Rail Time Blues!

Excitement was running high as we prepared for our two day trip aboard the Rail Time,  The plan was to chase the big bluefin tuna hanging out behind San Clemente Island.  Several catches of fish over 300 pounds had been reported plus I had landed a 346 pound bluefin the week before. 

Jeff's charter included Jim Carlisle, Steve Chuang, Cathy Needleman, Fumio Ogashi and me.  We met up at the Fish Camp for dinner Tuesday evening at 4:30 pm then made the one block drive to Peter's Landing to board the Rail Time.  Christian met us in the parking lot and introduced himself as the crew member replacing Andy for this trip.  He would be working with Jake.  Normally Christian runs his own 4 pack charter operation on his boat the Lex Sea.

We transferred our tackle etc. to the boat and we were off.  I popped a bottle of Dom Perignon so I could thank Cathy for sending me on a trip of a lifetime the previous week.  That trip gave me the opportunity to catch my first 300 pound tuna.  We also toasted Cathy for her 278 pound swordfish she landed the previous week.  Thanks again Needles and congratulations on your swordfish!

Gary Adams, Rail Time owner and captain, informed us we were going to Catalina to catch flying fish before heading to San Clemente Island.  I was tired so I went to bed at 7:30 pm and slept right through crew making flyers.  Around 2 am, I heard the engines start up and continue on to Clemente.  I got up at 3 am to get ready to fish.  Gary searched for a school of bluefin beginning around 4 am, however, it took a while to find a school so we didn't actually begin fishing until 6:30 am.

It was a beautiful day - too beautiful because there wasn't enough wind to fly the kite.   Crew put out live flyers on two helium balloons for Jeff and Jim.  The rest of us had either a sinker rig with a mackerel or a flylined flyer, I had the flylined live flyer on a 12 foot 150# fluorocarbon leader. 

The fish just were not in a biting mode.  Late morning I was falling asleep and went to get a cup of coffee.  Standing in the salon I remarked that I either needed a cup of coffee or to pull on a fish to wake up.  Just as I said it I saw a boil way out.  I rushed on deck just in time to see my rod bend sitting in the rod holder.  I raced over and began winding fast until the fish started pulling line then took it out of the rod holder.

The fish took me around the boat a couple times until the fight ended on the bow with a couple gaffs to its head.  It wasn't a big fish by recent standards but I was happy with a fat little 120 pounder.  

We all agreed I had on the lucky Hawaiian shirt. Cathy had gifted us with Hawaiian shirts because a couple of us commented how pretty her shirts were on our previous trip.  Everyone quickly put their shirts on to change their luck. 

We had one other blow out on the kite that didn't stick then the fish became scarce.  Gary got some intel that there were fish on the Condom Bank so we headed there.

I brought some of my big bluefin from the week before to share.  Steve cut some up for a snack.

Once we got to the bank, Gary said he saw a much better sign of fish there than back at the island.  We set up on school after school but they proved to have lock jaw too.  Just after sundown, we headed back to the island for crew to make some squid and catch flyers.  Christian fed us lasagna, salad and garlic bread for dinner.  We shared a couple bottles of red wine then called it a day.

Thursday I got up at 3 am.  Gary found Kenny's boat in the cove and passed some live squid over to him in exchange for some live flyers.  We headed out to the fishing grounds.  Instead of going back out to the Condom Bank, Gary decided to stay at Clemente.  He said there was a better sign of fish than the previous day plus it would be a shorter drive home.

We fished hard but the fish still were uncooperative.  We tried mackerel flylined and on a sinker rig, squid flylined or on a sinker rig, 60 and 40 pound line. Gary even chased porpoise schools and had us drop bait back until Jeff connected with a nice 100 pounder on 40 pound.  We claimed it was because he had the lucky Hawaiian shirt on.  His shirt had a different pattern than the rest of us.

Steve cut up some more bluefin sashimi for us to snack on.  Plus he had a special treat for us - calamari sashimi.  Yes, it was straight out of the bait tank.  It was delicious, however, Captain and crew of the Rail Time will never know.  They refused to try it.

We kept "running and gunning" until Jeff caught another 100 pounder.  Jeff was using MaxQuatro green spectra (smaller diameter), 40 pound Premier fluoro with his hook hidden in a squid. 

Gary decided to finish off the trip chasing yellowfin tuna under porpoise schools closer to Catalina Island.  Unfortunately, the yellowfin had lock jaw as well.

Jake and Christian filleted our tuna and cleaned up the boat while traveling back to dock.  We arrived around 6:00 pm.  Crew helped us load our gear in our vehicles then brought the fish fillets out.  Each garbage bag contained one loin.  There were two loins per person plus the bellies and collars.  I just took the two loins as I still have plenty of belly from my big fish.  I shared mine with Shig.

It was a tuff trip as 4 of our 6 passengers never pulled on a fish, however, they were happy to take fish home.  We always share our catch equally.  It makes for a great fishing team.

Thanks goes to Gary who tirelessly and cheerfully worked the schools of fish and spent sleepless nights catching bait along with assistance from Jake and Christian.  A huge thank you to Jeff who organized this trip and allowed me to be a part of this fun team.