No great expedition comes without hardship as we learned last week when Capt. Steven Jr. and Capt. Bobby were forced to end the third leg of their East Coast Voyage two days prematurely. Little did they know, however, that upon entering Rudee Inlet, the Viking Five Star would become imprisoned at the Virginia Beach Fishing Center for quite some time. Six foot waves churned the inlet into a cauldron of impassable whitewater and the Atlantic Ocean beyond roared with fury. Eventually, it became evident that the fourth leg of the Five Star’s odyssey would be rendered a no go. Relentless weather and a dismal forecast manifested as a kiss of death prompting the captains to make another very difficult decision and cancel their much anticipated homecoming trip. With 53 different species having already christened the deck of the Five Star there would be no shame in seeing fishing come to a conclusion here but this simply wouldn’t be Capt. Steven Jr. and Capt. Bobby’s style. On May 6th, the day after they originally planned to steam toward home in Montauk, a small weather window opened and allowed for an escape from Rudee Inlet.
Although plans to hit a particular set of canyons were largely compromised, Capt. Steven Jr. and Capt. Bobby put the Five Star over fish whenever the weather cooperated. In fact, on their first morning back at sea the duo found suitable conditions for deep dropping and picked away at a couple dozen golden tilefish along with a mess or respectable sized grey tiles. By afternoon the Five Star made its way into familiar waters further north and found solid action with northern groupers. Bending rods and a fair number of double headers kept those aboard busy for the remainder of the day.
%pullstart%"By afternoon the Five Star made its way into familiar waters further north and found solid action with northern groupers. Bending rods and a fair number of double headers kept those aboard busy for the remainder of the day."%pullend%Such productive fishing and placid conditions at the onset of the steam toward Montauk proved to be but a tease and the following day saw the maritime weather deteriorate yet again. Big seas and heavy wind and rain buffeted the Five Star as Capt. Steven Jr. and Capt. Bobby continued jogging to the north. It wasn’t until later in the afternoon on day two that a realistic attempt at fishing could be made. A couple golden tiles would be culled from the depths when fishing resumed but adverse conditions kept the bite to a bare minimum. Fortunately, as they progressed even closer to home the Five Star approached a wreck neither Capt. Steven Jr. nor Capt. Bobby had fished in ages. Recognizing this opportunity, the duo made one last drop and were rewarded with a good shot of northern grouper before making way for Montauk and the warm embrace of friends and loved ones.
Despite the fact that the East Coast Voyage didn’t end on the high note Capt. Steven Jr. and Capt. Bobby were hoping for it wasn’t without reward. Their improvised fourth leg surrendered golden tilefish to 20lbs, a great quantity of grey tiles and plenty of husky northern groupers. In addition, they added another 9 species to their expedition tally which brought its grand total to an astounding 62. Both men are now grateful to be home but won’t soon forget their experiences shared aboard the Five Star. They were privy to some of the finest fishing imaginable and enjoyed what every diehard angler dreams about. Both attest to the East Coast Voyage being a genuine trip of a lifetime and I myself consider it a privilege to have written about their accomplishments these last 4 weeks. Only time will tell what is in store for Montauk’s newest boat and her intrepid captains but it is safe to say they have already achieved greatness.
