2020: Trip 7 Thunderbird 2 day

Trip #7 Report – 8/20 - 8/22/2020


Every fishing trip starts out with grand hopes. Whether those hopes are for a particular fish, new experience, a chance to clear your mind, the opportunity to be among friends and family, or any other hope. The experience of being on the water is unique and only really understood by the individual. These hopes are all that really matter as they are what is important and should never be taken for granted as we are fortunate enough in this life to be fishermen. (go ahead… read that again and take it in.)


D.W.R.R.C Cast of Characters

Luke, Ryan, & Nick Burson, Steve Sturm, Stewart Finley, Brian Upcraft, Mike Zinniker, BJ & Riley Dyer, Mike Castillo, Ed & Jake Chutney, Taylor Rodriguez, Brandon Lockwood, Mike Higa, Bill Parks, Jeffy Hinrichs, John Lenker, Hayden Claisse, Jim Bertella, Bing Metzger, and your scribe Mike Allen.


T-Bird Crew

Capt. Jeff, 2nd Capt. Brian, Goofy on the grill, Cole and Rico on the deck, and helping out on the deck for the first time on the T-Bird was Leo.


In true D.W.R.R.C fashion and in accordance with his Cal Ripken Jr.-esk streak (for the young guys of the club, Cal Ripken Jr. was a famous baseball player who started 2,130 games in a row), Hayden was the first of the group to arrive at the landing and secure the premier spot in line. According to our conversation he arrived around 9am complete with his strategically thought out cart of gear and a big smile on his face. It’s funny how the club members who are retired or semi-retired always seem to have an easy going s*#t eating grin on their face… One day we all should be so lucky. As Hayden waited for others to arrive, it was apparent that one thing was going to be with us for the whole trip, and that was the heat. It was muggy and somewhat nasty at the landing with many of the members taking shelter in the little shade that the landing had to offer. The good thing about the warm conditions was that it made the beverages go down pretty easily which many were actively partaking in while the occasional piece of eye candy strolled past. Gotta love Newport! Don’t get much of that at 22nd St. (just saying)


In advance of the trip, it had been announced that the club was going to be treated to a BBQ dinner prior to departure by two of the finest grill men we have, Mike C. and B.J. Everybody was told that the food would be there at 6pm and that was not a lie as the boys showed up almost spot on at 6. Who knew that BJ and Mike took punctuality so seriously? The boys started very early to smoke a couple of pork butts which their efforts paid off as the food was truly something special. Accompanying the main dish was salad, potato salad, corn bread, fresh onions, Famous Dave’s Signature Spicy Pickles, and your choice of Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ or Sweet Golden Mustard BBQ sauce, and cookies! The group enjoyed the grub while jealous onlookers observed and inquired about the spread. The meal was truly delicious and a special THANK YOU goes out to BJ and Mike C. for their efforts and skills!


With bellies full and the boat arriving at the dock it was time to hurry up and wait as the crew changed over the boat for our group and ran to get gas while after dinner drinking continued. The group boarded in an orderly fashion as rod holders, tackle boxes, coolers, and bunks all got situated and we made our way to the bait receiver. As typical with every trip that I have been on with the T-Bird this season, the bait was great! Sure some beat-up and bloodied Sardines could be found but that was certainly not the norm. Most of the baits looked like mini footballs and athletes as we untied from the receiver and listened to Goofy’s motivation safety speech as we made our way out of the harbor and set a course for the Tanner Bank.


Fishing Day 1

As we made our way to the Tanner Bank the group started to get out of the rack around 6:30am, which was a much welcomed sleep-in for most of the group who are still working and accustomed to getting up much earlier. The seas were pretty lumpy as the boat rolled with the swell and we got ready to make our 1st stop. A couple members decided that some early chum was needed to spark the bite, one was due to the always dreadful sea sickness, and the other was due to self-inflicted over serving of IPAs (yours truly!). With that behind us we made our first stop all by ourselves as Ricardo heckled us from the bait tank. First to hook up was Stewart on a Flatfall, which Ricardo had mentioned the BFT were prone to bite at this location of the bank. Stewart must have felt bad for that particular BFT and allowed it to saw him off under the boat taking with it some jewelry as a keep sake. Jim was quick to follow with our first BFT to hit the deck. Jim was using a “jig” and others landed some assorted Whitefish and Sheepshead. Steward re-tied another Flatfall on in a different color and managed to wrap that up in the prop and bust it off. It was looking like Stewart was going to have one of those trips until he was later able to redeem himself and land a BFT. Luke, being the helpful guy that he is, managed to later retrieve Stewart’s Flatfall while fishing a sinker rig, so Stewart’s luck certainly changed although his challenges are now documented forever. At this point the bite had slowed down and six BFT had hit the deck compliments of Bill, Ryan, Nick, Stewart, Mike Z, and myself. The BFT that Mike Z. caught was his first fish of the past two seasons aside from a short Calico in 2019. It is nice to see that catching BFT is a lot like riding a bike for some. As Jeff kicked on the motor, Luke did what Luke does and proceeded to hook up. I have seen this story play out several times this season. Luke is well known for soaking a bait as the boat is motoring away from a spot and has had great success utilizing this technique. I have been on three trips this season with him and I have seen him hook up when the motor gets kicked on during every trip. (not to give away any secrets) With now seven BFT in the RSW it was time to continue on and join the rest of the fleet on a high spot at the Tanner.


We arrived at the high-dollar real estate portion of the Tanner Bank and joined up with about twenty boats including several from San Diego’s Long Range fleet. We saddled up alongside the Freedom, dropped the hook and started to work baits while Ricardo tossed a steady diet of Sardines. To be honest, I do not really recall who hooked up next or how long it took to start getting the Bluefin to play, but they certainly got with it. FUN is the only real word that I can use to describe the next couple of hours! For some members it was easy hookups with basically any bait that would swim. Others had to go through some soul searching and take on heavy casualties (B.J) but in the end all managed to get the experience of pulling on the 25-35# grade Bluefin. The fight of this grade of Bluefin is really fun and challenging as they were on a strict diet of 25# and 30# fluorocarbon (more on that later). It was also pretty muggy on the deck that morning so once the Bluefin was gaffed and flopped onto the deck of the T-Bird, the happy angler was left usually dripping in sweat with arm pump. I can still hear that special thump sound in my head that a Bluefin makes after being gaffed and brought over the rail on the T-Bird and dropped on the deck… I am pretty sure they teach that skill at deckhand school and the T-Bird crew are some of the best at getting that thump just right!


As the bite forged on and many of the D.W.R.R.C fellowship were becoming content with their taking, the crew of the T-Bird took full advantage and began to wet lines. Hook and Hands became a real thing among the club members and crew. Goofy seemed to take a liking to Mike C’s Super Seeker set up and proceeded to grab for it every time that Mike would put it down to hydrate or use the facilities. Even Luke got in the act and started to grab several rods from his arsenal and send out a bait, get a bite, and pass it along. I am not sure how many times he did this but it was certainly appreciated by those members who were the recipient. At one point Mike C. got tired of reeling in Goofy’s Bluefin and refused to take his rod. Goofy was forced to reel that particular Bluefin in on his own which was met with plenty of kind words for Mike. Mike would later grab the gaff and finish off Goofy’s fish with a perfect gaff shot. Speaking of club members and gaff shots, many members (Ryan and John that I can recall, but I am sure more) got involved in gaffing a Bluefin in a nice change of pace from being on the other end of the practice. The crew continued to fish and enjoy the great bite and Cole hooked up on the port side of the boat and tried to put the wood to a Bluefin like he was a stud while cast and crew from the Freedom cheered him on and club member trash talked him to hurry up. The fish ended up being really mean and in the end Cole was left tired and exhausted as the Bluefin finally hit the deck.


As mentioned earlier, using fluorocarbon was on a small scale proven to be statistically significant. Luke performed a study during the bite in which he got bit on five consecutive baits when fishing 30# flouro. On one of his hook and hands, he took the rod that the handed off angler was fishing which had 20# mono only and proceeded to not get a bite in four consecutive baits. I’ll admit this is a small sampling and the data lacks the replicates needed to draw a strong statistical conclusion to fully reject the null hypothesis, but as a fisherman I deliver this information for you to do with it what you wish.


When the smoke cleared and many were finally able to eat a Goofy breakfast burrito, it was DOUBLE LIMITS for the entire group before noon and time to make our way for the Cortez Bank in search of Yellowtail! The high spot on the Cortez that we were heading for was about 15 miles away from our location on the Tanner, so plenty of time for some food (Goofy made really good steak sandwiches), a nap, and a beverage. While in route to the Cortez high spot (about 8 miles away) we came upon another high spot that Jeff stopped the boat on. This spot immediately produced some nice Bonito (8-10# range), smaller grade Bluefin, some assorted rock and whitefish, and a Yellowtail. From there we continued on the high spot on the Cortez that we were originally motoring towards.


Once we arrived to the desired spot on the bank, we were greeted with all the Bonito (more of the 8-10# range) you could want. Luke managed to get a really nice YT on one of the larger Sardines in the tank and the group got called a bunch a “fish snobs” by Jeff as many of the Bonito were released and the attendance at the rail had been significantly reduced. Jeff and the crew making fun of and trash talking the club members is one of my favorite things about T-Bird trips! Those guys are really a special crew and make the experience that much more memorable and fun. You really can’t say enough about them and their ability at their jobs!


Next, we pulled the anchor and in the process broke the trip wire… The crew was quick to rectify that situation and we were off to go and try to replenish the bait we had gone through with some Mackerel. Sabikis were tied on in hopes of filling the front two tanks of the T-Bird. The club members worked hard at the rail to catch more bait and were rewarded with many Spanish, Greenies, and Jumbo Sardines! Before long the front two tanks were filled and we were on our way to San Clemente Island (SCI) for Day 2. Mixed in with the Macks and Dines were various rockfish and enough Perch to even make Gary (who wasn’t on the trip) jealous. Visions of what the Macks might do with the Yellowtail and Calicos at SCI danced in all of our heads as we sat down to a Lasagna and Pasta Dinner and made our way toward the island.


The top 5 fish were taped and the jackpot was settled. When it was all said and done, Luke came out with the patch after much effort and determination to ensure the process was conducted effectively.


Here are the results on the tape, congrats to all!


  • Riley Dyer – 32.42#
  • Ryan Burson – 32.47#
  • Nick Burson – 32.75#
  • Bill Parks – 32.87#
  • Luke Burson – 33.76#


Now it was time to get out of the way and let the crew process the catch and clean the boat for Day #2. I got up around 4am to re-write my notes and enjoy the morning and was greeted by Cole who was obviously running on fumes and was in Zombie Mode. He would end up working 26 hours straight before getting some much needed rest. While I was working through my notes I was greeted by some nice conversation with the 2nd Capt. Brian and Stewart as we yapped about whatever would come to our minds. It was a nice start to Day 2 already and I was looking forward to seeing what the day would bring at SCI. According to Capt. Brain, we were posted up at the Dunes, south of West Cove as we waited for grey light to form. While in the dark a school of about 6-10 Flying Fish stayed near the boat and swam in and out of the deck lights which was something that I have never seen before. Around 6:30am or so many were up and at the rail in search of a Yellowtail. Jim was the first to hook up on a surface iron. He made really impressive work of the fish as he managed to bring the fish to gaff without it taking a single inch of drag and keeping its head out of the water as the Yellowtail struggled to figure out what was going on after hitting his jig. A quick look around and only another skiff was within eyesight as it was apparent that we would have the island mostly to ourselves as the fleet was elsewhere (probably working over the Bluefin at the Tanner).


We later made a move (not sure to where) and more Yellowtail were caught. Most of the yellowtail had a craving for the various Macks that were made the evening prior at the Cortez. Full disclosure, I am not sure as to how many Yellowtail were caught and by who… but some were definitely caught.


Now on to the club doing what the club loves doing, FISHING CALICOS!!! We pulled the hook and were told by Jeff that we were going to anchor up on some kelp and try and catch a Bass. This was music to everybody’s ears as we had plenty of Macks in the tank and were looking to put a respectable grade Bass on the board. As the hook got settled, the kelp was laying down nicely, indicative of decent water movement (aka CURRENT). Several baits hit the water and were eaten up by a smaller grade of Calicos who were quick to jump on the easy meal. Some stood atop the really nice sun deck of the T-Bird enjoying the sun and a beverage or two as others zoned in on the Calico fishing that was available. Things were really starting to get good, it was instant bite on any Sardine that was thrown out and then Luke tossed a Cortez bank transferred Spanish Mack deep into the kelp and towards the SCI shore… The energy really got serious as his 7.8# Calico came over the rail! Finally, a decent bass was atop the leader board! Ryan followed up with another nice Bass and things were really looking good! BUT then two things happened. The current backed off and the Navy advised that we leave the area because they were about to perform an underwater detonation… … …


So we left and went in search for more Yellowtail and Calicos. More Yellowtail were caught, Mike C. got bit on a nice meter mark and surface action of good grade fish. He managed to be the only bite and took a fair ration of crap for it from everybody else as he nursed his Yellowtail to gaff. Soon after it was time to motor back home.


All in all it was a great trip! Lots of fun was had by all. Many of the reasons why we are fishermen were satisfied as we settled up jackpot, which Bill won with a beautiful Yellowtail that he caught on a Mackerel. As we steamed toward port, I was reminded of moments over the past few days where I didn’t think about work, didn’t stress over the many chaotic things that are happening around the U.S, and even for just a few days was fortunate enough to be a part of something that we all strive to be a part of but truly struggle with achieving… Being truly in a moment, focused on what is happening around you, and caring about nothing else as you give your 100% attention to something. It is therapeutic in a way that no other will ever understand and a big reason why I pride myself in being a Fisherman. (mic drop!)



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A boat deck with a large haul of various fish, including tuna, after a fishing trip.

2025: Trip 5 - Thunderbird 2.5 Day

August 25, 2025
Trip #5: Boat: Thunderbird 2.5 day Departs: Tuesday August 19th Fishing: August 20th, 21th Returns: August 22th am Thunderbird Crew: Jeff Markland- Captain Steve Raby- 2nd Captain Jose, Jared & Nate on deck Goofy in his usual form in the Galley The usual suspects, newer club members and a slew of guests began gathering for the upcoming 2.5-day venture on board the Thunderbird on Tuesday afternoon/evening, a lot of discussion occurred around where will we fish, what is our bait, are we going to fish for tuna, and more importantly, the weather. Forecast was for pretty breezy on the outer banks and tuna grounds with somewhat better at the island. Thursday weather looked much improved everywhere. As it turned out, the weather turned out nice the first day, and even nicer the second day. Also the good news was we would have sardines for bait. When the boat returned from the fuel dock around 7:30, I wandered down to the boat and sat with Jeff and discussed our “options”. There was about 2 scoops of live squid on the boat and the squid at San Clemente Island was available but by jigging. 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. The tuna grounds were in range to do some night fishing between the days, and daytime fishing was producing smaller fish. The Tanner Bank had the 10-15 lb variety which was spotty, and inside toward SCI were bigger 30-35lb variety with some larger mixed in. Getting bites though would be hard. The Cortez Bank coughed up 100 yellowtail for Jeff a few days before. There was also some white sea bass caught at San Nicholas Island so that was an option. Soooo, one more time, what to do. Jeff decided he will decide when we leave the bait receiver as I said give it your best shot. The final decision, with the weather forecast improving, we would head to the Cortez Bank since there had been some yellowtail there a few days before. And off we went. Travel out was not too bad. Day 1- Arrived at the Cortez Bank around 7:45 am, fished a couple areas for nothing except some of the jumbo bonito, large mackerel and a few bottom dwellers. There was no sign of yellowtail. Where the F**k did they go? Around 10:00am, Jeff pulled the plug and we headed back inside to the tuna grounds, about 30 miles away. Weather was getting much nicer, We ended up picking at the BFT not long after we arrived in the area around 2:00pm and joined “the fleet”. We had one decent plunker drift for 16 BFT, and scratched up 9 more at sundown. As dark fell, we headed into the island to try for the early morning yellowtail fishing at the Lost Point area. Day 1 fish count- 25 BFT, 4 Bonito kept, a few misc bottom dwellers kept JP winner- Bronson Noggle (Cory Steinwand Guest)- 30 plus lb BFT, Patch winner Cory Steinwand- 30 plus lb BFT (it was very close) Day 2- had a few yellowtail bites in the dark and grey light at Lost Point, all nice fish. Headed out after grey light for yesterday’s tuna grounds. Flat calm weather. Worked the area with “the fleet” for a couple of hours and covering a lot of water. Jeff finally pulled the plug and decided to take a gamble and head to the Tanner Bank since there were tuna there a few days before. And the gamble certainly paid off. We were greeted with boiling fish in the chum circle when we arrived, boiling fish on the anchor and steady fishing on the 10-15 lb BFT the rest of the afternoon. We fished a couple deep spots for decent reds and other stuff, one nice ling cod and headed back to the area west of SCI toward San Nicholas Island for some night fishing. We had several stops on spots of fish, and got a few anywhere from 30 plus lbs up to 100lbs. Around midnight, we headed home. We were able to fish that long because by chance, the boat was not scheduled to run a ¾ day trip when we got in, so we got to fish longer. Arrived at the dock around 7:20am, unloaded and that was it. Day 2 fish count- 6 Yellowtail, 40 BFT, 1 Halibut, 2 Barracuda, 100 plus mixed Reds and Rockfish, 1 Ling Cod JP & Patch winner- Cory Steinwand- 102 lb BFT Trip total- 65 BFT, 6 Yellowtail, 1 Halibut, 4 Bonito, 100 plus mixed Reds/Rockfish, 1 Ling Cod 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. One thing that was troubling was the amount of casualties on these smaller tuna. Seems like most everyone liberated one or two, or more. (We won’t mention my luck!). Small hooks and light line with too much pressure and these little guys were hot! All in all a good time had by all and a very good group of guests on this trip as well. That’s it! Your Scribe- Gary Thompson
Two men on a boat hold up a large yellowtail fish with a mountainous background.

2025: Trip 4 - Thunderbird 2 Day

August 11, 2025
Trip #4: Boat: Thunderbird 2 day Departs: Thursday August 7th Fishing: August 8th, 9th Returns: August 9th pm Trip 4 started as usual with people arriving at Newport Landing at all hours of the day with anticipation of fishing. The preliminary reports from Gary Thompson were all too familiar to what we’ve seen this year. Bait was going to be an issue. And last but not least, was the fish seemed to pop up one day and then disappear the next. Nevertheless, everyone was ready to go. Friday morning saw us anchored at the usual cove off SCI. Weather was OK; fishable, but not a lot of fish. But the ones we caught were quality yellowtail and white sea bass. The sea lions provided ample entertainment …err I mean frustration. We hopped around to a few spots picking up the occasional calico but not much. Day 1 jackpot went to Alex Arthur (Justin Becker’s Guest) with the patch going to Nick Burson for some chunky YT’s Day 2 started much as it did Day 1 but the weather was worse than Day 1. We looked here and there with only 3 yellowtail to show for our efforts. Eventually, the Thunderbird turned towards offshore waters to try our luck at some bluefin. Unfortunately, the fish didn’t get the memo and we saw neither sign or had any bites. Mr, “Hey that’s my fish” Tom Hill was the lucky jackpot and patch winner for Day 2 with a 15# YT. So, there you have it, not a, “Hey you missed a great trip” kind ‘a trip but per usual, the members of our club all seemed to enjoy doing what we do. It’s not always about the fish; it’s about the people and the experience. LOL! Who am I kidding…we all want more fish. Until next time, step to the right/left and take up your slack.

2025: Trip 3 - Thunderbird 2 Day

July 31, 2025
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

2025: Trip 2 - Thunderbird 2 Day

July 19, 2025
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

2025: Trip 1 - Thunderbird 1.5 Day

July 5, 2025
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!
A group of men are standing next to each other under an umbrella.

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February 12, 2025
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