more, hard to tell as they cover such a wide area. Large animal of P.D. Sol – Whale Shark? All we saw was an enormous dorsal 4-5′ high. Rounded and blotchy spots, dark all over, light spots. Must have been a Whale Shark.
One 80kg BET caught off harbour 5pm.
01 June 2002 A grey cold day. A few Whites about.
02 June 2002 Calm. Jeremy back for a second trip. One WHITE MARLIN 60-70 lbs. T&R, and One BLUE MARLIN 800 lb. pulled hook at back of boat. Some good sized BET also caught. 11am bite.
Hundreds of dolphin off P.D.Sol feeding on Sardines. Commons, Spotted and Striped, high jumping and very active.
04 June 2002 Light NE trade, strong current. 20+ striped dolphin, not able to approach. Large Turtles all over. 2 BET caught about 100 lb+
06 June 2002 Light N-NE, calm. Fished all the way to Calhetta. Action all the way from Common and Spotted dolphin in groups of 50 or more. Good Tuna bust off M.D.Mar, 80-100 lb fish. Hooked 2 – pulled 2 hooks – that happens sometimes! Also hooked a Cory’s Shearwater right in the middle of the bite. It was happily released. Loads of small turtles. One boat tagged a 700 lb Blue.
07 June 2002 Overcast, light N-NE trade. Common dolphins off Ponta da Cruz about 50 max. One large Sperm Whale heading west. Then found one Fin Whale also heading west. Was able to observe and keep up at a 100 metre distance for a mile or 2. Medium size and very fast as it surfed along in the swells. A beautiful sight in the clear blue water. Travelling at 6 to 8 knots we watched 5-6 blows.
Another boat tagged a 1000 lb Blue today.
08 June 2002 Haul out for 2 days. Give the Katherine B a good clean and anti fouling.
10 June 2002 Back in water at 9am. Light NE trade. Calm. Albacore off harbour. No bites. Tursiops off Punta da Cruz large group of 50+. Group of 3 Beaked Whales heading east in the morning. Then a group of 8+ Beaked Whales heading west. I.D Sowerby’s Beaked Whale.
13 June 2002 Calm. Groups of Atlantic Spotted to the west x 50. Large group of Tursiops x 50. Water not good, some Turtles.
14 June 2002 Calm – Flat Calm. Turtles everywhere, light current. One group of Tursiops 50 plus. One large group of Spotted Atlantic Dolphins. First Dorado (Mahi Mahi also called dolphinfish) seen today – small – pompano dolphins.
16 June 2002 Calm. One marlin tagged around 700. Large size BET seen busting off Canico late PM.
18 June 2002 Calm-Flat Calm. Groups of Striped Dolpins off Airport area 100+ in each group – very active – same group as 99? This could be a migration. One marlin bite reported.
20 June 2002 Moderate NE trade. Foxy and Tyler. Tyler tagged and Released a 700 lb BLUE MARLIN. Only bite all day. No current in front of harbour but action AM. Groups of Striped Dolphin to the west x 20-30 each. So many Turtles.
21 June 2002 One Mahi Mahi (Dorado) first of season. Small group of Common Dolphins. Large group of Pilot Whales off the harbour. Complete change of ocean water. Clean blue current, full of oceanic garbage, Trigger fish, Turtles and Dorado (mahi).
25 June 2002 Moderate NE Trade. Fishing is picking up slowly but surely. 2 Blues caught today, one was brought in. Tuna boat in port with 50 tons of BET from 100 miles south.
26 June 2002 Moderate NE trade. Tuna bite today 20-30 kg each.
3 Fin Whales reported heading west slowly.
30 June 2002 Over the past few days – 2 to 3 Blue Marlin have been hooked or caught everyday, size between 600 and 900 lb. Yesterday the BET started biting, around 8 to 10 were caught, average size 50-80 kilo.
One Marlin was caught (released) this morning already.
All fishermen take note – Madeira is ON HEAT!
01 July 2002 Carl and Audrey from Palm Beach, bought at the IGFA annual auction our package of 2 days fishing on the Katherine B with 3 nights accommodation at Reid’s Palace Hotel. Carl this morning tagged and released a 1000 lb BLUE MARLIN. Bye for now.
OK, Carl spent 2 and half hours on a tough fight with a very strong fish. Every time we got hold of the leader the fish would dart across under the boat. Some magnificent jumping behind the boat. We were all very happy to release this fish.
I like the quotation from my Japanese friend ‘ To kill the fish is only for a photograph. To release the fish is to let it live in your dreams forever.’ Philosophy of Susumo Takase.
Total of 3 fish hooked today. 2 caught. One on the Katherine B and the other by Roberto and Joe Ribeira, 700 lb Blue also tagged and released. Joe’s first fish for the season.
03 July 2002 Carl and Audrey Ward again. Yes – another BIG BLUE. 950 lbs tagged and released. Will write more later.
2 x Granders on the same lure and same rod. Fortunately the fish came alot easier than the one two days ago. I think Carl was still feeling a little pain from that great fight! This fish today was so fat it looked like it had just eaten a 200 lb BET. Amazing thing about these giant blues is the height of the dorsal fin. I would say at least 30 inches on this fish. So different to a giant black, their dorsal fin almost looks like a sawn off tree stump in comparison.
Big Eye Tuna busting but no bites – Any Day though.
An update for July 3rd. I actually wrote the first line while talking to Peter on the phone while Carl was fighting the fish. His first estimate of the fish was 950. However when the fish was finally alongside he had to rethink it at 1000 lb +. Peter’s comment was ‘it was so fat that it made it look short’, so underestimated the weight.
04 July 02 World Cup. It was a slow day. Only one bite for the fleet here. 584.2 lbs caught by a local boat. World cup went to Hawaii – my old friend Marlin Parker at 612 lbs. I am very happy for him. For our sake, shame the world cup wasn’t the day before!!!!!
Large tuna fleet assembled, boats from Madeira and from the Azores, total of eleven boats. One boat yesterday brought in 60 tons of BET.
Groups of Spotted and Striped Dolphin.
05 July 02 Strong NE Trade – rain in sight.
Some thoughts on Carl’s 1000 lb fish of July 3rd. We noticed a nasty bite on the side of the fish, but it looked like nothing I’d seen before. The hole was about 8″ long and 4″ wide, also 4″ deep. Around the hole were some strange stratch marks. Shark, I thought at the time? But it did not look right. I have seen more shark bites than I care to think about. I was lying in bed thinking about it and suddenly realised it was a giant squid. The scratch marks were the give away. These giant squid are fairly common here. I have seen them dead and floating with the body part upto 3 meters long. All of those I have seen have long slash-cut wounds obviously from swordfish and lethal. The squid have nasty claw like hooks on each sucker pad. Hense the scratch marks. The beak is like that of a parrot. It is commonly repeated in nature. eg. Turtles, Parrots and Squid. The bite in this fish was fresh but not bleeding. I would say a few days old. It could have disqualified this fish had it been the winning fish in the world cup the next day! This could come under the catagory of mutilation.
I’m trying to imagine the reaction of this giant blue marlin with a giant squid attached. Anywhere near the surface the marlin would have gone balistic! Maybe this is why they jump, ie. a defence mechanism.
06 July 02 Tuna boats unloading this morning. One boat with 16 tons. 3 marlin bites today, one caught around 800 to the West.
I was also informed that 4 Pike were caught on a small stretch of the Norfolk Broards between 1 and 5 lbs – yes, the larger would be bait size here!!
08 July 02 Blue Marlin hook up for about 5 minites, size around 800-900.
09 July 2002 Calm no wind. Three main groups of Spotted Dolphin off the Harbour, 50+ in each. Very active. 2 marlin bites but no hook ups.
One very interesting thing going on with a tight group of 10 or more Dolphin. One was either sick or giving birth, but they were keeping the one on the surface or almost out of the water.
11 July 2002 Graham Johnson – my old friend from Australia. Windy – very clean water to west. We had one shot at a fish 8-900 lb. No hookup, no other bites.
13 July 2002 Roberto caught one fish today around 350 lb. No other bites.
14 July 2002 Calm – dust! Barry Johnson. Very clean water, so many Turtles. No marlin bites today.
Watched a group of 3 Pilot Whales harrassing what appeared to be a turtle. They were blowing clouds of bubbles and jumping like dolphins. Then we noticed a large Dorado trying to hide under the turtle. At last one of the whales grabbed the Dorado and they swam off. A very spectacular show. One group of large Tursiops wandering along.
Large Tuna bust but no bites.
15 July 2002 Dust haze. Clear water and so many Turtles. No bites, had a pass from a White Marlin seen on the surface first. A quiet day.
16 July 2002 Light NE trade, heavy haze, calm. Atlantic Spotted over a vast area right out front of the harbour. Groups of a 100 or more. Very friendly and very active. Feeding on pods of bait.
17 July 2002 Mod N-NW Trade. Fished to the north side. No marlin. Large group of very adult Tursiops 50-100 in the group, dark colour and very friendly. Fished back towards town. Groups of small Atlantic Spotted Dolphins. Found the largest Mantaray I have ever seen. 15-20 feet across. I pulled up to let everyone on board observe this giant animal as it was swimming away from the boat. It then turned and swam into the spread. Yes, next thing we were hooked up on 130 with my best lure, well one of them anyway – it had caught 3 big fish in the last year and was a one off.
Barry did it again. After pulling heavy drag the line chaffed through and we lost the lure. The Manta was just caught up in the line and would suffer no damage.
19 July 2002 Haze lifting, heavy air and dust. Atlantic Spotted Dolphins over a wide area. Same group that has been here for weeks. Maybe 300 + very active. Watched 3 large Dorado on a Turtle. They would not leave the Turtle no matter where he went!
20 July 2002 Wind N-NW 15-18 knots. Pleasant sea change. Not much current. Marlin on the bite, 4 caught today. We got one Blue Marlin- 900 lb. Tagged and Released. Our angler was Andre Feyersteine. Nice fish – same lure! Notice to all marlin fishermen, pack your bags and get to Madeira.
21 July 2002 N-NW 20-25 knots. Saw one fish on the surface – very large. No bites.
22 July 2002 Dramatic change in the water today, cleanest blue water. Pompano Dolphin (small dorado) arrived to day, tuna still busting but we wait for the bite.
23 July 2002 R-Mod NE. Clean blue water. Our ‘resident’ group of Atlantic Spotted dolphin making a trip to the west – spread out over a wide area and travelling at high speed. Looking for food I suspect. Flying fish everywhere.
24 July 2002 One marlin hooked today.
25 July 2002 Mod NE Trade. One marlin caught today. There is one marlin hooked or caught everyday, average weight 7-800 lb.
26 July 2002 Strong NE Found the Atlantic Spotted Dolphins in one group – tight together 300+ on the wind line. Very spectacular.
27 July 2002 Today’s catch by the fleet – one blue marlin around 700 lb one white marlin and a spearfish.
02 Aug. 2002 Nice group of Spotted Atlantic around 50 out wide and a group of about 20 Pilot Whales all on the same track. Good news. BET are biting on time 100 lb+, only one caught, but still good. Spearfish 80-90 lb as well.
03 Aug. 2002 One marlin caught 5-600. pm rain in sight.
06 Aug 2002 NE Trade. Large number of Spotted Dolphins out wide. Very clean water, quite a few Turtles. The Dolphins were interesting. I rounded them up in the usual manner. They were very active for awhile, but soon got tired of it all. So I stopped the boat in front of them and they came milling around us. Close enough to touch from the cockpit.
07 Aug 2002 Mod NE Trade. Clean water, Dolphins by the hundreds. 3 Fin Whales just milling around, looked like they were feeding. Very large animals. Reports of Sperm Whales to the east. One marlin caught – 300lb.
08 Aug 2002 Mod NE Trade. Fin Whales passing by in the morning. Sperm Whale this afternoon. Observed a family group of 13 socialising. Two or more very large and some jouveniles.
09 Aug 2002 Large group of Striped Dolphin out wide – very spectacular. Hooked a White Marlin, pulled the hook. Found Fin Whales off P.D. Cruz, and a group of Atlantic 100+. Wind Strong NE Trade.
10 Aug 2002 Skipjack and Dorado showing up. One marlin caught – 800. Light NE, new current in. Lots of very large Turtles all over.
WE NOW HAVE THE LOG SORTED – FOR NOW AT ANY RATE, I WILL UPDATE IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS. THANKYOU FOR YOUR EMAILS AND KIND COMMENTS. TTFN
11 Aug 2002 2nd day for John, more Skipjack and Dorado are arriving in greater numbers.
12 Aug 2002 Early trip this morning. If there was beauty, then I saw it this morning. The sun rose at 7.30 and I was on the ocean off the south of Madeira. 6 fully grown male Pilot Whales were charging into the sunrise in perfect formation line abreast. Bursting out the back side of the swells into the early morning light. A magnificient sight. In the distance we spotted the plume of a great Fin Whale, before long he was close to the boat. Skipjack were busting around this great beast (70-80ft). Dolphins then came in hundreds and we caught a skipjack also a dorado but nothing bigger.
Some White marlin were caught later in the day. We stayed out for only 2 1/2 hours!
13 Aug 2002 Found Sperm Whales 4 miles out and a small group of Spotted Dolphins 20-30. White and Blue Marlin biting but no hook ups. Whales were large. They went down with tail up showing ´The Hand of God`. We waited but to no avail. This can take upto one hour.
14 Aug 2002 Calm to light NE trade. No marlin bites today. 2 Pigmy Sperm Whales, they looked 20-25ft long mottled grey to light grey, no dorsal fin was visable. They just sunk out of sight without fuss. This is a rare sighting. Tursiops and Pilots Whales were off the harbout early.
15 Aug 2002 Public Holiday in Madeira today – no charter.
16 Aug 2002 Calm with one dorado this morning! Spotted dolphins far out and saw 2 Sperm Whales this morning. By the afternoon they had moved and were not spending any time on the surface. One Lady on board saw the blow but no one else.
17 Aug 2002 2nd day for Uri. Went to the Desertas – very dirty water. Fin Whales off the harbour. One marlin bite also near the harbour and some whites. Two nice Pompano dolphin (Mahi Mahi / Dorado).
18 Aug 2002 Calm, sunshine, light NE. We went out for a few hours late afternoon with my old friend Paul and his 2 children. Our kids are the same age. Very calm ideal conditions. We found the Fin Whale that has been feeding for two weeks along the south of the Island. Katherine, Todd and Sasha were overwhelmed by the size of the Whale, then we headed out wide to look for Dolphins, found only 3 or 4 and a Chaves Beaked Whale. Some Albacore had been biting and now the BET were on. So we put out the Tuna gear on 4 rods, no success, so we headed in because the kids were getting board of counting Turtles! Then we decided to pull in the Tuna gear and put out 2 light rods for Dorado but left out one tuna outfit – just in case? Now it happened, 3 BET about 130 lb each jumped on all outfits. Pepe and Mark Lee struggled with the light gear and Paul hopped in the chair, to bring a nice Tuna alongside. Needless to say we lost 2, Mark did get the lure back but with a ´straight`hook. A great family day.
19 Aug 2002 Went out late pm for a look – nada. One BET caught early. Fin whales off Garajau along with skipjack and dorado. As many times as see Pilot Whales loafing about like logs of wood on the surface, I rarely see them active. This afternoon they were feeding on skipjack in the most incredible display of acrobatics possible to imagine. 20 in the group.
20 Aug 2002 Absolutely flat calm. We found a group of Striped Dolphins 7-8 miles out, 100 +, then way off the south 50 or more Spotted Atlantic Dolphins, at least 10 mothers with calves all together, it looked like a child minding or creche. When they settled down, it was obvious that they stayed together very much. Very active and friendly.
21 Aug 2002 Our client Marcus had to cancel due to the floods in Austria. One white was caught and some Albacore tuna. Calm.
23 Aug 2002 One tiny White Marlin. This was I believe the smallest Marlin I have ever caught. Estimated on the formular at 3 lbs!
Lots of Spotted Dolphins.
24 Aug 2002 Fished to the west, skipjack and dorado. Flat calm – no marlin today at all.
Reports of Grampus and Pigmy Sperm Whales.
25 Aug 2002 Fished to west, skipjack all over. Saw 4-5 Sperm Whales feeding and all were seen to dive. Could have been many more present. I recall the Norwegian whalers telling me 50 years ago to mulitply by 6 times the number seen to equal the total present. Atlantic Spotted Dolphins in a large group feeding, many with babies. Roberto had a strike from a large blue in the same area. Weather change immenent.
26 Aug 2002 Charter got messed up so didn’t go! Strong NE rain in sight.
27 Aug 2002 Fin Whales were seen in the morning, so I took a punt and headed east to wide ground. There they were, at least 5, plus the entire Atlantic Spotted group of 300+. Fin Whales were feeding and swimming in circles. Blow 2-5 times every 5 mins or so. This group of Atlantic Spotted have been with us all summer. I will mark them – they are so friendly. Watching their antics of love making and having babies is always part of their behaviour constantly.
31 Aug 2002 Strong NE. No squid so far this year. Fishermen are at a loss to explain?
01 Sept 2002 Strong NE trade. Two marlin caught today.
03 Sept 2002 We found our resident group of Atlantic Spotted 200+. I almost know them by name. They come and lay by the boat. They look up and say hello – it’s amazing, and the high jumping display was more than usual. Summersalt and back flips.
04 Sept 2002 Strong NE. One marlin caught today around 600.
13 Sept 2002 Very clean water. Large Tuna bust off C.Girao, same place and same date as BET I caught with my old Australian friend Terry in 97. Saw dorado and only one turtle.
14 Sept 2002 Strong NW and rain. Those BET were Bluefin. I saw one fish bust near the boat, 800+. No other bites.
15 Sept 2002 Calm AM. Strong SW PM and rough ride back from Desertas. Anchored on northside and caught all maner of fish. We used an enormous chunk of giant squid. About a 100 lbs of burley tied to the back of the boat. Provided bait as well. No Wahoo?
Our large group of Atlantic Spotted are still here 300+.
16 Sept 2002 Jeremy’s group for the 3rd day. W-SW. Fished to the north drop. jumped on small White off.
Large full grown Tursiops, playfull and friendly. Look so big after the small Atlantic Spotted.
19 Sept 2002 Strong low pressure sitting just north of us, giving Portugal very bad weather.
Noticeable decrease in Birds and Turtles. Winter is coming and the birds are migrating south. Wahoo should be here in good numbers. Any day! Worked airport area for one skipjack and hooked a small white – max 10 lbs. Could have been a Spearfish?
Fin Whale sighted off Cabo Girao.
20 Sept 2002 Rising at last! I hope this is an end to a week of stinking SW wind. I hate it. and rising again, good good.
2 Fin Whales. We were very close to one only by the way it was swimming in circles and then changing direction. The Whale would turn, and then swim across my stern as if by deliberate intent. It was so spectacular. On one occasion it took 8 or more blows before going down to feed. Such an enormous animal 70-80 ft.
21 Sept 2002 NE calm at last. Fished for Wahoo – NBG! Three marlin hooked today, one caught 800 lb?
23 Sept 2002 NE calm – Dave Lewis. Fished Desertas clean water – wahoo??
Some small groups of Atlantic Spotted half way across. Hooked and lost what appeared to be one of those very small white Marlin.
There is a Turtle story but Peter hasn’t written it up so I can’t copy yet.
28 Sept 2002 Rain easing! Wind easing! Heavy swell from west. Dirty water from the rain for miles. Found our old group of Pilot Whales in the usual spot – 30+
29 Sept 2002 Fished north drop. Gorgous water dorado and birds everywhere.
Giant Dolphins and Fin Whale as well. Saw one Swordfish finning for sometime 2-300lb.
30 Sept 2002 Back to SW winds and rain. 2 Tuna caught early am, 100lb each, rain pm.
Thankgoodness September is over. It is traditionally calm, sunny and plenty of fish. This year well who knows what happened. The weather is not normal anywhere!
01 Oct 2002 Light SW, calm. Clean water. Found the dolphins late PM heading west close by. Looked like the same Tursiops or Bottlenose that live off the north drop. Perhaps they know something about all the bait reported to the west. They were very friendly and bow riding for ages. They look like Giants after the small Spotted dolphins. 30+ in the group.
02 Oct 2002 Gary Linard, fished the Desertas for 5 Grouper. Saw Pilot Whales and Tursiops on our way back.
03 Oct 2002 Strong East wind. Wahoo bite along the south of the Island. Of course we went looking for marlin and tuna, while all this was happening for no result!
Interesting, this took place on the same day 2 years ago, but they are late this year. Good fish 50-70 lb. Ron had one 90+
Pilot Whales.
04 Oct 2002 NE light trade, clear blue water. My old friend Svente. One Wahoo this morning which took him one and half hours with a bent rod. The fish was foul hooked and pin wheeling. Poor chap was exhausted but very happy.
Atlantic Spotted in the usual place. The whole group of 300. Good to see they are still with us and friendly as usual.
05 Oct 2002 Mod NE. Dust haze. At last they bite. If I was ever worried about the wahoo turning up there is certainly no need to. We ended up 3 for 15. Lost so much gear on mulitpal hookups. Hard to control these big fish on 20 lb spin. All fish seem to be 40-60 lb average. I think maybe this is the school that is usually at the desertas. This year are all along the south coast of Madeira. Oh! Dave Lewis and John Mitchell – where are you? You were one week too early!
06 Oct 2002 Calm AM, strong E PM. Heavy dust haze. This will be interesting, how many rods should I put out? Warren Leopold.
They went off the boil a bit. Only one fish AM. Then on the bottom of the tide PM they went nuts. Tripple hookups. Just left the other fish out there on light drag, but still only ended up with 3. Good fishing on 20 lb spin – Heavy dust. Large areas of bait, inky blue water.
09 Oct 2002 NE and clear, then stong N-NW. No Wahoo. Bait still there, clean water. Released 4 birds for Dr Frank Zino. I had to retrieve the Zino’s Petrel. The very young bird became waterlogged very quickly and could not fly. Apparantly the chick feathers are not waterproof. Frank will take care of the bird until it is ready. There are only 30 nesting pairs left. This very rare bird is on the brink of extinction. Special care is needed to ensure it’s survival. It is the prettiest bird. Strong winds on Monday were the cause.
10 Oct 2002 Record tide levels at present. No Wahoo but still the bait school.. Oui-Oui off the harbour, wide. Plenty of birds. Note a total absense of Turtles?
11 Oct 2002 Dull, rain in sight. Light NE trade, calm. No Dolphins. Cory’s Shearwater all over. So many it looks eminent. Either tuna are here or they are getting ready for a migration. They will fly soon off to Brazil and return next summer. Almost back to the harbour and I saw large tuna busting. Thought I had the Dolphins but not so!
12 Oct 2002 Overcast but calm. 2 BET caught around 80kg.
13 Oct 2002 Overcast but very clear = rain? Also calm. The wahoo are biting, I can smell them.
16 Oct 2002 Heavy, overcast and light SW. 5pm run with Frank Zino to release Zino’s Petrel. This young bird only a few weeks old will leave Madeira for 5 years. No one at this stage knows where they go?
19 Oct 2002 Weekend charters postponed because of bad weather. Our Danish group will now go on Wednesday, as I go to the UK that day I cannot write the log, so no more entries until after Nov 7th. when we all get back, and Peter can start fishing again for a few more weeks!
First a big apology! I came back but then had to make another trip back to the UK that then got extended due to some unsavoury characters breaking into my parents home. With that sorted out I will now update the log.
22 Oct 2002 Calm with heavy swell from the SW. Found the dolphins , so happy to see them still here. The babies are growing up. So much bigger, they grow fast. Water still warm and very blue.
Tuna busting out in front. Big splashing. I think they are Bluefin.
24 Oct 2002 Calm but no tuna. Bright blue clear water. Skipjack near the harbour. Cory’s Shearwater still everywhere.
25 Oct 2002 Flat calm. Found a group of 20+ Pilot Whales wide off Cabo Girao.
12 Nov 2002 Very little happened while away, a few Wahoo caught. The weather was not on the side of the angler or whale and dolphin watcher!
Today though – mod NE. Our resident group of Atlantic Spotted Dolphin are still with us. The entire group of about 300 were assembled right out in front of Funchal, so friendly and spectacular as usual. Then found Pilot Whales out further. Appeared to be feeding, chasing bait on the surface.
18 Nov 2002 The bright winter sky today reminded me of some sayings I heard from old fishermen when I was young!
Mares Tails and Mackerel Scales
Make lofty Ships carry lower sails!
First the wind and then the rain
Put your topsails up again!
First the rain and then the wind
Time to take them in again!
21 Nov 2002 Mod NE Fished to the west but no wahoo. Fished close to the coast on the way back and got 4 Pargo and 4 and a half Barracuda. Lost one nice Bluefish.
Oh dear our Dolphins have gone. It does happen about this time of year. They’ll be back about mid January. If all goes as usual, they will be feeding on schools of needlefish and we should be able to swim with them next to the boat. Had a very happy day though.
07 Dec 2002 It’s been quiet because the wind has been blowing and now traditionally very few people travel here.
AM NE – PM calm. Decided to fish the Desertas. Got 2 nice Skipjack and 1 Amberjack. Saw a group of Pilot Whales.
I tested a prototype ‘Storm Mid-Thunder’ 11cm, with outstanding results.
12 Dec 2002 It’s raining today so the Captain can’t mow the lawn – a good excuse!
We are off this weekend for a few weeks well earned break. We would like to now wish everyone who reads this and to all our very valued clients of the past few years a very
HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND WONDERFUL NEW YEAR.
It’ll be Adnams time again in some pub or other. See you in the new year.