2017: Trip #5 on the Thunderbird (2 Day)

7/27/17 - 7/29/17

Scribe - Mario Caporuscio

July 27th:

Everyone has to hurry up and wait! We all fight Newport's bull@#$ traffic. To get "in line" for getting on the boat. Gear, gear, gear. We have more gear than the any tackle store, lol! Looks like a 10 day we're prepping for. Beers, good company and the latest fish stories were all shared. After many stories and many rigging suggestions to one another and perhaps a few beers later the boat finally shows up. Late of course...

We all board the Thunderbird in a polite gentlemen's rat race to place tackle boxes and rods in ideal locations for the chaos to come! Captain says we're go to Desperation Reef. There's big ones he says, BIG ONES! We can catch a fish from 20 to 300 pounds! Mind blowing range to cover, but with the knowledge and experience with the fishermen aboard, we could do it. Within skiff range from our very own local harbors, we're gonna target possibly the biggest fish of our lifetime. Let's do it!

July 28th:

2am and the hunt is on. Captain has his eyes glued on the sonar. Just waiting to find a school. Flat falls are supposed to be the ticket. There's 17 guys fishing, 17 flat falls tied on. Leaders of 130 to 250 floro to even the tie on wire leaders. 3am, about 5 guys awake. 4am 10 guys awake and on out on deck. 5am everyone is up and ready. We all await for the throttle to ease up. Throttle off, flat falls down! 45 minutes of nothing. Mario, drops down a sinker rig with a sardine. 300 feet later...zzzzZZZZzZZZzzZZzzZZ FISH ON! First bite of the trip. Mr. Mayor Tony Beal hooks up on flat fall! To only break off soon after the hook up. 6 laps around the boat later, Mario is completely pinned on the rail with a big one. Captain Jeff says he can see it on the sonar! About 80 yards of line from boat the braid broke at the surface of the water. Rods go limp. The walk of shame to the tackle box. Heartbreak big fish story...bummer.

We get called in later from another boat. We go and and start chumming. We stopped and mayhem broke lose. 30 to 45 pound bluefin! Everyone is getting their chances and getting some on deck. 2 hours later 15 to 30 pounders bite, then some big ones moved in. Mike trunk was in the middle of the action oddly. Gary hooks and lands a beastly 70 pound yellowfin in the middle all these bluefin! Action so good we even got a 163 pound bluefin on the double trouble kite rig! Fellow club member Jeff put the beastly animal on the deck in no time, perpared with a 50 wide he put the wood to it. National geographic kite bites were one we are never going to forget. the D.T. rig did work! Mario throws a megabait into some big big farmers off the stern. 10 cranks in he's bit! 2 hours later Mario learned to never throw 40 pound test on a jig stick for fish of this quality. 80 pound bluefin was the result of the 40 pound megabait challenge. End of the day and head to pyramid to anchor for dinner.

July 29th:

Fish D.R. with 50 plus boats at 1am. A maze of boats covered the high spot. Day break comes fast. Club member Paul drops down and connects! He's on but his 100# set isn't bending much at all. "20 pounder" he says... "20 pounder". Moments later the fish saw the boat and game on. Paul was quickly corrected about it being 20 pounds. From not pulling any drag. The fish dumped line out. 35 minutes later Paul saw his biggest fish hit the deck of the boat. 143 pounds later. Some 20 pounder!

We move into the island. In search of some trophy San Clemente Island calico bass. We pluck away at some nice 3 to 6 pounders. We move from spot to spot doing so. After many laughs and beers later we ran out of bait at about 2pm. Just in time to end the day and start the voyage home. Taking off all the rigging and a 5 hour nap later. The boat was docked and we all left with fish and some fishing memories that well cherish.

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