Tunaslam
09-16-2012, 09:48 PM
Fishing for the first time with Bill, Sat. 9-16-12, on his boat, a 26’ Striper, with a Volvo Penta Diesel power drive. I met Bill and crew, Dana and Hueva (not sure of the spelling) at Shelter Island at 2:00 am, our beginning destination being the 1010 Trench, some 60 miles south of San Diego. Leaving Diamond Bar at 11:15 pm doesn’t allow anytime for sleep? Been awhile since I did this kind of private boater adventure.
We got off to a ragged start, with a low water condition jamming the props, as the boat drifted too close to the ramp, resulting from a stiff breeze, so we pushed off with the gaffs and on our way. Then the winds were blowing quite hard inside the harbor and the fog moved in, creating a very slow exit out of the Harbor. The two scoops of Sardines were full of large, sluggish, and bloody baits? If time permitted, would have loved to have sorted them out, doubt EB boys would have been patient though, especially with boats waiting in line for bait. Consequently 50% were dead by morning, and many of those remaining didn’t wiggle very well.
Outside the Harbor, the seas were very confused, and 15 knots of wind didn’t help, allowing us speeds of only 11 knots to avoid being hammered. We slowly made our way past North Island, and the lack of sleep was catching up to all of us. Try sleeping when every minute you’re being lifted out of the bunk and slammed down? Did a shift change at 5am and Dana and I slowly watched the grey light appear and then began looking for Kelp Paddies as conditions allowed, still some 30 miles from our targeted destination.
At 6:30 am I spot a Kelp Paddy and Bill sets us up. It’s loaded with Rat to 10 pound Yellowtail. We keep two and release a half dozen and decide we can’t waste any more precious bait on the babies. We stopped on a half dozen more large Kelp Paddies, one the size of a 2 car garage? Most had a few fish on them, and the large one Yielded a small Dorado of about six pounds.
The seas calm, 10 am arrives, and in the distance we see the fleet. The radio chatter indicates a lot of jig strikes have been realized, with Albacore, BFT and YFT being caught. Everyone is complaining about the lousy bait. Put in the trollers and worked our way to an opening between boats, and spot another Kelp Paddy. Trolled by it and ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ! Dana hauls in our first Yellowfin Tuna of the day, a 12 pounder. I get short bit, and then bit off. Bill hooks and lands a Dorado, and Hueva hooks and fights a Bluefin Tuna to gaff, his first ever.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i394/tunaslam/Bill%20Lau/100_2294640x480-1.jpg
I hook a Yellowfin and it unbuttons: same for Dana. Hueva hooks another Dorado and loses it in the props. The bite dies and back to trolling. It is a long time between hookups, 2.5 hours. I get in a much needed long nap. I wake up to the sound of Hook up! Dana reels in another small Yellowfin Tuna. I look out and see boils on our cut bait chum. Toss out a crippled Sardine and get hammered. Yikes it is taking serious drag on my 30 pound outfit. Dana is also bit and his fish is screaming out line. We both fight our fish for 10-15 minutes. Big fish and neither want to budge. I never saw deep color when the hook pulls, one minute later Dana’s hook pulls, bummer, both very large Tuna? I believe both Bill and Hueva get short bit; the smaller Tuna can’t choke down these big deans. I find a bait in the tank that seems to be able to swim, one of probably 10 left alive. I’m bit almost instantly and another good long run occurs. Not as hard a pull as my last one, but definitely not a baby. Dana is on again. We both land our fish almost simultaneously.
My first Yellowfin Tuna of the year, about 25 pounds:
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i394/tunaslam/Bill%20Lau/100_2296640x480.jpg
Dana and I:
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i394/tunaslam/Bill%20Lau/100_2297640x480.jpg
We soaked the last of our live bait for nothing but a few more short bites, the fish were then gone. Being 1:30 pm, Bill indicated we were 65 miles from Point Loma and would call it at 2:30 pm.
We spent the next hour trolling and looking for no luck. Bill set a course for home and with the calm seas we averaged over 22 knots along the way. Stopped to clean fish at the Point.
Day’s catch, 2 Tails, ten released, 2 Do Do’s, 4 Yellowfin, 1 Bluefin, an offshore grand slam:
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i394/tunaslam/Bill%20Lau/100_2299480x640.jpg
Thanks Bill, it was great meeting you, thanks so much for the ride, I had a blast, lets do it again soon! Pleased to meet you Heuva and Dana, hope we share a rail together again sometime
Hook up! Cory
We got off to a ragged start, with a low water condition jamming the props, as the boat drifted too close to the ramp, resulting from a stiff breeze, so we pushed off with the gaffs and on our way. Then the winds were blowing quite hard inside the harbor and the fog moved in, creating a very slow exit out of the Harbor. The two scoops of Sardines were full of large, sluggish, and bloody baits? If time permitted, would have loved to have sorted them out, doubt EB boys would have been patient though, especially with boats waiting in line for bait. Consequently 50% were dead by morning, and many of those remaining didn’t wiggle very well.
Outside the Harbor, the seas were very confused, and 15 knots of wind didn’t help, allowing us speeds of only 11 knots to avoid being hammered. We slowly made our way past North Island, and the lack of sleep was catching up to all of us. Try sleeping when every minute you’re being lifted out of the bunk and slammed down? Did a shift change at 5am and Dana and I slowly watched the grey light appear and then began looking for Kelp Paddies as conditions allowed, still some 30 miles from our targeted destination.
At 6:30 am I spot a Kelp Paddy and Bill sets us up. It’s loaded with Rat to 10 pound Yellowtail. We keep two and release a half dozen and decide we can’t waste any more precious bait on the babies. We stopped on a half dozen more large Kelp Paddies, one the size of a 2 car garage? Most had a few fish on them, and the large one Yielded a small Dorado of about six pounds.
The seas calm, 10 am arrives, and in the distance we see the fleet. The radio chatter indicates a lot of jig strikes have been realized, with Albacore, BFT and YFT being caught. Everyone is complaining about the lousy bait. Put in the trollers and worked our way to an opening between boats, and spot another Kelp Paddy. Trolled by it and ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ! Dana hauls in our first Yellowfin Tuna of the day, a 12 pounder. I get short bit, and then bit off. Bill hooks and lands a Dorado, and Hueva hooks and fights a Bluefin Tuna to gaff, his first ever.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i394/tunaslam/Bill%20Lau/100_2294640x480-1.jpg
I hook a Yellowfin and it unbuttons: same for Dana. Hueva hooks another Dorado and loses it in the props. The bite dies and back to trolling. It is a long time between hookups, 2.5 hours. I get in a much needed long nap. I wake up to the sound of Hook up! Dana reels in another small Yellowfin Tuna. I look out and see boils on our cut bait chum. Toss out a crippled Sardine and get hammered. Yikes it is taking serious drag on my 30 pound outfit. Dana is also bit and his fish is screaming out line. We both fight our fish for 10-15 minutes. Big fish and neither want to budge. I never saw deep color when the hook pulls, one minute later Dana’s hook pulls, bummer, both very large Tuna? I believe both Bill and Hueva get short bit; the smaller Tuna can’t choke down these big deans. I find a bait in the tank that seems to be able to swim, one of probably 10 left alive. I’m bit almost instantly and another good long run occurs. Not as hard a pull as my last one, but definitely not a baby. Dana is on again. We both land our fish almost simultaneously.
My first Yellowfin Tuna of the year, about 25 pounds:
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i394/tunaslam/Bill%20Lau/100_2296640x480.jpg
Dana and I:
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i394/tunaslam/Bill%20Lau/100_2297640x480.jpg
We soaked the last of our live bait for nothing but a few more short bites, the fish were then gone. Being 1:30 pm, Bill indicated we were 65 miles from Point Loma and would call it at 2:30 pm.
We spent the next hour trolling and looking for no luck. Bill set a course for home and with the calm seas we averaged over 22 knots along the way. Stopped to clean fish at the Point.
Day’s catch, 2 Tails, ten released, 2 Do Do’s, 4 Yellowfin, 1 Bluefin, an offshore grand slam:
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i394/tunaslam/Bill%20Lau/100_2299480x640.jpg
Thanks Bill, it was great meeting you, thanks so much for the ride, I had a blast, lets do it again soon! Pleased to meet you Heuva and Dana, hope we share a rail together again sometime
Hook up! Cory