I’ve only been working at Garden & Gun for a month—as a summer intern— and I’ve already learned an important lesson: If you go fishing, the G&G team is going to want details and photo evidence—not to mention a few fillets. Where’d you go? What did you troll? Well if I’m sharing a fishing report with them, it’s only polite to share it with the G&G readers as well.



Recently, I was fortunate to land an invite to fish on the Benchmark, a 64-foot Jarrett Bay based in Charleston, South Carolina. Our destination was a nice temperature break some 50 nautical miles offshore. And the fish were waiting—within minutes our ballyhoo spread was attacked by a squadron of mahi mahi. The steady action continued throughout the day and was highlighted by two sailfish the youngest members of our crew (only 12 and 14) hauled in. Our day wrapped up with 15 mahi and 2 sails.




According to the Benchmark’s captain, Bobby Garmany, the offshore bite has been remarkable this season off the southeastern coast. The dolphin run peaked between the full moon in May and the full moon in June, with some fish being found as close as 35 miles offshore. But new waves of pelagic species are steadily pushing through our waters.

The rough weather, which has kept many boats tied to the dock, has had an upside. “The weather has been a double-edge sword recently,” Captain Garmany says. “It has been tougher getting out there, but the northeast winds have kept the water cooler, allowing for more bait to stick around. This has kept the dolphin and billfish within reach.” If you’re headed offshore, Garmany advises keeping the baits up and splashing. (The good captain prefers naked ballyhoo.) A brisk speed will help trigger a reaction bite and generally make them more aggressive. And be prepared for a visit from the Man in Blue. “We’re having the best blue marlin bite that we’ve had in the past five years,” Garmany says.

We would love to hear how your season has been going. Are your spreads being torn up or turned down?