Rpt.-2 Day ending 10-07-15 on the First String!

[Tunaslam]

While reading some reports of bigger Tuna being caught on Monday, I booked a 2 day trip on the First String, a 93’ Sport Boat out of H&M landing in San Diego. Killing the baby Tuna was not something I wanted to participate in, so I guessed right that the First String would target the bigger boys.



Departure Monday 10-07-15.



The departure time was scheduled for 10 pm, so I left my house in Diamond Bar at 6:30 pm and headed south to San Diego; arriving at 8:40 pm. The traffic was heavy in the usual places near Santa Ana and not so much near San Diego. Entering the parking lot in Point Loma, I was thrilled to see many vacant spaces, with one very close to H&M Landing, including a cart left in the next space. So I unloaded my gear into the cart and went to the boat, however, it had not yet returned from their daily trip on Monday, arriving after 9pm.



They had caught limits of Yellowfin Tuna today and some quality Dorado, yet while I watched the unloading, the size of the Yellowfin Tuna was disturbing, 3 to 5 pounders at best. I thought my last private boating trip catching 6 to 10 pounders was sad?



We shoved off at a little after 10pm, taking about an hour to load the massive bait tanks with not so lively Anchovies. Cook Greg called us into the galley to define the game plan, go over the safety issues and food plan. He told us that the bigger grade of Tuna was being caught near the Osborn Bank and was the game plan. We were not expected to reach the area until after 9:30 am. So we could sleep in. I crashed at about midnight as we cleared the Point.



Day 1 Tuesday-10-06-15,



I woke up at 5:30 am to the smell of fresh coffee brewing. Cook Greg was busy cooking up Hash Browns and Sausage. The coffee was excellent and it was extremely calm outside. My long sleeve T-shirt was quickly discarded, as I began to sweat. I ordered Breakfast at shortly after 6am, enjoying Sausage, Eggs over easy, Hash Browns and Toast, simply delicious. Breakfast Burritos, Pancakes and French Toast were also available as choices.



The forecast called for wind, 4 to 6 knots in the morning, then increasing to 10 to 12 knots in the afternoon. There was no wind in the morning and at 7:30 am we were passing through the Islands in grease calm conditions.



San Clemente Island on the Port side:







Catalina on the Starboard side:







Sunrise on the Stern:







As we pulled up on the Osborn Bank at 10:30 am, what a long haul, nearly 11 hours, the armada was in full view. No this is not the Horseshoe, 105 or 150, it is the Osborn Bank some 50 miles from Long Beach:







We setup on some good marks almost immediately, and the call of boil was quickly heard and seen. It was instant hookup if you had a lively Anchovy with light line and a small hook. There were a number of hooked fish, although there were also a bunch of casualties. These small fish are squirrely and cover a lot of water tangling up everyone.



I started off with 25 pound test line and a #2 hook and got bit on my third cast, as the first two baits didn’t move!



I landed about a 9 pound Yellowfin Tuna. So much for catching bigger fish, although that beats catching 3 to 5 pounders. Even so there were several Tuna in the 12 to 15 pound range and one about 20 pounds, encouraging. The first stop was probably our most productive, then it settled into finding fish, and picking a few at a time. Some drifts were rather long as the Tuna stayed around the boat and if you brailed bait they came up and ate. Unfortunately we would slowly run low on bait and the chumming had to be reduced.



In addition getting bit with any bait with a hook in it was becoming more and more difficult. The Tuna would come up and boil all around us and only a few anglers got bit. I dropped to 20 pound line after getting short bit a number of times and landing a couple more Yellowfin under 10 pounds and a couple of Skipjack in the same size range. I also had been fishing with a very light split shot some 18 inches above the hook, in the middle of the 3’ Flouro Carbon leader. I lost several fish to tangles and a couple more due to pulled small hooks.



Greg served up some incredible Bacon Double Cheeseburgers for lunch, or Chicken Breast or any other sandwich requests. Casting bait after bait for hours finally took its toll and I ordered my Bacon Double Cheeseburger at 1:40 pm. Washed down with an ice cold Tecate beer.



After lunch, I stayed with the 20 pound line and even went down to a #4 hook. I landed one more 9 to 10 pound Yellowfin Tuna, putting my count at 4. At around 3:30 pm I casted a decent 5 inch Anchovy and within seconds I was hammered. Oh boy this was one of the bigger models as it high tailed it out to sea. Watching my spool dwindle down at a rapid speed, I had no choice but to tighten the drag ever so slightly while raising my rod as high as possible with the largest bend in it as possible. Whew the big Tuna finally stalled out.



It was a game of tug of war for a couple of minutes, as the fish would not budge, and continued to take a few more yards of line every 10 seconds, as I was nearing a bare spool. Using a Saltiga 20 with a couple of hundred yards of 50 pound Spectra Braid line backing of the 75 feet of mono top shot was not looking to be enough? Suddenly the Tuna began to sound and then I gained line rather quickly.



The fish took me up to the bow, away from the crowded stern, I liked that, as hollering hot rail and working over and under gets very tedious on a big fish. I recovered my top shot of Mono and could see some splashes of deep color. This Tuna was not even close to being done and did the death circle for quite some time. Ever so slowly working the fish closer to the boat, it reached a stubbornness that was extremely frustrating. I would gain 5 yards and quickly lose it back for what seemed to be forever, yet maybe was 5 to 6 minutes? The circles continued and became smaller and smaller, as I worked it slowly to within gaff range, then Peanut stuck him on one wide swing where the Tuna surfaced next to the boat, some 15 feet away. Wow what a work out.



My 33 pound Jackpot Yellowfin Tuna with deckhand Peanut smiling in the background:







A closer look:






For me that was my last hurrah and pretty much for everyone else as well. We had one other angler hook a big tuna, only to lose him after a lengthy fight about 20 feet from the boat. We only caught 41 Yellowfin Tuna for the day, for 20 anglers, with many many casualties. Obviously arriving late to the party took its toll, as several other boats like the Freedom and Thunderbird had counts well over a 100.



We fished until dark, that is, we looked for fish until dark, catching maybe 2 after 4pm. The well hoped for sundowner bite after most of the other boats had left just didn’t materialize. Mother wind was kicking up her heels as well, approaching 20 knots.



Captain Richard announced that we would be heading toward the East end of San Clemente Island to try for Yellowtail in the morning.



Dinner consisted of a nice tossed salad, Pork Loin, mashed Potatoes, mushroom gravy and corn. Desert was a Chocolate Klondike Ice Cream Bar. Of course I enjoyed a glass of good Merlot with dinner. Yum Yum!



Exhausted I hit the sack at 9pm and passed out until 2am when the engines stopped, knowing we had reached our starting destination for day 2.





Day 2 Wednesday 10-07-15,



I got up at 5am not able to resist the smell of fresh coffee any longer. There were about 15 knots of wind and some good 3 to 4 foot swells. Oh boy, not ideal starting conditions for fishing? Luckily as the sun rose the winds backed off.



I chose to have a Bacon, Potato, Sausage and Egg Burrito for breakfast. Once again very delicious, thank you cook Greg. Daylight arrived much later this time of year, midway past 6am. The engines fired up and we went searching for Yellowtail. Captain Richard announced that the bait situation was nearly terminal, and we would have to be very creative to catch fish today. 95 % of the anchovies remaining from yesterday were dead and we had no Sardines, with a few large Mackerel mixed in.



Most of us broke out our Yo Yo Iron outfits. I began using a Flat Fall and caught a few rockfish. There were Yellowtail on the fish finder, however, none were hungry for iron.



We moved around until 9am for nothing, so it was time to head offshore and look for Kelp Paddies. Before we left, the Pegasus offered us a couple of scoops of very sweet sardines. Wow, that was encouraging, although we would have to conserve it as if they were gold!



The trolling gear was put out and after several hours of no jig strikes we stopped on a huge kelp Paddy that was empty. About ten minutes later while approaching a much smaller Paddy the sound of hookup was hollered. Baby Yellowtail. We slid into the Paddy and all hell broke loose, as the ocean became alive with Dorado.



It was total pandemonium, as Do Do’s were flying everywhere and every which way. I hooked two and was immediately sawed off both times, as every bait that hit the water was inhaled. My third hook up resulted in watching a big bull jump again and again, heading across the stern and then back and forth several times. I coaxed him up the port side, away from the utter chaos in the stern. Using 30 pound line I still couldn’t muscle him in, and delicately maneuvered the big bull within gaffing range a little at a time. Peanut was again deck hand on the spot and made a smooth stick as I slid the Do Do up to the side of the boat.



A 17 pound Bull Dorado, I believe the third largest caught, as Jackpot fish was a tiny bit bigger:











Philip my next door bunk mate caught this nice Hen Dorado:






I could not get anyone else to hoist a fish for a picture, so here are some other Do Do Pictures:







Had another great double Bacon Cheese Burger for Lunch.



We hit one more Kelp Paddy that was holding biters and I again hooked up only to have fish on either side of me converge, and then ping! Lost my third hooked fish of the day. Darn, yet that is fishing, especially on a cattle boat.



The winds steadily increased back to about 12 knots, and spotting kelps became more difficult. At 1:45 pm we approached one that had Dorado boils all around it. Ok let em go! Not one single hook up and they sunk out in seconds. We ended the day with 15 Dorado and 4 baby Yellowtail.



Captain Richard said at 2pm we were calling it, and increased to full cruising speed. He said they would continue to look for Kelp Paddy’s for another half hour, and would stop if any were holding fish. No such luck and our ETA at the dock was 6:45 pm.



Took a good nap, and got up as we were passing North Coronado Island some 6 or 7miles to the south. Docked on time, a quick exiting of the boat, picked up my fish and heading home to Diamond Bar at 7:15pm, arriving at 9pm.



Although not the most fishy 2 day trip I have been on, I certainly appreciate the decision to go long for bigger Tuna. It was a great group to fish with and Captain and crew gave it their all!



Hook up! Cory

[dpaulus9]

great report cory. thanx for sharing

[TUNAVIC]

Great report Cory ,congrats on the jp,also nice pictures mixed in there,I've had some nice trips and pretty cool experiences on that boat when Paul and Mark ran it,thanks!

Cya Tuna Vic