Great friends, great fishing, just another day on the bank, aboard De Mako.

We arrived at the dock, greeted by Captain Allen.... you're late? You know those Wahoo like to bite early. Yes it was true, we were late and our captain was not happy. That and he would never miss a chance to rib a life long friend Allan "Heads" De Silva. I went along, of course, even though Allan was kind enough to pick me up at the hotel.

Always wanting to produce for his clients and friends, Captain Allen was fired up to get to the Banks and take advantage of the aggressive feeding hours. Arriving at the short course about 8:00 a.m., we put out high speed Wahoo lures and one Marlin lure, just in case. Once we reached Challenger Bank, we switched out to skirted ballyhoo on down riggers and surface lines. The first bite on the downrigger produced what we call a Weehoo, due to its small size. After a long lull, captain Allen said to reel them up - we were going for live bait. He knew we needed live bait to have a chance at the now finicky Wahoo that would not hit our trolled dead baits and lures. Anchoring up on the crown, we started chumming. With his crew striking out on catching bait and doing foolish things like casting lures and jigging bottom, Allen had to come down from the bridge and catch most of our bait. So, with a full live well, our hopes were high as we headed back to the drop. By now, the whole fleet fishing Argus in the early morning was at Challenger, but we had the live bait!  It didn't take long, as the rigger line came crashing down with a nice Hoo attached. Jenni, our female angler, grabbed the rod as the line quickly disappeared from the reel. After a good fight, a nice 45-pounder hit the deck. Now we were cooking with fire, as the live Robins did the trick. For two hours, Allan, Jenni and I kept busy reeling in Wahoo, while mate, Pete Lewis, expertly handled the gaffing and re-baiting. Now since we were all friends, the banter was comical as each time one of us would lose a fish or screw up a drop back. There was also a competition on to get me my personal best Wahoo, which was 60-pounds. Since Allan "Heads" put me on my best Wahoo aboard his boat, Treasure Isle, last September, Captain Allen's "Mako" had to try and top it. Captain De Silva did his usual magic, making sure we got our shots at Bermuda's incredible Wahoo fishery. By the end of an incredible day, we totaled 11 Wahoo boated, with half as many coming off. Back at the dock, we had a little red wine and weighed the fish to see if my largest of the day would beat the 60-pound mark? Well, would you know it weighed exactly 60-pounds. So, for now, Treasure Isle is leading De Mako on time. We also had three in the 55 pound class, three in the 45-pound class, two in the 35-pound class and two Weehoo. What an awesome day on the Banks off Bermuda!

I am fortunate to have fished all over the world, through my job at Marlin and Sport Fishing magazines. So, when I say the De Mako and captain De Silva represent one of the finest charter operations in one of the best Wahoo and Marlin fishing destination, I know what I'm talking about. If you want to have a great experience and fish with one of the sports' best, book a trip aboard De Mako with Captain Allen De Silvia and mate, Pete Lewis.