BigBass777
08-27-2009, 11:02 AM
My 2 brothers and I went on a 2 day trip sponsored by Izorline aboard the First String out of H&M Landing from Sunday 8/23/09 – Tuesday 8/25/09. I’ve wanted to go on this boat for a few years and now had the opportunity. This boat and crew is top notch. First class all the way and not much more can be said about them. They worked hard and put 35 anglers on fish. Nobody got the skunk that I know of. The boat is very quiet at night too. If ya let one out someone will more than likely hear it! Hhahahhaa! I know some of you guys can relate!! Don't lie!
Day1:
We got an early start and left after 8:30pm for the tuna grounds. We headed south 60-70 miles at first and then ended up at 86-98 miles down. We started on the troll with 5 trolling rods out and hooked up to fish quickly every time. We’d get 2 or 3 trolling rods go off at once. We were getting albacore and skipjack consistently but the school wasn’t coming up to eat the bait. We continued this for most of the morning and then made a move 30 miles down to try for the yellowfin. The yellowfin were wide open during the week and then sunk out. The yellowfin headed south west and sure enough we didn’t locate them either. Damn ocean is too big!! So we came back to the original area where the trolled fish were caught. We continued to scratch trolled fish and at one slide, a guy next to me gets a 60lb yellowfin on bait using 50lb mono. Could only wish it was me. That fish was day 1 jackpot.
While trolling on day 1 it was about 3:45pm and it looking kind of slow. We were following porpoise pods and getting fish on the troll. Next thing you know 3 trolling rods go off. Bait is thrown and tuna coming up all over the boat. I get bit on the slide and got into a cluster with 6 other guys who also have fish. We all worked very well together over and under and only lost 1 fish. My fish took off, came back to the cluster, and then had it gaffed near the front. The ocean opened up for the next 2 hours with skipjack and 20-30lb eating bait right up against the boat. It was complete freakin’ haywire and insane! Dead bait or alive it was gone as soon as it hit the water. The sounds I see color, I need a gaff, over me, under me, sh*t, splat, and deckhands saying BAG YOUR OWN FISH was awesome. The deck was covered in blood from bow to stern. We found the motherload of all schools and this one cooperated. At the end of that 2 hour span we boated about 140 mixed tuna. My brother landed a yellowfin in that school. Don’t know how many fish were lost in that time. I took my time so not to tire out fast and landed 5 albacore and 2 skipjack. I never tangled anyone and didn’t lose a single fish during that span.
We continued to troll til after 7:30pm and still caught more mixed tuna. The drift parachute was put out sometime after 8:00pm. Dinner was being prepared and some guys were tossing out bait and 5 more albacore were caught after dark. I didn’t get bit during that time but a lot of jellyfish and squid were hanging around the boat. At 8:45pm some dude is shouting and being stoked of a fish coming over the rail. He had caught a 30-35lb bull dorado. Lucky beech!! The dorado were chasing flying fish and happen to come across his sardine and ate it. He had caught at least 8-10 albacore from the slide prior to that fish.
David (me) with an albacore.
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/DaveWithAnAlbacore.jpg
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/DaveWithAnAlbacore2.jpg
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/DaveWithAnAlbacore3.jpg
The albacore left their mark on my clothes.
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Day1RedShorts.jpg
My brother Steven with an albacore. He had caught 2 albacore 35lbs or bigger. He had the 2nd biggest fish.
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/StevenWithAnAlbacore.jpg
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/StevenWith2Albacore.jpg
My twin brother Mark with 2 albacore.
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/MarkWith2Albacore.jpg
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/MarkWith2Albacore1.jpg
So far we have 4 fish out of the fish hold out of 20 between the 3 of us.
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/OurCatch.jpg
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/OurCatch1.jpg
The average size of albacore.
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/SizeOfFish.jpg
This dude won day 1 jackpot with this yellowfin.
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Yellowfin.jpg
Look how small the albacore look up against this fish!
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Yellowfin1.jpg
Day 2:
I was awake after 4:30am but didn’t get up. Those who were up between 5:30-6:00am caught the smaller grade of albacore on bait. Only about 5 were caught at that time. I should of known better. My buddy landed the first albacore on a tuna trip in 2006 at 5:30am. So get up and toss out a bait because you’ll never know. We started the troll and it was pretty much a 6-hour boat ride. Day 2 didn’t happen for us as it did on the other boats. Ooooh well! That’s fishing for ya. We did manage to scratch off 3 small yellowtail under kelp and 2 skipjack during the troll on the way back. We fished maybe 8 kelp paddies on this trip but no life was underneath them. Some paddies were the size of a small car.
Woke up to this.
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Day2Morning.jpg
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Day2Morning1.jpg
Weather on day 2 was windy and choppy.
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Day2Chop.jpg
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Day2Chop1.jpg
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Day2Chop2.jpg
My brother as well as many others were waiting for the troll rods to go off. Not much action in 6 hours of fishing.
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Day2Steven.jpg
On the way home:
If this boat was only a fishing boat we can get to the tuna grounds in no time!
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Ship.jpg
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/OnTheWayBack1.jpg
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/OnTheWayBack.jpg
Trolled lure colors that were hit the most by albacore and skipjack:
The baits were of skirted plastic material and not feathered. Each bait had 2 hooks. I should of taken pics of them and don’t know the baits manufacturer.
1. Orange on orange. A light colored orange skirt with same color bottom. This one was hit the most. My brother landed a 40lb albacore with it.
2. Chartreuse skirt on top with dark green stripes on the bottom. Anything green on green or a 2 color green combination was drilled on the troll.
3. An orange top skirt with a light green skirted bottom.
4. A dark purple with black skirted bottom.
On the slide:
I noticed one thing during day 1 as my live bait wasn’t being bit on Ande 40lb. I changed it up and put on a 3ft leader consisting of 30lb Blackwater fluorocarbon tied directly to 30lb Maxima using a triple surgeons knot. On one of the next stops was when my first albacore came on board. Nobody used any plastic swimbaits on the slide at all. Might be worth a try on your next cattle boat outing to get extra fish in.
Also while on the slide stand by the bait tank. Why you ask? For one thing you’ll be first out with a live bait on a trolled strike. Every time I put my rod up or went to sit in the galley the trolled rods went off. I couldn’t win on this no matter how long I stood there for. Two others guys (FISH HOGS) caught more fish than anyone else on board using this technique. Your feet can become sore and it sure is boring. By the time you get to the bait tank, the livelier baits were already taken. So keep that thought in mind.
Switchen it up:
The bait was very good size and consisted of 4-6 inch sardines. I wasn’t getting bit until I observed something. One guy got hooked up to an albacore on a kelp paddy stop. I stood by and out of the way of the deckhand to gaff his fish. When the fish came on board I looked at the hook size. He was using a small hook. So I switched from a Hayabusa 3/0 live bait hook to a Gomakatsu 1/0. It made a huge difference as the bait could swim a lot faster. These 2 guys (FISH HOGS) were also using small hooks. If you have light wire hooks it might work even better. No weight needed as all live bait were flylined.
Note: If someone is hooked up to a fish, try not to cast next to them. Better yet is to move elsewhere and cast. I was hooked up to a 30lb albacore when a guy casted next to me and got a backlash. It nearly circled around my line.
Weather was cloudy on day 1 and sunny on day 2. It was still kind of chilly so bring a waterproof jacket to stay dry.
Prices:
The cost of this trip was $425.00 each and it did not include meals. If you wanted the meal plan it was an extra $45.00. Check ahead of time and find out before planning a trip. They may not tell you about it over the phone. I had asked. No fuel surcharge was added.
Jackpot: $10.00 each day
Parking: $5.00 each day
Fish cleaning: $5.00 per fish
Fish sack: $1.00
Tackle used:
Hook: 1/0 Gomakatsu so bait can swim
Line: Fluorocarbon line during the slide and 30-40 when the albacore are bigger grade. For the smaller grade of fish 25lb Ande was used. The 20lb line was not recommended for these fish.
Rod: Seeker 7ft Black Steel Graphite G6470
Reel: Shimano Torium 20 spooled with 40lb Ande
Shimano TLD 20/40 spooled with 30lb Maxima
Penn 535 GS spooled with 25lb Ande
Fish count: 200 mixed tuna (4 bluefin,6yellowfin,3 yellowtail,2 dorado,50 skipjack,150+ albacore)
Tight lines everyone. Get out and hook some fish while ya can!!
Day1:
We got an early start and left after 8:30pm for the tuna grounds. We headed south 60-70 miles at first and then ended up at 86-98 miles down. We started on the troll with 5 trolling rods out and hooked up to fish quickly every time. We’d get 2 or 3 trolling rods go off at once. We were getting albacore and skipjack consistently but the school wasn’t coming up to eat the bait. We continued this for most of the morning and then made a move 30 miles down to try for the yellowfin. The yellowfin were wide open during the week and then sunk out. The yellowfin headed south west and sure enough we didn’t locate them either. Damn ocean is too big!! So we came back to the original area where the trolled fish were caught. We continued to scratch trolled fish and at one slide, a guy next to me gets a 60lb yellowfin on bait using 50lb mono. Could only wish it was me. That fish was day 1 jackpot.
While trolling on day 1 it was about 3:45pm and it looking kind of slow. We were following porpoise pods and getting fish on the troll. Next thing you know 3 trolling rods go off. Bait is thrown and tuna coming up all over the boat. I get bit on the slide and got into a cluster with 6 other guys who also have fish. We all worked very well together over and under and only lost 1 fish. My fish took off, came back to the cluster, and then had it gaffed near the front. The ocean opened up for the next 2 hours with skipjack and 20-30lb eating bait right up against the boat. It was complete freakin’ haywire and insane! Dead bait or alive it was gone as soon as it hit the water. The sounds I see color, I need a gaff, over me, under me, sh*t, splat, and deckhands saying BAG YOUR OWN FISH was awesome. The deck was covered in blood from bow to stern. We found the motherload of all schools and this one cooperated. At the end of that 2 hour span we boated about 140 mixed tuna. My brother landed a yellowfin in that school. Don’t know how many fish were lost in that time. I took my time so not to tire out fast and landed 5 albacore and 2 skipjack. I never tangled anyone and didn’t lose a single fish during that span.
We continued to troll til after 7:30pm and still caught more mixed tuna. The drift parachute was put out sometime after 8:00pm. Dinner was being prepared and some guys were tossing out bait and 5 more albacore were caught after dark. I didn’t get bit during that time but a lot of jellyfish and squid were hanging around the boat. At 8:45pm some dude is shouting and being stoked of a fish coming over the rail. He had caught a 30-35lb bull dorado. Lucky beech!! The dorado were chasing flying fish and happen to come across his sardine and ate it. He had caught at least 8-10 albacore from the slide prior to that fish.
David (me) with an albacore.
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/DaveWithAnAlbacore.jpg
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/DaveWithAnAlbacore2.jpg
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/DaveWithAnAlbacore3.jpg
The albacore left their mark on my clothes.
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Day1RedShorts.jpg
My brother Steven with an albacore. He had caught 2 albacore 35lbs or bigger. He had the 2nd biggest fish.
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/StevenWithAnAlbacore.jpg
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/StevenWith2Albacore.jpg
My twin brother Mark with 2 albacore.
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/MarkWith2Albacore.jpg
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/MarkWith2Albacore1.jpg
So far we have 4 fish out of the fish hold out of 20 between the 3 of us.
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/OurCatch.jpg
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/OurCatch1.jpg
The average size of albacore.
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/SizeOfFish.jpg
This dude won day 1 jackpot with this yellowfin.
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Yellowfin.jpg
Look how small the albacore look up against this fish!
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Yellowfin1.jpg
Day 2:
I was awake after 4:30am but didn’t get up. Those who were up between 5:30-6:00am caught the smaller grade of albacore on bait. Only about 5 were caught at that time. I should of known better. My buddy landed the first albacore on a tuna trip in 2006 at 5:30am. So get up and toss out a bait because you’ll never know. We started the troll and it was pretty much a 6-hour boat ride. Day 2 didn’t happen for us as it did on the other boats. Ooooh well! That’s fishing for ya. We did manage to scratch off 3 small yellowtail under kelp and 2 skipjack during the troll on the way back. We fished maybe 8 kelp paddies on this trip but no life was underneath them. Some paddies were the size of a small car.
Woke up to this.
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Day2Morning.jpg
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Day2Morning1.jpg
Weather on day 2 was windy and choppy.
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Day2Chop.jpg
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Day2Chop1.jpg
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Day2Chop2.jpg
My brother as well as many others were waiting for the troll rods to go off. Not much action in 6 hours of fishing.
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Day2Steven.jpg
On the way home:
If this boat was only a fishing boat we can get to the tuna grounds in no time!
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Ship.jpg
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/OnTheWayBack1.jpg
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/OnTheWayBack.jpg
Trolled lure colors that were hit the most by albacore and skipjack:
The baits were of skirted plastic material and not feathered. Each bait had 2 hooks. I should of taken pics of them and don’t know the baits manufacturer.
1. Orange on orange. A light colored orange skirt with same color bottom. This one was hit the most. My brother landed a 40lb albacore with it.
2. Chartreuse skirt on top with dark green stripes on the bottom. Anything green on green or a 2 color green combination was drilled on the troll.
3. An orange top skirt with a light green skirted bottom.
4. A dark purple with black skirted bottom.
On the slide:
I noticed one thing during day 1 as my live bait wasn’t being bit on Ande 40lb. I changed it up and put on a 3ft leader consisting of 30lb Blackwater fluorocarbon tied directly to 30lb Maxima using a triple surgeons knot. On one of the next stops was when my first albacore came on board. Nobody used any plastic swimbaits on the slide at all. Might be worth a try on your next cattle boat outing to get extra fish in.
Also while on the slide stand by the bait tank. Why you ask? For one thing you’ll be first out with a live bait on a trolled strike. Every time I put my rod up or went to sit in the galley the trolled rods went off. I couldn’t win on this no matter how long I stood there for. Two others guys (FISH HOGS) caught more fish than anyone else on board using this technique. Your feet can become sore and it sure is boring. By the time you get to the bait tank, the livelier baits were already taken. So keep that thought in mind.
Switchen it up:
The bait was very good size and consisted of 4-6 inch sardines. I wasn’t getting bit until I observed something. One guy got hooked up to an albacore on a kelp paddy stop. I stood by and out of the way of the deckhand to gaff his fish. When the fish came on board I looked at the hook size. He was using a small hook. So I switched from a Hayabusa 3/0 live bait hook to a Gomakatsu 1/0. It made a huge difference as the bait could swim a lot faster. These 2 guys (FISH HOGS) were also using small hooks. If you have light wire hooks it might work even better. No weight needed as all live bait were flylined.
Note: If someone is hooked up to a fish, try not to cast next to them. Better yet is to move elsewhere and cast. I was hooked up to a 30lb albacore when a guy casted next to me and got a backlash. It nearly circled around my line.
Weather was cloudy on day 1 and sunny on day 2. It was still kind of chilly so bring a waterproof jacket to stay dry.
Prices:
The cost of this trip was $425.00 each and it did not include meals. If you wanted the meal plan it was an extra $45.00. Check ahead of time and find out before planning a trip. They may not tell you about it over the phone. I had asked. No fuel surcharge was added.
Jackpot: $10.00 each day
Parking: $5.00 each day
Fish cleaning: $5.00 per fish
Fish sack: $1.00
Tackle used:
Hook: 1/0 Gomakatsu so bait can swim
Line: Fluorocarbon line during the slide and 30-40 when the albacore are bigger grade. For the smaller grade of fish 25lb Ande was used. The 20lb line was not recommended for these fish.
Rod: Seeker 7ft Black Steel Graphite G6470
Reel: Shimano Torium 20 spooled with 40lb Ande
Shimano TLD 20/40 spooled with 30lb Maxima
Penn 535 GS spooled with 25lb Ande
Fish count: 200 mixed tuna (4 bluefin,6yellowfin,3 yellowtail,2 dorado,50 skipjack,150+ albacore)
Tight lines everyone. Get out and hook some fish while ya can!!