• Let’s take a walk down Blue Water Fishing Memory Lane!

    Little Miss Judy Believe It or Not!

    Here’s Phil Shirley on his pride and joy “Katy Colleen”! He took many a Gulf Stream trip aboard his boat!



    ater tale that needs to be told! On this particular blue water trip Phil Shirley and party was with me (Captain Judy) on the Miss Judy Too! Upon arriving at our blue water destination we started setting only. Everyone on board was excited, because it was a beautiful day not too rough and not too calm!


    Captain Ali Young started putting baits out! Once she got all lines in place our trolling day began. I was on the bridge looking for any sort of fish feeding signs. Back in the day when I fished the stream daily my most best-est Yahoo Wahoo finder was a yellow billed topical bird. So I was always on the lookout for this particular bird as well as any of its other fine feathered friends. So as I watched I made way from rip to rip just dragging Captain Ali’s suggested patterns of baits. Off in the distance I saw a few birds. Not all were diving, but a little activity suggested that some feeding was going on. So therefore I took a heading to this area with big hook ups on my mind.


    We had already had several hits and misses, but no solid hook ups yet! And then it happened, my way back line started screaming off and then stopped. I immediately turned around and started free spooling the hit bait. I knew if I accomplished this goal quick enough that the big Wahoo that just struck was about to make a big turning come back. Heck, after all, this fish’s main goal is to hit their prey removing the tail first, which dismantles any attempts for it to swim away. And then once the bait starts to fall they make a quick 180 degree turn and pick up the spoils! Well, Well this big fish did just that. As soon as it picked up the bait it sky rocketed allowing me to scream it’s a YAHOO WAHOO!


    I dropped the rod to Captain Ali and she immediately handed it to Phil. With the boat still making way at about 5 knots I could tell that this fish was working hard at heading away from the pressure of the line giving Phil time to get adjusted. Once getting the rod in this hand Phil started reeling when he could and allowing the big fish to run when it wanted. He always kept the line tight and had control of his end of this fish catching deal. It was an exciting time for everyone!


    However, I must tell you exactly what happen right before we handed him the rod. Phil had just lit up a cigarette. When taking the rod he put cigarette in his mouth and was holding it. He had control of the fish and he was making all the right moves. After a strong run, he lifted his rod while dropping his head at the same time and his lit cigarette barely touched the main line. And what happened after that? Well, at first we thought the line had a weak spot and broke. However, after a quick examination we could see that the line had been singed by the fire end of Phil’s cigarette!



    Smoking is harmful to humans, but in this particular case it’s healthy for fish!

    Blast from the past! Rachel Zipperer is holding Phil Shirley’s just caught red snapper. Heck, back in these old days, we could keep them and we did! Red snapper for everyone tonight!

    Thanks for reading! Captain Judy






    Captain Judy Helmey
    www.missjudycharters.com
    912 897 4921