Rail Time Blues!

The entire fleet was catching quality bluefin tuna in U.S. waters and we were excited to try our luck at catching a few.  Jeff Chuang had organized a charter on the Rail Time out of Peter's Landing in Huntington Harbor.  I was fortunate to receive an invite to join Jeff, his brother Steve, Tom Carlisle, Miguel and Mark. 

Prior to our September 8th departure, the reports kept coming in regarding the size of the fish and what they wanted to eat.  Reports of Flatfalls, sardines, mackerel then squid enticed them to bite.  The longer the bite continued, hook sizes went down as did the line size.  I revised my rod/reel combos 3 different times in the week before the trip.  Eventually I had setups from 30# to 100#; hook sizes from #2 to #8/0 and a variety of torpedo and sliding sinkers.

The Excel's report for Wednesday was good with their catch of 34 bluefin in the 75 to 90 pound range.  They had fish bite the kite, sardines, squid and PL68 jigs.  Other boats in the fleet had success too even though there were over 100 boats fishing the same school of tuna.

We boarded at 6:45 p.m. Thursday evening.  Captain Gary Adams gave us the safety speech and told us what we needed to have ready for the morning.  "50# test fluorocarbon with a 6 ounce torpedo sinker rubberbanded 15 feet up the line from the hook."  Gary told us to drop down 120 pulls (about 16 inches a pull) and put it in the rod holder.  He said to also have a glow in the dark, half ounce sliding sinker on 50# fluorocarbon with a #2 or #1/0 circle hook and pin on a squid.  Gary and his crew, Andy and Jake, would be making squid during the night.  Then Gary informed us that the bite had dropped off since Wednesday.  What a disappointment!

Departure from dock at 7 p.m. with a quick stop at the bait receiver.  We got our gear ready for the morning bite while the crew loaded sardines.  Then we settled into our bunks for the smooth ride to San Clemente Island. 

I awoke at 3:30 a.m. when I heard the anchor drop down.  We were at an area called Desperation Point. 

 

Desperation Point

Gary and Andy put out the squid light and scooped a full tank of squid before grey light. I dropped down my 60# outfit with a torpedo sinker and squid. I was alone at the rail until Tom got up at 5:45 a.m.  Tom went to the bow to drop down his squid sinker rig.  At 6:15 a.m. I heard Tom yell "fish on".  Gary went inside and yelled "Get up guys! We have a fish on."

Tom had hooked a really mean fish on 50# test on a single speed reel with a 5 to 1 ratio.  That fish beat him up pretty good for over an hour but he landed a beautiful 80 pounder.  Tom changed to a two speed reel and hooked another that he landed.  It was a 50 pounder.  Just as Tom landed his second fish, two of us hooked a couple of 20 pounder's.  A sea lion took the belly out of mine. Three big home guard yellowtail were landed as well. 

We continued to fish hard for another hour without hooking another fish.  Gary said to drop down to 40 pound line.  Gary was fishing 40# on a single speed reel and light rod without a gimbal when he hooked a bigger bluefin.  At first Gary thought it was the bottom then the fish moved and he handed the rod to me.  I got a few cranks and it felt like a small fish.  Then the fish realized it was hooked and the line peeled off the reel.  Then the fish just hunkered down and let his weight do the work.  I could not get a crank on the reel.  Gary showed me a way to fight the fish on the bow without using a rod belt.  I still couldn't get a crank on the fish.  I gave the rod back to Gary.  He fought it around the boat several times then handed it to Jake and Andy.  After fighting the fish over an hour, the hook pulled and we never saw the fish.  Gary was sure it was over 150 pounds.  Based on the tail beat, Tom and I believe it was a cow, a fish over 200 pounds.

And that was it!  Gary didn't see another fish on the meter before noon and none of the 30 boats around us had fish hanging so he suggested we move closer to the island and fish yellowtail and calicos.  We all agreed.

What a great decision.  Shortly after we left, the Navy kicked all of the boats out so they could conduct training operations.  Fortunately we were allowed to continue fishing even though we were closer to the island.  As soon as the anchor went down, the fish started biting.  Quality calico bass, yellowtail, and a variety pack of bonito, perch, whitefish, barracuda, sheepshead and an ugly small bluefin with deck rash.  Gary thought it was a fish that slid out a boats scuppers.  At days end, we had a nice catch of 10 yellowtail and 4 bluefin for the day.

Day 1 Catch

Andy did a great job of feeding us.  He made breakfast burritos, delicious sandwiches for lunch and BBQ New York steaks for dinner.

We had started the day on calm seas with water temperature at 68 degrees.  The wind came up after noon and by dinner it was gusting to 25 knots.   After sundown, the Navy let us back in so Gary anchored us up in Pyramid Cove for a comfortable night's sleep.

Saturday morning, Gary moved the boat back out to Desperation Point.  The squid were a no show and it was still windy.  I set out my 60# sinker/squid outfit and set it in the port corner rod holder and went inside to grab a jacket.  When I came back out, Jeff had my rod and said it got bit.  The fish had snapped the line.  By the time I got re-rigged, both Tom and Jeff were hooked up.  The sun was brightening the sky by now.

Tom and Jeff both had mean fish.  Tom got his to color just 30 seconds from gaff and he spit the hook.  Fortunately, Jeff's fish made the deck.  A beautiful 80 to 90 pounder.  I dropped down 120 pulls with a 6 ounce sinker and a short 50# fluoro top shot and got bit.  Another mean fish that took me around the boat several times.  He headed to the surface off the stern and I got a lot of line back before he headed deep to do boat-sized circles.  My fish gathered up all the lines on our boat so that it looked like a rope above my fish that was now at color.  Gary tried to cut some of the lines but it was useless so he grabbed the rope of lines and hand lined the fish to gaff!  Another 80 to 90 pound bluefin. 

Jake hooked a fish on the glow in the dark Flatfall and handed it to Jeff.  The fish took him around the bow.  As it took him back to the stern, the fish bit through the line and is swimming around out there with a heavy Flatfall in his belly. 

Gary said the fish had moved up higher so switch to your sliding sinker and 50# outfit.  There were a couple short bites but no hook-ups.  I cast out and got hooked up almost immediately.  Since Steve, Miguel and Mark had yet to hook a tuna, I asked:  "Who wants to pull on this fish?"  Miguel immediately responded:  "I do!"  He did a great job putting pressure on the fish and shortly thereafter another 80 to 90 pounder hit the deck.  By 9:30 a.m. the bite was over - no fish on the meter and none of the other boats had fish hanging. 

Gary said:  "Let's go yellowtail fishing!"  We were good with that.  At this point the wind was gusting to 30 and the seas were choppy.  Gary took us back to the yellowtail spot we had fished the day before.  We fished it for about 30 minutes when the Navy kicked everybody off the East end of the island.  Gary traveled up the front side of the island checking spot after spot trying to find biting fish.

On our travels we encountered a couple guys in a small boat waving to us.  Their battery died and while talking to Boat US, their back up battery died before they could give their position.  Gary called for them and Boat US showed up in about 30 minutes.

Andy fed us bagel sandwiches for breakfast and cheeseburgers for lunch.  He does a great job on the food.  Very tasty and well seasoned. 

We continued up the island to check out more spots until Gary found biting fish.  

Big Yellowtail Location

We had a few calicos and Steve continued to catch sheepshead - 4 in two days.  

Sheepshead Steve

We had wind against current and it was very difficult to get a bait in the right spot but when you did, it was a big yellowtail.  We all lost several fish to the rocks but a few were landed if the fish headed out to sea instead of toward the island.  Finally I got one to head out to sea and he still took me around the boat and tried to head the wrong way.  I pulled hard and got it to gaff.  Wow!  31 pounds on 30 pound line.  (I thought I had grabbed my 40# outfit.)

Tom finally got one to gaff and a big hammerhead took half the fish after it was gaffed.  It was time to call it a trip and head home.  We had managed to land 5 of these 30 plus pound yellows.

We ended the trip taking home 15 yellowtail, 7 bluefin tuna and a crate of calico bass.  We didn't have huge numbers of fish but the quality was great!

Day 2 Catch

Andy and Jan

Jeff, Jan and Miguel

We napped for the 3 hour trip home while crew filleted our fish and cleaned the boat.  

 

The Fish Filets

We were back to dock at 6 p.m. to unload our gear and catch.  We shared the filets equally.  I feel very fortunate to have been able to fish with such a great group of guys and the terrific Rail Time Captain, Gary Adams, and his crew, Andy and Jake.  Thanks guys!