Overnight charter on the Liberty out of Berth 55. I finally got yellowtail! 8/17/2014
I was invited to join a charter with a bunch of Post Office employees on the Liberty out of Berth 55 leaving saturday fishing Sunday.
Thank you Bill for all of your hard work setting up this trip. Thank you Yvonne and Mike for inviting me.
We boarded the boat and left at 9:00 on Saturday.
Here are Mike and Yvonne.
We ran inside the breakwall to San Pedro Bait to pick up some nice sardines. I haven't seen them this size in months.
After that I went to sleep but I was aware that the boat stopped to make squid. They got some but it wasn't enough. Bill was up, he ponied up and asked the Captain to go buy a scoop. That made the trip! Those squid were indispensable later in the day!
When the motors stopped in the morning everybody rolled out of bed and started fishing. The first spot was really slow, we didn't stay there long. The second spot was good. My first bait attacked by a calico that was having trouble getting one 10" long down. My second bait was a smaller sardine and it got picked up and it just took off! I gave it few seconds, threw the reel in gear and set the hook. At first I wasn't sure but soon the fish bared down and I knew that it was the right kind.
Soon I landed my first yellowtail. I think it was 8 or 9 pound. My deck hand buddy (fishbones) calls that size rats. Soon there were a few yellowtail hooked up. With the inexperienced fisherman on board landing them was a challenge! I think about half were busted off.
Mike landed 2 yellowtail.
We moved around the Island from spot to spot. One spot was good the next was slow. the day was going well. The Captain (John Jordan ) and crew were real fishermen. Everyone was having a good time catching yellowtail, calicos and bonita.
On one stop I farmed! I had discovered the secret to getting the fish to steal my bait. Now if only I could hook them! The Captain declared me the all time Farm King. I think the farming was bothering him as much as it was bothering me!
On one stop a guy landed 2 nice halibut and assured himself the jackpot as either one would have taken the jackpot.
Every once in a while the yellowtail came through and there were hookups all down one side.
On our last stop I farmed some more but I finally figured out how to hook them. I started catching bonita and calicos pretty fast on squid.
Then Yvonne hooked up the right kind and landed it. Congratulations Yvonne! After Yvonnes fish, Bill hooked up on the back of the boat. He said he thought it was a big calico. It was a moving fast for calico. He landed a nice yellowtail!
Soon I hooked up on the right kind. It picked up the bait a little slower than a bonita but moving fast. It didn't respond much to the hookset but soon just bared down and took off. I can't wait to get a big yellowtail but I may have upgrade from the 15 lb leader.
It wasn't long before I got another yellowtail and then a keeper calico.
All to soon, we were headed home.
Heres' a picture of me with a couple yellowtail. The first one was a little bigger but it was pretty drab by late in the day.
It was a good day!
Here's the fish count.
39 California Yellowtail
5 California Sheephead
2 California Halibut
45 Kelp Bass
60 Pacific Bonito
3 California Barracuda
I think we only landed about half of the yellowtail that were hooked. I got lucky and landed all of the ones I hooked.
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Originally Posted by catchingsomefish
