Gary Bonanno

Where has Strike Zone Charters Been....????? This was the question I got asked when we arrived at Sand Dollar Marina to fish the Grand Isle Rodeo . Anglers have been looking for our fishing reports and some of that good old BS.

Where do I start.....Well - things have been crazy since the April 2010 BP FIASCO....Capt. Kevin Aderhold and Capt. Caz McKenzie had the honor of catching turtles out in the Gulf after the Oil Spill. They went from flying marlin flags to making homemade turtle flags to display how many turtles they caught each day. I think they rescued over 600 turtles in the course of three months. I have been dockside....working my catering business and filming several episodes of the Ax Men Show on the History Channel, down in the swamps with my good friend, Shelby Stanga -HERE WE GO......... We had a good time but danger is always present when you are dealing with Shelby.

So - let's talk about Fishing......

Louisiana ...... The weather was bad and the fishing was the same for us at the Grand Isle Rodeo -. The only thing that saved us was that our group had a great time at Sand Dollar Marina each night. Capt. Kevin and Caz have been fishing hard after the Rodeo and have had some real good 24 and 48 hr trips. They just got back a few days ago from a 48 hr trip with three anglers on the 55' Strike Zone Too . The angles were worn out - and so were the Yellowfin tuna. The largest was 125 lbs and most were between 60 and 90 lbs. These Tuna wanted only live bait and the bite was from sun up to around 9:00 am. The Dolphin were thick in the rip - and they broke off two Blue Marlin and one Extra large Shark. Only Blackfin at night and they were hard to come by because of the strong current.

Guatemala......I fished Guatemala two weeks ago on a Sunday with my good friend Dr. Antonio Molina. We only fished for two hours. We dropped our lines in the water when were 8 mile offshore and within 5 minutes we had our first Sail. Doc did the honors - the fish weighed over 100 lbs and took 20 minutes to get to the boat. After the fish was released - doc wasn't looking so good. I called out "Is their a doctor in the house"... The seas were flat so I knew he wasn't sea sick.... I think he got into my rum stash the night before. Doc was done for the day and it was all up to me. In two hours I went 5 for 8 on the Sails, 1 Yellowfin 30 lbs and a 35 lb Dorado. We picked up the lines and since we were only 12 miles out - we were back at the Marina in 25 minutes. We were the only boat out that day -because this is called the "off season"..If we would have fished all day, I think we would have had over 20 Sails....We had a double hookups twice. Billfishing in Guatemala is awesome.

I will post up a few cool pictures, one of Capt. Kevin and his turtle flags, me on a Sail in Guatemala and Capt. Kevin's last trip.

Give us a call and book your next 24 hr offshore trip on the 55' Strike Zone Too in the Gulf or a great fishing vacation to Guatemala...

Stay Safe and Good Fishing from the Crew Of Strike Zone Charters, Louisiana and Guatemala~~~~225~279~3800~~~~~~

Celebrating over 24 yrs in the Offshore Charter Business

http://www.strikezonecharters.net

Fish Species: Yellowinfin Tuna, Dolphin and Marlin
Bait Used: live
Tackle Used:
Method Used: Live bait
Water Depth: 4000 ft
Water Temperature: 89
Wind Direction: South
Wind Speed: 5 kts
Last 24 hr trip in the Gulf
Last 24 hr trip in the Gulf

Me on a nice Sail in Guatemala
Me on a nice Sail in Guatemala


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Gary Bonanno

About The Author: Captain Gary Bonanno

Company: Strike Zone Charters

Area Reporting: Venice , Louisiana

Bio: Captain and Owner of Strike Zone Charters for 20 years out of Venice Louisiana. The finest fleet of Charter Boats in Louisiana

225-279-3800
Click Here For Past Fishing Reports by Captain Gary Bonanno