Fishing Trip of a Lifetime!

Early Friday morning, my friend Cathy Needleman (Needles) sent me a text asking what I was doing the next week.  She wanted me to take her place on a four day trip on the Constitution because she needed to handle some issues with her aging parents.  The trip was leaving in two days.  I cancelled or rescheduled some appointments and started packing.

Sunday evening I met Eric Nyquist, the Chartermaster, at H and M Landing where the Constitution resides.  The landing was quite busy with excited anglers dreaming about their future catch.  The excitement was contagious.  As it turned out, the Chartermaster was the only other passenger on this 75' Sportfishing Vessel and Eric turned out to be a wonderful Chartermaster as well as a delightful person to fish with.

Around 9:30 pm, Captain Keith Denette and crew (Sean, Chase and Daniel) loaded our gear and let us know we were heading south to fish the smaller yellowfin tuna first then move out to the bluefin grounds on the back side of San Clemente Island.  He suggested that we set up a 20 pound outfit with a number 4 hook for fishing the smaller yellowfin. 

I set up my Penn Fathom 15LD2 with 20 pound Berkley ProSpec Fluorocarbon and a Mustad #2 92677 hook.  I also set up the rest of my outfits with ProSpec which included two more Penn Fathom reels with 25# and 30# to fish the smaller tuna.  I also set up my big gear in anticipation of fishing bluefin.  I put a 200# Berkley Fluorocarbon leader on my Penn 50SW, 100# on my Penn 20VSX, 60# on my 12VSX and 40# on my Penn 12T.

  

My Penn Rod Set Up

I awoke early Monday and set up my gear for fishing.  We were just outside the Coronado Islands.  There were many boats in the area.  At the break of dawn, Keith started looking for a school of yellowfin.  Chase was making Chilaquilas for breakfast. They were quite good. Normally Chase is running the boat but decided to cook for us and give the regular cook a trip off.  Chase turned out to be a very good cook.

We barely finished breakfast when Captain Keith found a school and said to get ready.  Daniel started chumming. I picked out a lively sardine and cast it out and was bit.  Eric was bit right away too.  It didn't take long until the first yellowfin hit the deck and then the next. 

These fish got very picky.  They wanted a very lively sardine that was away from the boat and you had to have the smallest hook you could find.  The sardines were quite adept at getting back to the boat before you could put your reel in gear.  When you did hook them, the trick was to manage to get the tuna to the boat without pulling the hook.  The small hooks just don't catch enough meat to hold.  Regardless, we (including crew) put 39 yellowfin tuna on the boat by 9:30 am. 

Keith drove around looking for another biting school until noon when he decided to bust a move out to San Clemente Island.  The plan was to fish the big tuna for two days then return to fish the smaller stuff.  Leaving early would allow the crew to get to the island early enough to make some live flyers.  I used the time to put leaders on my gear.  Then I got out my scale and set my drags at 27 pounds one finger back from strike.  I spent the rest the day playing solitaire.

Chase made us a wonderful salmon dinner from the salmon that I brought on board.  Eric and I dined, drank wine and reminisced about the great fishing we had just shared.

Tuesday morning I got up at 3 am again.  Sean put the coffee on at 4 am.  I put on sunscreen, finger tape and a hand towel then sat down for a cup of coffee in my new insulated coffee cup.  When we boarded the boat, we were given our own "Constitution" coffee cups that fit the galley cup holders perfectly.

Around 6 am we arrived at the backside of San Clemente Island.

Keith found a school and shut the boat down.  Crew put Eric out on the kite then they were putting me out on the balloon on boat gear when I asked them to use my Penn 50SW because the boat only has rail rods with reels that do not have lugs - therefore I couldn't use my harness. 

Keith cut the treble hook off my leader first as he prefers the single J hook.   He pulled 6 fathoms of line off my reel and put a rubber band on the line.  Then he tied a couple feet of Dacron around the helium balloon and tied the other end of Dacron to the rubber band.  They pulled a live flyer out of the tank and put the J hook in his back and told me to let the line out.  Once I got about as far out as the kite bait was, Keith said to put it in gear but to keep the drag way back from strike - probably in the 15 pound range.  He said we can bump it up later but he prefers to keep the drag light.

Keith and I were chatting a couple minutes when a tuna exploded on my flyer and the balloon busted off heading into the sky.  My line came tight and I set the hook very hard 4 or 5 times then hung on.  The fish made a long run peeling line off my reel then turned and started coming towards me slowly.  I got in my harness and started fighting the fish and got it to the boat pretty quickly.  It felt like a smaller tuna.  It took another run but still didn't seem very big - more like a 100 pounder.  Keith tapped my drag up an eighth of an inch and I kept working on the fish. 

Thirty-five minutes after hooking the fish, it popped up to gaff head first.  Three gaffs went in and I heard Chase say "That's got to be a 350 pounder!"  I looked over the rail and just said "Holy S**t!"  That's the biggest fish I've ever seen but just couldn't believe it would be over 300 pounds.  I have been fishing for a 300 pound tuna for 25 years and decided that was one bucket list item that would remain on the list forever.

The crew opened the gate and pulled the fish in.  It was so fat it rolled on the deck.  Keith measured the fish - 82.5 inches fork length, 58 inches girth.  I still didn't know if the fish would make the 300 pound mark.  Keith ran the numbers (58 x 58) x 82.5 divided by 800.  When he said 346 pounds I couldn't believe my ears.  You can't imagine how emotional that was for me.  Totally unbelievable. My dream had come true.

346 Pound Bluefin

Eric had hooked up on the kite while I was pulling on my fish.  He landed his shortly after mine.  It weighed 275.  His previous best was 274.  His fish looked small next to mine.

The wind came up and was too strong to fly the helium balloon.  It was an hour or so until the kite got bit and they handed it to me and I said to give it to Eric because it was a rail rod.  Seventy minutes later the fish hit the deck weighing in at 336 pounds.  It was hooked in the corner of the mouth. Wow!  Now we both had fish over 300 pounds.  After that, the fish moved or went down and that was it for the day but what a day it had been.

336 Pound Bluefin

We moved into the island early for dinner and to catch flyers.  It was great fun.  I was up top with a spot light and it was my job to shine it on flyers and guide them into the boat where crew could scoop them.  We managed 25 or so flying fish before the sea lions chased them out.

Wednesday morning I was up early again.  Sean was up bagging the flyers that died during the night - 13 of them.  Around 4 am, we moved back out to the fishing grounds.  We started fishing around 6 am.  Although the bigger fish were absent, there were smaller fish around and they were biting.  It was windy so we could only use the kite.  Every fish caught was a kite fish.  Eric caught four - a 260, 190, 120 and 120 pounds.  I caught six - a 205, 190, 140, 120, 120 and 110.  Three of my fish were hooked on a rail rod.  Much harder for me to land fish using the rail rather than my harness plus these fish were all hooked in the corner of the mouth.

205 Pound Bluefin Tuna

I have to say I learned to get in and out of my harness and to get around the boat by myself on this trip - I had to.  Only 4 crew and when both of us were hooked up and a person manning the kite, another person running the boat that just left two to help us.  It was necessary for me to take care of myself.

The fish quit biting in the afternoon so we moved to another area to fish for rockfish.  I set up a two hook gagnion with Kenji flies. We baited up with sardines and dropped down in 475 feet of water. We made half a dozen drops.  I caught two big reds, a nice cowcod (released) and a starry.  Eric caught a red and starry too.

We went into the island for dinner and to make flyers again.  While we were having dinner, we got a message that Cathy had been fishing with Brandon Hayward and landed a 278 pound swordfish.  Congratulations Cathy!!!  I can't wait to hear the details of the battle.

 

Cathy Needleman's 278# Swordfish

Making flyers was a long and not too successful job.  Crew managed a dozen or so which would be enough for the next day since we could only fish until 9 am.  After making flyers, the crew stayed up and filleted fish.  They worked until around 2 am.

Thursday morning was the same routine, however, conditions had changed.  We had a couple blowouts on baits but no hook ups.  At 9 am it was time to call it a trip.  Before leaving, we transferred our flyers to Keith's son, Hunter, who runs the Poseidon (Keith's other boat).

On the way back, Chase served us some sashimi for a late lunch.  

Crew cleaned up the boat on the way back to dock. Crew also finished processing our fish.  It was a 7 hour trip.   Keith had asked us how much fish we wanted to take home.  I said I wanted my big bluefin tuna plus another 200 pounds of bluefiin and 4 yellowfin tuna for canning.  Crew had all our fish ready when we arrived back to the landing at 5:40 pm.  I am very happy with all the fish I took home, however, it was the most expensive fillet bill I've ever had.  At $1.50 per pound it came to $1,044.

Shig and Yuko met me at the boat to pick up fish. (Shig taught me to fish when I first began fishing in the 90's).  Crew helped me transfer my gear and fish to my truck.  I can't say enough about how good the crew is.  It was like fishing with friends.

Friday was spent canning yellowfin tuna and sharing bluefin tuna with fishing friends.  Dinner was wonderful.  That's when we tasted the fattiest fish I have ever eaten.  It was so rich that we could only eat a small amount.  It was so fatty that when I tried to clean the sushi knife, water just beaded up and ran off the knife.  What a rare treat.

I cannot thank Cathy enough for thinking of me to replace her on this trip.  I also thank Charter Master Eric for his companionship and allowing me to join his charter.  A huge thanks to Keith for putting us on the fish and to the terrific crew/team (Chase, Sean and Daniel) helping him run the boat.  I will never forget this phenomenal experience!

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