Rail Time BFT Frustration

Our scheduled departure of August 30 slid forward to September 1, to avoid the predicted rough seas.  We are very fortunate our Captain, Gary, is able and willing to modify trip dates to provide the best possible weather.

I arrived at Peter’s Landing early, bought a Starbucks cold Latte and watched a movie while waiting for Jeff, Steve, Jim, Fumio, John and crew to arrive.  Shortly after finishing my movie, a truck parked next to me.  At first glance, I thought it was Gary.  A closer look revealed it was Kenny Cirks.  I hadn’t seen Kenny in years.  We fished together on many Excel 16-Day trips in the past.  I asked him if he was there to take his boat out and he said “no”, Todd and I are your crew.  The next thing he said is “I hope you brought Breakfast Cookies”.  (Fortunately, I had.)  What a pleasant surprise to have both Kenny and Todd on the trip. Todd also fished those Excel trips with us.  Great guys to have assist Gary.

When Gary arrived, Kenny went to get the dock cart to help us get our tackle on the boat. In very short order, everyone else arrived.  With Kenny and the dock cart’s help, we got our gear loaded on the boat, bunks selected, food put away and started to set up tackle on the way to the bait receiver.  Nacho had some great sardines for us.  Once bait was loaded, Gary took us a short distance further to catch some mackerel for bait.  Mackerel were cooperative so we were quickly on our way to San Clemente Island to make flyers. 

Weather on shore was hot (100 degrees plus) which made for a beautiful sunset and a nice night on the water.  

We each set up a Flat Fall or Knife Jig outfit and a heavy sardine/sinker rig then sat down to enjoy some Pizza, courtesy of Fumio, before hitting the bunk.  

I was tired and slept well.  I woke up at 1:30 am and the tanks were full of flyers with 13 in each stern tank and 4 in the bow tank.  I went back to bed and slept until 4:30 am when the engines turned off and I saw Kenny setting up my sinker rig in the Port Corner.  I took over and put the fish down to 30 fathoms, where Gary said he was metering the fish.  

John was on deck next and dropped down his knife jig.  First drop and he hooked a fish.  I was excited and thought we were on our way to a spectacular day.  We let the others know there was a fish on so they got up and joined us.  John’s fish took him to the bow where it was gaffed.  It was a nice 40 pounder that had been snagged in the side.  We fished right through daybreak, without another bite.  After landing his fish, John made breakfast bagels which were delicious.  Thanks John. The rest of us tried sinker rigs, flylined flyers, and flylined sardines without success.  So began a very long, tiring day of driving from one foamer of bluefin tuna to another, dropping back live flyers, setting up the kite and balloons, watch the fish sink out, then start the process over again.

By late afternoon, it was obvious that the fish were not going to bite so Gary said to set up our dorado gear because we were going on the hunt for kelp paddies holding dorados.  Our first couple kelps were empty.  Finally, we got lucky and pulled about 30 dorado off one kelp.  Everyone landed at least 4 dorados, some caught many more.  It sure felt great to catch some fish after a morning chasing fish. 

 

Gary said to get our jigs and sinker rigs back out because we were going back to try for bluefin again.  While Gary moved the boat, Jim and I set up dinner.  Lasagna, salad and ice cream bars for dinner.  Before we could eat, Gary found a school of fish and encouraged us to give it our all.  We put down two flyer/sinker rigs and then we started jigging.  Fish were at 20 fathoms so we would drop our jigs down to that depth then wind them up fast hoping for a bite. Sheepie got two bites on a knife jig.  The first fish was never hooked and the second was on for about 15 seconds then got away.  After an hour or so without a solid bite, Gary headed into the island, and we settled down to dinner.  Gary said we would be fishing yellowtail at the island in the morning.  Before going to bed, I set up my 30-pound outfit to fish yellowtail.  I was asleep by 9 pm.

Saturday morning, I awoke at 4:30 am.  There were boat lights in the distance but dark otherwise.  The sea was flat calm and not a breath of wind.  The engines were off, and everyone was sleeping soundly.  It was eerily quiet.  I warmed my coffee in the microwave then sat down to work a jigsaw puzzle on my iPad.  5:00 am came and went, 5:30 am did the same without anyone else getting up. At 6:00 am Gary got up and started the coffee and checked the deck.  It was just beginning to get light. 

Gary said to go ahead and start fishing.  This is the spot for yellowtail; however, they usually don’t bite until 10:30.  

 

We had a screaming current and healthy, active sardines.  It took very little time for the bait to be a couple hundred feet from the boat.  This was the good part; unfortunately, massive tangles were the bad part, and I was usually in them. Around 10 am the yellowtail showed up and around 10:40 they started biting.  Everyone got bit eventually, but not everyone landed a yellowtail.  I hooked and lost three yellowtail and I hooked what I believe was a bluefin tuna.  I got it to the boat and it was straight up and down doing circles when it bit through the line.  We were just inside where boats were fishing for bluefin.  This one must have strayed from the school.  When the bite backed off, we had 15 nice yellowtail. 

Gary said it was time to try for the bluefin tuna one more time.  A quick move outside the island and we were surrounded by schools of foaming tuna.  After a couple of tries, we found a school that bit.  Jim hooked up first then John.  When they landed their fish, Jim had a yellowfin and John a bluefin.  John tried to trade with Jim because he prefers the yellowfin.  It wasn’t an issue because at days end we had a total of 2 bluefin and 5 yellowfin tuna in the hold all about the same 40 pound size.  I think I was the only one that didn’t catch either a yellowtail or a tuna. 

 

Kenny drove the boat while Gary and Todd processed our fish.  We had 30 dorado, 15 yellowtail, 2 bluefin tuna, 5 yellowfin tuna, 2 calico bass and 1 sheepshead to be processed.  It took them over 2 hours to get all the fish filleted and bagged.  Quite a spectacular catch. 

 

When we got back to dock, we unloaded our gear, split up the fish, bought ice at Mother’s Market and headed home.  Traffic was light so I made it home by 7:30 pm.  As I look back on the trip, I have great respect for Gary for making the decision to move the departure date and finding great substitute crew on a holiday weekend.  Many thanks to Kenny and Todd for helping make the trip fun and successful; plus thanks to Jeff for putting together the  charter and allowing a stumbling old lady to fish with the pros.  And thanks to my fellow anglers for the comradery.  Perhaps next trip I can earn my way into the exclusive White Fish Organization.  Yea WFO!