Merry Christmas, Happy New Year...I'll miss 'em both!

[fishhuntcutwood]

I'm outta here until sometime in February! I'll be on the back of a Coast Guard cutter somewhere in Central and South America. We'll be flying around looking for cocaine runners, pirates and whatever the else is out there. I'll post pics when I get back.

These are some pics from my last Christmas trip, which was while I was in Kodiak. These were just off of Valdez on New Years day '04.
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z267/kodiaksalmon/overthecircle.jpg

That's me in the blue...no drysuits on this trip! The water's warm, and we'll be wearing good ol' flight suits.
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z267/kodiaksalmon/DSC_0065.jpg

[fishhuntcutwood]

Hey Butch, Gary...whaddya think? Just a bit smaller than a carrier?

[rumination]

Good luck to you Jeff. I hope you have a safe and enjoyable trip.

[fishhuntcutwood]

Thanks Leon. I won't lie to you....I'm taking some of my flyrods for the port calls, and dorado off the back of the boat. :/:

[vharrison]

Jeff, be safe and have fun. We look forward to your return.

[Chisel Tooth]

Deployment over the holidays sucks, safe journey Jeff, check in if you can.
See Ya
Mike

[rumination]

Don't forget your camera!

[pantheraba]

We'll be thinking about you guys and gals. Tell your buds we appreciate them. Y'all be safe.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.

[MasterBlaster]

Hey Butch, Gary...whaddya think? Just a bit smaller than a carrier?


Just a tad bit smaller. How many crew are there?

Or are you already gone?

[Skwerl]

See you when you get back, buddy! 8)

[MasterBlaster]

I did one xmas at sea: We had candlelit steak and lobster dinner.

[stehansen]

Dorado is incredible eating! Be safe, just a word of advice, the pirates are the guys with the parrots on their shoulders.

[Old Monkey]

I hope you have a fun trip Jeff. Kick some pirate and narco-trafficker butt. Having caught a dorado, aren't you going to need something heftier than a fly rod?

[sotc]

i didnt know you guys did that out of country. stay sharp and have fun!

[Stumper]

Jeff, Be safe, kick butt, catch fish, have fun, come home.

[GASoline71]

Be safe out there Jeff-ro!

In my 20 years of active Duty... 8 Years of it was sea duty... and of that 8 years of sea duty, I was only home for 1 Christmas, 1 New Year's, and 2 Thanksgivings. I was either on deployment or doing "work ups" for all the others.

I know how it feels... Take care my friend... and keep us filled in on what you are doing out there...

If you won't be able to surf the web... but still have access to email... you can email me and I'll let everyone know what you are up too... :thumbup:

Gary

[Paul B]

be safe and see you soon Jeff!

ps, is that a Phalanx system off the stern of the flightdeck on the pics from your last time out?

[fishhuntcutwood]

Just a tad bit smaller. How many crew are there?

Or are you already gone?

Gone tomorrow.

180 souls on 378' of cutter.

[fishhuntcutwood]

ps, is that a Phalanx system off the stern of the flightdeck on the pics from your last time out?

Yep. When it works, it's pretty cool.

[fishhuntcutwood]

Having caught a dorado, aren't you going to need something heftier than a fly rod?

Oh no, dorado are prime targets on a fly, as are sailfish, makos and marlin. We're not talking about your granddad's trout rod, which is a 4 weight or so. My offshore rods are 12 and 13 weights casting flies 12"+. :evil:

My cameras are already packed and on the boat, or I'd take a pic of what I'm talking about. But yeah, big game fly rodding has been around a few years. You just don't hear about it much. Kinda a small niche.

[OTGBOSTON]

Oh no, dorado are prime targets on a fly, as are sailfish, makos and marlin. We're not talking about your granddad's trout rod, which is a 4 weight or so. My offshore rods are 12 and 13 weights casting flies 12"+. :evil:

My cameras are already packed and on the boat, or I'd take a pic of what I'm talking about. But yeah, big game fly rodding has been around a few years. You just don't hear about it much. Kinda a small niche.


I was under the impression that to have any success you have to tease the fish up with live bait and then switch to a fly........

Good luck Jeff, have fun, be safe.

[fishhuntcutwood]

And that's true of alot of bluewater fish. Sailfish, tuna, marlin, wahoo-you tease them up with a hookless teaser, usually no live bait. Then pull the teaser and toss in the fly.

With dorado, you can find them suspended under flotsam and seams in the open ocean. They're typically a schooling fish in the smaller sizes (less than 70lbs or so) and they'll follow a hooked fish all the way to the surface. So my plan for off the back of the cutter is to wait for a "fish call" when every Tom, Dick and Harry is out there chucking bait, chees balls, bacon, whatever out there and someone hooks one. I'll have them hold it hooked off the back of the boat, and wait for the school to rise. Cast my fly into it, and FISH ON!

That's the plan at least. It's been done before by a buddy of mine.

[sawinredneck]

Sounds scary and fun, all at the same time!! I've been hearing more and more of the pirates, really nasty bunch from what I gather!!!!!
Be safe out there!! Talk to you when you get back.

[Bounce]

Jeff-

Keep your eyes peeled for some dirty rat bastard pirate with a nice size chunk missing from his scalp. A friend of mine was in Belize a few weeks ago and came back with a heck of story. Apparently some bad guys with guns snuck onto their sailboat in the night and held everybody up. My friend saved the day when he came out of the head and took one of the bad guy's machete away. A different bad guy fired a shotgun at my friend from just a few feet away, but he lived because the gun blew up in the bad guys hands. That got the machete in the head. Once the first two bad guys jumped over the side, the others followed suit.

In case you start to miss the weather here while you're gone, just turn the shower all the way to cold and you'll feel right at home again.

[squisher]

Damn Jeff have a great adventure, can hardly wait to hear about. 8)

I'll have a toast tonight to your safe journey.

[Skwerl]

I feel pity for any poor fool pirate that takes on Jeff's CG bote. :lol:

[Paul B]

seeing as how their is one of these mounted to the flight deck, me too!
<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/cgpQBZF2sZQ&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cgpQBZF2sZQ&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>

from Wiki: The gun subsystem employs a gatling gun consisting of a rotating cluster of six barrels. The gatling gun fires a 20mm subcaliber sabot projectile using a heavy-metal (either tungsten or depleted uranium) 15mm penetrator surrounded by a plastic sabot and a light-weight metal pusher. The gatling gun fires 20mm ammunition at either 3,000 or 4,500 rounds-per-minute with a burst length of continuous, 60, or 100 rounds.

[vharrison]

That's the plan at least. It's been done before by a buddy of mine.

That plan will work, just keep one in the water!

[fishhuntcutwood]

I'll do my best. Any dorado will be dedicated to Gigi!

[Hobby Climber]

Sounds like a great trip! Have fun, take lots of pics, be safe and good luck on the fly!!!

I'll hold off mailing those buck tails to you until you get back. ;)

Take care eh!

HC

[No_Bivy]

Be safe Jeff.......somebody say pirates?:D

[The Branch Doctor]

Have fun Jeff. Be safe and check in when you can. Looking forward to some stories when you get back.

[fishhuntcutwood]

I'm outta here!!! I'll be BS'in with ol' Gary while out there, so he'll have updates if there's anything noteworthy!

See you in a couple of months!

[vharrison]

:cry: Bye

[MasterBlaster]

Later Gator!!! :beer:

[Chisel Tooth]

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[stehansen]

See ya Jeff. I'm sure any pirates would give you guys a wide berth. Thank you for doing what you do.

[Skwerl]

Thank you Jeff! See ya on the flip side, buddy. :)

[treetx]

Pirates and Cocaine!! Sounds like a heck of a New Years party!!!!:thumbup:

:D