NBU ~ Colonet ~ ON FIRE~!!!!!!!!!

[k3vin_kim]

Long time no report. Just been so busy these days w/work and all, I haven't had the chance to fish much. However, I couldn't pass up this opportunity to fish Punta Colonet w/some of my NBU boys. Unfortunately FJ couldn't make it on this trip - or any other trip for the rest of the year since he's spending his weekends moving.

So, Ymin, Gallog, LA Smoker, Eddie and myself signed up for a charter out of Seaforth to fish Colonet. 1.5 day on the Pac Voyager.

NOTE: The Pacific Voyager is perhaps the best fishing experiene i've encountered so far. The Captain (Mark) knows his S**T. The crew of 3 deckhands NEVER once picked up a pole to fish - always on the ball and alert. Constantly throwing chum, quickly getting tangles undone and Superb gaffing skills. The Chef makes the best damn Steak and potatos ever. The bunks are too comfortable and there are full size toilets.

Anyways, we all meet up at seaforth around 5. Met up w/some familiar faces on other charters. The charter had 21 people on the boat. Loaded up, grabbed our bunks, captain did the speech and we were off.

Plan was to wake up one of the high spots (170 ft) at Colonet and either yo yo or dropper loop for YT's. And YT's is what we found. These Mexican bohemoth's fight like no other. The average size of these things ran around 20-25 pounds. But they just pull like crazy so as soon as your rod loads up- USE THE RAIL~!!! Keep that bend in your rod and just start CRANKIN~! Button down on 40-50 or even 60# test.

The morning was spent slaying the mossbacks. We started around 7:20AM and by 10:30 we managed to land around 40 YT's. Nothing dinky - all were Quality fish and SOLID.

I managed to land 2 and farmed 2. Most everybody who had one hooked got either rocked or 'binked' bcuz they didn't re-tie. Congrats to Sammy for landing the first YT of the day. Nice job. Also to Bob and Eddie who man-handled both of their fish. Unfortunately for Mike, I can honestly say that he fished the hardest and was in the water more than anybody but couldn't get bit. Everybody knows how that feels. In between people who hook up and ure stuck in the middle hold your pole. Next year Mike I'm sure you'll redeem yourself and then some.

After catching my double, I was spent on jigging a heavy Salas 6X for a god 3 straight hours, so i picked up my dropper loop and a couple strips of squid. Wanted to see what other rockfish were down there. I hit bottom and immediately feel a small nibble - followed by a WHAM~!! I played seesaw on the rail again thinking it might be another yellow but it did the signiture - pump pump puming action of a lingcod. So i eased off the rail and did a slow grind and up came a FRIEKIN' LINGASAURUS~!!! It looked and felt like 20-25 pounds but nobody had a scale so I'm going to say it was 25 pounds. lol.

After the YT bight died down, we made a 4 mile move further south and Rock fished at around 350 to 400 feet. Shrimp flies were preferred w/strips of squid. Since we were in Mexican waters, the hook regulation doesn't apply so some people had 5-6-7-8 hook ganions and 1 pound weights... Most coming back up w/5-6-7-8 HUGE Reds, Bocs, Bosco's, Starry's, Lings, Goats, Chillies Etc... I'm not talking about border line fish - I'm talking 5-10 pound rockfish.

Fishing was just so perfect. Not an inkling of wind, comfortable 72 degrees outside, still as a lake. On my first drop on the deep spot, i only used a regular 2 hook shrimp fly rig - what's the rush? we still have 6 hours to fish. Anyways, on my first drop, my rod loaded up like CRAZY~! Wind and SWING.. steady crank.. steady crank... Arms were burning at around 300 feet. It's weird, it seemed like the closer it got the boat, the more the rockfish were fighting. So it comes to color and I ended up w/a DOUBLE ling. The VERY next drop produced another Ling w/a boc on the top. 4 lings in 6 drops. Everyone was just having a blast during the rockfishing. Eddie caught a 10 POUND CHILLY~!!! NO BS - A TEN POUND CHILLY. Please somebody post that picture up b'cuz i my camera ran out of battery by then.

We had another good hour to fish left in the day but the captain got on the PA speaker and told us to wind em up b'cuz one of the anglers was having a heart attack. Poor guy. An older guy looked about 70 years old or so. Said he couldn't feel his body or limbs - a telltail sign of a stroke coming on. So we quickly pulled up and the captain called the coast gaurd. The chopper took about an hour to meet us in the middle of the ocean and the old man was airlifted. All the anglers were sent into the galley but thru a small crack in the door, we saw the basket come down and he was hoisted up and safely to a hospital. Dude, the chopper was about 75-100 feet above our boat and it felt like a hurricane~!!! Water spraying everywhere and the whole galley was shaking from the propeller beats. That's not something you see everyday when you're out fishing.

So in conclusion, it was the best trip i've been on this whole year. We all had a great time.

Jackpot went to an older gentleman that landed a 32-35#pound YT

My final count...

2 Yellows
4 Lingcods
1 Goat
1 Bonito
7 Reds
2 Boscos
1 Boccacio
2 sore arms.

Thanks to Bruce the chartermaster for having us on this epic trip. And to the NBU boys, we really went out there kicked butt. Good job guys.

KK

[lizzay]

Good job on the YTs. Per your report, it seemed so easy for you! Man, this gives me some hope. Awesome story and report, I hope that old man is ok, sucks to have such a huge thing happen to you out there like that. I can't imagine how he felt.

[k3vin_kim]

Thanks Lizzay,

It might have sounded easy in the report - but believe you me - my shoulders are paying for it right now. If you ever jig heavy like Salas 6X - I'd definately suggest using a 2 speed or a high speed. The hot color was Scrambled egg or green/blue/white. All jig hits for me were about the first 8 cranks.

Yeah and it was too bad for the old guy - He coudln't sit still for more than 30 seconds so he ended up laying down on the bait tank on top of gunny sacks and a pillow. That's going to be one HELL of a hospital bill. The chef said this was the second time this has happened and the airlift alone will run him about 7 grand~!

[4g63power]

sick looking ling son...send some fillet down

[k3vin_kim]

Thanks Jimmy - The ling was actually a hitchhiker on a small starry eye.

[JapanRon]

Hi K3vin_kim,

Great effort on reaccounting the trip and pics !! WTG on the fishys. It would be fun burning out a 6500 C3 on one of those yellows !!

Excellent report made up for your absence !!


JapanRon

[sansou]

Good stuff! Congrats on the lings and yellows!

I love Colonet. That place always produces. Can't wait to fish a tad south of there in a few weeks.

Good seeing you guys at the landing!

Gallogg: I can't wait to put that ATC to use. It looks and feels like a winner! You did a nice job on it.

See you guys around!

[Bucket bay]

Nice work boys and I mean it literally, when’s the cookoff.

[k3vin_kim]

Hey there Tsuri-kichi~! Thanks for the complment. Yeah my little hiatus was just temporary. I'm gonna try to fish more this coming year.

Rich~! Too bad you couldn't make with us on our "GAY" fishing trip. LOL. Good seeing you again brother.

Duane~! Whattup dude?? You know i don't eat fish. But since my little time off the water, i've got 6 people that have been begging me for this table fare. Next time bro, next time.

[Wingnut]

I was wondering where you disappeared to? Awesome catch, congrats to all.