PDA

View Full Version : Dana Point South, Fri. 6/29 Barracuda Mania (pics)



geobass
07-01-2007, 10:14 AM
Guys I don't get out on the salt that much so it's not often that I report in this section... I'm usually over in the freshwater.

But this Friday I was invited to go sportfishing with my boss and some of my office coworkers for the day to have a little fun doing an office fishing tournament so to speak.

Well what could be better than spending a day at the office fishing.... it was pretty nice of them to supply the boats, gas, licenses, food, tackle, and bait for what turned out to be one heck of a day of Barracuda fishing.

We met up at the Dana Point launch ramp at around 6:00 AM. We had three boats and eight people going out together.

The boats were the "Apache" 24' Winnes sportfisher, "Split Decision" 22 ft. Key West cuddy cabin, and " 'Bout Time" 18 ft. Parker center console.

Skippers were Ron Eldridge, Jim Hendricks, and David Kodama respectively.

Photo of 22 ft. Key West with Parker being launched in the background.
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/DSC02613.JPG

Photo of 24 ft. Winner sportfisher, I was lucky enough to get to fish off of this rig which was the largest of the three.
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/DSC02612.JPG

After we did all of our gear checks and got the boats launched we stopped off at the bait barge to load up the bait tanks with live sardines.

Headed on out of the harbor and went south for about ten miles, we were about 2 miles offshore I would say, but distances on the water can be decieveiving.

We started metering some balls of baitfish in about sixty feet of water and also started picking up some pretty good sized marks on the fish finder so we decided to hang out for a while and fish this spot near a small kelp patty we found.

The other two boats headed on south a ways while we fished this spot for a while. No action so we headed on south to meet up with the other two boats.

They had radioed back to us that they were into some Barracudas and that we should head to where they were at and anchor in line with them.

We did just that and by the time we got there and set up it was around 9:00 AM. I can't tell you the exact location but we were pretty much directly offshore in front of the Nuke that is just nort of Camp Pendleton.

I had brought along the heaviest of my fishing rods which I use for freshwater. This turned out to be a peashooter compared to some of the stuff the other guys were fishing with but I was determined to score in the salt with my own stuff.

I rigged up a frisky little sardine onto my 15 lb. Maxima Ultragreen line (OK you salt guys can stop laughing now) and casted out as far as I could with my 7.5 ft. Medium Hard action BPS Touunament Special rod and baitcaster reel.

My bait was swimming along pretty good and in no more than a minute I had a bite..... fish on.... geobass connects first.... bendo, I'm into the fight and this one is a pretty good one.

It was burning some line off my reel and making a few dives and a couple of pretty good runs on me but finally I was able to get it up and along side the boat and my friend Ron gaffed it for me.

Cool.......... geobass scores first blood with the peashooter and gets the skunk off the boat.
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/DSC02611(1).JPG

Well the gloves were off now, and this really got the salt guys fired up. They went at it like gangbusters and from threre on out the bite complertely went over the top.

Everybody started catching Barracuda left and right. It was like nonstop "Barracuda Mania" from around 9:00 AM when we got on this spot until around 1:00 PM when we had to split.

I ended up actually baoting 8 and had so many breakoff on the lighter tackle I pretty much lost count. Also besides that we were getting bit on almost every cast and if we didn't get a hook into them, our baits were coming back completely shredded up.

My buddy Stuart got a whole bunch and so did Ron, the other guys on our boat.

Stuart with a really nice one.
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/DSC02608(1).JPG

The skipper Ron cutting one lose... which he had nailed with the iron jig on top.
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/DSC02609(1).JPG

After we were out there for quite a while, my arms felt like they were gonna fall off from all the action, grinding and winding that I was doing, these friends of my boss came by in a really nice sportfisher, the "Pescador", said they were going in and we could have what was left in their bait tank if we wanted some more good fresh sardines.

The "Pescador" getting ready to go after letting us have their unused bait.
Thanks guys..... that was real nice of ya to think of us!!!
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/DSC02610.JPG

Well we went on chumming and hammering the Baracuda for the remainder of the time with all the fresh bait we now had. We were chucking off handfulls of sardines and got a total frenzy going around the boat.

Barracuda were swarming all around us and hitting everthing that went into the water within fifteen or twenty seconds tops. It was just totally frickin wide open as it gets.........complete non-stop "Barracuda Mania".

The guys over on the "Split Decision" radioed over to us that they were "tired of catching Barracuda and were going to take a break to eat lunch". Shoot can you believe that.... but it is no joke.

I took one five minute break to wolf down a turkey sandwhich with a bottle of water...... and like that was it. The rest of the time it was nonstop action, if I wasn't bit, I was baiting up a rod, casting out, or retying after a break off, or helping one of the other guys land one.

I wish I had more pictures but we were too busy catching fish to take that many photos.

Between our three boats, we must have caught at least a hundred Barracuda. Most of 'em were released but we did bring home a few.

When it was time to go I transfered over to the " 'Bout Time" for the ride back into Dana Point harbor. The guys I was with on the "Apache" wanted to stay out and go fishing for bass off the kelp beds.

I would have liked to say out with them but I had to split because I had carpooled with one of the other guys who was heading back to the office in Carson.

This is a shot of the "Apache" and the "Split Decision" out on the killing fields after I tansfered over to the "'Bout Time" for my ride back to the launch ramp.
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/DSC02607.JPG

On our way back to Dana Point, you can see how beautiful the weather was. Calm seas, gentle breeze, just perfect. A perfect day of fishing............ man it was a blast.
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/DSC02606.JPG

Back at the laucn ramp we had a cooler full of Barracuda and me with one of my victims.
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/DSC02605.JPG
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/DSC02604.JPG

Wow..... let me tell you guys that was one heck of a wild day of fishing for me. Special thanks to Jim, Ron, and David for taking us out on their boats and letting us use all of their tackle and stuff.... the food, the gas, like what more can I say you guys are the greatest... that was totally awesome.

Jim, who has been sportfishing forever told me after we got back "Geo, it doesn't get any better than that."

I think that just about says it all for the day.

Hey, it's a tough job but somebody has to do it..... might as well be geobass!!!!

Getting paid to have this much fun sounds too good to be true but it is true believe it or not!!!!!!!!

Good fishing to all you salty dogs, later............... geobass

JapanRon
07-01-2007, 12:50 PM
Hi geobass,

Great report and pics dude !! :D

Contrats and a fantastic day out on the water!

JapanRon

one_leg
07-01-2007, 01:01 PM
I'm still laughing Geo!!!
Could it be that no gloves=more fish?

Am I gonna ever get to fish the fresh with you again,
or are you gonna move to the marina and become a pinhead
so you fish on a Moo Moo every day?....j/k

Thanks for the great report/pics.

One_Leg

Funjunkie74
07-01-2007, 01:48 PM
I'm still laughing Geo!!!
Could it be that no gloves=more fish?

Am I gonna ever get to fish the fresh with you again,
or are you gonna move to the marina and become a pinhead
so you fish on a Moo Moo every day?....j/k

Thanks for the great report/pics.

One_Leg


WELCOME TO THE DARK SIDE OF THE FORCE, GEOBASS!!

SanDimasLMB
07-01-2007, 02:45 PM
good job on all those barries out there Geo :thumb: lol, still funny that you used 15lb line :wink:

Ambassadorhawg
07-01-2007, 07:12 PM
GEOBASS!!!

Great to see that you have some salt in your blood! Nice GAR catch and gorgeous water color! Too busy with work & Family to fish much lately, that's why you don't hear much from me now. But when I do, it's saltwater season for me mostly now.

Later, Ambassadorhawg

zZaNg
07-01-2007, 09:41 PM
nice job GEOCUDA!!! great report.

CAPT'N
07-02-2007, 07:04 AM
Hi Geo,

now that you have tasted the salt, there is no going back.

Nice job on the Cudas! They are really fun on light tackle!


Capt'n

Wingnut
07-02-2007, 12:00 PM
Excellent Salt report Geo, thanks for the nice read. :wink:

jeff4321
07-02-2007, 06:06 PM
i personally think that baracuda isnt so tasty, but thats just my opinion.