2019: Trip #4 Fortune (1.5 Day)
Trip #4 The Fortune out of 22nd Street Landing, July 5 – 7, 2019
“ It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” -- Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities,
All DWRRC members were survivors of the latest earthquakes in the southland AND were filled with optimism for the hunting of tuna—YFT and BFT . . . and a few YT would be a good thing as well.
However, the squid gods were not smiling on those searching for bait that night!! Further, the hunting grounds were the infamous “Depression Reef” areas – possibly not a good omen of where our minds were headed!
Hayden set the pace with his usual arrival at the landing at 9:25am which was rewarded with two open spaces in the close-in parking lot!! He caught up on his reading of periodicals and listening to an audible book : “Mr Trump’s Wild Ride” by Major Garrett -- being semi-retired offers such flexibility. Others started arriving after Hayden enjoyed his lunch on the landing at about 1:30pm.
When Axel was aboard the Fortune, some of us, including Bill Parks, Paul Casillas, Gary Thompson & myself were able to get our tackle boxes, rods’n’reels aboard along with duffle & tackle bags. Then Axel/Jordan took the Fortune for fuel, as other members arrived just as the boat was leaving.
All were boarding by 6pm -- getting tackle and stuff stored away in the bunkroom and setting up tackle for the next morning. This included: Mike Z., Chris L., Stewart F., Steve S., Andy S., Steve L., John L., Roy P., Gary T., Bill P., Hayden, Ron H., Dan H., Nick H., Paul C., Oscar O., Geoff D’Sena, and, last on the list, but certainly not least, Joe Stassi, the Club’s Senior Alumni Emeritus!!
As we pulled away from the dock and headed to the bait barge, Steve provided “Lite Snacks” with emphasis on Lite. This was a bit of a surprise given the pleasant memories of the chilidogs with cheese and onions on the first Fortune Trip. But certainly no one was going hungry and no one would be struggling to survive to breakfast in the morning – I guess Steve wanted us lean and hungry – well at least hungry for breakfast!!
“Let him think that I am “more man than I am and I will be so.”
― Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea
So the gin, bourbon, and vino began flowing . . . as much was exchanged about the possibilities for hunting tuna on the next morning. The impact of the recent earth shaking on the targeted species seemed to be overlooked, or possibly ignored in hopes that such beliefs were without merit.
“Now is no time to think of what you do not have.
Think of what you can do with that there is”
― Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea
Later in the nite there were only 40 pieces of live squid to be had, so the cold fresh dead were brought up from the chiller.
“Why do old men wake so early? Is it to have one longer day?”
― Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea
At Pyramid Cove at 4am the next morning some excited fishermen were out on deck with dropper loops and egg drop sinkers providing squid -- live and dead – to those bottom feeders. About a dozen other boats of various types & sizes were also in pursuit of YT. Gary’s dropper loop creatively hooked a bonito, and someone brought in a white fish. But NO yellowtail were hungry and willing.
“My big fish must be somewhere.”
― Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea
So off we went to the Depression Reef area. During the move all enjoyed Steve’s breakfast of eggs-to-order, bacon, and biscuits’n’bourbon gravy with plenty of coffee on the flat seas of the Lake Pacific. Then humorous and not-so-humorous jokes by Mike Z and Stewart entertained all as many thoughts of YFT and BFT were contemplated.
“If the others heard me talking out loud they would think that I am crazy.
But since I am not, I do not care.”
― Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea
At 9am we started trolling rotation with four boat rods and lures in the first and second waves in the Fortune’s wake. We spotted dolphins with a few YFT tagging along and brought the Fortune to rest. So bait fish, lures, jigs of all sorts were cast out, but the tuna retired to the calm waters below what was now a glassy surface with little wind. So trolling resumes.
“Why did they make birds so delicate and fine as those sea swallows
when the ocean can be so cruel?”
― Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea
At 10am the engines surged as we rushed in hot pursuit of tuna chasing baitfish on the surface. Again, as we approached and offered snacks (chum) and other tempting treats, the tuna retreated to the lower depths without submitting to such temptations.
“It's silly not to hope. It's a sin he thought.”
― Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea
Trolling resumed and then stopped again at 10:45am with no wind and glassy ocean surfaces . . . no bites, and no hook-ups.
Then Steve announced “Hot Rail Delivery” of chocolate chip cookies still warm from the oven -- needless to say the sweet flavors were a pleasant diversion from the bitter taste of no bites!!
At about this time another stop led to two hook ups on baitfish about 15 minutes apart. The first was by Bill Parks which with 30 lb leader on a Talica 10II reel, the fish was the right species and apparently of good size as it dove down in its attempt to escape. Fifteen minutes later, the second hookup was by Nick Henry on 40 lb leader and a similar diving occurred and the fight was on.
“Luck is a thing that comes in many forms and who can recognize her?”
― Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea
The rest of us just worked to keep out of their way as they went round the boat and back and forth at the rail several times for about 40 – 50 minutes.
“Fish," he said, "I love you and respect you very much.
But I will kill you dead before this day ends.”
― Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea
Words of constructive criticism and coaching were offered by those who watched the two fishermen stress and strain against the pressure by both fish.
“I may not be as stong as I think, but I know many tricks and I have resolution.”
― Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea
Bill and Nick worked hard to out wit their opponents and avoid the traps and tangles posed by the rest of us around the rail.
“Fish," he said softly, aloud, "I'll stay with you until I am dead.”
― Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea
At about Noon, first Bill got his tuna to the boat and two gaffs pulled the fat BFT over the rail. The measurements suggested about a 87.5 lb fish, but the formula was thought to be understating weight so 90+ lbs seemed to be a better estimate. About 15 minutes later, Nick brought his BFT to the boat and again two gaffs pulled it over the rail. This was a slightly slimmer model estimated to be about 70 lbs. Small, really small hooks, strong baits well-selected and relatively lite leaders by Bill and Nick seem to be the secret to their hook up successes.
“It is good that we do not have to try to kill the sun or the moon or the stars.
It is enough to live on the sea and kill our true brothers.”
― Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea
So now we are off again in search for more tuna surface activity as Steve served an excellent lunch of cheeseburgers with all the fixins and potato salad. The continued flat ocean made for a pleasant meal and break from repeated frustration of chasing tuna on the surface that only wanted to tease us as they dove down when we approached.
“You did not kill the fish only to keep alive and to sell for food, he thought.
You killed him for pride and because you are a fisherman. ― Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea
We made similar frustrating “stops with no, nada tamales” at 1pm, 1:10pm, 1:45pm, 2pm, 3pm (2 stops). UGH!! WHY HAVE THE TUNA GODS FORSAKEN US??? Misery loves company!!
“No one should be alone in their old age, he thought.”
― Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea
At 3:10pm Steve put out two trays of snacks – one with a variety of thin sliced meats (salami, ham, etc) and one with several types of cheese and a bowl of crackers. The fishermen basically inhaled these treats hoping to model such behavior so that the tuna would imitate us all – no such luck !!!
At 3:40pm we stopped and heard Bob’s warning that this looked like heavier tuna on the sonar screen. But these apparently bigger models were not hungry – so down they dove and left us hanging baits and dragging jigs.
“Perhaps I should not have been a fisherman, he thought.
But that was the thing that I was born for.”
― Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea
At 5:15pm Hayden turned on the Drinking Light to officially signal time to relax, although a few sneaked in early. As Hayden sat sipping his Makers Mark on the rocks, Mother Nature suddenly sent a wave under the Fortune and tipped over his glass!! Such misfortune was embarrassing in the face of fully satisfied tuna all around but none interested in our offerings nor challenging us for sport!!
At 6pm we came upon a kelp patty with a few Dorado seen around, but our past experience was repeated – many baits were cast forth, but none were chosen !! EXCEPT ONE – but it was lost back in the kelp so some suspected this to be a yellowtail with this typical behavior!!
So we headed for Catalina, enjoyed a variety of spirits as we anticipated dinner. At 7 pm Steve began serving an excellent bill of fare _- TriTip Roast slices, mashed potatoes with bourbon seasoned gravy, and asparagus wrapped in bacon – and cheese cake for dessert. At this point some took a nap anticipating fishing for WSB at Catalina.
“Now is no time to think of what you do not have.
Think of what you can do with what there is.”
― Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea
We arrived at Catalina at about 11:30pm with just under half of the fishermen on deck. Yours truly gave this night fishing – which I do not enjoy – a one hour trial – then went back to my bunk – others continued.
I returned on deck at 5am and heard that all types of bottom feeders had been hooked and released along with one lonely 12” WSB. So all broke down their gear, stored tackle, and sat down for Steve’s breakfast of pancakes and sausage served at 6am as we headed for San Pedro.
Bill Parks kept his BFT whole for the weigh-in (actually 87.0 lbs – just ½ lb below the formula.) at the dock for the contest . Nick’s BFT was filleted on the way back.
We arrived at the 22nd Street landing at 7am. Only Bill and Nick had to deal with their fish, the rest of us were free of that burden.
“But man is not made for defeat," he said. "A man can be destroyed but not defeated.”
― Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea
All were looking forward to our next adventure at sea together !!
“Only I have no luck any more. But who knows? Maybe today.
Every day is a new day. It is better to be lucky.
But I would rather be exact. Then when luck comes you are ready.”
― Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea
Sounds like something our fearless leader, El Presidente Luke, has said in the past as well!!
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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
