2,100 Miles in 10 Days!

We departed on the Braid 10-Day aboard the Excel on October 2, 2007. After loading up on small and large sardines, all quite healthy, Captain Justin Fleck (Lumpy) headed south. At that time fishing was good at Cedros, Alijos Rocks, and the ridge. Justin pointed the big boat south keeping our options open. By the next morning word came that big fish were being seen on the lower banks. This area is referred to as “cow town” after the big catches of 200 pound tuna from those banks in the last few years. Our course had been determined.



Captain Fleck’s crew for our trip included second captain Mike Ramirez; Oscar, Brandon, Jordan, and Derek on deck and Chef Jason Fleck in the galley assisted by Vince Otani. What a great crew they are too. The crew gave seminars and helped everyone set up their tackle in preparation for a shot at the big tuna. Expectations were high. Around 5 p.m. we made a check of Cedros to try for yellows. We only landed 3 as the water had turned over so we continued on.

By day two of travel, we heard that the 100 fish catch the Royal Polaris had the previous day had turned into a search for the tuna. The Royal Star was in the area assisting in the search. Captain Fleck altered course to permit a destination of either the rocks or the lower banks depending on the afternoon’s reports. Then word came from the Shogun that the water at the rocks had turned green and the tuna had disappeared. At the same time Billy on the RP found biting tuna in the afternoon. Justin put us back on a course for cow town.

We trolled up a couple of Dorado during our travels south and the water temperature came up to a warm 81.6 degrees by the time we arrived at our destination on the third day. Unfortunately the predicted good weather had turned to 15 knots of wind and was increasing. Fortunately, Justin found a school of tuna before Jason could serve breakfast and the first slide team put their baits in the water. We picked up 15 to 20 tuna in the initial rush before the bite backed off. I caught two fish from this school and sent both to the galley for sushi and seared tuna dinners. The school stayed with us all day but only wanted the Yummie Flyer on the helium balloon the rest of the day. Jason and Justin hooked and handed off fish on the Yummie until they managed to get every passenger a tuna. One thing to note about these tuna on porpoise schools, they won't bite a bait on the bobber balloon.

Justin decided to make a move to the lower banks in hopes of finding better weather and biting tuna. Instead we found 20 knot winds and striped marlin. We anchored up for a couple hours and caught and released two marlin and two sailfish. Many more marlin were hooked and broke off before reaching the boat. Captain Fleck headed west for a few hours looking for kelps. When the weather became too rough to troll, we called it a day and Justin pointed the big boat towards the ridge.

We arrived at the ridge with white water over the wheelhouse but the winds gradually backed off during the day. We started at the 13 then on to the 23. We trolled up 9 wahoo for the morning. I gave mine to the galley and Jason made a fabulous wahoo Caesar salad for lunch the next day. The afternoon found us heading west again looking for something floating. We found a one-foot square white buoy floating on the surface and picked up 75 Dorado between 12 and 18 pounds. With the weather backing off, Justin decided to head to Mag Bay and make bait that night then head back out looking for the tuna the next day.

We found one school that boiled up but didn’t want to bite. As we were winding our baits in to leave, Vince Gammarano hooked a fish on 40 pound line using a mackerel. It was his first large tuna but after an hour and 45 minute battle, he landed his 143 pound tuna. His father Peter was also on the trip to witness the catch. That was our only tuna for the day. We caught a handful of Dorado and I picked up my second wahoo on the troll just before sunset.

The next day found us at the Uncle Sam Bank, Abreojos and all the spots along the way north. The water was green and we had one yellowtail for the day. An early shower and wine with friends made the most of this fishing day.

Justin kept working up the line until he finally found yellowtail that wanted to bite. We ended up putting 292 yellowtail on the boat in a few hours using yoyo irons, bait and surface irons. This was just what we needed. We had passengers on their first long range trip and this bite guarantee their return. Fortunately they didn’t realize this was slow fishing for a 10-day trip.

Once everyone had their limit of yellowtail, Justin hooked a fish on a surface iron in the bow where I was fishing. He told me to put my rod down and grab a gaff. I was finally going to gaff my first fish. He was a great instructor too and I managed to gaff the fish without losing it. Mike had another yellowtail to the boat while I still had the gaff in my hand and I gaffed his fish too and this one was gaffed through the jaws leaving all the meat pristine. Then another passenger insisted I gaff his barracuda before putting away the gaff. What a thrill!

We fished the last morning for reds and topped off the catch with 200 reds before calling it a trip. We broke down tackle and settled in for the ride home and the prime rib dinner that Jason is famous for.

Although we had traveled 2100 miles in 10 days with very slow fishing, there were some great moments on the trip. Giveaways 6 nights (provided by Dennis Braid) thrilled passengers; Jason’s delicious sushi spread was a big hit; great wines shared with friends at dinner kept the laughter high; watching Vince catch his fish of a lifetime; Captain Fleck never losing his sense of humor (as when he told Pat on the Pacific Dawn that he was lucky to find him in the wheelhouse since he had spent the entire trip on deck gaffing fish or when he radioed “Big Boat to Little Boat” trying to reach the American Angler); and Big Al beating 9 fingers Tony at Gin.
We off loaded gear and fish then jackpot was weighed up by Captain Fleck. First went to Vince Gammarano with a 143 lb. yellowfin, second to Craig Arnold with a 74.6 lb. yellowfin (Craig celebrated his 60th birthday on the trip), and third to Craig Sauter with a 69 lb. yellowfin.

Photos by Jason Fleck and a few of my own added.