2015: Trip #4 on the Thunderbird (2 Day)

7-30/15 - 8/1/15

Download the PDF here.

Dana Wharf Rod and Reel Club

Trip Report

Thunderbird - July 31st and August 1st

Anglers:

Ron Shrout

Ryan Burson

Luke Burson

Brian Wynne

Dave Moritz

Hayden Claisse

Roy Patterson

Jeff Hinrichs

Tom Hill

Ron Rudrud

John Wilson

Gary Thompson

Bill Parks

Ron Henry

Bob Wheeler

Christopher Castillo (guest)

Captain and Crew:

Captain Jeff Markland

Captain Mike Thompson

Captain Bob Melville

Goofy, Cook

Ricardo, Deckhand

Brian, Deckhand

As everyone started to assemble in the Davey’s Locker side parking area the anticipation for the trip was high. Some members just returned from a 2 ½ dayer in San Diego where they had excellent YFT fishing. That was on Monday and Tuesday. Since then, some boats got into the bigger BFT and those going were prepared, most had 50# outfits, some also had 60# and 80# bait outfits as well. To add to the pre-board excitement Bill, Luke and Roy brought raw YT and YFT sashimi for all to enjoy with a concealed bottle or many of beer. Moving to Davey’s has some benefits.

The Thunderbird returned at 6:30 PM from their overnight trip but need to fuel, wash and load galley supplies. When they were done we all boarded. First stop was just outside the harbor to fish for mackerel. The bait fishing was easy, and we quickly loaded a few hundred prime size greenback and some smaller Spanish macks. Anticipation was again high as those baits looked perfect for the larger BFT. A few of us also dreamed of pitching the big macks and Spanish into skinny water to try and unseat Ryan from the leaderboard spot for calicos. Alas, that was not to be.

Next stop was to meet the Pamela Rose off Huntington Beach for our supply of sardines. The bait in the receiver was poor so we went to get fresh bait right out of the nets. Little did we know that the bait was already stressed and would not fare so well the next day. Finding one with scales was a challenge.

All went to bed with thoughts of big fish. Some went to bed with a buzz on from those concealed bottles of beer!

We did not travel far as the plan was to start in the close area and then work our way south to the area the SD boats had been fishing. When we got up and started fishing, Bob said he ran into colder water and he turned around – we started in the vicinity of the 209 spot about 25 NM off the east end of Catalina. We fished that area most of the day, working our way northwest toward Catalina. Part of the day we were in sight of Avalon off the slide (the big quarry near the east end of the island).

Now is as good as time as any to share that this trip did not have a scribe. A volunteer was requested but no one stepped forward. What follows are only the highlights because your President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary were all busy fishing and no one took notes. The details before the fishing started are easy to remember but once it was game-on the focus was on picking a good bait, casting it to the right spot, helping the bait to swim, getting a bite, fighting the fish to gaff and then doing it all over again. We collectively only remember some of the trip highlights:

Day 1

First fish boated about 7:30 AM.
Big fish for the morning was a ~50# tuna by Ron Shrout, no one knows for sure if it was a BF or YF (you would think we would know by now)
One good stop for a good number of tuna, then many stops for just a few fish.
Mid-morning three bigger models were hooked by Roy Patterson, Brian Wynne and Luke Burson
Roy’s fish

Roy fought his fish for an hour plus, many trips around the boat – Goofy said 7 laps; Roy lost count at 4, or was it 5?
Seriously under-gunned tackle, Trinidad 20 (6.2:1 ratio), 30# line and Calstar 700M
Fish had Roy at a stalemate at the end, and he was whipped
At deep color Goofy, who had been at Roy’s side throughout the fight, suggested to Roy that it mightbest if he let Jeff pull on the fish for a while (Roy was beat and landing the fish was in jeopardy)
Roy passed the rod to Jeff, and about 10 minutes later Jeff’s young and fresh arms had the fish to gaff
~90 Bluefin Tuna (per the tape) and a Personal Best BFT for Roy

Brian’s fish

Brian fought his fish for over an hour, less trips around the boat, the fish settled in deep
Right tackle, Talica 10 2-speed, 40# line and Calstar 700H
A very stubborn fish, stayed deep while Brian applied maximum drag pressure
Fish was finally almost ready to gaff, one circle away but too deep to try….and the hook pulled
The fish looked to be the same size as Roy’s….a true heartbreaker

Luke’s fish

It was hooked about 45 minutes after Roy’s and Brian’s fish were hooked
Also under-gunned tackle, Talica 8 2-speed (this was right), 30# line and Calstar 800L (this was way not right)
The fish acted different that the two BFT, still hard to lift but no long runs
At deep color it was determined to be a YFT
On the last large circle Luke told the crew “this time” and they successfully gaffed the fish right next to the boat, Luke called it a “do or die” shot
~60# Yellowfin Tuna (per the tape)

More tuna were caught including some nice Dorado
Jeff Hinrich had a big day with 8 fish – what the hell happened to him; he got real good!
Gary Thompson also had an 8 fish day
Total for the day was 73 YF, 1 BF and 3 Dorado
Roy’s fish was the largest but due to crew assistance the JP and Patch went to Luke
Thunderbird was high boat for the fleet including the SD boats!!!!!

We then did something we have never done before; we went back to Newport for more bait, more ice and another cooler. We also ate dinner in the harbor tied up to the dock, which was great idea. Dinner was outstanding, catered Mexican food where we built our own soft tacos with carne asada and chicken. It was really, really good and was followed with Goofy’s brownies. Before dinner, there was fine brown and some clear adult beverages consumed and of course plenty of fine red wine was shared.

We left the harbor to again meet the bait boat but this time we took bait from their internal tanks. Luke was the only one up to witness the bait loading – the rest of the group was unconscious in their bunks. It was much better bait than the bait on day 1. We then slowly traveled to the area where we caught our fish on day 1. We arrived about 3 AM and the Captains drove for hours looking for a meter mark in the dark. None were found. At daylight we started fishing but it was obvious that this was to be as different day.

Day 2

The bait was much better but finding the fish was tough
No big fish but a few YFT pushing ~30#
More Dorado, some around 15#s
More boats in the area, some wanted to fish real close to us while we drifted
We worked our way up towards Avalon, then west of Catalina and then to the 267 fathom spot outside Dana Point where fish had been reported but without success
Total for the day was 14 YF and 4 Dorado
JP and Patch again went to Luke with ~30 YFT (We’ll forgive Luke for taking the JP both days as a retirement celebration, but if he does it again, someone might just knick his line!)
We headed to Newport a little early and docked at 6:30 PM; on the way in a few witnessed a humpback whale breach – pretty special!

Some observations:

16 is the right number of anglers based on what our members bring although it is tight for tackle and rod storage.
Members are advised to take smaller tackle boxes and fewer rods.
Jeff Markland is a hardworking, talented skipper – he communicates very effectively.
His crew is exceptional.
Goofy is “goofy” but adds a fun dimension to the trip….and his food is fine.
Having Mike on the boat is a real plus. It is like an extra Captain and deckhand. He let Jeff run the trip and make the decisions but was there for advice.
The fish cleaning regulations is a change for all, we were day 1 of the new regs. It will take some time for all of us to get it figured out.For those who don’t know, they have to package the filets, belly (including the anal vent and fin) and collar together in a single bag or tied together in multiple bags.Makes for a lot of waste.
Fishing was great and everyone had a shot at a Bluefin Tuna of a lifetime.
For those of you who watch the counts, there have been a couple of handfuls of bigger tuna landed since our trip with fish approaching 200#s.Go big or stay home.

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2026: Trip 7 - Thunderbird 2 Day

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