8 Attachment(s)
S.W.A.T Would you quit your job to go chase Trophy Bluefin?
Attachment 50437We have all had those thoughts run through our minds one time or another after looking at fishing reports. The thoughts usually go like this, “Damn… I cannot take time off but I want to fish so bad!”
This time I had to put my true priorities ahead and be the responsible person I usually am. I hit up my Billy K and ask him if he has a spot for me on his rig on Thursday? Like a good friend would he said “I always have room for you bud”. I signed an offer with a new company and sent my current manager a Text Message resigning and said **** IT IM GOING FISHING!!.
The night before Billy gives me a call and ask did you get my text on what to bring? “I answered yes the same thing we have been bringing all season. Pretend like I am going on a 6 day trip to Guadalupe Island and take EVERYTHING from 20- 130lb test and every size hook and lure I could fit into my roller bag.”
We discussed our game plan and decided we were going to fish bait for the smaller grade BFT between 20-70lb which have been reported. The FUN SIZE fish we mentioned we were going to just go out with the 5 boys and have a fun time instead of skipping the kite on a windless day. I never thought I would be saying 20-70lb tuna is smaller stuff on the West Coast.
Like any other great day of fishing I ever had I had to make sure there is blood before we slay the fish, earlier in the season I got a hook stuck in my finger and the day ended epic. So instead of ripping hooks out of my finger. I went and donated blood to the red cross for the Las Vegas victims. They told me not to drink that day and I told the lady “Um Why? What would happen if I drank?”. “If you drink today after donating blood you will be a light weight and will get drunk on 1/3 of what you normally drink”. Since I was making great life decisions this week I told the blood bank lady “Heck Yea Perfect I will be a cheap date”. Remembering back the last few trips I slayed the fish I partied with the chicks all night and got hammered before I went fishing. The superstitious side took over I made sure to get trashed the night before and meet Billy at the dock at 3:20am. Sorry guys I was a bit late…. No lucky hat or dirty underwear needed this time.
We get to the zone and started our drift along with a few others I was geared up with my go to smaller fish setup. A Talica 10 II, Phoenix bass rod rated 15-30, and a half a spool of Seaguar 25LB Inviz-X fishing line. We look East and the Oceanside 95 was full bendo with 5 going and the 20-40lb grade Bluefin was coming over the rail. A couple minutes into the drift one of our guys go Bendo I was winding my bait in and sure enough Hookup!!! DOUBLE!!!!! The first fish chews off the 25 and 10 minutes in I pull the hook. WTF. . . We get into another double and one fish spools my buddy and I pull the hook again. Ahhh.... Ok… How do I pull a circle hook 2 times? This time goes bendo “Hey Show us how it is done dude”. He gets chewed off. I hook one and my fish goes up current and will not budge and chews me off. This was the most casualties I have every had on any of our trips EVER!.
We look at one another confused and I look at the guys and say “These are not that 20-50lb fish that they been catching these are all double-digit fish with cows in the mix”. I bump up to 40 the rest of the guys bump to 30-40 since the fish were a bit line shy we had to use the lighter gear. Another one of our guys hooks up and have been on this fish for about 40 minutes I had the gaff ready and Billy K taking great footage on the Go Pro when he yells SHARK!! The tax man was hot on his tail and I tell him “You Better Pull Harder!!!” He cranks away the shark takes a bit at the tail and I reach deep and stick the fish and hoist it on board. The first one was in the 60+lb range.
Shortly after I get bit on the heavier gear, I had 1 thought in my mind I better try to put wood to this sucker before the Tax Man eats it. I get the fat girl straight up and down with the help from my best friend “THE RAIL” I went to work. I use the rail technique and get the fish to color in about 30 minutes Billy looks down and says holy **** get another gaff. They sink both gaffs in the fish and we all sit there in awe.. This fish is in the 120-130lb range and realized why we were getting dusted. I have no doubt in my mind that the Cows were grazing the same pasture. We all switched to 40 and we got spooled by some brutes that never stopped. I tied 50 to my Talica 20 and said F that I am not getting spooled.
Our next couple fish had Hammer heads hot on its tails so the fat mean BFT we are used to pulled even harder to stay away from the Sharks. It was insane we all were on our toes and scrambling the whole time. I had to gut our fish and throw the internals overboard so Hammer heads senses will be overloaded by the chunks so we could get the fish to the boat in one piece. We have 4 fish on deck at this time and two hanging the first one have been on the hook for an hour before I was bent. I was telling the guys I am so glad I hooked it on the right gear I have 50lb on the Talica 20 I will make short work of this fish. NOPE!!!... This fish absolutely kicked my *** had my thighs sore, I was on the rail huffing and puffing on low gear. Every foot I took the fish took back 2 after about 40 min I get the fish 5’ from the boat and what happens here comes the tax man and fish sounds and smokes about 50 yards. My fish is going crazy getting chased all over the place it B line straight back to the surface and almost hits the motor the guys slamming at the water to spook the hammer head. It worked it spooked off the Tax Man took off long enough for me to crank the heck out of the fish to get it to gaff. At this point we have three 100plus lb fish on the deck two in the 60-70lb range and one hanging. At this point our buddy been on this fish for about 1 ½ hours Billy tells me take it over Jonathan. I look at him and say are you crazy my arms are Jell-O by now you take over. He was on the fish for another half an hour or so before the hammer head came back. Guts in the water again to throw the shark off and we sink the gaff into a 130-140lb range fish. We hook one more which the tax man took at color and called a day at 3pm and left the fish biting with a plugged kill bag and no more room on our deck for fish.
