3 Attachment(s)
June 4,2017 out of daveys locker
Attachment 50012Attachment 50013Attachment 50011My two oldest sons, and I went out from Davey's locker aboard the Freelance on a 3/4 day trip. The morning started off with sculpin fishing. I used a flat fall 6oz with a whole strip of squid and caught the bigger sized sculpin, not the barely or almost ten inches most people were catching. However, I only caught about a good six or so meanwhile my second oldest was killing it with a buck tail. Every cast he was hooking. His set up was a double loop; one with a hook and a strip of squid and the other a buck tail (a few double hookup on his rod). My oldest was fishing and caught a few, then he had to go sit down before...... well, his first time on open party boat and on the ocean waters so you could only imagine how he was feeling. At least he never threw up.
So we stayed there for a few hours and went to Catalina island in hopes of some yellowtail or for them Bonita. We left for the island around 11. While going there, I heard some guy come out of the galley saying something about a drunk lady in there just cussing. So I made sure that my kids and I stay out here. Well, almost a couple hours go by we headed straight to the actual island where people actually visited. I wondered to myself why are going to fish there? Then comes out a boat headed our way which looked to me like the coast guard. I tell myself great, that's going to be killing some time. Well, turns out the lady who was cussing down in the galley was already drunk before she got on to the boat, drank more, and............yes..........a sculpin stung her. Make a long story short she almost fell in the water when they transported her from one boat to the other and off fishing we went.
I didn't do well at the island. I was hoping for yellows. But none. We made a few stops circled around a few times throwing some chum in the water and nothing. No one anything. Finally our last stop of the day, I got hit hard and only stayed for a quick two seconds and came off. So I reeled in my sardine and I can see a barracuda chasing it and trying to eat it as I was reeling in. But my bait was already tired. Put a new sardine on, turned around, no place to throw it because obviously you step out of your one feet zone then it's gone.
So I didn't care and tossed it out there (hey 78 people were on this boat ok), the guy turned to look at me and I said oh excuse me. He didn't move so I politely held my rod between him and another guy (these two guys were bottom fishing in the back of the bow, please go to the side or the front please). I got bit again rod actually bent, put my reel on strike, line peeled, I was just going I yell "fresh!!!!" Then it stopped. I was like wtf?! Then a seal pops out of the water laughing at me, and I gave that seal the middle finger. That was that.
After that I watched my two sons killing it fishing for calicos, blue perch, Spanish jacks, and a sheepshead. Hey, I was not at all disappointed in this trip. It was mission accomplished. Spent quality time with my two oldest, they both caught a lot of fishes, no drama and hardly any tangle from us. We fresh water fish a lot so at least with that experience, we have some little knowledge of where our line is at, most of the time, not all. The sheepshead was caught on strip of squid 1/0 live bait hook with a 3/8 ounce sliding weight to the bottom. It was almost the jackpot on the boat. The. Calico bass was caught the same.
One more thing, literally as soon as the captain fired up the engine and asked everyone to reel them in, the person standing next to me, his reel literally starting peeling. I looked at it and knew it was a nice fish or a seal. Turned out to be a 7-8pound yellowtail. He took jackpot. All in all, this experience on the freelance was great. The crew this time was great. Captain, no complaints. The cook, delicious. 78 people fishing with hardly any drama, majority people on the boat was very nice and surprisingly, not too many tangle. Well, at least for my sons and I. Thanks for reading everyone and tight lines.
