Rail Time Tuna Fest!

We gathered at Peter’s Landing to board the Rail Time for our last charter of the year.  Chartermaster Jeff invited Cathy, Jim, Brian, Randy and me to join him.  At the last minute, Jim felt he should drop off the trip due to a slight fever and a couple water leaks remaining after having his home had been repiped.  Gary said Jake and Andy would be tied up the rest of the year bringing their owner’s new 80 foot boat up from Cabo and outfitting it for fishing.  Instead, Eric would be assisting Gary.

 

After loading gear and food, we departed around 6:30 pm heading for the bait receiver first.  Gary advised we set up our 30- and 40-pound outfits with #2 or #4 hooks to fish for school size tuna.  Cathy brought trays of BBQ chicken, ribs, tri-tip and potato salad for day two’s dinner.  Jeff brought pizza for departure night’s dinner and Brian brought tri-tip sliders to eat anytime.  Needless to say, we were loaded with good food for the trip.

 

After picking up some lively, although small, sardines, we were headed to Catalina Island to harvest some live flying fish.  I set up my gear, including the big tackle for balloon fishing, then crawled into my bunk.  I slept so well I didn’t even hear Eric and Gary scooping flyers.

When I awoke the next morning, we were past San Clemente Island on our way to Tanner Bank where the big tuna had been in previous days. I knew our location courtesy of the “Find my iPhone” app.  I usually consult iSailer for our location but I had forgotten to set it up on my new iPhone. 

I had just gotten myself a cup of coffee and some banana nut bread for breakfast when Gary came down for some coffee himself.  It was still dark and Gary said he had already metered 5 or 6 schools of fish.  As the sun came up, the seas were calm and the skies clear which made searching for tuna easier. 

It wasn’t long until Gary found the school he wanted to stop on.  He and Eric put out live flying fish on two 130-pound outfits then told me he was putting my rod out with a live flying fish under the helium balloon.  I was happy with this as that was the setup I used the last trip to catch two big bluefin:  Penn 50SW reel with 130# fluorocarbon top shot crimped to a 4X Mustad 8/8 hook.  

The first school was uncooperative, so we pulled our baits in.  My flying fish had been cut in half leaving just the head and wings.  A couple of other outfits were tangled with each other.  We set everything up again when Gary found another school.  This one was more cooperative.

Gary’s friend John was fishing close to us and had just hooked a tuna on a flylined flyer.  Gary said “Jan, jiggle your bait” John just hooked a fish.  I was in the back of the boat “jiggling my bait” and I noticed everyone else was inside or on the bow when I saw my balloon going down.  I started winding fast and my line came tight. I was on!  I left the rod in the rod holder until the fish finished its long run and I had crew around me in case something unusual happens. 

I fought this fish a little differently than is typical.  I decided not to stress out the fish in order to preserve the quality of the fish for eating so I spent most the fight just hand-lining the line back onto the reel an inch at a time.  The fish never took another long run and eventually came to gaff on the starboard bow.  We walked to the stern and my fish was pulled through the gate onto the deck.  Gary says “there’s another two.”  Meaning a 200-pound fish.  However, the measurements on the fish, estimated it’s weight at 195.8.  Big enough to have plenty of fat to be tasty.

 

While I was pulling on my fish, Jeff hooked and landed a nice bluefin estimated to be 130 to 150 pounds.  That was a good beginning.  We continued fishing in the same area until Eric made a few calls to other captains in his group and learned they had moved to another area.  Gary kicked up the engines and we headed there.  Once we arrived and set out the flyers, the action began.  Cathy, Randy and Brian hooked big tuna.  Cathy and Brian’s fish were mean and fought hard.  Brian brought his to gaff on the Starboard bow and when it saw the boat took another run.  Brian got it back in position to be gaffed and the fish spit the hook.  Gary counted it as a released fish.

Cathy fought her fish hard and got it to gaff.  Her fish was pulled through the back gate and when on deck, we all knew Cathy had succeeded in her goal to land her 30^th 200-pound tuna.  Congratulations Cathy for your perseverance which brought you success.

 

Randy finessed his fish to gaff shortly after Cathy’s fish hit the deck.  When taped, his fish hit 215 pounds a little larger than Cathy’s at 201.  By then, the sun was going down and the fish had quit biting so Gary pointed the boat towards Pyramid cove for a peaceful night’s sleep.

 On our way to the island, we enjoyed ribs, chicken, potato salad and coleslaw for dinner.  Either mango ice cream bars or ice cream sandwiches (left from our last trip) made a great dessert.  Then it was bedtime for me.

I awoke the next morning when Gary started the engines.  I was shocked to see it was 6:10 am and the day had dawned.  No one was up yet.  I’ve never been on the boat and had everyone sleep that late.  I guess we were all tired.

View from my Bunk at 6:10 am!

Gary said to get your 25- and 30-pound outfits ready because we’re going looking for fish under kelp paddies and porpoise schools.  We had a fun day chasing tuna under porpoise schools.  The outfit that worked the best was 25-pound fluorocarbon tied to a #4 mutu hook. 

Brian hooked up first and his yellowfin tuna drug him around the boat several times before it held still long enough to get a gaff in it.  Jeff and Brian landed a couple bluefin tuna and Cathy, Jeff and Randy each caught a yellowfin tuna.  Cathy’s fish was 45 pounds and Jeff’s was 48 pounds.  Tough fish for light line.

Jeff’s yellowfin was the last fish to hit the deck and by then it was 2:30 pm and time to head home.  Eric and Gary of pulled a couple fish out of the hold at a time for Eric to fillet. Once those were filleted and bagged, the bags of filets were put in the hold and more fish pulled out to fillet. With over 800 pounds of fish to fillet, Jeff and I helped.  I bagged the filets and Jeff sealed the bags.  It took almost three hours to process all the fish even with two of the fish left whole for Brian to take home.

Thanks goes to Gary again for putting us on fish and we appreciate all of Eric’s help and especially his intel on where the big fish had moved.  Thanks again to Jeff for including me on his charters.  They are my favorite fishing trips.