Paying My Dues
We know we can’t have a great trip every time we go fishing so it’s common to refer to a difficult trip as “Paying our Dues.” Well, I just paid my dues for the last 5 days on the Braid Products sponsored Shogun trip.
The great part about this trip was getting to fish with my good friend Kathy Rounds. Not only is she a perfect roommate but she brought along a professional espresso/latte machine. Every morning she made latte's for me and the crew. Talk about luxury.
The Espresso Machine
My roommate, Kathy, and me with our albies.
The Shogun departed Fisherman’s Landing around 11 a.m. on Thursday August 30th with Captain Bruce Smith at the helm. After loading some beautiful sardines, Bruce made a right turn leaving the harbor heading West towards the albacore grounds just short of the Cortez Bank.
We awoke to 20 knot winds Friday morning that continued to howl for two days. Bruce put Trolling Team 1 up at daybreak. In spite of the weather, we picked away at the albacore Friday and Saturday managing to land 84 beautiful fish in the 25 to 40 pound range. Out of my 8 fish, I sent 3 fat albacore to the galley so the passengers could have a sushi snack plus an albacore dinner one night. I also hooked and handed a couple fish including one to a Frenchman fishing around the world enjoying his retirement.
With the fish gradually going down and the weather coming up, we made an 18 hour move to Guadalupe Island. We reached the North end of the island around 9:30 a.m. We glided down the lee side of the island looking for tuna schools ready to bite. Captain Smith found two small schools of yellowfin tuna, neither anxious to chew. Around noon Bruce anchored the Shogun at Westies at the south end of the island. The weather was calm and quite hot; however, we were relieved to be able to walk around deck without being thrown around.
The white sharks found us within 30 minutes. We had three great whites lurking under the boat ready to take our tuna. We fished until dark boating 8 yellowfin to 55 lbs. (none of which were mine) and feeding another 10 to 12 to the sharks. After word from the albacore grounds of improved weather and better fishing, it was anchor up and another 20 hour boat ride back to the albacore schools which had made a 20 mile move north. It was 4 p.m. before we reached the promised “biting fish.” Unfortunately, the weather was back up to 20 knot winds.
Guadalupe Island
We pulled 5 fish out of the first school and 6 out of the second before we found a large area of jumping fish, diving birds and lots of bait. We slid into the area and had fish splashing all around the boat. Baits hit the water and we had instant hook-ups for almost everyone. When the commotion was over, we had only boated a dozen fish. By day’s end, we had added 28 albacore to our count bringing us to 112 albacore, 8 yellowfin and 11 baby yellowtail for the trip.
Paying our dues on this trip was a result of rough weather and fish that were not in a biting mood, none of which was under the Captain’s control. Captain Smith made all the right decisions as was confirmed by the poor catches from the other boats in the fleet trying to make a catch from the poor conditions dealt by Mother Nature.
Morning lineup to off-load.
The jackpot winners.
We sorted fish and weighed up jackpot with a 55 pound yellowfin tuna from Guadalupe Island taking first place. Since this was a difficult trip for most anglers, I gave all my albacore to anglers that needed fish.
Captains Norm Kagawa and Bruce Smith
Although I didn’t head home with albacore fillets, I did take home an ice chest full of albacore bellies courtesy of Norm Kagawa, Captain and owner of the Shogun. Why bellies? Well, a couple years ago I took Norm a jar of smoked tuna belly. He enjoyed it so much that it became a habit for me to bring him several jars of smoked tuna bellies when I would travel on the Shogun. Then last year Norm made me a beautiful wood tackle box for long range fishing. It’s even signed and numbered.
My tackle box, custom made by Captain Norm Kagawa.
When Norm wouldn’t let me pay him, I offered to smoke and can tuna bellies and split them with him if he would get me the bellies. Norm delivered the bellies and now it’s time for me to start the smoker.
The great part about this trip was getting to fish with my good friend Kathy Rounds. Not only is she a perfect roommate but she brought along a professional espresso/latte machine. Every morning she made latte's for me and the crew. Talk about luxury.
The Espresso Machine
My roommate, Kathy, and me with our albies.
The Shogun departed Fisherman’s Landing around 11 a.m. on Thursday August 30th with Captain Bruce Smith at the helm. After loading some beautiful sardines, Bruce made a right turn leaving the harbor heading West towards the albacore grounds just short of the Cortez Bank.
We awoke to 20 knot winds Friday morning that continued to howl for two days. Bruce put Trolling Team 1 up at daybreak. In spite of the weather, we picked away at the albacore Friday and Saturday managing to land 84 beautiful fish in the 25 to 40 pound range. Out of my 8 fish, I sent 3 fat albacore to the galley so the passengers could have a sushi snack plus an albacore dinner one night. I also hooked and handed a couple fish including one to a Frenchman fishing around the world enjoying his retirement.
With the fish gradually going down and the weather coming up, we made an 18 hour move to Guadalupe Island. We reached the North end of the island around 9:30 a.m. We glided down the lee side of the island looking for tuna schools ready to bite. Captain Smith found two small schools of yellowfin tuna, neither anxious to chew. Around noon Bruce anchored the Shogun at Westies at the south end of the island. The weather was calm and quite hot; however, we were relieved to be able to walk around deck without being thrown around.
The white sharks found us within 30 minutes. We had three great whites lurking under the boat ready to take our tuna. We fished until dark boating 8 yellowfin to 55 lbs. (none of which were mine) and feeding another 10 to 12 to the sharks. After word from the albacore grounds of improved weather and better fishing, it was anchor up and another 20 hour boat ride back to the albacore schools which had made a 20 mile move north. It was 4 p.m. before we reached the promised “biting fish.” Unfortunately, the weather was back up to 20 knot winds.
Guadalupe Island
We pulled 5 fish out of the first school and 6 out of the second before we found a large area of jumping fish, diving birds and lots of bait. We slid into the area and had fish splashing all around the boat. Baits hit the water and we had instant hook-ups for almost everyone. When the commotion was over, we had only boated a dozen fish. By day’s end, we had added 28 albacore to our count bringing us to 112 albacore, 8 yellowfin and 11 baby yellowtail for the trip.
Paying our dues on this trip was a result of rough weather and fish that were not in a biting mood, none of which was under the Captain’s control. Captain Smith made all the right decisions as was confirmed by the poor catches from the other boats in the fleet trying to make a catch from the poor conditions dealt by Mother Nature.
Morning lineup to off-load.
The jackpot winners.
We sorted fish and weighed up jackpot with a 55 pound yellowfin tuna from Guadalupe Island taking first place. Since this was a difficult trip for most anglers, I gave all my albacore to anglers that needed fish.
Captains Norm Kagawa and Bruce Smith
Although I didn’t head home with albacore fillets, I did take home an ice chest full of albacore bellies courtesy of Norm Kagawa, Captain and owner of the Shogun. Why bellies? Well, a couple years ago I took Norm a jar of smoked tuna belly. He enjoyed it so much that it became a habit for me to bring him several jars of smoked tuna bellies when I would travel on the Shogun. Then last year Norm made me a beautiful wood tackle box for long range fishing. It’s even signed and numbered.
My tackle box, custom made by Captain Norm Kagawa.
When Norm wouldn’t let me pay him, I offered to smoke and can tuna bellies and split them with him if he would get me the bellies. Norm delivered the bellies and now it’s time for me to start the smoker.
posted by Pêcheuse at 3:01 PM
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