2016: Trip #6 on the Thunderbird (2 Day)
9/8/16 - 9/10/16
Download the PDF here.
Trip #6 Report
Thunderbird Sep 8th fishing Sep 9th and 10th, 2016
Recounted by Sapphire Scribe
Full disclosure – Any resemblance to persons or events is strictly coincidental. Despite taking copious written notes (as I know mental notes are not practical with nothing to write them on) my notes went walkabout from my office. I can only hope those illegible scrawlings were not confused with a patient’s prescription or other order. The silver lining is that with time, fish always get bigger and with no written attestation, and factoring in tape conversions…well, read on. Oh, and of course fully apologies up front for any and all offensive material.
Pre-trip our President prodigiously pontificated to potential passengers of pertinent proper preparations. Fortunately for at least 11 members, they paid attention regarding bringing the heavy artillery (more on that later). Not so much regarding Luke’s admonishment to not get to the landing early as a late departure was anticipated. It appeared, Ryan Burson, Roy Patterson, Luke Burson (yes, he even skips over his emails), Ron Shrout, Carl Mckinley,Tom Hill, Randy Beebe, Stewart Finley, Steve Lenker, Brian Wynne, Andy Woodfill, Mike Trunk, Andy Sienkiewich and Charlie Sanchez didn’t get the memo, only Mike Zinniker & Bryan Upcraft apparently did. That notwithstanding, the assembled mob forwent the usual migration for south of the board cuisine and congregated at the Newport Landing Restaurant to test their happy hour offerings. The first decision of the trip was a success. Elsewise members engaged in a variant of a fantasy sport involving passengers boarding and disembarking from the whale watch trips, kibitzing with crew members and generally representing the club, carrying on.
Departure was as expected. Nicely cured ‘diens were added to the few scoops of remaining squirts. The boat was then point south for the tuna grounds. The ride south was reasonably smooth with the bumps leveled by the effects of various libations.
Sunrise brought us to within 3 to 4 miles of the border (read permit) about 20 miles offshore with a light breeze and an armada of boats, sport to fiber flies working the area like a flock of seagulls ravaging a dump. With all quiet on the trolling front (technically back / stern) Capt. Jeff (aka Shirley) diligently searched for just the right grade of fish, teasing up some here and there before stopping on a spot of tuna. We were able boat 10 nice grade, 12 to 24 # YFT before the boat traffic drove the school down. I was fortunate to go 2 for 2 casts on a jig (no wasted time at the bait tank), Mike Z & Bryan each got one. Missing my notes, I think the crew accounted for 3 (2nd ticket Andrew, Brian, & Kevin) with maybe Tommy, Brian, Andy S or Charlie accounting for the remaining 3. Conspicuously missing were the usual suspects.
Capt. Jeff puttered around the area trying to work away from the heard to no avail. In between stops we enjoyed Goofy’s “whatever is left over from dinner” breakfast burritos. He finally announced we were going to cut our losses and go for the gold, well blue i.e. Bluefin. It was really surprising the tasty temptation offer up on the kite didn’t evoke even a sniff.
The breeze steadily stiffen as we motored towards the Desperation reef area. The ride over was the most part uneventful. In route, we were treated to an up close and personal visit with a Blue whale while many members enjoyed Goofy’s bacon chicken cheese sandwiches.
We anchored up in the reef area along the 100 fathom line in the late morning / early afternoon. Steve was the only one to score and when we pulled anchor to head for shelter and finish the day calico bass fishing, his 60# class BFT was assured the day 1 patch.
Fishing the front side was a challenge as the wind was making anchoring a sketchy proposition on the favorite spots. We found a honey hole well above, but downwind of Roy’s crack. So whereas it was out of site, one could catch the occasional whiff (which was fortunate as many of us would require therapy from what was already seen on this trip). Fishing on the front was wide open with some quality fish coming over the rail. Bryan lost and regained his top Calico ranking. Luke & Bryan added a couple of yellowtails, 9# & 6.4# respectively. Everyone basically caught (and released) all the bass they wanted. (@GT – I landed the lone Blue perch).
As darkness fell, we were treated to dinner and a show. Dinner was excellent, Tri tip with steamed veggies, baked potatoes, and salad, followed by Goofy’s own Brownie cake (which was like putting hot dogs on a burger), but somehow worked. The show was a bit disturbing, as to be expected when Andy W & Mike T conspire. What started out as a relaxing evening sipping wine and after dinner beverages, swapping tails of what might have been and what tomorrow will bring while watching the crew filet the day’s catch, degraded into hideous dancing blowup dolls doing unnatural acts with the fish, and each other. Being well versed in hospital hygiene and infectious disease protocol, I was tempted to slide my catch overboard. The rail was to be a hazardous location with incoming flying fish preferring the deck over the dogs.
Recap of day one carnage: 10 YFT, 1 BFT, 2YT, Calico – Limit fishing with a new club leader (well the same one with a bigger fish), a couple goats, 1 Blue Perch
Day two was announced with the engines firing up and the sound of the anchor being retired. We motored from relative shelter to the reef adjacent area along the 100 fathom line in the predawn darkness of a blustery morning.
The anchor was redeployed. However, few ventured out on deck as the previous day on the spot had been slow. This day, it was the anglers who were to be slow as many remained in their bunks. That respite was short-lived as Tommy, then Ryan were on fish, serious fish, mean nasty, get the women and children out of the street, gonna hurt you and find your family and hurt too mean. As I emerged from the rack to check out the pandemonium, Mike Z got hooked while Tommy and Ryan were putting the finishing touches on their game. In no particular order (remember my notes are history), Bryan, Carl, Ron, Charlie, Brian & I hooked up, and yeah, Ryan was on his 2nd one. There were several more hooked, but lost. I was not in a position to take notes as I was otherwise occupied.
Short personal story on my date with a Bluefin (skip this if you’re bored);
It started with me lamenting that I had a daytime color flatfall and the majority of hookups were on the glow in the dark models. Mike Z handed me his rod with the right stuff ready to rock (I’m not sure what % was friendship vs. recovery from his bout with a bruiser). I dropped down, it was instant bendo! The first part of the battle was routine as the fish came to the boat in fairly short order. It was at that point things started to unwind, literally. The fish must have realized this wasn’t going to end well and made another 4 long runs and 7 trips around the boat (7 trips playing with the anchor). I made lots of friends along the way. The crew did an outstanding job managing multiple massive bodies in the water and on the deck converging on each other, it was poetry in motion. At one point, Bryan’s fish and mine conspired to escape and proceed to macramé our lines. The crew made a decision Bryan’s was more manageable and cut and retied his line while the fish continued on its quest to escape. Bryan subsequently landed that fish. To me, that was the most amazing catch of the trip.
When my fish finally came to gaff, it was determined the drags were a bit loose despite being scaled the day before. That turned out to be fortunate as there were several nicks in the last 20’ of the spectra. Though it wasn’t the biggest (2nd I’m told, Ryan assured me the picture of the two of us was with his “little” one), it was a total experience to remember which would not have happened without excellent friends, fishermen and crew.
Meanwhile back on the rail……………
Capt. Jeff continued to call out individual fish location and depth as the dawn gave way to morning. Things slowed down, then ground to a halt as the sun got higher in the sky. Capt. Jeff confirmed that whereas the total numbers may not have been of the charts, we were the high count on the tunas both days.
Total carnage on the Bluefin -10 ranging from 60# - 90# class fish. Ryan’s tapped out at 87#’s and with tape conversion to actual weight was assessed to be a 92# - 93# fish and with no written record at the time of the catch, these become 100# class fish. (87#’s to be used for club tuna contention). As with the day prior, when we headed for the front side of the Island, Ryan’s BFT would stand up for the day 2 patch and leaderboard for the Club Tuna competition.
In route we had more of Goofy’s whatever is left over from dinner breakfast combo, the Tri tip worked well. Though it was technically still morning, adult beverages started to work their way onto the deck.
Once nestled up to the island on the front side, calico fishing went into full swing. Though the fish were a bit smaller than the previous day on average, it was literally a fish / cast wide open catching. Bryan having reached his fill of calico’s tried the open water for YT, but only managed a few Boneheads.
Goofy came up with yet another creation with his sliders. This was excellent grab and go cuisine, it was very tasty and one could still participate in a hot bite.
About 1:00 the anchor was pulled for the last time and the boat pointed towards the Landing. It was a sloppy crossing riding the trough from a SW swell.
All in all a fantastic trip. Everything went as planned / advertised. Many caught a fish of a lifetime, the improved amenities on the boat, perfect bait, excellent cuisine, beverages, members, crew, and preparation consultation from our President all made for an excellent experience. With no disrespect to our other Boats, in my humble opinion, we had the best crew experience one can legally have on the water; a couple of members however may have crossed that line……………
Did I write enough to get excluded from the scribe list? We only have so much memory allocated for the site.
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Trip #3: Boat: Thunderbird 2 day Departs: Thursday, July 23rd Fishing: July 24th & July 25th Returns: July 25th PM
Trip #2: Boat: Thunderbird 2 day Departs: Thursday, July 9th Fishing: July 10th & July 11th Returns: July 11th PM
Trip #1: Boat: Thunderbird 1.5 day Departs: Thursday, June 25th Fishing: Friday, June 26th Returns: Saturday, June 27th AM Leading up to the trip, the forecast had us a little concerned. Wind was expected to limit our options and potentially make for a challenging day. Fortunately, as often happens in fishing, the stars aligned. We departed around 9:00 PM after receiving reports of a hot bite near Catalina, which became the game plan for the morning and allowed for a shorter run. The destination proved to be Silver Canyon on Catalina's backside west end. Around 4:00 AM, I wandered up on deck to find a good number of anglers already fishing. Luke was bent on a fish that eventually hit the deck as a white seabass (WSB), and I was told Gary had already landed a yellowtail (YT) while Jeffy had put a huge halibut on the deck. I joined the action shortly thereafter. The bite was a bit slow initially, but then things started to happen. Three of us were hooked up simultaneously, resulting in two WSB hitting the deck, including a beautiful 44-pound fish landed by Waleed, Saif's son. Mine unfortunately wasn't one of them. After several minutes of fighting what felt like a quality fish, it made its way to the stern, wrapped three or four other lines—including another angler who was actively fighting a WSB—and eventually threw the hook. Disappointing, but that's fishing. Shortly after first light, the bite erupted for many. Captain Jeff began calling out fish moving under the boat, and chaos—in the best possible way—ensued. Everyone was fishing squid on dropper loops, and fish seemed to be intermittently everywhere. I apologize for not being able to accurately credit every catch because I spent much of the next several hours either hooked up or preparing to get bit again. By 10:00 AM, the scorecard was remarkable: 39 Yellowtail 3 White Seabass 2 Halibut 26 Lost Fish A special mention goes to Jeffy, who landed a beautiful 31-pound halibut. These were not school-sized fish. Most of the yellowtail ranged from roughly 25 to 40 pounds, and fighting multiple fish of that caliber before breakfast was both exhausting and unforgettable. For many of us, it was one of those dream mornings that keeps you coming back. Most anglers had opportunities. A few did everything right and simply never got the bite—a reminder that fishing can be humbling even when the boat is surrounded by fish. Several anglers had outstanding days. Luke was among the high hooks with five fish: four yellowtail and one white seabass. I finished with four yellowtail, three during the morning frenzy and another 12–15 pound fish later on a fly-lined sardine. Bill also brought in some big yellowtail and hooked a fish on the fly line that unfortunately came unbuttoned. Jim B. also had an excellent trip with multiple fish, and several anglers finished with more than one yellowtail. After the yellowtail bite slowed, we made several additional stops looking for fly-line fish before shifting our focus to calico bass. We headed to the kelp beds around San Clemente Island, where the calico fishing was excellent. Several quality fish came aboard, including at least a couple stretching beyond the 20-inch mark. The weather was pleasant, the ocean was cooperative, and it was simply a beautiful afternoon to be on the water. Later, while casting a spinner for calicos, I hooked something considerably larger. It nearly spooled me before finally breaking off. We'll never know what it was, but it definitely got my attention. To finish the day, we returned to the same Catalina area where the morning action had occurred, hoping for a classic sundowner bite. Unfortunately, it never really materialized. We released a juvenile black sea bass of perhaps 30 pounds, caught a few calicos, and I heard reports of a leopard shark and a few sand sharks. While the evening lacked the excitement of the morning, there are certainly worse ways to spend a sunset than drifting off Catalina with friends. One of the highlights of the trip was watching our junior anglers. Gary's grandson successfully landed a yellowtail after Captain Jeff handed him the rod during a hookup. Leedo, Saif's son, not only landed a yellowtail but also the trip's jackpot-winning 44-pound white seabass and finished with an impressive catch that included two yellowtail. He fished with tremendous enthusiasm from start to finish. James Harris had another young guest angler aboard who joined in on the action and boated at least one YT. It's always encouraging to see the next generation discovering what makes this sport so special. The crew deserves tremendous credit. At times there were three or four large yellowtail hanging simultaneously, creating the kind of organized chaos that tests even experienced deckhands. They worked hard, stayed positive, and kept things moving smoothly throughout the day. The snacks were outstanding as always. A special thank-you to Jim B. for the smoked salmon and tartar sauce appetizer and to Sharif for the chilled crab dip, both of which were excellent. Perhaps the biggest factor in our success was having live squid available. Without it, I honestly believe the trip could have been a completely different story. A special thank-you goes to John "Halfday" Fisher, a close friend and longtime mentor of Captain Jeff, whose squid nest provided the bait and whose report the day before helped point us toward the Catalina bite. The sardines worked as well for calicos, although they were absolutely enormous—some of the largest I've seen. When all was said and done, we enjoyed one of those special days that reminds us why we make these trips. Big fish, good friends, beautiful weather, enthusiastic junior anglers, great appetizers, and memories that will last far longer than the fillets in the freezer. The final tally was an impressive 40 yellowtail, 3 white seabass, 2 halibut, and 27 lost fish. Interestingly, the scorecard barely changed after 10:00 AM, which illustrates just how extraordinary the morning bite really was. What the numbers don't reflect is the excellent calico bass fishing we enjoyed throughout the afternoon. On a personal note, I finished with yellowtail weighing approximately 40, 35, and 31 pounds, along with a smaller fly-line fish in the 12–15 pound range. The catch was enough to earn my first club patch, barely surpassing Bill's monster. Congratulations to Waleed, Saif's son, who took the jackpot with his outstanding 44-pound white seabass, the largest fish of the trip. A sincere thank you to Captain Jeff, the crew, and everyone aboard for helping make it such a successful and enjoyable outing. Hopefully Trip #2 is just as memorable.
Trip #8: Boat: Thunderbird 1.5 day Departs: Thursday, October 2th Fishing: October 3th, 4th Returns: October 4th pm Thunderbird Crew: Capt. Jeff Capt. Chris Jose Nate Goofy Cast of Characters: Bill Parks Steve Morgan Riley Dyer Jim Bertella Justin Becker Jacob Richards Luke Burson Paul Morgan Mike Allen (Scribe) Patrick Thunyakij Bruce Granse Kevon Kong Michael Harris Ryan Burson Oscar Ochoa Ed Chutney Jeff Allen Andrew Ron Shrout Murphy Parks Romeo Ochoa James Harris Ozzie Baktiari Arriving for a trip in the month of October at Newport Landing is a far easier experience then one would have in the summer months of June – September. The dread of driving through the neighborhood in hopes of an empty space large enough to accommodate the larger trucks that many of the club members own seems to dissipate as the offerings are far more plentiful. While the welcomed views of summer also tend to be less abundant, the ensemble of club members arrived with plenty of time to catch-up on some conversations and enjoy a beverage or two.
Trip #7: Boat: Thunderbird 2.5 day Departs: Tuesday, September 16th Fishing: September 17th, 18th Returns: September 19th am Thunderbird Crew: Jeff Markland- Captain Steve Raby- 2nd Captain Carmelo in the Galley Jose & Nate on deck The fishing schedule for 2025 has two 2 1/2 day trips and Trip #7 was the second one. Historically the 2 1/2 dayers fill quickly at the Annual Sign-Up Meeting. This was not the case this year as this trip only filled to about half during the Lottery and the rest of the spots were taken by guests. Here are the members who were on the trip: Gary Thompson, Steve Morgan, Mike Barton, Alex Mesko, Mike Higa, Bill Parks, John Lenker, Steve Lenker, Kyle Shimigawa, and Luke Burson (trip scribe). That is 10 members and the other 13 were all guests. The Club owns the following a big thank you for committing guests to this trip because without them this trip would have put a financial burden on the Club of $8,125. And the Club simply does not have those funds so the trip would have been cancelled. A special thank you to Mike Barton with 5 guests, Steve Lenker with 3, Mike Higa with 2, guests, Steve Morgan with 1 guest, Bryan Upcraft with 1 guest, and Luke Burson with 1 guest. And all the guests fit in perfectly and made it a good group to fish, sleep, and eat with for 2 1/2 days. As the trip approached Gary sent out information a week before with information about the trip. At that point the weather looked good and the fish counts were encouraging. As the trip got closer Gary sent out more information with the weather holding plus the Thunderbird getting limits on their weekend 2 1/2 dayer. All were feeling pretty optimistic about two things that had been missing on previous trips……nice weather and good fishing. On the day of departure, the usual members arrived early to ensure that they would board first to secure the tackle spots that are important to them, Others started to drift in throughout the afternoon. All were challenged with parking because of the local Wednesday street sweeping. Some were luckier than others but everyone found a parking spot. And then to our surprise the Thunderbird arrived close to 4 PM and it was obvious why…..very good fishing. To be specific they had back-to-back multi-day trips with limits of BF. And the buzz for all on the dock was pretty strong. They caught the fish at the Cortez, some at night near SCI but most during the day on bait. We asked about the bait and the group did not have good things to say. We quickly put two and two together that the fishing must be pretty good to do that well with poor bait. And another important item……NO STINKING FULL MOON! Jeff indicated we were headed back to Cortez and to save a little time we were going to take the direct course line around the east end of SCI. We’re expecting a flat smooth ride, we quickly learn that our course line had us in the rolley trough. It turned out to be anything but smooth. Our crew for the 2 1/2 trip was Jeff as our Captain, Steve as the 2nd Captain, Carmelo in the galley with Jose and Nat on deck. We have fished with them many times before so we knew we were in good hands for the 2 1/2 days. We stopped to load bait and to our surprise, that bait looked pretty good. The size could have been bigger as it was all medium to small-medium baits but it looked good. That even increased the anticipation of what was to come. As it turned out about 60% turned red while the rest was good bait. For the next two days, you really had to pick through what was in the hand wells to find the good ones. As we rolled into the “Bank” there was a pretty good electrical show to the west from about 3 AM to 5 AM plus some slight rain. And we could see some boats in the distance. We would learn that we would not be alone at Cortez Bank but because of the way the fish were spread out it would not make a difference. Jeff got the anchor down close to the position that they had success on the last trip and it took a little time for the fish to find us……and they did. It was a slow pick for the next 4 or 5 hours. Occasionally we would have 2 for 3 going but most of the time it was one at a time. The conditions were perfect, a strong current in the right direction and some breeze to keep the boat a little crossways to the current. Jeff said the conditions were perfect. As the morning continued there were two ways to get a bite: 1) hot bait close to the boat, or 2) long soak behind the boat. Although detailed records were not kept it seems that the hot baits close to the boat got 4 to 5 times the bites compared to the long soak. This getting bit close to the boat with hot baits was shared with all as it was working great for a few: light line (20#), small hooks (#6 or #8), the best bait in the well, and then give that bait 30 seconds, and if no bite wind in and do it again. And if the bait did not “swim” then cut your losses and wind in to do it again. Some fished that way and were rewarded, others continue to soak their baits. It was a little frustrating that so many were locked into soaking baits when the other method was working so well. It just must be too much work to change baits every 30 seconds and it is easier to soak them behind the boat. The few anglers who changed baits quickly did pretty very well while others did not……that’s fishing. The fish seem to leave us around 2 PM so Jeff decided to go looking in the direction of SCI. By heading back toward SCI we would have a shot at bigger fish at night. We ran all the way back to within 5 miles of SCI and never saw anything on the electronics. When it got dark the effort changed to working the area where the BF had been at night but after about 5 hours of looking without a single mark on the electronics Jeff decided to head back to Cortez to fish the same location we were in that morning. Carmelo prepared an excellent dinner of marinated chicken, basmati rice, and a Greek-style salad. And of course, it was finished with Klondike Bars. Jeff turned down swell to make it easier to eat but once dinner was over he reversed course and it was pretty bouncy. Most stayed up hoping for a shot at bigger BF but that never happened so everyone went to bed for the ride back to Cortez. Day One - 46 BF, 12#s to 49#s, JP to Todd (guest) 49#s and Patch to Mike Higa 33.4#s. The ride back to Cortez seemed to flatten out but it started to rain and would continue until about 8 AM. We also again had a “Mike Castillo” special event…… dragonflies, thousands of dragonflies. They were everywhere including some in the bunk room. The two heads had more than you could count. All commented that it was good that Mike was not on this trip. It was the most anyone had ever seen on the water. The morning of day two started similarly to day one. The short soak with a hot baits was again working but so was the longer soak. The fish catching was spread out among all fishing. And there were some consistent bigger models in the mix, still the 12-15 pounders but more of the 20 pounders and 30 pounders. Jeff moved the boat a few times, we drifted some, and also anchored in deeper water. While drifting and in the deeper anchored spots a few fish were caught on the “drop shot rig” but most were caught flylining. At times time guys fishing 25# and 30# got bit as well as the 20#. We worked this well into the afternoon when it was ROCK CODDING time. And we did not have to travel but a few miles. Jeff set the boat up on a spot that produced for the last trip and it was good. Almost solid Reds, just a few other fish mixed in. Most guys fished bait (fresh dead squid), some fished jigs. The bait clearly outfished the jigs. We did this until it was time to head home to Newport. During the course of the day, the weather got better and better. Our ride home was very smooth. Carmelo prepared Tri-Tip, mashed potatoes, and a green salad. The desert was ice cream. After dinner, all broke down gear and went to bed pretty early. Day Two - 34BF, 12#s to 33#s, JP and Patch to Mike HIga 33.#s (same size as day 1). Also 92 Reds! Note: Mike won the patch both days and also won one on an earlier trip……3 patches this year for Mike Higa, well done! We got back to the dock about 4 AM, did our standard offload, distributed the fish and everyone went home happy with BF and Reds. It was an excellent trip. Trip total - 80 BF and 92 Reds (four short of boat limits). This was one of the better trips of the year for the DWRRC. Luke “Just one more cast!”
