Charter Boat Boomerang

OFFSHORE FISHING

Aboard the

BOOMERANG

Andrea Duenas

We arrived at the Sailfish Marina in West Palm Beach, where Capt. John Krohn and his first mate Matt Richardson greeted us at the stern of the beautiful Boomerang, a 44 foot 1955 all wooden Rybovich. It was a beautiful day, with a small cold front that just arrived causing it to be slightly windy at 15 mph, but did not hinder a successful day of fishing. We got acquainted with each other after boarding the Boomerang getting ready to start our day. Both Capt. John and Matt are Florida natives who have fished the West Palm Beach waters since they were children. Captain John has been captaining Boomerang for 39 years now with Matt being one of his first mates for 3 years. Matt caught his first Sailfish aboard Boomerang in 2004 with his brother Justin, which was one of the many things that sparked his passion for working on fishing boats.

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OFFSHORE FISHING

It was a quick ride heading north out of the

PalmBeach/Lake Worth Inlet to reach our starting point where we would slowly drift and kite fish back. During the ride out to our starting point, Matt gave us a run down for what they specialize in and what we would be doing. They use many methods to catch fish aboard Boomerang. But, thier specialty is kite fishing, which is what they had in store for us, targeting Mahi Mahi and Sailfish. For bait they use Goggle Eye’s and occasionally they use scaled baits, such as thread fin and Spanish sardines. But, Goggle Eyes seem to be the best and heartiest baits out there, according to Matt. Boomerang flies a kite specifically made for this type of fishing, using Bob Luise and SFE kites, depending on the strength of the wind. He bridled the bait to a 5/0 live bait hook using a small rubber band. This method allows the bait to move a bit more freely and they tend to live longer than if you just pushed a hook through their back. He sent out 3 baits per kite used.

The baits were separated by clips. Each clip is about 80 feet from the next, allowing the baits to hang from the kite without getting fouled. He used 15 foot leaders with snap swivel, an orange weighted cork for visibility, and a small glass ring, attached to the clips on the kite lines. (If the wind is strong, which it was, he said to add a 1 oz egg weight to sit right on top of the snap swivel). Once all 3 baits were out and situated, Matt sent one more out and up the rigger to keep it from getting tangled with the short kite bait. Matt was very meticulous and had everything rigged up, just waiting to put the Goggle Eyes in the water, as soon as we were stopped. We watched him manage all

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5 reels as if he was playing an instrument. The first sound of line spooling out and popping the line down from the outrigger excited everyone for what the first catch would be! Matt was first to the reel, handing it off to Channing… She reeled it right to the boat, to find out it was a shark. It turned out to be an interesting shark, Matt identified it as an Atlantic Sharpnose, AKA Puppy Shark, because they do not grow to be very large. The one caught looked to be full grown. We released the Puppy Shark and Matt began to re-rig the pole, getting us set up for the next fish. And, surprisingly it was his wife Carissa’s first Sailfish exploding out of the water on the other end. Captain John and Matt immediately went into action communicating to each other, while Carissa jumped into the fighting chair and began hoisting and reeling continuously without ever letting up. Like a pro, she was

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OFFSHORE FISHING

determined to have a legal catch, waiting for Matt to grab her leader. After 25 minutes of a tiresome battle and great showmanship of teamwork and communication between the 3 of them, we came to see the beautiful sail and colors of a 92 inch Sailfish alongside the boat. Matt and Carissa gave a big high five to each other and were able to hang Boomerang’s Sailfish flag, showing the catch and release of her first Sailfish. It was hard to calm down after that, but we got back to watching the lines and endless horizon of blue waters. There were a few other boats running parallel in the same area, targeting the same Sails we were. Before we knew it, we were on again, giving Whitney a shot at the next catch, which she reeled up within minutes. At the first glance of the fish’s colors in the water we thought…”maybe a huge yellowtail”, but Matt identified the fish as a Rainbow Runner…a nice 10-12 pounder. Captain John explained it as tasting similar to Mahi Mahi.

Moving into the last hour of our trip, we were already ecstatic with our day. But, once again we heard the spooling sound coming from the starboard outrigger reel and the popping of the line. That was Channing’s side and she was in for a fight. No one was sure what was on the other end, until we saw those distinctive yellows, greens and blues of a Mahi Mahi jumping out of the water in the distance! Within seconds, we were in for a double header, because the portside outrigger pole bent over, as well. Carissa knew immediately

that Matt was helping Channing and went into action. She was able to begin reeling in the other line. Carissa had her Mahi Mahi to the boat first, while Channing was still battling her monster. Matt moved quickly with the gaff, hoisting Carissa’s Mahi into the boat. He placed it in the fish box, so he could return back to Channing, as she brought her Mahi Mahi to the back of the boat. This was the perfect ending to our day aboard Boomerang. We all had the opportunity to reel in some great fish, which were delicious that evening. And, Captain John was right about the Rainbow Runner Whitney

caught… it was a very delicious white and flaky fish, similar to Mahi Mahi. Carissa had a great time, being able to catch and release her first Sailfish with her husband Matt…On the same boat he caught his first Sailfish 10 years prior.

The Better Off Wet crew would like to thank Captain John Krohn and Matt Richardson, with Boomerang Sportfishing Charters, for a successful day of fishing off the West Palm Beach coastline. If you are in the area, be sure to call Boomerang for a trip!

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