By Diogo Yamada
In June 2021, I was introduced to Captain Kyle Eldridge and Captain Paul Long, from Liquid Assault Charters and Top Contender Charters. I was surprised with their knowledge and all their vast experience as veteran Captains. I wanted to introduce my new friends to vertical jigging and we decided to go on a “NO BAIT TRIP”. Only armed with all the proper jigging set ups, they were up for the challenge. The trip was set for June 5th and I, Diogo Yamada (owner of The Fisherman`s Hut) invited some good friends to join this unusual adventure.
3am comes early. The crew from The Fisherman`s Hut armed with all the proper jigging set ups after a 116-mile run out of Bradenton, Florida to 400’ +/- the battle began on the first drop. We were excited when Chad hit the bottom and immediately hooked up with a large Gag Grouper. While Chad was boating his fish, Nico got slammed by a big Blackfin Tuna and Jeremy on the port side of the boat also engaged in a battle of his own, with a monster Red Snapper. I also was hammered after a couple sharp jerks of the rod by another huge Gag Grouper.
We knew at this time Kyle and Paul had put us on top of a good area of fish! Looking at the book of thousands of numbers, I was very impressed they chose this area to fish for the day.
The nonstop catching action continued for the next four hours until my arms felt like they would fall off and our quota was met for the day. Several more Tunas were boated and large sharks became hungry visitors to our area, based on safety we decided to call it a day when the weather began to turn. Captain Kyle and Captain Paul made everyone comfortable in the bean bag chairs for the ride home. Tired, sore, and happy on the way home I dreamt about the amazing fish we caught the monster fish that I lost.
Looking forward to the next trip with these amazing Captains and new friends! Couldn’t have asked for a better experience!
For your all your “NO BAIT” needs, Consultation, Tackle, Equipment, and now offering Personal Tailored Seminars/Education on the water with Liquid Assault Marine Services and custom trips check out www.thefishermanshut.com
