July 31, 2026

Graduation Gift Offshore Grind for Dan and Jacob

Dan brought his son Jacob down from Mount Dora for a graduation-present fishing trip before Jacob heads to Tallahassee later this year to chase college baseball.

That is the kind of trip you want to make count.

We started the morning on the patches and caught a couple dozen pilchards. Good bait. Clean start. Then we pointed DirtyBoat offshore to go look for something big.

First Stop, 409 Hump

The first stop was the 409 Hump.

We were hoping to get Jacob tied into an amberjack, but after two drifts the jacks did not want to play. That happens. You make the drop, give them a fair shot, and when the ocean says no, you keep moving.

Jacob also had Blackfin tuna on the wish list. By the time we got to the tuna grounds, there were boats trolling all over them and the fish stayed down tight. Too much traffic, not enough cooperation.

So we pushed deeper.

Frigate Bird, Weed, And Fish That Would Not Commit

Out deep, we found a frigate bird bombing on some weed.

That is usually the kind of sign that makes everybody perk up. Bird low, weed right, bait likely, and a chance at mahi doing what mahi are supposed to do.

We worked it hard. Set after set, the fish kept swimming away from the boat and would not commit. No magic button. No easy bite. Just the usual offshore lesson: sometimes the ocean makes you earn every fish the ugly way.

Swordfish Ledge Payoff

We kept hunting and finally got tight in 1,500 feet of water on the swordfish ledge.

That fish turned into a decent cow mahi, and it changed the tone of the day. Not wide open yet, but enough to prove we were in the right water and still in the game.

After that, a nearby vessel called us into a big school of fish. Good fleet work, good timing, and the day finally cracked open.

We finished with a dozen mahi.

Not the original amberjack plan. Not the clean Blackfin tuna bite Jacob asked about. But that is a real offshore trip: catch bait, check the Hump, read the tuna traffic, chase birds, miss chances, keep pushing, and cash in when the door finally opens.

Dan got his son offshore before the next chapter. Jacob got the kind of graduation gift that does not fit in a box.