2016: Trip #2 on the Fortune (2 Day)
TRIP TWO-REPORT
Scribe: Ron Henry (aka Fishhunter)
What: Two day trip aboard the fishing vessel Fortune
Who: Boat Crew-Bruce (the captain), Bob (the second ticket), Danny (the cook) the crew; Grant and Axel
Who else: DWRRC Members and guests: Roy Patterson, Luke Burson, Ryan Burson, Ron Shrout, Tony Beall, Gary Thompson, Rick Dyer, Mike Allen, Charlie Sanchez, Bill Parks, Dave Moritz, Ron Henry, Ron Rudrud, Bryan Upcraft, Tom Hill, Mike Trunk, Mike Trunk’s Guest Noah and Chris Ramsey Jr.
Where: 22nd Street Landing, San Pedro, CA
When: Departure: Thursday, June 9th at approximately 7:30pm, returning Saturday, June 11th at approximately 8:00pm
Destination: San Clemente Island
The offseason work on the boat looked great and the extra rod holders Bruce installed did not go without notice as all were used. I think there were still members who still had to double up. Go figure that this club would bring extra set ups.
The itinerary for this trip was that Bruce wanted to leave early, 6:00 pm.
All DWRRC members agreed to show up to accommodate the captain’s request, some even arriving early enough (including myself and car pool buddy Rick Dyer) to jump on the boat for a quick ride to the fuel dock to top off the tank. Upon our return the rest of the members jumped onboard. We were now ready. Almost.
One thing kept us from leaving on time, the cook was M.I.A. Bruce must have forgotten to tell him the departure time, or he forgot, or he got stuck in the store or possibly traffic. He was still out gathering the trip’s provisions. Six o’clock came and went as he arrived at the dock at 7:30.
The plus to the extra time allowed those that wanted to rig early get their various outfits rigged, others visited with one another and all got to listen to some good music compliments of Mike Trunk and his WIFI speaker.
After stowing the grub, lines were cast off and we were off to the bait barge where we loaded the trifecta of bait: Squid, Sardines and large Mackerel. While Bob and the crew loaded bait Bruce held court on the bow giving his well-rehearsed mandatory safety speech. Once that was out of the way the discussion turned to options for this trip.
After several options were discussed the plan was to head to LCI, North West Harbor at San Clemente, make squid to top off the tank and then off to Pyramid Cove.
Danny made some great Pepperoni and BBQ Chicken pizza on the way out. I over heard someone say it’s the best 9:00 pizza he’d ever had. Evidence to that comment was how quickly the pizza disappeared.
As it turned out the guys didn’t have to make squid as we met up with the bait boat, the Pamela Rose about 12:45 and by 1:15 we had gotten about 15 scopes. Why make it when you can get it.
We were now locked, loaded and headed to Pyramid Cove for a shot at the grey bite for White Sea Bass and Yellow Tail.
Friday morning came early as the anchor dropped about 3:15. As a handful of guys managed to roll out of their bunks, I believe Luke was the first to get a bait in the water.
We fished the cove until about 6:20 when we pulled the anchor and headed for more productive grounds without the furry knuckle heads. No sea bass for us this morning. The count when we left was sea lions four, DWRRC zero.
Danny offered breakfast for those who were ready. On the menu: bacon fried rice, eggs any style, toast and sausage or a breakfast burrito with potatoes, egg, cheese, bacon and sausage and lastly French Toast with eggs, bacon and sausage.
Mid-morning snack was a bread pudding with raspberry sauce and chocolate chips.
After a short run, Bruce set us up for drift where Gary quickly hooked up to a Yellow Tail only to lose it as it rubbed against the boat to avoid being eaten by the dogs. Tommy lands the first Yellow tail to hit the deck without being eaten.
A few more drifts resulted in some small Calicos and Blue Perch, not much else.
Now 11:30 and the count is Sea Lions seven DWRRC one.
Made a run to Boiler Rock #2, the spot that resulted in the epic stop last year aboard this very boat. Lots of small Calicos on the squid, a couple on plastics, a few Sheepshead and White Fish.
While the Calico bite started slow and resulted in a smaller grade, the bite started to turn.
Mike Trunk was the first to bring a measureable fish to the boat, the fish was 21” x 13” and he now was a marked man. Like last year the title changed hands quickly as Bryan landed a 20 ¾” x 14 ¾” bass putting the target on his back. Ron S. tried to take the title however he came up very short with his bass measuring in at 20 ¾” x 14 ½”. Other honorable mentions were Noah and Bill Parks.
Luke landed a small yellow to make the count Sea Lions seven, DWRRC two
Lunch menu consisted of your choice of a Burger served your way, a Burger with Pastrami or an Italian Sausage Sandwich with peppers and onions. All came with your choice of soup or salad.
Afternoon snack, chicken wings.
Headed up the lee side of the island where Bruce wanted to be back to North West Harbor by dark for another chance at Sea Bass.
Once there, with the hook set and waiting for dinner, Ryan managed to land a nice big Red and Charlie landed what appeared to be a nice 15# Halibut. Luke hooked into what everyone hoped was a large Yellow Tail and instead brought to the boat a large Mud Marlin. He was not the only angler to hook into the rays. No Sea Bass and no lost fish to the Sea Lions
Dinner was served: Tri Tip, soup, mashed potatoes, with carrots and green beans.
Dessert: Your choice of Carrot Cake or Chocolate Cake.
During dinner Bruce gathered all into the galley to discuss our options for Saturday. Stay at the island and look for Sea Bass, Yellow Tail and of course, Calicos or go to San Nicholas in hopes for Yellow Tail and Sea Bass. After putting it to a vote, the decision was to stay where we were.
The day’s activities were discussed and stories told while consuming the beverage of your choice, everything from water, to soda to beer or fine wine and spirits.
The crew got the squid to float and topped off the tank and filled the slammer replacing what we had used during the day’s fishing.
Saturday morning brought guys out on deck early to try the grey bite but there was no current. There was however several boats from the San Diego fleet in the same area.
Ryan did manage to land a yellow tail without the Sea Lions getting it. Tommy landed the second. I hooked up when Luke said get it in quick or lose it the dogs. No need to tell me twice, I go full drag and start cranking only to lose mine when my line broke above the knot, must have had a knick in the line.
Breakfast this morning consisted of Tri Tip hash with eggs or the traditional breakfast burrito.
Mid-morning snack was Breakfast Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar
Bruce made several moves throughout the morning resulting in small Calicos. The conditions were not in our favor. By 9:30 the wind is building out of the South East. Really? Where did this come from? It wasn’t on anyone’s weather report.
Charlie did land a small Yellow Tail, one Luke called a “Roman Polanski Yellow Tail”.
Yellow Tail count now stands at 4.1 Yellow Tail for the DWRRC and seven for the dogs
After a radio report, Bruce made a move to China Ridge to try and put us on the Yellow Tail.
We arrived at approximately 11:40 and found the wind had died down and the fish were biting….at least on the initial drift.
The first drift resulted in three Yellow Tails. Second drift resulted in nada same for the third drift.
At 1:00 Bruce makes a run out to deeper water, about 50 fathoms, to the ridge South of Desperation to put some fish in the bags.
First drift resulted in some Reds and a Grouper. Second, third and fourth drift, more of the same plus four ling cods.
With a sixty mile run back to the landing, Bruce called the trip at approximately 2:00.
While I believe a good time was had by all, and the food was excellent, it was not what most would call a spectacular trip with lots of Yellow Tail, large Calicos or even a Sea Bass being caught.
Isn’t that why they call it fishing and not catching?
The boat did manage to outperform the Sea Lions for the Yellow Tails, if only by the smallest of margins; final count DWRRC 7.1, Sea Lions 7.
Bryan Upcraft has the weight of the Calico target on his back while Ryan Burson has the Yellow Tail target on his.
Wishing all who go on the next trip, trip 2.5, flat seas and tight lines.
At the end of day one, Tommy Hill took the patch with his Yellow Tail estimated to be approximately 20#s.
Day two patch winner was Ryan with his Yellow Tail which taped out at 24 ¼” making it 27.5#s.
Big Yellow Tail so far for the 2016 season.
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Trip #2: Boat: Thunderbird 2 day Departs: Thursday July 10th Fishing: July 11th and 12th Returns: July 12th pm Thunderbird Crew: Jeff Markland- Captain Steve Raby- 2nd Captain “Scuba” Steve, “Melo” Carmelo and Jarred on deck Goofy in his usual form in the Galley As the usual suspects, newer club members and a slew of guests began gathering for the upcoming 2-day venture on board the Thunderbird on Thursday afternoon/evening, a lot of discussion occurred around where will we fish, what is our bait, are we going to fish for tuna? As I was the one as club president that is supposed to have all the answers, I had only one…I have no f**king clue! And as everyone sauntered off to dinner, I sat there thinking based on the way things are fishing and bait wise, we could be in for a long two days. When the boat arrived around 6:45, I sauntered down to the boat and sat with Jeff and discussed our “options”. There was about 75 pieces of live squid on the boat and the squid at San Clemente Island was starting to phase out. Also, the yellowtail fishing was hit or miss at best early in the cove, and then really nothing to catch the rest of the day unless the bass decided to bite on our other bait...the long disappeared but now returned anchovies. There was, and still remains, no sardines in range of the landing bait haulers. The tuna grounds were in range to do some night fishing between the days, but without sardines, daytime fishing would be a waste. And there has not been any gamefish on the outer banks either. Soooo, what to do. Jeff thought it might be a huge gamble but he did suggest a 113 mile trek to Santa Rosa Island for white sea bass and halibut which have been biting. He mentioned that the Oxnard/Ventura boats have been snagging squid during the day up there so we should be able to get more and have plenty to fish with. So with everything as it was, we rolled the dice and that was the plan. And it turned out to be one good call when it was all said and done. We loaded up and departed about 8:30pm, stopping at the bait receiver to top off the anchovies and cleared the harbor around 9:30 pm. Day 1- Arrived at Santa Rosa Island around 7:30 am, fished several areas, picking all day long at WSB and Halibut and a few large barracuda mixed in most everywhere, with a pretty good little hit late in the day. We caught plenty of daylight squid, but when dark fell after dinner, the squid nest we were sitting over decided to float, so we loaded up. That evening, the decision was made to move about 30 miles closer to home for Day 2, so it would be off to San Nicholas Island to see if a WSB could be had, and fish for more halibut. We took off around 10:30pm and headed that way. Day 1 fish count- 14 WSB, 16 Halibut, 10 Barracuda JP winner- Jim Bertella- 26.1 lb Halibut, Patch winner Craig Steinwand- 26.2 lb Halibut (was not in jackpot but Halibut larger than Jim’s) Day 2- Arrived at San Nicholas Island at 3:30am down at the sand spit area to a screaming current. Flylining a dropper loop with 8 oz of weight in 60 feet of water. Basically no WSB to be found trying several areas, but did pick up more halibut. Went south of the island later in the morning and fished the deeps for a good amount of nice reds, other rockfish and one nice ling cod. Left for home around 11:30am since we were 73 miles away. Arrived at the dock at 6:30, and as usual, everyone piled off the boat and went home. Day 2 fish count 6 Halibut, 2 Barracuda, 100 plus mixed Reds/Rockfish, 1 Ling Cod JP & Patch winner- Mike Higa- 30 lb Halibut Trip total- 14 WSB, 22 Halibut, 12 Barracuda, 100 plus mixed Reds/Rockfish, 1 Ling Cod Note- Largest WSB was Chris Lund- 24.8 lbs The weather for the entire trip was good. Temperature cool both days but very nice. Very little wind to flat calm the entire 2 days. All the WSB were decent fish in the 18-24 lb. range, and several halibut were over 20 lbs up to 30 lbs. All in all a good time had by all and a very good group of guests on this trip as well. Goofy was his usual self and apparently there was quite a lot of fun going on in the galley after dinner on Day 1, after I had gone to bed. Lots of beverages consumed as I understand it. And I also learned a squid attacked and bit a certain club member who shall remain nameless in the lip and he bled like a stuck pig! And I have a copy of the video! That’s all folks! Your Scribe- Gary Thompson
Trip #1: Boat: Thunderbird 1.5 day Departs: Thursday June 26 Fishing: June 26 - June 28 Returns: June 28, AM “Your life does not get better by chance; it gets better by change.” — Jim Rohn. Well, on trip #1 we saw many changes to our normal DWRRC routine. We had zero Burson’s in attendance, Hayden was not the first in line, hell, he was not even on the trip! Our fearless Captain Jeff was subbed in by Captain Chris and lastly….no sardines. Wow, that is a lot of change for us men to handle. How did we survive? Quite well actually. The trip started off as normal, with many getting in line and finding ways to work off the 4-6 hours before we actually boarded the Thinderbird. Oscar had coaching duties which stifled his ability to join us, but Junior took his spot and was well looked after. On the dock, we were told that BFT were not within reach and would not be pursued, we would fish for Yellow Tail, do some bass fishing and do a few passes for bottom fish. We had a plan. We pushed off around 8 PM to San Clement Island. Chris parked us at Pyramid Cove where we woke to night fishing. Some were up around 4 AM, with Said catching a shark and a White Sea Bass, we also landed 3 Yellows early, before sunrise. The big bite happened just before and thru dawn with good sized Yellowtail (#30-#35) being landed. We lost very few as we were fishing heavier gear with dropper loop and squid. Paul landed 2 nice Yellows and Jim, as usual, could not be stopped with 5-7 Yellows already in the hole. At 7:20 AM we pulled up anchor with 35 YT and 1 WSB. It was strange not having Sardines on the boat, as many veered away from the small anchovy. Chris started off to the front of the Island, with a few stops sprinkled in. We picked off some white fish, sheepshead and an occasional barracuda. Around 9 AM, on the East End, Chris pulled us tight into a nice spot for Calico fishing. Some whoppers were caught; Bill bringing in a very nice bass with “cheat code” bait, Said also landed a nice Calico with Anchovy. This was a change, certainly, that we had to work with the smaller baits and match hook, line and strategy to get bit. We continued around the Island heading East with some stops throughout the morning, stops produced an assortment of White Fish, Barracuda a few Bonita, and a sprinkling of YT. At 12:30 we had 30 Yellows and the 1 WSB. At one stop we had good bass and YT fishing but 6 sealions on us, that halted the fun. Chris tried to pawn the sealions off to some private boats and return to the spot, but we never got the groove back. Spent some time, mid-day, looking to bottom fish. Chris made of few attempts at floating past some nice spots, but struggled to hit the pass, so after a few swings through the grounds we aborted the bottom. Reds and other rock fish were caught, but nothing consequential. As Ron noted, we spent much time “rigging and re-rigging” as we moved from dropper loop, yoyo, to weighted line and lightly weighted fly line using squid and anchovy. The afternoon was a science experiment, with many trying different options to land fish. Chris brought us to Eel Point, where the Amigo caught a bunch of WSB in the early Friday morning bite. We assumed the meandering Sea Bass would come back in the evening and we would be ready. Unfortunately, none were landed and we spent most of the time hoping for action. The evening excitement was Paul’s bat ray that stirred the crowd, expecting a WSB bite. We had some dinner (Costco Special) and drank some wine, but pretty tame evening all in all….scribe crashed at 9:15…out! We finished with 42 YT and 1 WSB. All the Yellows were of good quality running between 30-38 pounds….Paul won the Jackpot and the only badge available with a #38 Yellow Tail. Congrats Paul! With all the changes on this trip, we still managed to land some nice Yellows and enjoy some time on the water. A good first trip for a 1.5 day’r!
Trip #8: Boat: Thunderbird 2 day Departs: Thursday October 3rd Fishing: October 4th, 5th Returns: October 5th pm Arriving at the dock a little later than I usually like to, the typical group as one would expect was all there. At this point I am starting to think that Hayden secretly lives at the landing, and only comes out of the shadows every couple weeks to fish with the club. It was overcast and on the cool side at the dock and I was beginning to regret only bringing shorts on the trip but figured with enough beer and maybe some stronger beverages I would find a way to stay warm throughout the trip. The fishing had either been wonderful or complete garbage the days prior, but everyone was hoping the optimistic that we would locate some hungry fish. After the standard, organized, boarding of the vessel we would call home for the next 2 days, we loaded up some great looking bait and off we went into the calm night. The plan was to head to Cherry Bank to hunt for the elusive bluefin. Our crew consisted of Carmello, Steve, and Jarid with Captains Jeff and Chris. It was my first trip without Goofy, and there was a calmness in the galley that felt very unfamiliar but also a feeling that something was missing. The forecast was absolutely wonderful with very little wind and a swell that was almost non-existent. After the guys all set their gear up, they disappeared one by one into their bunks. Day 1 - Friday Fishing began around 4am for some, with 2 bluefin being landed by Jim (81 lbs) and Ryan (87 lbs) just after 5am. Excitement was high with a couple of great grade fish coming over the rail, but we would soon lose that excitement. We continued to look for hungry schools, and look, and look…. We found several good schools swimming deep, but they would either disappear or avoid our bait like I avoid my mother-in-law. At about 1130 Captain Jeff decided it was time to take a break and drop deep for some taco meat. The rockfish grade was great with Luke pulling in the largest Salmon Grouper he had ever seen. It weighed in at 11 lbs, but I swear it looked bigger. We continued our taco quest until around 245 before resuming the look for the bluefin. We looked, and looked, and looked some more with zero success until dinner time. At this point, I figured if I wasn’t going to catch any fish I might as well catch a buzz. With a great dinner from Carmello consisting of chicken, rice, salad, the cocktails and conversations flowed into the evening until it was time to look yet again for these stupid fish. We looked, and looked, and looked some more. At some point only 4 were still standing. Jim, Cory, Ryan, and I were hanging out hoping to come across something to catch. We did our best to stay well hydrated, and that was about the only thing we were successful with late into the night. Of the 4, Ryan was the first to throw in the towel sometime around 2 or 230, I think... The remaining soldiers finally surrendered at about 315 and made our way to our bunks. Final count for the day was 2 bluefin and 52 rockfish. Day 2 – Saturday With a disappointing day 1 behind us, day 2 did not bring a change. We drove hundreds of miles looking, and looking, and looking. I think Captain Jeff was more disappointed than any of us. We sat around and ate what we could of the endless amounts of chips, which seemed to be the only snack option when people were shopping prior to the trip. On the upside, we had a great group of guys and some of the calmest seas that I have ever seen. Final count for day 2 was a big fat zero but I guess that’s the way fishing goes sometimes. We returned to a quiet dock, and disembarked with our snack size bags of rockfish, and headed home. Till next time, James Harris
Trip #7: Boat: Thunderbird 2.5 day Departs: Tuesday September 17th Fishing: September 18th, 19th Returns: September 20th am It all started on a pleasant Tuesday afternoon, Tuesday September 17th in fact. Tuesday is a fantastic day to get to the docks, because this Tuesday happened to be Taco Tuesday. Taco Tuesday is a great way to start anything of any importance, especially a fishing trip, two-dollar tacos and five-dollar margs to get things rocking while you’re still on land. This has been unscientifically proven to allow one’s sea legs to become accustomed to an imbalance of equilibrium, making for a smooth transition to the boat. We departed the dock around 8 pm with words of Tanner and Cortez slipping through the breeze and dancing upon our ears. Day 1 we arrived at Cortez bank around 5:30 am. After a night of getting rocked by large swells we awoke to a sea that was not all that happy to have us and not very willing to give up the fish. It was on the tougher side of things, but we still managed to scrape out a pretty good haul of fish. With a tally of 47 fish caught from good sized yellow tail to smaller blue fin from 20 lbs to the largest being 55 lbs caught by our Junior Angler Lucas Harris. Now, I believe, young Lucas learned a valuable life lesson on this trip, if you don’t gamble you can’t win. The next biggest fish, patch recipient, and pot was caught by Steve Sturm! Day 1 ended with a trip back to the bait barge because the bait was not great. Day 2 we arrived at Cortez bank around 5:50 am. As we were now a well-rested contingent of hardened sea slappers, everyone was extremely eager to get a line out. With rods in our hands and lines in the water, Bonita and small yellowtail began to come over the rail. After 3 hours of Bonita, El Capitan, Jeffe, decided it was time to make a move to Tanner. And this was well received. We arrived to Tanner and it began to sprinkle which was nice. At Tanner we caught yellowtail and smaller bluefin. The night bite wasn’t very bitey, El Capitan made a great effort moving multiple times to try and get us on the fish to no avail. Mr. one cast one fish, Mike Castillo caught the biggest blue fin of the day receiving the patch and pot. Light lines, small hooks and bait that was less than willing to be sacrificed in the belly of monsters make for tough fishing but it’s always great to be out on the water. Adios Brandon Lockwood
Trip #6: Boat: Thunderbird 1.5 day Departs: Thursday September 5th Fishing: September 6th Returns: September 7th am Trip 6 kicked off as it routinely does the usual suspects being at the dock, possibly before sunrise for all I know. My dad and I arrived at the dock around 2pm on Thursday with almost no traffic on the peninsula due to school being back in session. The weather at the dock was beautiful but we knew there was some wind ahead on the Tanner and Cortez Banks but that was really the only option as that’s where the fish have been basically all summer. Captain Jeff told us he wasn’t sure where we were going to start but it was going to be a bumpy ride out. After getting bait we were headed west. When we woke up, I was informed that Jeff took us to the Tanner Bank and was looking for fish. We stopped on a couple spots of fish and eventually got the anchor down and tried to get a bite going with no luck. Around 9:00 AM, we made the hour and 20-minute run to the Cortez Bank. The fishing improved once we got there but it was still a grind and we were soon anchored up in about 150 feet of water. The next 3 and a half hours were classic plunker bite fishing. Light line, small hooks and a hot bait would be rewarded with bites. There was a good mix of bluefin and yellowtail biting and the weather really improved from the ride out and was better than forecasted, but still a bit breezy. The final count for the morning was 14 Bluefin (8-15lbs), 14 Yellowtail and 4 bonito. At 1:30PM, with the bite really slowing down Jeff decided it was time to make another move towards the northwest end of Clemente; that would not only put us closer to home but get us in position for an afternoon/night bite on some better grade bluefin. With that being said most of the boat went down to get some rest. After the nap it was time to enjoy some beers in the sun on the top deck of the boat. Things got interesting when Bruce spotted bigger tuna splashing nearby. The crew jumped into action, setting up the kite and sending out flyers, while others used fly lines and sinker rigs. There were some standout moments: Hung, Bruce’s guest, landed his first bluefin on a dropshot rig with 40lb test after a tough fight and Kevin Kom quickly pulled in a solid bluefin on a 50lb fly line. Last but certainly not least, Rico worked the flyer like a pro, and at one point, we had two bait fish and two kite fish going at the same time. We had a close call when two kite fish got tangled and broke one of the fish off but when the first fish was gaffed the braid of the broken off fish was wrapped around it. Jeff and Scuba Steve jumped into action to try and save it. Jeff wrapped the braid around his shoulder and hands, and Steve spliced the line back to the rod, letting us bring in the fish. Our junior angler Lucas was pumped after the catch. This description truly doesn’t do it justice and was one of the most impressive things I’ve seen done by a crew. After the heroic save, we went a perfect 5 for 5 on 70-130 lb fish. The kite fish were caught by Mike Barton, Ron Shrout and Lucas, our junior angler. With the sun starting to set and a few hours left to fish, Jeff kept the search going while guys were having Carmelo’s pork loin and mashed potatoes in the galley. He told us we were going to have to work hard at it as the fish they had been seeing in this area was in wolf packs. The first few stops were quick as the fish that were located kept on the move. Slowly but surely, Jeff started to work away from the fleet and it paid off on the first stop. At 9PM the boat stopped on a school that was from 270’- 400’ and just as my jig got to 400’ I was able to get the first bite of the night and was able to boat it, but not before it swam off the gaff at 50 miles an hour with my reel in free spool. Shortly after that fish hit the deck, my dad was engaged in battle with a bluefin of his own and was able to make quick work of it. Micheal Harris was the next to join the party and got one on a flat fall with a little flashback to 2016 nights. They do in fact still get bit. There were a few more hooked on that stop that found eventually their freedom due to various reasons. There were a few more stops, but no bites and at midnight it was time to turn the boat back towards Newport and get some much earned rest in flat calm seas. The final count for the trip was 23 Bluefin (8 from 75-130lbs), 14 Yellowtail and 4 Bonito. Jackpot went to Kevin Kom with his fly lined 80 pound bluefin. All in all, the fishing was tough but as always this group of guys always manages to put a good score of fish together. It is always a pleasure to fish with this club and create lifetime memories. It is a highlight of my summers and look forward to it for many years to come. Tight lines, Jake Chutney
