Rail Time Fishing Vacation!

Six members of our angling family met up at Peter’s Landing Tuesday, August 27, 2024, to board the Rail Time for another fishing vacation.  The most important family members, Rail Time Owner/Captain Gary and Captain Andy were already on the boat and helped us load our gear and food for the trip.  Anglers on this trip included Chartermaster Jeff, Steve, Rick Uribe, Cathy, Cathy’s son, Matt, and me. 

We stowed gear and set up tackle for the next morning as we traveled to the bait receiver.  Once that was done, we had chicken wings and pizza for dinner and celebrated Cathy’s birthday with a mini cinnamon coffeecake. 

 

After loading a nice batch of sardines, we headed to Catalina Island where Gary and Andy spent an hour scooping up flying fish for the bait tank. I was able to watch them from my bunk as I fell asleep.

Gary was up early the next morning checking the bait and making the coffee before starting the engines and heading towards the Osborn bank.  Gradually a couple of us got up and had our coffee while others used the travel time to catch up on sleep.  It was a calm and peaceful ride.

Once we arrived in the general area, the search was on for a school of bluefin.  The weather was flat calm and we had glassy seas.  We traveled for quite a while before finding a school to stop on.  When we did, two live flying fish were dropped back into the school.  When the boat stopped, the helium balloon was sent out with another live flyer.  We waited for more than an hour hoping the school would come back around and bite one of our baits.  Waters were just too calm for bluefin to bite.

We repeated this scenario a few times until late afternoon when conditions started to change.  The wind came up enough to get the balloon far away from the boat and we were seeing schools of foaming bluefin around whales.  There were a couple of baits mauled but the fish didn’t get hooked.

It was late afternoon when we could see schools of bluefin blowing up all around us.  They were everywhere.  Even Gary’s friend, John, had landed a couple of fish for the day.  That was when Gary started to show his frustration.  He said that when we stop on the next school of fish we are going to drop back two live flyers and put flyers under two balloons plus drop down a dead flyer on a sinker rig”.   

It was 6:30 when we hit the next school of fish.  Time was running out.  Fortunately, Cathy got bit as she was dropping her live flyer back into the school.  I was managing one of the balloons when I saw a blow out and the balloon going down.  I started winding like crazy until I felt the fish come tight on the line and it started running.  This is when I’m happiest – siting back in my harness strapped to a big tuna.  

Cathy's fish was really squirrelly and took several laps around the boat.  Gary got concerned when it kept trying to come together with my fish on the bow.  Gary told Jeff  (acting deckhand in place of Jake) to take her her fish to the stern and finish it off.  Jeff said he clamped down the drag with the fish at color and the rod lifted him off the deck during one of the circles and probably would have taken him for a swim had it really put its head down.  Cathy's fish hit the deck first and it looked to be around 170 to 180 pounds.  I landed mine not too long after that.  My fish was reasonably calm at color and didn’t make any wild runs or actions.  When it hit the deck, it was about the same length as Cathy’s but fatter and rolling back and forth on the deck.   I was surprised when it taped out at 209 pounds.

 

It was already dark and we were still taking photos when Jeff got bit.  His fish jumped then raced out.  Gary took the rod for a minute and said he thought it was a tuna.  Someone said they thought it was a shark.  Jeff kept pulling on the fish and eventually brought the fish to color at the bow where he released a big Mako shark.

Gary said we would spend the night at Santa Barbara Island and make squid and more flyers.  He told us to get our dropper loop outfits ready to fish yellowtail the next morning before going offshore for tuna again.  As we traveled, Andy cut the head, tail and fins off the two tuna and put them in the hold while the rest of us enjoyed a dinner of BBQ ribs, mac and cheese, beans, coleslaw and ice cream sandwiches.

I crashed in my bunk right after dinner exhausted from a wonderful day on the water and  the adrenalin from catching another big tuna finally seeping from my body.  I am truly thankful to have had the opportunity and ability to catch one more big tuna.  And special thanks goes to Gary and Andy, without whose assistance it would not have been possible.

I got up at 5 am the next morning.  Gary had already made the coffee and deployed our dropper loop outfits.   I located mine so I could grab it if it got bit then got myself some coffee.  One by one, the others wandered out to do the same.  The weather was cool, but the seas were calm.  It was quiet in the cove.  There were no screams from other boats announcing a fish had been hooked as we had experienced the previous week. 

When greylight passed through dawn to full sunup without a single bight, Gary put the engines in gear and went hunting.  After checking a couple of other areas around the island, we anchored in a cove next to a large rock.  We had nice action on whitefish but no gamefish. 

 

Andy challenged us to guess the name of the big rock on the outside of the cove.  After a few guesses, and checkmarks for wrong guesses, Sheepie found the name on Google and said “Sooteel.”  Although correct, he was rewarded with a check mark for pronunciation.  Andy said it was “subtle rock.”  I looked it up when I got home and Wikipedia listed it as Sutil Island (pronounced just as Sheepie had done).  Should Andy withdraw Sheepie’s checkmark or give Wikipedia the checkmark for not accurately reflecting local lore?

 

It was 8 am and no gamefish around so Gary said we were heading to the bluefin grounds.  Cathy and I were ready to help the other anglers, in any way we could, to catch their own tuna.  Gary drove around and around the area we fished the previous day and the fish just weren’t there.  Around 11:30 am, Gary got some intel as to where the fish had moved which was closer to Catalina Island, and we were on the move.

Once in the area, we could see schools of fish blowing out everywhere.  Gary found a nice school to set up on so he sent the live flyers out and a live flyer under the balloon.  Matt was handling one of the flylined flyers when it got bit.  I don’t know if that made Matt or Cathy happier – probably Cathy!   Matt put the screws to that fish and had it on the deck in 10 minutes.  His fish looked to be 120 to 140 pounds.  Great job Matt!

 

We kept our flyers deployed while we watched school after school of tuna blow out or race by us.  At one point a small striped marlin made its presence known by making several jumps on the horizon.  Soon after I saw a splash and the balloon going down on the rod next to me but no one around so I wound the line as fast as I could but the fish had evaded the hook.  Andy and Gary said to let it back out which I did. 

Jeff was fishing a flylined live flyer in the starboard stern around 3 in the afternoon when we saw a school of fish swimming towards us.  Jeff’s bait got bumped so he wound some line in but didn’t feel a fish on it so he let it back out.  It looked like it got bumped again so he wound in more line but didn’t feel a fish.  That’s when Andy yelled “Wind fast!  The fish is swimming at you.”  Jeff picked up the rod and wound like crazy and finally the line came tight in the port stern.  That fish drug Jeff to the bow and proceeded to beat Jeff up until Jeff got the fish to color.  That’s when the fish pulled out all it’s tricks.  The fish did big clockwise circles never giving Jeff an inch of line for at least 8 circles,  With each circle, Gary said “just one more circle.”  Jeff hung tuff and never gave an inch to the fish either.  Then the fish turned over and made four counterclockwise circles just out of gaff range then flipped again and did clockwise circles still refusing to give an inch of line.  They seemed to be at a impasse.  Jeff was pinned in the bow pulpit and couldn’t get any more leverage on the fish so he handed Gary the fish where Gary was able to get just enough leverage to lift the fish’s head so Andy could get a gaff in it. 

Jeff’s fish was mean to the end continuing to struggle to get off the gaff and resisting being drug through the stern gate.  Once on deck, we could see the fish had the hook deep inside its gut and his reversing circling directions at color had created a sawing motion on the line with its teeth, evidenced by the abrasion on the line.  The line wouldn’t have lasted much longer.   Smart fish and mean.  Jeff’s fish fought like a fish much larger than the 170 pounds it taped out at.  It must have lost 30 pounds during the fight.

And as if that wasn't enough, Jeff was so affixed as to become part of the pulpit that Andy said the fish towed the boat and got the balloon rigs out of position.

 

Gary did everything he could to get Steve and Rick a fish too.  Unfortunately, we ran out of time even though we stayed out a couple hours later than usual. Gary always goes the extra mile.

We helped Andy process the fish while we traveled since Jake was still recovering from a shoulder injury.  Cathy, Jeff and I bagged the filets after Andy fileted the fish.  Once we finished, Gary kicked the engines up for the rest of the trip back.  We made it back to dock around 7:30 pm which worked out fine because we missed the traffic that comes at the beginning of the Labor Day weekend.

The fruits of our trip are always enjoyed the days following our trip.  Friday morning after, I processed and canned the tuna belly in 8-ounce jars.  I had just enough belly meat for two cases.  These will be enjoyed in the weeks to come. 

 

Friday evening, we enjoyed the bluefin as sashimi for dinner.  Saturday, I made bluefin tuna steak au poivre with French fries for dinner.  And there will be sashimi for lunch all week long.  And I look forward to the meals and photos of the other anglers creations.

Steve's Creation

Jeff's Creation

Matt's Creation's

Steve's Creation

As always, the Rail Time delivers thanks to Gary and his crew!  Everything about Gary’s operation is top notch from the boat, bait, fish finding, and positive attitude to the family like atmosphere.  No matter whether Cathy or Jeff is our chartermaster, I always feel like I’m on a family vacation with fellow anglers.  My thanks go to everyone that makes this possible. 

Five BFT and four YT for three on the RT!

Cathy, Jim and I met up at Peter’s Landing August 20, 2024, around 5 pm.  Andy helped us load all our gear and food on the Rail Time.  We stowed our gear and put the food away.   Just the three of us for our Captain Gary and Second Captain Andy to manage.  Jake would have been with us if he hadn’t injured his shoulder. 

Gary informed us that his plan was to head straight to San Clemente Island to make flyers and squid then we would fish yellows in the morning until the wind abated then go offshore to fish bluefin tuna.  Tackle recommendations were: 40-to-60-pound dropper loop outfits to fish yellowtail and 130 pound outfits for chasing bluefin.

We set up our tackle as recommended on the way to the bait receiver, then we sat down to enjoy a pizza dinner courtesy of Cathy.  After loading a nice batch of sardines, Gary kicked up the engines and pointed the bow towards Clemente.  It was a little bumpy but not as bad as we expected with the wind forecasts we had been watching.

I hit the bunk early and slept off and on through what was a tough night for Gary and Andy.  Making flyers was very difficult.  Fewer flyers around perhaps because the sport boats learned the secret of catching bluefin by fly lining a live flyer.  After catching enough flyers, Gary went to work scooping squid which also proved difficult.  It took all night to get enough squid to fill the bow tank which meant no sleep for Gary.

When we awoke pre-dawn the next morning, we were anchored in a calm cove surrounded by boats – sport boats, squid seiners and squid light boats.  The bright lights were blinding.  It was like waking up in Sci-Fi movie.  Gary had already deployed our dropper loop outfits.  We just needed to find our own. 

 

My rod was starboard side and went off first.  The fish made a nice run out then came back towards the boat then headed to the bow.  I put the reel in low and pulled as hard as I could.  I could barely get a half crank then I'd lose two cranks of line to the fish.  Gary said let me try (which I’m always happy to do.  I fish with the attitude its us against the fish – whatever it takes.)  Gary pulled and pulled but the fish wouldn’t budge.  Gary looked at me and said, “this is a black and its at least 200 pounds!”  Gary tried to break the fish off but that just wasn’t going to happen because it was 60-pound Big Game monofilament.  We cut the line.

I’m not sure who hooked the next fish but Jim landed his beautiful yellowtail while Cathy got to pull on a black seabass.  Once she managed to get rid of her black she was rewarded with a nice yellowtail.  I hooked another yellowtail and everything was going great then it got a burst of energy and headed away from the boat and managed to wrap itself in the anchor line of John’s boat (Gary’s friend).  We had to cut the line again (good old 60 pound!)  We later learned that when John pulled his anchor, the fish was still attached and alive.  They released it because they had plenty of yellowtail on board already.  I did manage to land one yellowtail before we headed offshore that morning.

When the bite abated, we put our yellowtail gear away and got down our bluefin outfits.  We rounded the east end of the island and headed offshore searching for schools of bluefin.  We finally had time for coffee.

When Gary found the first school of fish, he had Andy rig Cathy and Jim up on boat gear with a live flyer.  He had them drop back the flyers into the school as he pulled the motors out of gear. Once the boat came to a stop, he put a live flyer and a helium balloon on my outfit and sent it out.  We sat on that school until it left us without the courtesy of a bite.  Gary found us another school and Andy set us up with the same outfits.  It wasn’t very long before Jim and Cathy were hooked up.  While they were fighting their fish, Gary set out another fly lined live flyer and it got bit.  Even though it was Gary’s rod without a gimbal, I went ahead and pulled on that fish (with substantial help from Gary.)  That rod was much too big for my hands to hold let alone stabilize so I could fight the fish.  But with Gary’s help, the fish finally hit the deck.  Jim had landed his first then Cathy landed hers just after mine.  They were all about 120 to 140 pounds each. 

 

Andy went ahead and fileted the yellowtail rather than drop the big tunas on top of them.  Next he trimmed the fins, tails and heads off the tunas and put them in the hold.  Once the fish were settled and the deck cleaned up, Gary went on the hunt for another school.  We wanted one more fish.

It wasn’t long before Gary found a nice school of big ones and Cathy and Jim sent back the live flyers.  I would have preferred to flyline a live flyer but it was too late so I was back up on the helium balloon.  Cathy and Jim hooked up again.  I was on the bow watching them fight their fish when I noticed my balloon slowly going down.  At first, I thought it was losing air but soon realized it was bit and started winding like crazy.  Finally, I hooked a fish on my gear so I could properly fight the fish.

We had three fish hooked and only two crew to help.  I found myself in my harness, hooked to a fish and all alone in the stern while Gary and Andy were helping Cathy and Jim in the bow.  Gary said let me know if you need help which I didn’t need for quite a while.  My fish took three runs straight away from the boat peeling off about 300 yards of line then just stopped moving.  I sat in my harness and just kept winding for about 15 minutes until the fish was close to the boat and straight down.  Part of that time Cathy came around with her fish so we got to pull on fish side by side for a while. Then my fish wanted to head to the bow where it would lose its life.

Jim and Cathy were able to handle their fish long enough for Gary and Andy to get a gaff in my fish, move it to the stern and pull it through the back gate.  That was a gift for me to be able to pull on a fish in my harness one more time.  I know my age is against me being able to pull on big tuna much longer if at all.

All three fish we hooked from this school were very strong and mean fish.  Cathy was being beat up by her fish which was not only strong and mean but the biggest of the three.  When she landed hers, it measured out at 207.  Mine measured out at 141 and Jim’s released fish looked a lot like Cathy’s.

 

We had all the fish we wanted to take home so we headed into the cove for a peaceful dinner and a good night’s sleep.  We feasted on BBQ Ribs, mac and cheese, beans, coleslaw and ice cream bars for dinner then settled into our bunks for some much-needed sleep. 

I awoke around midnight to the weird glow of light boats scooping squid again but managed to go back to sleep until 4 am.  It was quiet and the chaos of squidding was over for that night.  Boats around us were already fishing.  Jim and Cathy got up around daybreak and that’s when we heard the other boats hooking fish.  Gary and Andy were still enjoying their much-needed sleep when I hooked another big yellowtail.  Jim hooked up too.  Gary was still trying to wake up when he realized we were fighting fish.  Unfortunately, my fish busted my line.  Jim landed his fish and we took off to find a place with less traffic. 

Gary tried a few coves and realized the conditions had changed and the wind was coming up as predicted.  With the poor conditions and lots of fish for Andy to process, we decided to head in early.  We helped Andy by bagging the filets as he cut the fish.  We made it back to the dock by 3:30 pm and I made it home by 5 pm. 

What a great trip!  5 bluefin tuna and 4 yellowtail for three of us.  We ended up with lots of fish filets for everyone including Andy's town of Winchester.  A huge thanks to Gary and Andy.  There were only three of us but I’m sure we were a handful to take care of.  You couldn’t find better captains to take you fishing.

Thanks again Cathy for arranging this trip and for being such a good friend.