Bluefin Season Finale!

Cathy Needleman hosted our fishing season finale on the Rail Time commencing at 6 pm October 18, 2022.  Guest anglers included Jeff Chuang, Jim Carlisle, Brandon Hayward and his 8-year-old son, Finn, plus Cathy and me.  Captain/Owner Gary Adams at the helm with Jake as second.

 

Once we were all on board with our tackle and food put away, we departed.  First stop was the bait receiver.  Gary and Jake loaded us up with some beautiful sardines.  Next, we headed to Catalina to look for some live flying fish.  By the time we got to Catalina, I was asleep and missed watching Jake scoop 20 plus flying fish.  They went in the bait tanks along with the sardines. 

We traveled all night arriving at Tanner Bank around 3:45 am.  I was up and ready to fish whenever a school of fish was found.  There were numerous boats in the area all spread out. When Gary found a school of fish, he let us know what depth he was metering the fish then we would drop our knife jigs down to that depth and fast wind it back.

Before the trip, I ordered a 300-gram Jiggerz Knife Jig, zebra colored.  It was the same type of jig I had borrowed from Fumio on my last trip.  I caught two bluefin on his jig before I returned it to him.  The jig costs $42.99 before tax and shipping.  After paying a premium to get the jig to me before this trip, the jig cost $60.  I only ordered one!

 

On the second or third school of fish we shut down on, I dropped the jig down and, on the wind up, I got bit.  It was a wild fish that swam straight under the boat breaking the spectra causing me to lose the jig along with 200 feet of spectra.  I was angry – not about losing the fish but about losing the jig.  It was the only one I had like that.  Should have bought two!

I heard Gary say, OK, here’s my one drop of the jig and he headed to the bow.  Next, I hear Gary calling Jim to take his fish and land it which he did.  A nice 60 pounder.

We fished right through sunrise then Gary said it’s time to switch over to bait.  We put out a couple flylined live flyers plus one on the helium balloon.  The rest of us fished dropshot sinker sardine rigs.

One of the live flyers got bit and Brandon helped Finn fight his fish.  Sadly, the fish spit the hook at color.  It was a tough lesson for an 8-year-old to learn but one all fishermen learn eventually.

Brandon grabbed one of Cathy’s rods and put on a sardine and dropped it down.  I was alone in the back when his reel started screaming as a fish peeled line off the reel.  I alerted the boat when I yelled “Hook Up!”  Brandon and Finn went to work again.  This fish was a bigger and meaner fish than their previous one.  Unfortunately, this fish had been hooked using a lightweight rod with 80 pound line on the reel.  It was a long fight, but their determination succeeded in landing a 140-pound bluefin.  The largest that Finn had fought to date.

 

My live flying fish got bit next.  I was using my Penn 50 SW with 130-pound fluorocarbon.  That fish took me around the boat at least 15 times before it settled down enough to get him to circle up within gaff range.  Jake stayed with me the entire fight helping me in and out of my harness.  Without Jake’s help, that fish would still be swimming, or I would be overboard being towed by the fish!  Thanks Jake.

 

The weather was quite warm, and the seas were flat calm.  It was a perfect day on the water.  We were in a plunker bite – hooking a fish here and there until Jim, Cathy and Jeff all caught a bluefin on a live flyer. 

 

We fished right through sundown hoping to catch something in the dark.  We switched to jigs and continued dropping the jig 300 to 400 feet deep and fast winding the jig up.  Jim, Cathy and I were setting up dinner when Jeff got bit.  It was a wild fish that Jeff saved from cutting itself off under the boat by reaching down deep with his rod until the fish surfaced racing around the stern getting close enough to be gaffed.  That fish was another beautiful 160 pounder that I was sure would be the best tasting of the day because it hadn’t had to fight much.  Jeff zip tied the tail so we could compare filets from that fish with other fish caught that day.

 

The fish quit biting, so Gary headed the boat towards Clemente for the night. We celebrated our catch of 7 bluefin tuna from 60 to 160 pounds and enjoyed our dinner of BBQ ribs, coleslaw, and rice along with some red or white wine.  Ice cream sandwiches for dessert. 

I was exhausted and fell asleep sitting in the galley.  Cathy said she thought I was dead!  She was correct:  I was dead tired.  I hit the bunk and slept, without waking, from 9 pm to 4 am.  Apparently, everyone else was exhausted as well because no one else got up before 6:45 am.

 

Day two was different.  We were chasing yellowfin tuna under porpoise schools.  Gary said to set up 25-, 30- and 40-pound outfits.  It quickly became evident, these fish were well fed and had no interest in biting our baits.  Brandon tricked one fish into biting, and he let Finn bring it in.  Finn’s fish was the only fish for the day.  We tried hooks as small at #6’s and line as light as 15# without success.  We kept dropping baits into schools of fish trying to get a bite but it was not to be.

 

Around 3, it was time to call it a trip and process fish.  Brandon drove so Gary and Jake could filet the fish.  Jeff and I bagged and sealed the filets.  Brandon kept two whole fish, so we only needed to process 6 fish.  Gary is a master at cutting and cleaning the filets. Nice and clean with no bloodlines.  We put all of Jeff’’s fish filets in four separate bags and put those bags in a white garbage bag so we could identify them at the dock. 

We returned to dock around 5 pm and unloaded our gear from the boat.  Jake brought the fish up to our cars and we split up the bags of fish.  I got one bag of Jeff’s fish as did Gary.  Jeff took two bags of his fish.  I got a bag of bellies and another two bags of fish which was enough for me and Shig.

It was a great way to end the season.  Everyone hooked and landed a big bluefin tuna; we had perfect weather; we got to watch Brandon exhibiting excellent fathering skills teaching Finn how to fish; I got to fish with good friends who are excellent anglers; and we got to fish on the Rail Time with one of the best Captains and crew around, Gary Adams and Jake.

Special thanks go to Cathy Needleman!  Cathy not only are you a special friend, but you are very kind and generous plus lots of fun to fish with. 

PS:  Jeff's fish definitely tasted better than the other fish.  It was delicious.