2016: Trip #3 on the Fortune (2 Day)
7/7/16 - 7/9/16
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DWRRC Trip Number 3
As I looked around I kept thinking, how much better could this get? Here I was experiencing something I had never seen before. Pulling into the Fisherman’s Landing parking lot, there were so many open parking spots, I could not make up my mind where to park.
Trip 3 is the club’s first trip in 2016 out from Fisherman’s Landing on the Fortune.
As the early birds started to arrive at the landing, you could feel the anticipation in the air. Or…maybe it was just a nice day with easy parking and a pleasant breeze and the simple fact we were going fishing.
Early arrivals included; Gary T., Mike T. Luke, Roy and this scribe Brian W. Trip 3 Club members on the trip were: Ron S., Andy S., George M., Steve L., Randy B., Roy P., Luke, Mike T., Brian W., Mike Z., Jeffey H., Bryan U., Bill P., Gary T. and Chris R. Trip 3 Guests: My guest Jeff R., Mike Z’s guest Jim C. and Roy’s guest Dave.
For this scribe it was my first trip of the season, and was about two months later than normal. I felt somewhat anxious related to - do I remember how to fish for something other than fly-fishing for trout.
Prior to our arrival our president did his best to read the tea leaves to figure out the; what and where, so we could bring the appropriate equipment, and according to the charter plan, everyone was in line and ready to go by 6pm. We even had time for a group photo, before we boarded. This is something we seem to overlook on our trips more often than not. Good idea and kudos to whoever initiated it. We boarded at ~6:10 and many were prepping reels and tweaking fluorocarbon top shots.
The buzz for our trip itinerary had everyone thinking a Colinet trip and a possible move offshore for kelp paddy searching mid-day. This was consistent with Luke’s prior understanding from Bruce’s trip perspective. With everyone ready – we were going fishing.
At the bait barge at 7:20 - it was nice size sardines and even some macks mixed in for good measure. Good looking baits. Getting out of the harbor and making the southerly turn we all enjoyed some nice calm weather. Cool light wind and no significant swell. How much better can it get? The pleasant conditions just added to a positive sign that improved the morale and anticipation for the trip.
As we made our way south, Bruce had his mandatory and valuable safety moment on emergency procedures. (Even though we all have heard it many times before – refreshers are always good.) Bill P. elaborated on the clubs’ defibulator unit where it was sitting and who was qualified to do what.
Once done with the administration items, we were ready for the discussion everyone was waiting to hear ….where were we going. As Bruce explained it, Colinet was not the best move from his perspective based on the latest intel from his group network. Current information strongly suggested an offshore kelp paddy play with a mix of porpoise searching might produce tuna and an overall better play. This scribe did not see anyone with an objection so offshore it was to be. With that decision made, we were ready to fish with good bait and open minds. Even the attitude for trolling rotation was well received, and we all know what the last few years have been like trolling.
Oh yeah – don’t want to forget the discussion that occurred in the 7:30 Galley meeting. It was about the starboard verses port side seating in the galley. There were some comments made about the starboard side of the galley being for larger members and port side of the galley for skinny folks. Luke proceeded to elaborate that we already had a “shit head” in the club, and now we have a “fat f….”. I will not name names, but if you were there, you enjoyed the laughter at the sake of our brothers - one who was on board, and one who was not present. Which by the way and for the record – that person being on board or not - would not have made any difference.
After a late night snack - an easy down swell ride proved to be too much and we were lulled to sleep with a gentle rocking. You blinked and were sleeping soundly. Only problem, if you were like me, you woke up 5 or 6 times during the night to check the time. Before you knew it, it was time to fish and make last minute adjustments to rigging.
The early risers in the predawn hours were the normal attendees. Gary, Luke, guest Jeff R. and this scribe followed by a new member every 5 minutes. At 5:45 AM trolling rigs were out and we were under way. With a nice sea state, overcast conditions and a light breeze on the water - it was “game on”.
The “game on” did not take long to produce. At 6AM we found our first paddy. Turned out to be a 9 fish stop with Bill, Jim, Luke Chris, Gary, Mike, George and Roy (2) getting in the “landing” action. Not to be confused with “hooking and loosing” action. Overall a nice kelp paddy stop! This early result only supported the good feeling in the air for what we hoped would be consistent pick for the rest of the day.
Back to trolling and at 7:00 we had a jig strike on the purple and silver Halco. Mike Z’s. guest Jim C. was the lucky angler. It was also reported we lost the one bait fish at this stop, but I won’t say who. The second stop happened at 7:20 with Gary T. trolling a dark blue and silver Halco. (Based on the scratches, Mike T.’s jig is well loved by many a tuna.) This made the 2nd Yellowfin on board, both fish running about 12-15 pounds. How long has it been since the club landed two jig fish on the troll in the morning?
The trolling rotation continued as we searched up and down. We kept it going thru the early morning chasing kelp paddies and hoping for kelp holding fish. A nice breakfast put on by Danny was tasty and added a different touch. By 9:00, we had 20 fish on board with kelp paddy “pick” fishing. One, two’s threes were the order of the day – and of course not all paddies held fish.
Then Bruce put us on THE “Kelp Paddy”. The paddy we all hope to find and then in some way dread. It was typical open water kelp paddy yellowtail mayhem. In the simplest of terms – which does not do it justice - we ended up with 29 fish caught and “20” lost!! Some lines were sawed off, some failures, but most seem to have succumbed to the “Kelp Paddy” monster that decided it would not give up all its rewards.
Hot stick summary at ~10:30 AM: Mike T at 8 fish, Gary and Roy at 6 each and Luke at 6 or 5, (can’t read my own notes). This is about the time the rumored and reportedly non-competitive fishing club (except for bass) got competitive. I won’t name names but it seemed like a number of officers were chasing the hot stick.
Then it was back to the trolling rotation, which was still going strong, and looking to find a few paddies that were dry. We continued on thru the search. Bruce and crew working hard searching up down and in and out to put us on more fish. Around noon we hit another paddy and picked up a few fish (Bryan U., Luke and Bill picking up a Dodo.)
Somewhere amongst the day’s back and forth Danny served a nice lunch that provided a variation of burger or chicken sandwich. It was well presented and a bit different than the typical grab and go burger.
We progressed in our fish chasing day,and as is normal, some anglers get bit more and some get bit less. The kind-hearted soul Roy hooked and handed off a fish to his guest Dave S. Dave worked the fish hard and boated a very nice yellowtail. As it turned out, it was not only the fish of the day but might have been a contender for YT of the year. It bottomed out the scale, so it appears it was more than 35 pounds. It was so kind of Roy to give his jackpot fish to someone else. We should all strive to be so gracious….right…? In all seriousness, Roy was very gracious in handing off and very nice fish and even with all the ribbing, he was well pleased how things worked out for Dave. Nice host.
The trolling and searching process continued to be the norm. Some produced fish some did not. As the day progressed, it seemed the kelp produced less fish and the period between each paddy longer. At 3PM we made the northerly turn and started the slug back up hill. When we made the turn, we were about 75 miles south of SDO and 20 miles offshore.
We hit a couple more paddies around 4 PM and put a few more fish on the boat. With this group of fish hitting the deck the competition was gaining momentum. Back to trolling by 4:30 and a couple empty nests encountered for zip. Moving on we continued with the routine….. the game continued but under cooling weather conditions with jackets being seen on deck.
Around 6PM Roy, Bill and Jeffey landed fish. With this fish, Roy noted it made 8 for him, with Luke and others in the hunt for Mike T. The problem was Mike T. put on one more which made it 9. Kind and gentle words were exchanged in friendly competition – things like Fat F…. and something about someone was “just old” and a number of endearments as the game continued….
Just before 7 PM we make a final stop – and hooked 4 fish – 4 that I saw anyway. Gary T, Mike T, and Jeffey put fish on the boat – while this scribe watched his fish swim away with a hook in his jaw...!! Kind of the way my first day back in the saddle went.
With that we head for the barn and my final tally at 73 total. The make-up consisted of; 67 very nice looking yellow tail, 2 YF and 4 Dodos. Hot stick was Mike T. with 10 fish.
All in all a really nice trip – a little lumpy coming home up hill, but good food, good friends and great skipper and crew. This scribe’s only negative experience was related to chasing bait in the wells. However, the reality is that if this club would have had unlimited access to the bait, we would not have made it thru the day.
Until the next time ….tight lines. Oh yeah and please follow your fish.
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Trip #3: Boat: Thunderbird 2 day Departs: Thursday July 24 Fishing: July 25 and 26 Returns: July 26 pm Trip 3 started as usual with people arriving at Newport Landing at all hours of the day and anticipation for fishing high. The preliminary reports from Gary Thompson were not great. Bait was going to be an issue. Anchovies were sick, too hot for squid, and no sardines. Nevertheless, everyone was ready to go. Due to some late cancellations (bummer), there were 21 passengers on the trip. Gary gave the pre-trip update before boarding with the news that we would make the ride down to Dana Wharf, where there were good sardines for bait. That was the good news. The bad news was that it was going to be a bumpy ride out and wind was going to be an issue, and we probably wouldn’t make it to San Clemente Island. Our initial destination would be Catalina. So, at 9pm off we went. Friday morning saw us anchored at China cove at Catalina. I haven’t been with the club long, but my understanding from some of the older members is that the club hasn’t fished Catalina in many years. I was up at 3:30ish and there were a few hearty souls trying to make squid bait. 2-3 at a time on squid jigs, and eventually we had a decent amount of squid to go along with the sardines. Possibly a good sign. Gradually all the fisherman got lines in the water, with most people dropping down by 5am, waiting for the fish to bite. Well, the yellowtail and white seabass were a no show. We did have a pretty incredible black seabass bite. A total of 6 were hooked, 3 broke off, and 3 were landed (all by Jim Bertella) and released. At 7:30 Captain Chris decided to make the move over to San Clemente Island. We looked for kelp patties and bluefin on the way. Again, fish were a no show (there’s a theme happening here). Made it to Clemente about 11:30. We spent the rest of the day fighting winds at Clemente. Most of the fishing was close to the island with catch and release calico fishing, although a few nice ones were kept. A few small yellowtail were caught on bait, and one on a surface iron. On any other trip these probably would have been released, but beggars can’t be choosers. Final count for day 1 was 9 yellowtail. Gary Thompson won jackpot. We anchored at Clemente for Friday night. Overnight the squid came up and we woke to plenty of squid in the bait tanks. We started fishing early Saturday morning by dropping down for yellowtail. Once again, the fish were a no show. It wasn’t for lack of trying. All the passengers dropped lines and were giving it the best effort. Enthusiasm remained high. A small halibut was caught, along with a few barracuda. At 7:30 we pulled anchor and started looking for bluefin. At 8, a small bluefin was caught on the troll by one of our guests. No other fish were willing to bite and we kept looking. No luck. At mid-morning, Chris set us up for some rockfishing drifts. Most of the fish caught were salmon grouper, but people at least had a shot to fill their bags. After the rockfishing, we were back on the troll. We covered a wide area of ground. I believe at one point we may have entered into Mexican waters. We saw no bluefin during the troll. Finally, we had to start heading back to the landing. As we were heading north, we saw one our first and last kelp patty. It would be our last stop for the trip. On the stop, one yellowtail was caught using a colt sniper. Like the yellowtail on day 1, it wasn’t big (generous to call it 8 pounds), but it was a keeper and the jackpot fish (sad but true). Final count for day 2 was 1 yellowtail, 1 bluefin on the troll, 1 halibut, and a couple of barracuda. Brian Drazba won jackpot. Despite the rough weather and challenging fishing conditions. Captain and crew were great as always. Never gave up. And I believe all club members and guests had a good time. We can’t always have great days and it just gets us ready for the next trip. Submitted respectfully, Brian Drazba
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
