Long Range questions...

[hooklinelunker]

To all you long rangers out there....

im looking to jump on my first 5-day trip, probably during mid to late august, or early sept. Any suggestions on boats??? What type of fish should i be expecting? Or if there are better times to go on a 5 dayer, gimme a heads up. It is a big investment so i just want to make sure im pulling the trigger at the right place and the right time!

thanx

[camman]

have you done like a 2-3 day out of SD before?

[Ricky-Ray]

On a 5 day in August or September you'll most likely hit Guadalupe Island if not then Cedros or Benito's Island. Should be some great yellowtail and tuna fishing then. Most likely go to setup's will be 40# with flourocarbon.

Can't really go wrong with any of the long range boat's in SD. Shogun, Excel, Intrepid, Royal Star, Royal Polaris, Polaris Supreme, Red Rooster III, Independence, American Angler. All great boats.

[hooklinelunker]

camman,the longest ive been out is a 1.5 day out of SD... Ricky-Ray thanx for the heads up man, seems like saltwater is your forte... I took your advice and picked up an MXL 2 speed, im ithchin to give it a try...

[Ricky-Ray]

I'll be doing a 5.5 day on the Pacific Star at the end of October with the guys from Senor Tuna. If you want info on that shoot me a PM and I'll give you all the info about the trip.

The MXL is a great 25/30# reel, although I prefer the MXJ (loaded with spectra, I don't feel the need for the extra width of the spool for extra line). If your gonna fish 40# something like a J/X 6/3 would be the ideal reel to use if not something like a Penn Baja Special.

[dodoman]

HAV,N OVER 12 YEARS ON LONG RANGING, here are a few tips:
5 and 6 dayers are the best buy , plus less traveling.
every trip is different, such as what species are biting.
you can encounter 20 to 50 lb yellowtails the fist day of fishing and chasing bluefin tunas the next day.
augt is a good month, on occasion some boat run into wahoo, YES wahoo ( depending on water temp ).
you can run into 180 lb big eyes in the mix with blue fins......WHAT A CHALLENGE.

LONG STORY SHORT.

2----------30 LB RODS
2----------40 LB RODS
1 --------- HEAVY JIG STICK
1---------- 50 OR 60 LB BAIT STICK
TROLL STICK IS OPTIONAL, most boat provide loaners at no additional cost.

pack 10 or 15 of your best irons ( my favorite fishing) and always have all your rods AT READY.
DO YOUR NIGHTLY CLEAN WATER REEL RINSE ( heavy salt development).
sunscreen
shorts
shirts
pliers
harness
etc
etc
etc.

guadalupe has always been the majestic island for larger yellowfins.
its a hit and miss at times.
cedros, has always done well on wide open yellowtails , groupers, seabass, gaint squids, etc.
isle of natividad ( very close to cedros) has spectacular wide open yellow tail boils to 40 lbs.
chest rock, i call it ling cod city,,,,,,,,,,,,,, BIG LINGS.
YOU,LL PROBABLY CHASE ALBIECORES ( off shore ) on your way in and out of the islands.

jigs that are most common:
blue/ white
bird ****
baby ****
blue /chrome
mint is good also fior the bruiser calicos along the cedros kelp line.

what im trying top say, BRING WHAT YOU CAN , you,ll never jknow what you,ll run into..

WEVE CAUGHT 400LB BLACK SEA BASS ( released ) off the kelps.

great adventure and finding the right boat is not that hard.
look for the biggest boat available ( MORE COMFORTABLE ROOM)

GOOD LUCK.

[dodoman]

HAV,N OVER 12 YEARS ON LONG RANGING, here are a few tips:
5 and 6 dayers are the best buy , plus less traveling.
every trip is different, such as what species are biting.
you can encounter 20 to 50 lb yellowtails the first day of fishing and chasing bluefin tunas the next day.
augt is a good month, on occasion some boat run into wahoo, YES wahoo ( depending on water temp ).
you can run into 180 lb big eyes in the mix with blue fins......WHAT A CHALLENGE.

LONG STORY SHORT.

2----------30 LB RODS
2----------40 LB RODS
1 --------- HEAVY JIG STICK
1---------- 50 OR 60 LB BAIT STICK
TROLL STICK IS OPTIONAL, most boat provide loaners at no additional cost.

pack 10 or 15 of your best irons ( my favorite fishing) and always have all your rods AT READY.
DO YOUR NIGHTLY CLEAN WATER REEL RINSE ( heavy salt development).
sunscreen
shorts
shirts
pliers
harness
etc
etc
etc.

guadalupe has always been the majestic island for larger yellowfins.
its a hit and miss at times.
cedros, has always done well on wide open yellowtails , groupers, seabass, gaint squids, shark,etc.
isle of natividad ( very close to cedros) has spectacular wide open yellow tail boils to 40 lbs. ( use the irons) CAUGHT LIMITS IN AN HR.
chester rock, i call it ling cod city,,,,,,,,,,,,,, BIG LINGS.
YOU,LL PROBABLY CHASE ALBICORES ( off shore ) on your way in and out of the islands.

jigs that are most common:
blue/ white
bird ****
baby ****
blue /chrome
mint is good also for the bruiser calicos along the cedros kelp line.

what im trying to say, BRING WHAT YOU CAN , you,ll never know what you,ll run into..

WEVE CAUGHT 400LB BLACK SEA BASS ( released ) off the kelps.

great adventure and finding the right boat is not that hard.
look for the biggest boat available ( MORE COMFORTABLE ROOM)

GOOD LUCK.

[hooklinelunker]

Dodoman, u got my blood rushin with all that iron talk, lol... Im picken up my custom Ulua this week, i gotta break it in ASAP!!!! thanx for the info!!!

Ricky-Ray, question on the whole flourocarbon thing??? On my avet i got jb spectra(50), izor xxx(30), does the flourocarbon go after the top-shot like a leader?? or do i have to change my mono to flouro?

thanx for all the info guys, i appreciate the help!!

[Ricky-Ray]

You can do it two ways. Spectra directly to flouro or Spectra to mono to flouro.

Here's the typical setup

Spectra to flouro - usually a very short topshot of flouro is tied directly to the spectra. I've seen people do anywhere from 3-20ft of flouro as their topshot. Advantage this way would be less connections on your line. Disadvantage would be there is almost zero stretch so if you hook into a big fish, you might be in for a bit of a hurting if you know what I mean.

Spectra to mono to flouro - Just tie a short topshot I usually do 3-5ft of flouro to your mono. I usually make the flouro topshot short enough so it does not hit the guide when winding back in. Just a personal preference. The advantage would be with the mono there is stretch available in the line and give you some more leyway when fighting the fish. Disadvantage would be more connections on your line.

How long is your Ulua? Usually on 5 day trips most guys usually go with 6-8ft rods. Most guys usually avoid the 9 and 10 ft rods in case they run into the big bruiser yellowtail and tunas. If you hook one of those on a 10ft. rod, your gonna be at a SEVERE disadvantage.

One of the things with Guadalupe island that I've learned from alot of people is that you want to get your fish onboard as fast as possible. The longer you fight your fish the greater the chance Mr. Taxman will pay a visit to you and collect his share.

[hooklinelunker]

Its a SS10 foot Ulua... ya i know im in for a hurtin if i get a big one on there, plus with all the commotion that goes on when there are boils around the boat, i think itll be even a bigger challenge to cast out comfortably and precisly! As for the spectra-mono-flouro, what type of knot?? Albright??

[Ricky-Ray]

10ft. stick on a big yellow, your in for a world of hurt especially if it's not a 2 speed reel. All I can say is good luck if you catch one on that and bring it in as fast as you can or else expect a visit from Mr. Taxman if you know what I mean. I'm mainly bring 7 and 8 ft rods on my 5.5 day.

Spectra to mono you can use a bimini to albright or a uni to uni. I've been using a uni to uni and so far have not had any failures.

For mono to flouro if it's under 40# sometimes I will use a Seagar knot if not then uni to uni. Use whatever knot you have the most confidence in.

[dodoman]

i would follow rickyrays advise about the knot tying and spectra / floro topshots.

and yes, THE TAX MAN are is season every year.

[camman]

I'm not sure how fast teh 5 days fill up but you may want to look what is available and what has space. I've been on the Shogun, AA, and RR3 and have been pleased with the results.

My basic question is like this. I wouldn't jump on a 5 day all of a sudden if you've never done something longer than an overnight. But if you've been on a couple trips you sort of know the drill, talk to the deckhand and let them know immediately this is your first longer trip. Also don't go overboard on gear, keep it simple and learn your knots.

Most of all have fun and let the addiction begin

[fuj]

Don't be concerned about bringing the Ulua on your 5-day. It's fun as heck to hang fish with, and there are techniques to using it that reduces the "getting beat up" factor. Depending on conditions, you might not even go to shark-haven Guadalupe Island on your trip. If you spend a lot of time at Cedros Island, like much of the fleet did last season due to not having Guadalupe Island permits, you'll be having a blast there chucking iron to the big yellows.

Since you've done 1.5 day trips, a 5-day isn't out of your element, IMHO. It sounds like a long trip, but it really isn't. It's more like a couple of overnight albie trips and a couple of overnight island trips, all rolled into a single week. In fact, the longer the trip, the more relaxing it is. Unlike overnighters and 1.5 day trips, the pressure to fish every minute of every stop isn't there. You can do things at your own pace. Of course, since you're paying the big dollars to go, you'll want to maximize your rail time for sure. But if you don't feel like fishing for calicos (which we've done at Cedros before), don't. Sit in the galley and watch a movie or go up on top and do some re-rigging to prepare for bigger game or take a nap. And speaking of rigging, the crews on these long-range boats know their stuff. If you aren't confident in your rigging ability, have the crew help you. They're out there everyday and know what works and what doesn't.

Have a great trip! August through October are the prime times to get on a 5-7 day trip.

[Ricky-Ray]

The best advice that I keep hearing from the guys that go long range. "The rail is your friend".

[dodoman]

i second that ricky ray

[migfrias]

On most five day trips you will most likely test the waters offshore before heading down to benitos and cedros. If the larger blue fin are around, it would be a good idea to have a good 4/0 or 5/0 reel in hand. For most offshore fishing 30# is the standard and you will want to use 40 to 50# if you get into a foamer. Your yoyo outfit should be a 4/0 with 40# and a 6 1/2 foot rod. You should also have another 40# rig for live bait (fly line or sinker rig). Take a 25# rig to catch bait (macks) at cedros. Just remember that the larger yellow tail are always going to be deeper than the smaller fish on the surface at the islands. I would always reccomand that you use 50# on a dropper loop rig or a larger 7x heavy yoyo jig.

Fishing the loop is a different creature all together. Its about soaking baits a good distance from the boat. This is where a good quality reel with spectra and floro is going to buy you fish. Unless you are fishing a reel the size of a internation 30s or larger, 2 speed in my opion is not needed. In most cases, you seem to lose free spool with the same small models with two speed and the same without. I have fought plenty of large fish on small gear and never thought I needed a lower gear (standard 1 to 3.7 or 1 to 5.0 gear ratio). This is also where putting your time on the rail is earned. Just remember to observe what the successful anglers are using and make adjustments and unless your line is in the water you can't catch fish.

I have made plenty of trips from 5-17days and have been aboard the Royal Polaris, RRIII and Shogun. However for the most part I have followed Randy Toussant aboard the Q-105, Excel and the Royal Star. The star is a fishing machine........Randy and Tim run a very tight operation and I don't think that their numbers and service are second to anybody.

miguel