ghetto dad
03-06-2011, 07:44 PM
Hey guys,
(first off, sorry that I didn’t take too many pics, but I wasn’t feeling 100% today)
Well, after originally cancelling my original plans for the Tradition rendezvous last week, I got a call from Jimmy last night that the boat, was in fact, going to run. So I posted up real quick here last night, but figured you guys all had plans by now anyway, so it looked like it was only going to be G$ and I. I was also sick as hell this last week, after taking care of my 3 year old daughter who was sick with a fever for 3 days. So even I wasn’t 100% until I woke up Saturday morning to see how I felt.
Saturday morning rolls around, and I still wasn’t feeling 100%, but I knew with the week that I had had, I had to go fishing, plus I haven’t fished with the homie G$ for a long time. I also found out another old homie was going to be there, so I reluctantly rolled out of bed, got dressed, and jumped on the 405 North towards Redondo Beach.
I arrived at the landing at around 5:45 am, and headed to the boardwalk to board the boat. I saw G$ and Willy already there, along with the regular Yak crew, consisting of Jerry, Tom, Bill, Jim, Kevin, Dr. Ray, and Chuck. Morgon came to the top of the ramp at 5:55 am, and boarded us in order of reservation made. Once we were all boarded, we untied the boat, and pulled away from the dock. We saw s spot of bonito boiling, but they were very easily spooked, so we were going to continue to the bait receiver to pick up our live bait for the day. Then the boat did a 180, and Jimmy informed us that one of the Yaks was late and we had to pick him up. It was Carlos, guess he got to landing early and accidentally fell asleep in his car while waiting, lol. He said he look up and saw the boat leaving and luckily had Steve-o’s number, and called him so that we would turn around. So we swooped up Carlos, and continued to the bait receiver. Once at the receiver, we loaded up on some nice Sardines for the day, and headed out of the harbor in search of the mighty rockfish. Rockfish season opened back up on March 1st a few days prior to the day of this trip, so we all anticipated some sacks filled with fish taco meat!
Today’s crew consisted of Captain Steve, Morgon on deck, and Kelsie in the galley. I ordered up my breakfast burrito, and on the ride out, Steve made his safety speech, followed by the game plan and recommendations on how to start out. He informed us that we would be starting the day off making drifts in about 300-330 feet of water, so we would need a minimum of 8oz of lead, along with a double dropper loop rig.
My arsenal today:
1. Truline D8-Avet SX 2 speed-65 lb spectra-4 foot 40lb mono leader-double dropper loop with 2/0 Stainless long shank hooks-8 oz torpedo sinker-4 inch GULP! Nuclear Chicken Shrimp.
2. Super Seeker D8-Avet MXJ 2 speed-65 lb spectra-4 foot 40lb mono leader-double dropper loop with 2/0 Stainless long shank hooks-8 oz torpedo sinker-4 inch GULP! Nuclear Chicken Shrimp.
**I normally fish Jax Jigs with a teaser hook above, but I was out of Jax Jigs, and didn’t have time to stop and pick any up, so I opted to used ganglions and GULP! today. **
G$, myself, and the rest of the passengers that knew how to rig up did so, and the other passengers that needed help were quickly rigged up by Jimmy and Morgon. Once I was rigged up, I picked up my breakfast, and ate and chilled with G on the way out, and was really looking forward to making my first drop of the 2011 Rockfish season!
About 30 minutes later, the boat slowed down, Steve-o metered around a bit, and found a good spot of fish, set the boat up properly for our drift, and told us to let them go.
It started out on the slow side, but we did manage a few quality reds and misc. rockfish on the first drift. The guys that went down when Steve-o told them too, were down in the zone at the proper time, and were rewarded with some decent to very nice rockfish.
**side note-one of the things that I cannot stress enough, is that when the captain of any boat, while rock fishing, tells you to “drop em down,” that you IMMEDIATELY drop down! Sometimes, these spots are pretty small, and the captain will start his drift above the spot/area. So when he tells you to let them go, do so. Most times, the guys that hit the bottom first will be rewarded with some nice fish, while the stragglers get down late, and end up out of the zone, and will catch nothing. Believe me, fishing in 300 plus feet of water, you do NOT want to come up empty! Sometimes you will only get one or two drops per spot, and once past the spot/area, the captain will tell you to wind em up, and run back uphill to make another drift or two over the same spot/area. SO BE READY AND DROP WHEN THE CAPTAIN TELLS YOU TO, otherwise, you will be doing a lot of work, for sometimes no reward. **
This continued for most of the morning, Steve-o making drifts over many different spots and areas, and we continued to pick at a few nice reds and other misc. rockfish. It started to get slow in the areas we were fishing, so Steve-o decided to make a move up the coast a bit, into some different territory.
Once in the new area, we made our first drift in 330 feet, and it was game on for quite a few NICE reds, chuckleheads, barber poles, and other better quality rockfish. Right away, you could tell this area held better quality fish, or at least more cooperative better quality rockfish. The first drift over the new zone was great, and another great thing about this zone was that you could get a longer drift out of it before we had to run back uphill, and start the drift again. It was common, at least for me, to be able to make 3-4 drops, with each drop producing a nice quality rockfish, or a lost opportunity at a nice rock fish. We also started picking up some PIG groupers, ranging anywhere from 4 lbs up to about 9 lbs.
This area helped top off our quality rockfish quota, and since we were done early, Steve-o decided to run in to some shallower 160 foot range so that we may top our sacks off with some nice quality sculpin! So we all got rigged up with 6 oz of lead, and double dropper loops with small lead heads with plastics. We arrived in the area a short time later, and made our first drop.
The anchor didn’t stick on the first try, so we had to re-set, and this time we were on the spot! In a matter of minutes, fat, quality sculpin were being carefully brought over the rail, and placed in the anglers’ sacks. After about 2 hours, we were limited out on nice, quality sculpin, to go along with our limits of nice, quality rockfish! TACO TIME!!!!!
Morgon busted out the JP scale, and I had a fish to hang, but it was no match for Carlos’s pig grouper, which almost flipped mine of the scale, lol. Great job Carlos on Jackpot!!!! Then we all lined up for the slow ride home so that the crew could clean all of our day’s catches, and they had a LOT to clean!
Another great day on the water with some great people. Great seeing you G$ and Willy, great fishing with you again Jimmy and Yak crew…more fun times!!! Can’t wait to do it again!
Once again, the Tradition crew was top notch, and worked very hard to put us on fish, and to make sure that any questions were answered, everyone was rigged properly, and were on top of tangles or fish brought over the rail, to unhook your fish and set them in your sack. I HIGHLY recommend this boat and it’s crew for your next fishing trip!
Until next time…………..
GD
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i292/ghettodad/SDC13318FNN.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i292/ghettodad/SDC13321.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i292/ghettodad/SDC13322.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i292/ghettodad/SDC13323.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i292/ghettodad/SDC13324.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i292/ghettodad/SDC13325.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i292/ghettodad/SDC13326.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i292/ghettodad/SDC13327.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i292/ghettodad/SDC13328.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i292/ghettodad/SDC13330FNN.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i292/ghettodad/SDC13331.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i292/ghettodad/SDC13332.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i292/ghettodad/SDC13335.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i292/ghettodad/SDC13336.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i292/ghettodad/SDC13337.jpg
(first off, sorry that I didn’t take too many pics, but I wasn’t feeling 100% today)
Well, after originally cancelling my original plans for the Tradition rendezvous last week, I got a call from Jimmy last night that the boat, was in fact, going to run. So I posted up real quick here last night, but figured you guys all had plans by now anyway, so it looked like it was only going to be G$ and I. I was also sick as hell this last week, after taking care of my 3 year old daughter who was sick with a fever for 3 days. So even I wasn’t 100% until I woke up Saturday morning to see how I felt.
Saturday morning rolls around, and I still wasn’t feeling 100%, but I knew with the week that I had had, I had to go fishing, plus I haven’t fished with the homie G$ for a long time. I also found out another old homie was going to be there, so I reluctantly rolled out of bed, got dressed, and jumped on the 405 North towards Redondo Beach.
I arrived at the landing at around 5:45 am, and headed to the boardwalk to board the boat. I saw G$ and Willy already there, along with the regular Yak crew, consisting of Jerry, Tom, Bill, Jim, Kevin, Dr. Ray, and Chuck. Morgon came to the top of the ramp at 5:55 am, and boarded us in order of reservation made. Once we were all boarded, we untied the boat, and pulled away from the dock. We saw s spot of bonito boiling, but they were very easily spooked, so we were going to continue to the bait receiver to pick up our live bait for the day. Then the boat did a 180, and Jimmy informed us that one of the Yaks was late and we had to pick him up. It was Carlos, guess he got to landing early and accidentally fell asleep in his car while waiting, lol. He said he look up and saw the boat leaving and luckily had Steve-o’s number, and called him so that we would turn around. So we swooped up Carlos, and continued to the bait receiver. Once at the receiver, we loaded up on some nice Sardines for the day, and headed out of the harbor in search of the mighty rockfish. Rockfish season opened back up on March 1st a few days prior to the day of this trip, so we all anticipated some sacks filled with fish taco meat!
Today’s crew consisted of Captain Steve, Morgon on deck, and Kelsie in the galley. I ordered up my breakfast burrito, and on the ride out, Steve made his safety speech, followed by the game plan and recommendations on how to start out. He informed us that we would be starting the day off making drifts in about 300-330 feet of water, so we would need a minimum of 8oz of lead, along with a double dropper loop rig.
My arsenal today:
1. Truline D8-Avet SX 2 speed-65 lb spectra-4 foot 40lb mono leader-double dropper loop with 2/0 Stainless long shank hooks-8 oz torpedo sinker-4 inch GULP! Nuclear Chicken Shrimp.
2. Super Seeker D8-Avet MXJ 2 speed-65 lb spectra-4 foot 40lb mono leader-double dropper loop with 2/0 Stainless long shank hooks-8 oz torpedo sinker-4 inch GULP! Nuclear Chicken Shrimp.
**I normally fish Jax Jigs with a teaser hook above, but I was out of Jax Jigs, and didn’t have time to stop and pick any up, so I opted to used ganglions and GULP! today. **
G$, myself, and the rest of the passengers that knew how to rig up did so, and the other passengers that needed help were quickly rigged up by Jimmy and Morgon. Once I was rigged up, I picked up my breakfast, and ate and chilled with G on the way out, and was really looking forward to making my first drop of the 2011 Rockfish season!
About 30 minutes later, the boat slowed down, Steve-o metered around a bit, and found a good spot of fish, set the boat up properly for our drift, and told us to let them go.
It started out on the slow side, but we did manage a few quality reds and misc. rockfish on the first drift. The guys that went down when Steve-o told them too, were down in the zone at the proper time, and were rewarded with some decent to very nice rockfish.
**side note-one of the things that I cannot stress enough, is that when the captain of any boat, while rock fishing, tells you to “drop em down,” that you IMMEDIATELY drop down! Sometimes, these spots are pretty small, and the captain will start his drift above the spot/area. So when he tells you to let them go, do so. Most times, the guys that hit the bottom first will be rewarded with some nice fish, while the stragglers get down late, and end up out of the zone, and will catch nothing. Believe me, fishing in 300 plus feet of water, you do NOT want to come up empty! Sometimes you will only get one or two drops per spot, and once past the spot/area, the captain will tell you to wind em up, and run back uphill to make another drift or two over the same spot/area. SO BE READY AND DROP WHEN THE CAPTAIN TELLS YOU TO, otherwise, you will be doing a lot of work, for sometimes no reward. **
This continued for most of the morning, Steve-o making drifts over many different spots and areas, and we continued to pick at a few nice reds and other misc. rockfish. It started to get slow in the areas we were fishing, so Steve-o decided to make a move up the coast a bit, into some different territory.
Once in the new area, we made our first drift in 330 feet, and it was game on for quite a few NICE reds, chuckleheads, barber poles, and other better quality rockfish. Right away, you could tell this area held better quality fish, or at least more cooperative better quality rockfish. The first drift over the new zone was great, and another great thing about this zone was that you could get a longer drift out of it before we had to run back uphill, and start the drift again. It was common, at least for me, to be able to make 3-4 drops, with each drop producing a nice quality rockfish, or a lost opportunity at a nice rock fish. We also started picking up some PIG groupers, ranging anywhere from 4 lbs up to about 9 lbs.
This area helped top off our quality rockfish quota, and since we were done early, Steve-o decided to run in to some shallower 160 foot range so that we may top our sacks off with some nice quality sculpin! So we all got rigged up with 6 oz of lead, and double dropper loops with small lead heads with plastics. We arrived in the area a short time later, and made our first drop.
The anchor didn’t stick on the first try, so we had to re-set, and this time we were on the spot! In a matter of minutes, fat, quality sculpin were being carefully brought over the rail, and placed in the anglers’ sacks. After about 2 hours, we were limited out on nice, quality sculpin, to go along with our limits of nice, quality rockfish! TACO TIME!!!!!
Morgon busted out the JP scale, and I had a fish to hang, but it was no match for Carlos’s pig grouper, which almost flipped mine of the scale, lol. Great job Carlos on Jackpot!!!! Then we all lined up for the slow ride home so that the crew could clean all of our day’s catches, and they had a LOT to clean!
Another great day on the water with some great people. Great seeing you G$ and Willy, great fishing with you again Jimmy and Yak crew…more fun times!!! Can’t wait to do it again!
Once again, the Tradition crew was top notch, and worked very hard to put us on fish, and to make sure that any questions were answered, everyone was rigged properly, and were on top of tangles or fish brought over the rail, to unhook your fish and set them in your sack. I HIGHLY recommend this boat and it’s crew for your next fishing trip!
Until next time…………..
GD
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i292/ghettodad/SDC13318FNN.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i292/ghettodad/SDC13321.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i292/ghettodad/SDC13322.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i292/ghettodad/SDC13323.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i292/ghettodad/SDC13324.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i292/ghettodad/SDC13325.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i292/ghettodad/SDC13326.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i292/ghettodad/SDC13327.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i292/ghettodad/SDC13328.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i292/ghettodad/SDC13330FNN.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i292/ghettodad/SDC13331.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i292/ghettodad/SDC13332.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i292/ghettodad/SDC13335.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i292/ghettodad/SDC13336.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i292/ghettodad/SDC13337.jpg