The bird schools are fading out. One by one the boats start to leave. I look around, even the 3/4 boats are gone. It's just us and a couple other private boaters now. Every time we pull up to a bird school, the yellowtail sink down- leaving us with aching arms and resentful hearts. Our casts become less in frequency, and shorter in distance. Our retrieves become slower in speed with markedly less vigor.
I'm tired, and with due reason! I just got off a weekend bruiser in Vegas and went straight to fishing! Rolled up to Jeff's house at 3AM and went off to Catalina where we trolled, drifted, and bait fished with just a calico to show for it. Then we went offshore chasing the ever allusive bluefin tuna. We stopped and fished on kelps. Either nobody home or the residents were not willing to come play. Then we went to hit up the local yellowtail bite on the way in with what time we had left. We chased bird school after bird school only to have them sink down as we pulled up.
I'm sitting there armed with avet JX 6/3 on my kencor 9ft jig stick with 20lb mono. My arms are sore from throwing around a 6 oz ahi rock cod jig. I'm tired and out of it from lack of sleep. I'm upset that the drags blew out on both my other avets I brought. I look around me. Heads are down and morale is low. I know this feeling. It's a feeling that creeps up when I'm about to throw in the towel. It's the feeling of waiting for the clock to run out before heading home. It's the feeling of defeat. No. Not yet. Not this time. And not ever!
I stand up! Invigorated and full of spirit I give my speech! The abbreviated version-
"We've only got a little bit of light left! And regardless of what we do, the sun will go down. If we sit just sit here and do nothing, the sun will go down. If stand up and fish, the sun will still go down. I say lets take what time we have left and give it everything we got! Did we come out here to go fishing?! Well then lets catch some fish!"
Sid looks at me. Nods his head. I think he's thinking "Fk yeah!". In reality he's probably thinking I'm a total nut job. Either way, it does the trick
Jeff rolls up on another bird school. Expert positioning and in perfect casting range. He yells out "BOMBS AWAY!" and away they go! I cast just a little faster, a little further. Yes! Right on diving birds. Give it a few seconds. Adrenaline pumping. Wait for it, wait for the jig to sink. Okay, that should be enough. Reels engaged in second gear. WIND WIND WIND WIND AHHHHHHHHH!!! HOOOOK UPPP!!!!! The fish makes a serious run straight down! Oh the all too familiar sound and feeling of line ripping off your reel. Some things you never forget. Muscle memory kicks in. I keep my rod low and my pumps short. My heart is racing and my back and arms are burning. I am exhausted- but the fish is too. A few more pumps and I see a flash. COLOR!!! BOOM gaffs down and Jeff gaffs the monster YT on first gaff! TAT TAT TAT TAT TAT TAT TAT oh what a beautiful sound!!! Cheers and high fives! This things a beast! At 45 inches and 36 pounds, easily my personal best yellowtail!!
I bend over to get the jig out of the mouth. My efforts are interrupted by the yelling of my buddy Jaime, "HOOOKUP!!!!!" I turn to see Jaime bent over on the side of the boat. "DOUBLE!!!!!!" I look over at Sid and he's got a serious bendo on his curado and bass rod! Just then, Jaime's reel completely craps out with a yellowtail hooked up! He looks over at us and says he needs to splice the line to one of our rods. Nuh uh. We tell him he needs to hand line that thing in! And he starts the task of trying to bring in a trophy yellowtail in by hand!! I take a step back. What a beautiful sight. Blood on the deck. Jaime has fishing line wrapped around his body like a cocooning silkworm. Sid on the other side pulling on his little bass rod with both hands. Jeff ready at the gaff. The whole scene was fiasco... AND I LOVED IT. I could almost drink the delicious excitement that was emitting from this dEck (deck with an E). First to color was the aspiring butterfly, Jaime. I'm not exactly sure but I think I saw him spinning around in circles to weave line around his body and bring the fish in. It was broadway quality! Jeff goes for the gaff shot! Intentional or not, he missed the first shot and pisses off the yellowtail. AHHHH!!! Jaime screams as the yellowtail tightens the line around his body. But like the graceful man that he is, he brings the fish back to color. BAM!!! Beautiful gaff, bloody hands, and yellowtail number 2 hits the deck! Shortly after Sid brings his yellow to color too! On a bass setup! BAM!!! Yellow number 3 hits the deck! High fives and cheers all around. 3 jumbo grade yellows on the deck! All 3 of these are our respective personal best yellowtail! Definitely a celebratory moment!
We try for a little more but that was the end of the bite for us. We head back in, heads high and high on life. What a beautiful trip. What a great day. Always a pleasure fishing with Captain Jefe and the crew. I've been fishing with Jeff for almost a decade now and its always great to visit home and jump back on the boat and talk about our crazy fishing stories. We definitely put our work in on this one. Sometimes the fishing is easy. Other times you have to go island, offshore, and local to put fish on the deck. But be persistent, work hard, stay optimistic, never give up, and always give it all you got. This has been the key to all the success we've had over the years. Plus a bad *** captain/boat helps too.
E.A.R.G out
Crew
Captain Jeff. Ryan (monkeerow) Sid, Jaime (Lucky star or something homo like that)
DeCKPIC!!
My new PB yellow!
Sid's yellow
Lets see whos is bigger
The best photo for last.
Jaime when his reel broke
Thanks for reading
EARG out
Local yt
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Originally Posted by E.A.R.G.
36 lb Jello. OMG I wish.
