Fishing 14 out of 16 Days!

Unusual but true. Normally we travel eight or more days on our annual Thanksgiving 16 day trip targeting cow tuna and wahoo with an occasional chance for reds on the way home. Actually this trip was more like a 10 day and an 8 day trip back-to-back. We fished down the ridge to cow town; spent a few days there until it was evident the cows had escaped the long range fleets’ corral; then fished back up the ridge finishing the last morning catching reds.

Highlights of the trip were Al Scow’s 331 lb. yellowfin and James Hassen’s 317 lb. cow. Species captured during the trip included wahoo, yellowfin tuna, yellowtail, calico bass, halibut, vermillion rockfish, grouper, striped marlin, mako shark, dorado, squid, mackerel, and other unnamed sea creatures. Weather was a little rough the first couple days in cow town then smoothed out for the rest of the trip.

Ten passengers including Brandon Hayward (Western Outdoor News) and Bob Hoose (Berkley) joining regulars Al Scow, Tim Turis, Ken Cirks, Andy Marcum, Tom Carlisle, Dennis Braid, Basil Pappas, and me. We shared experiences that included fishing personal bests and heartbreaks in lost fish, gourmet meals, wine tasting, poker games and comradery. Five fish over 300 lbs. were hooked with only two landed. Three fish were lost: one when the spectra parted and two due to straightened hooks - Tim’s fish (lost at color and was well over 300 lbs.) and my fish.

My trip boils down to a short, sad tale.  I hooked a fish on the kite on a 50W (drags set at 22 lbs.) with 600 yards of 200# spectra, 25 feet of 300# Momoi and 3 feet of 200# Fluorocarbon Leader crimped to two Eagle Claw 9/0 hooks (black).   The fish peeled off 500 yards of line in seconds so I called for the back-up. A newer crewmember grabbed my rod and tried to stop the fish by putting a huge bend in the rod.  They never got the back-up to the rail before the fish was gone and two straightened hooks came back. I spent the next two and a half days on the kite without a single bite. Even the cards refused to give me a single winning hand at solitaire. It's the pitts paying your dues in cow town!

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