Braid 8-Day on the Excel

Despite an ominous start, we had a fabulous 8 days of great fishing on our annual Braid charter. We finally departed the landing at 3:30 in the afternoon due to a passenger arriving late and having to be returned to the landing after loading bait. The Paramedics and Harbor Patrol boarded the boat and removed him from his stateroom where he had passed out in the middle of a phone call on his cell phone. Roused, he protested being taken off the boat. We never heard whether it was drug induced or a medical problem.



Excel Captain Justin Fleck at the helm

This Braid trip has a loyal group of passengers that return year after year. It’s like a family reunion when we get on the boat trying to catch up on the last year’s activities. Frank’s laughter followed by Rolland’s acerbic comments starts the festivities.




Frank and Rolland

There’s Janet and Gordon Bailey from Washington, George from Arizona, Curt Wiesenhutter with his brother and nephew from Idaho, plus locals Bill, Kevin, Keith, Sean, and Steve. This year we added a few more regulars to the group – Big Daddy Burnside and his buddy Jim, Lucian, and Rolland’s buddy, Kim. They booked for next year before we departed on this year’s trip.

Captain Justin Fleck put us on a course for Alijos Rocks and showed us what the new engines could do. We made 12.2 knots traveling down swell making up the time lost due to the late departure. Fortunately reduced fuel consumption accompanied the increased speed of the engines. The rocks loomed into view after 42 hours of traveling in calm seas.



Arriving at Alijos Rocks



Checking drags.

Rather than troll around, Captain Fleck set up the boat and started the chum line. It wasn’t long until the tuna started biting. A lively bait on 40 pound line (Berkley of course) was the ticket.


Big Daddy Burnside pulling on an Alijos yellowfin

We picked away at the yellowfin weighing 40 to 70 pounds with some smaller yellowtail mixed in. We had one passenger, Lucian, who was on his first long range trip. Lucian had never caught a tuna; however, he said he was a pretty good salmon fisherman from Northern California. After sending a tuna to the galley for sushi, I hooked and handed a tuna to Lucian. When Lucian’s tuna landed on deck, I found a couple of arms wrapped tightly around me with shouts of “thanks” ringing in my ear.



Lucian and his first Tuna - plus Frank with a nice yellowfin

Rolland and his yellowfin

Janet Bailey and me pulling on tuna and Jorden bringing mine over the rail

A nice sushi spread made by Chef Jason Fleck

The tuna preferred a lively bait swimming away from the boat. We had large, healthy sardines that swam well and fast. Casting a sardine was frustrating though in that they were able to swim back under the boat before you could get your reel in gear. It wasn’t unusual to run through 20 baits before getting a butt hooked bait to swim away from the boat.

The kite was working well; however, I was the last person on the kite rotation. Since the wind and current were running in the same direction, I floated a bait out on a bobber balloon. I was bit instantly. Soon there were other balloons floating out and getting bit too. Seeing our success, Captain Fleck encouraged others to try floating a bait out on a balloon. Eventually there was a core group of about 6 anglers fishing the balloons with the other anglers returning to fly lining a bait.

We ended the day with 50 of these beautiful yellowfin tuna and 20 yellowtail. The next morning started slower than the previous day. Only 23 tuna that morning so the captain pointed the Excel on a course for Thetis Bank with an ETA of 8 a.m. the next morning.

Wide open fishing for 20 to 40 pound yellowtail was our welcome to Thetis Bank. You could throw a big mackerel or a sardine at these fish and they grabbed it up. Try a yoyo jig and just crank until the jig stopped dead in the water and you were on. We fished hard until the bite slowed and we were getting tired. There were over 280 of these big beasts put on board bringing our yellowtail count to over 300 fish.

Curt Wiesenhutter, world record yellowfin tuna holder (388 lbs.), with a nice yellowtail.

Chef Jason Fleck with one of my yellowtail.

Captain Fleck started working up the ridge towards Cedros picking up a couple Dorado long the way.

Captain Fleck gaffing a nice dorado for Jim

Word came over the radio that the fleet was into a wide open albacore bite and we were 460 miles away. Justin put those new engines to good use again and we merely waved to Cedros on our way to the albacore grounds. The jigs went out at daybreak on the 3rd of July and it wasn’t long before we heard “Hook Up!” We had several jig strikes and put 28 albacore on deck before 9 a.m. By days end, there were at least 20 boats on the albacore grounds and the bite slowed from all the boat traffic. We had good fishing, finishing the day with 187 albacore. I had a great day landing 9 albacore myself. I donated albacore to the galley and was treated with a fresh albacore dinner made by Chef Jason Fleck. It was fabulous like all the other great meals Jason makes.

When the albacore action slowed, Kim dared to take a nap on deck

July 4th was a little slower on the albacore grounds but still a great day of fishing. We landed 118 albacore and ended the trip with over 300 albacore to go with our yellowtail and yellowfin tuna. It was a great way end a trip and I look forward to next year’s reunion.

My trip wasn’t over yet. I still had fish to process. Mario’s crew did a fabulous job filleting my fish then my real work began. I ended up with 200 pounds of filets to process. The bellies and yellowfin tuna were put into a marinade for smoking. The albacore filets were canned in pint jars. I put up 6 cases of canned albacore. I smoked the tuna bellies and yellowfin then canned it in half pint jars. I ended up with 2 cases of smoked bellies and 5 cases of smoked yellowfin tuna filets. The smoked bellies are my favorite. Now my canning is done for the year but my fishing is not.

Photos courtesy of Jason Fleck augmented with a few of my photos