![]() ![]() The winds were light and the day was off to a great start. When we arrived, his deckhand Matt had everything ready on the boat so we shoved off to the grounds. Bradley MacDonald had us meet him at the boat for a 7 a.m. To put it lightly, sleep was tough with the anticipation of giants the next day.Ĭapt. We talked with a few of Tony’s deckhands and captains and found out the fishing that day had been nothing short of outstanding, with all six boats in his fleet catching two giants apiece! The docks were hopping with a nice 800-pounder that was weighed in by one of Tony’s boats. When we arrived at the island, we headed up to North Lake to see the boats return from the day trips. The town of Souris is a short 20-minute drive away and has a few restaurants to enjoy if you want to head out to dinner instead. Let me tell you, there is nothing like a home-cooked meal! One night we grabbed some mussels and steamed them up at the cabin as well. These were literally right down the street from the boat.Ī great feature that the cabins offer is that Tony and Bradley’s mother will make you a lobster dinner with potato salad, scallop bake, coleslaw and a dessert for a minimal fee. The price is comparable to a smaller room down in Souris, but then you would have to drive a bit to the boats each day. They are two bedrooms-one with a larger bed and one with two smaller beds. There are three, each equipped with stove, refrigerator, microwave, barbecue and all the utensils and dishes. We decided to stay in one of Tony’s well-appointed cottages just a mile from the harbor. Scott chose the soft brace knowing that this was his only shot he would have at catching a giant in his condition there was no way to fight in the chair with a hard cast on. Because it was a fracture and not a full break, the doctor gave Scott the choice of a hard cast or a soft brace. But three weeks before the trip, Scott had an accident and fractured his leg. Daily conversations with Scott and viewings of the last trip kept the excitement in the air. Anticipation was high as Scott and Joe prepared for the trip weekly emails from Joe were filled with questions of how things would go down. They had seen the mount of the 900-pounder at the office, but nothing takes the place of seeing things first hand. Both had heard the stories and viewed the videos and photos. This particular trip included Scott Dahlem from PCS and my buddy Joe Zammit from Australia. After a whole morning of eating lobster sandwiches, “making room” is tough, but I had no problem! These are just a couple of the added perks with Tony’s fleet. My favorite part of the trip is when the fleet breaks out the bag of mussels and cooks them right there on the boat to enjoy. We have fished with three different boats in the fleet and have had great experiences on each. They are constantly on the radio or cell phone finding out who is hooked up or where the school of fish is located.Īll of his captains fish the same areas and follow the same protocol. A key to his operation’s success is that his fleet works together. The tackle ranges from 130 reels on large, bent butt rods to 80-size reels and stand-up rods for the daring angler. Each craft is a converted lobster boat in the 45-foot range-and is built like a tank. ![]() ![]() He runs a fleet of six boats, all equipped with fighting chairs and high end tackle. MacDonald was the first to bring the catch and release charter idea to the island. Tony MacDonald’s fleet back in 2012 and was extremely pleased. The vision ends, watching the fish of your lifetime swim away after a clean release.Īt the island we chose to fish with Tony’s Tuna Fishing on this adventure. Then there’s the throbbing tail beats that lift you out of the fighting chair with the fish straight down at color. As is an initial run of 300 or 400 yards of line effortlessly stripping off the reel by a fish that is so large it’s hardly bothered by 40 or 50 pounds of drag. The sound that a 130-size reel spooled with 200-pound Dacron makes when a giant bluefin tuna takes the bait only feet from the transom is almost impossible to describe. Could this place be everything that you have been told it is? You’re damn right! Articles you may have read, videos you may have seen and stories that sound like pure fiction fill your thoughts. ![]() Steaming out of the North Lake Harbour on Prince Edward Island, your mind can only imagine what you may encounter. ![]()
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