Pêcheuse: Rail Time May/June

Cathy Needleman assembled a great group of anglers for our second trip of the season on the Rail Time which included Fumio, Jeff, Steve, Jim and me. We had the A-Team of Andy and Jake on deck assisting our Captain Gary Adams.

Weather was going to be bumpy going out but Gary said Nacho at the bait receiver had some live squid for us. This was a big deal because crew would have had to make squid on the back side of Catalina in rough seas. Instead, Gary tucked the boat in a cove on the front side of the island until the wind came down then headed over to San Clemente Island.

It was still a bit bumpy in the morning while Gary searched for a spot to begin fishing. It was overcast and cold so we waited to get up until we heard the anchor go down. I grabbed coffee then put on sunscreen and checked my drags.

Fishing was a slow most the day however there were a few standout fish caught including a 44 pound white seabass and some very large sheepshead. Just before sundown, we had a good bite on a variety of fish ending the day with 9 white seabass, 1 yellowtail and 4 big calico bass. This doesn’t sound like much until you look at the photos.

Gary took us into Pyramid Cove where Jake and Andy filleted our catch while we had dinner. Cathy brought some delicious ribs, Jeff brought Rigatoni with chicken and mushrooms, I brought Asian coleslaw and wine. Jim provided ice cream sandwiches for dessert. I hit the bunk right after dinner

I woke up at 4:30 am when I heard the engines start up. I had been so exhausted; I had slept through the entire night without waking up. Very unusual for me on a boat.

Day two was a completely different day. The wind had died down, the clouds were gone and the sun warmed the air. It was a beautiful day.

Gary checked the spots that produced fish for us the previous day. Unfortunately, the conditions had changed and the water was green and dirty. As the day went on, we realized fishing would be slower than the previous day. We finally ended up in the only cove Gary thought would produce fish for us. As we fished, the military on the island conducted training exercises that consisted of shooting structures on the island from a couple helicopters. It was interesting to watch.

We fished 50# or 60# dropper loop rigs or 30# or 40# sliding sinker rigs. Most of my fish came on the slow retrieve of the sliding sinker rig. We had live squid for bait. I used two squid. Sometimes two live squid and sometimes 1 live and 1 fresh dead. Fishing with live squid makes a great bait because most fish love them. Fishing with live squid has its drawbacks though as the squid fight back as Fumio found out.

Although seabass were difficult to get to bite, we did manage to catch 5 for the day. The real excitement was watching Fumio catch back to back big halibuts then Jeff, following his lead, caught a big one too. We had a few big calico bass and 1 big yellowtail to round out day two’s catch.

Our expert crew (the “A Team”) did a great job filleting our fish and bagging the filets in a manner that made sharing the catch easier. Jake and Andy are the greatest and Andy’s humor keeps us laughing. It’s like having a couple of stand-up comics on board. Gary, the premier expert on seabass and island fishing, came through again. He just is the best!