Threshers Abound!

Jack was generous enough to take Wayne and me out fishing in his Whaler on Friday. His 18 foot center console is just perfect for in-shore fishing off Dana Point. We departed the harbor before 8 am and headed towards the pipeline to make bait.  Water was slightly warmer – 66 degrees.

I had bought a small Charkbait Chum Bucket at Hogan's to chum up some bait and hopefully the white seabass. Once we got to our bait making spot, I threw the bucket out. This was the first time I had used one and when it turned upside down in the water, I understood why the instructions said to drill holes in the top of the bucket.

Bait making was very slow again. I was using the Hayabusa Sabiki Size 10, (S-511E) which is $3.99 at Hogan's Bait and Tackle. Not sure what brand Wayne and Jack were using but my Sabiki definitely outfished theirs for green mackerel. The same thing occurred the previous trip.

We made a few mackerel at the pipe when my bait rig got slammed. I dropped down a mackerel on 40# Fluoro with a 2 ounce sliding sinker and hooked up immediately. The fish made a nice run then jumped - another Thresher Shark. It took several minutes to get it to the boat then it took off and jumped again. After a third jump, it came in - a nice 100 pounder! It was hooked in the pectoral fin. While we were deciding who would unhook the fish so I could release it, the fish took another run. I buttoned down the drag and broke him off. Now that was fun!

We moved to the headlands to try for bait and had a little better luck there. It might have been the time of day as I noticed the bait biting better around 10 in the mornings lately.  Wayne caught the biggest mackerel I have ever seen - 17 inches long! Around 10 am we had enough bait and moved back to the pipeline to fish.  Jack’s bait tank worked well.  The only die off was a couple small baits that looked like small bonito.

Jack was sitting in the bow, his rod in the holder when he got hit and his line peeled off. Jack was getting spooled on 30 pound so he tightened his drag and Bamm! Fish gone! When he got his spectra back on the reel, his fluorocarbon had come apart at the connection. Jack re-rigged and was back fishing.

As we drifted, Jack had to keep moving the boat to avoid drifting into the Dana Pride that had just motored up and anchored in our drift line. They didn't do very well and moved to deeper water for a short time before heading south. The water had become a muddier green than when we started so we decided to slow troll back towards the headlands. Jack got hit again but it didn't last long. I got hit next and this was a big fish. He took a nice long run then skimmed across the surface just long enough for Wayne and I to get a glimpse of a really large thresher before he bit through my 40 pound fluorocarbon. If we were actually fishing for threshers, we would need to put some wire on to land the bigger ones.

Around 2:30 pm the tide went slack and we called it a day. A quick run into the harbor then clean up time. The boat clean-up went quickly with 3 to do the work. I drove Wayne back over to get his car at Dana Point Jet Ski and Kayak Center. We kept that big mackerel and our leftover bait for hoop netting when lobster season opens. We put the bait and the leftover chum bucket in Tim's freezer until he fills it with his catch from Alaska next month. Anyone got an extra freezer they don't mind me keeping bait in?

Thanks again Jack for your generosity!  It was a great day on the water.