etucker1959
05-21-2015, 08:16 PM
I follow the fish counts like a preacher reads the Bible. So when I saw two local boats catch 26 & 34 Yellowtail on the Horseshoe Kelp on Tuesday it's time to go fishing. The only problem I had for Wed was I had to be in my office at 1:00 pm. Well the Southern Cal is on it's summer schedule now with a 6:30 morning run and getting back at 12 ish. It's doable my office is right off the 710 in Downey and the Southern Cal leaves from Long Beach. So I call my good friend Super G (Glenn) and we now have a plan. Even though they had only 16 anglers on Tuesday on the Southern Cal I knew it was going to be packed. It's was run and gun type fishing (Albacore style) so the first bait in the water wins. This is my favorite kind of fishing. (I'm really good at this) So the amount of people really doesn't matter, it's the speed and accuracy of your casting will get you bit. (I'll be fast and they be slow is my motto) Glenn was going to throw the iron and I was going to be pitching a Sardine at them. We got the intell from the deckhand Arron what flavor of iron did they want. (chrome & blue) so we were all set with a game plan.
The bite the day before happened at the 150 spot. (far out oil derricks you can see when your on the beach) Since the word was out we had 6 sportfishing vessels and about 20 skiffs looking around at the 150 spot for the Yellowtail. After about an hour of looking nobody has seen or caught any Yellowtail at the 150 spot. Our captain who is one of the best took off from the fleet and started heading west all by himself. (now this is going to be a really good sign or a really bad sign I thought) A bad sign is that he's throwing in the towel and going to fish rockfish. I did hear him say on the PA to the cook Earl, "bring your cell phone up to the wheel house." Now why would he do that????? Then it dawned on me, he wants to make a private call to one of the other captains. I knew the Indian was coming this way from Redondo Beach sportfishing. (I also know the captains are really good friends) As soon as we got far enough away from the fleet, the captain announced that the Indian had no live bait but captured 2 yellowtail and they were boiling all around him. The Indian was just at the end of PV and we would be there in a half hour. The closer we got to PV the more and more birds we saw diving in the water after bait, we saw no bird activity at all at the 150 spot. As soon as we got about 1/2 mile from the Indian we all saw a huge bird school with boiling fish underneath. Arron got real excited on the tank as we were going right for it.
As we were sliding right into the middle of all this activity the captain Yells, "it's 100 percent ALL BIG YELLOWTAIL!!!!!" Glenn fired his jig right into the middle of all this activity and got bit immediately!!!!! I threw a sardine off the stern and it swam away from the boat very nicely. Then I start hearing Hook up, Hook Up, fresh one all coming from the starboard side of the boat. The Yellowtail are just running down the side of the boat eating every lively sardine in the water. When they got to me bendo, "FRESH ONE IN THE STERN!!!!!!" Now these are not rat Yellowtail!!!! 20-30 lbers everyone one of them!!!!! I hooked mine on #30 pound test and he kicked my ***. The battle ended 10 minutes later with a 22 lbs yellowtail on the deck and me thinking to myself, "I'm getting kinda old!!!" lol Glenn sees my fish and say's that's a nice one except mines bigger!!!! Hey I got one, that's all that matters. Once we got the last fish landed, the captain say's their another spot of fish up 200 yards down swell, so off we go. I cast a bait as soon as the boat stops sliding and I'm bit again!!!! I still haven't quite recovered from the last fish and I'm on again!!!! I'm taking my time with this guy, (I don't want to give myself a heart attack) lol he made a really big run and got way out there. The captain thinks a Mako shark got a hold of it because it was so far out. (I keep thinking it's not only the Seals I have to worry about now the sharks too!!!!) I keep fighting him and every things seems OK, but what do I know???? I end up in the bow all by myself, "WHICH IS A GOOD THING!!!" Most of the time they have a crew member with you at all times to make sure you stay out of trouble. They know me a little bit on this boat by now, (third successful Yellowtail trip this year on this boat) so I guess they felt I could reasonable stay out of trouble on my own. I finally get this fish to deep color and get a good look at him, "Holy crap he's a TOAD!!!!" Then I realize there is no one up in the Bow to gaff him for me. I start screaming like a mad man, "GAFF IN THE BOW!!!!!" "GAFF IN THE BOW!!!!" GAFF IN THE BOW!!!!!" Earl the cook comes running up there and sticks him for me!!!! This fish is every bit of #30 lbs the biggest one on the boat that day!!! In the mean time I didn't even know it, but Glenn got another Yellowtail on the iron. That's 4 Yellowtail between the 2 of us that weigh between #22-30 lbs. Not to shabby for a Half-Day boat out of Long Beach!!!! By now the rest of the fleet and the 20 skiffs found their way down here and that just killed the bite. It didn't matter by then we had 27 Yellowtail in the boat and at least 2 very happy anglers. The boat got back to the landing a little after 12:00 and I made it to work well before 1:00 pm. That included me changing from grungy fishing cloths to a suit and tie and noboby knew the difference as long as they didn't get to close to me. (I still smelled a little like Yellowtail) lol
The bite the day before happened at the 150 spot. (far out oil derricks you can see when your on the beach) Since the word was out we had 6 sportfishing vessels and about 20 skiffs looking around at the 150 spot for the Yellowtail. After about an hour of looking nobody has seen or caught any Yellowtail at the 150 spot. Our captain who is one of the best took off from the fleet and started heading west all by himself. (now this is going to be a really good sign or a really bad sign I thought) A bad sign is that he's throwing in the towel and going to fish rockfish. I did hear him say on the PA to the cook Earl, "bring your cell phone up to the wheel house." Now why would he do that????? Then it dawned on me, he wants to make a private call to one of the other captains. I knew the Indian was coming this way from Redondo Beach sportfishing. (I also know the captains are really good friends) As soon as we got far enough away from the fleet, the captain announced that the Indian had no live bait but captured 2 yellowtail and they were boiling all around him. The Indian was just at the end of PV and we would be there in a half hour. The closer we got to PV the more and more birds we saw diving in the water after bait, we saw no bird activity at all at the 150 spot. As soon as we got about 1/2 mile from the Indian we all saw a huge bird school with boiling fish underneath. Arron got real excited on the tank as we were going right for it.
As we were sliding right into the middle of all this activity the captain Yells, "it's 100 percent ALL BIG YELLOWTAIL!!!!!" Glenn fired his jig right into the middle of all this activity and got bit immediately!!!!! I threw a sardine off the stern and it swam away from the boat very nicely. Then I start hearing Hook up, Hook Up, fresh one all coming from the starboard side of the boat. The Yellowtail are just running down the side of the boat eating every lively sardine in the water. When they got to me bendo, "FRESH ONE IN THE STERN!!!!!!" Now these are not rat Yellowtail!!!! 20-30 lbers everyone one of them!!!!! I hooked mine on #30 pound test and he kicked my ***. The battle ended 10 minutes later with a 22 lbs yellowtail on the deck and me thinking to myself, "I'm getting kinda old!!!" lol Glenn sees my fish and say's that's a nice one except mines bigger!!!! Hey I got one, that's all that matters. Once we got the last fish landed, the captain say's their another spot of fish up 200 yards down swell, so off we go. I cast a bait as soon as the boat stops sliding and I'm bit again!!!! I still haven't quite recovered from the last fish and I'm on again!!!! I'm taking my time with this guy, (I don't want to give myself a heart attack) lol he made a really big run and got way out there. The captain thinks a Mako shark got a hold of it because it was so far out. (I keep thinking it's not only the Seals I have to worry about now the sharks too!!!!) I keep fighting him and every things seems OK, but what do I know???? I end up in the bow all by myself, "WHICH IS A GOOD THING!!!" Most of the time they have a crew member with you at all times to make sure you stay out of trouble. They know me a little bit on this boat by now, (third successful Yellowtail trip this year on this boat) so I guess they felt I could reasonable stay out of trouble on my own. I finally get this fish to deep color and get a good look at him, "Holy crap he's a TOAD!!!!" Then I realize there is no one up in the Bow to gaff him for me. I start screaming like a mad man, "GAFF IN THE BOW!!!!!" "GAFF IN THE BOW!!!!" GAFF IN THE BOW!!!!!" Earl the cook comes running up there and sticks him for me!!!! This fish is every bit of #30 lbs the biggest one on the boat that day!!! In the mean time I didn't even know it, but Glenn got another Yellowtail on the iron. That's 4 Yellowtail between the 2 of us that weigh between #22-30 lbs. Not to shabby for a Half-Day boat out of Long Beach!!!! By now the rest of the fleet and the 20 skiffs found their way down here and that just killed the bite. It didn't matter by then we had 27 Yellowtail in the boat and at least 2 very happy anglers. The boat got back to the landing a little after 12:00 and I made it to work well before 1:00 pm. That included me changing from grungy fishing cloths to a suit and tie and noboby knew the difference as long as they didn't get to close to me. (I still smelled a little like Yellowtail) lol