Rail Time Seabass

Jeff Chuang chartered the 6-Pack boat "Rail Time" for a white seabass adventure.  He invited Al Scow, Jim and Tom Carlisle, Steve and me to share the adventure with him.  The trip was originally scheduled to leave Monday night, but due to the weather it was rescheduled and we departed at 6 pm Tuesday night.  

Our first stop was the bait receiver for a tank of sardines and mackerel.  

Next stop, west end of Catalina Island to make squid.  We dozed in our bunks while the crew worked hard netting enough squid for the next day's fishing.  Weather was still windy so our Captain and Rail Time owner, Gary Adams, decided to rest in the lee of the east end of the island until morning to make the crossing to San Clemente Island.  This also gave his crew, Jacob and Andy, some nap time.

We traveled inside the island all the way to the east end and around to the back side to start our seabass search. 

Captain Adams advised using 40 pound mono, a half ounce sliding sinker and a short piece of fluorocarbon using a thin wired 5/0 hook.  We fished that area for 30 to 40 minutes with no luck before Gary started the search down the entire inside of the island.   At each spot we stopped, we found difficult conditions - mostly wind against current.  Around noon, we reached an area close to the west end with a little better conditions that held some biting fish. 

Jeff caught a sheepshead and Al started catching big calicos.  Then the yellowtail came to play.  Everyone caught fish.  I fished the bow and managed several calicos (all released), a bonito and 4 or 5 yellowtail.  The weather was still a factor gusting to 20 at times which was a bit more than predicted.  Gary asked us if we wanted to finish the trip here or make the crossing to Catalina to break up the trip home and search for seabass.  We elected to go to Catalina.

We arrived at the island around 3 pm.  We dropped down to our 25 or 30 pound outfits and it only took a few minutes before the seabass showed up.  By 3:30 it was all over except the celebrating.  Everyone caught their one legal seabass and we even had to release a couple.  These were not the barely legal sized fish either - they were all 35 to 40 pounders.  I caught a 35 pound fish which was my new personal best.  Wow!  Gary Adams sure lived up to his reputation as a premier seabass captain.

Jacob and Andy filleted our fish on the way home.  

We were back at dock, unloaded and on the road by 6 pm heading home with full ice chests.  Everyone had 20 pounds of seabass filets plus filets from two yellowtail.  I also brought home the head and bones from my seabass to make fish fumet.  Can't wait to go again.  Thanks again Jeff for the invite.

Kayak Fishing 5-6-15

We launched at 8 a.m. with overcast skies and calm seas. Our weather was decidedly cooler than the previous week but without the winds. We loaded up on bait - sardines and mackerel. Tim said he had info on spots a couple miles down the beach so Jack and I followed his lead. Mike and Joe fished the beach.

Our water temp was 63.5 most the day and although the air was cool, it was a very nice day on the water. We peddled 45 minutes or so before we started fishing. We kept working our way south until we were over 4 miles south.

Without a single bite, Jack and I started working our way back towards the pipeline. Jack managed to hook one mackerel for the day. He was luckier than me.

Around 1:30 p.m. we headed back to dock. I had traveled 10.8 miles for the day. Shortly after we arrived, Tim came in with a 5.5 lb. calico bass he said he caught just before heading in. Lucky guy again!

Kayak Fishing 4-29-15

Kayakers gathered in the parking lot of Dana Point Jet Ski and Kayak Center beginning at 7 a.m. Wednesday.  Wednesday Kayak Fishing is on the calendar now as a weekly event.  Jim Carlisle beat me there this week.  Shortly after I arrived, Wayne showed up followed by Jack, Mike, Tim Boyer and a couple new guys. The sun was already warming the air and the winds were quiet.

We loaded up the kayaks with bait tanks, fish finders, tackle, put on our PFD's and launched the kayaks.  Jim's kayak broke a pin holding his rudder to the kayak.  Tim said a spare resides inside the back hatch.  Once they changed that out, we were on our way to the bait receiver.  $12 for a tank full of healthy sardines and we were off.

We checked out the beach then headed to the pipe.

A light breeze and current had me drifting at about 2 MPH.  I had a small halibut on for maybe 30 seconds before I brought up a raked sardine.  Jim hooked into a fish that drug him around until he got it to the surface.  It was a beautiful 4 foot leopard shark.  Mike went over to help Jim release it.

After an hour or so fishing the pipeline, I moved out to 80 feet of water.   The pipeline is around 35 feet deep.  That was a dead zone too.  I saw Jack heading back towards the pipeline and decided to follow.  Before I got there, the wind came up quickly and by noon it was really blowing so I headed towards the harbor.  I noticed Jim was heading there from outside and Jack had headed that way too.  It was slow going as the wind created a moderate chop to the water.  The chop managed to splash water into my kayak and drench my butt again.  Until then, I was nice and dry. 

By 1:30 we were all back in the harbor.  One by one we pulled our kayaks out of the water and cleaned them up.  I put mine back on the shelf and packed up my tackle in my truck.  A quick check of my fish finder revealed that I had traveled 6 miles and spent 5 hours on the water.  Great exercise even when the fish don't bite.