2021: Trip 8 Thunderbird 1.5 Day

Trip 7 - Thunderbird - 1.5 Day, September 2-4, 2021


Following the epic counts of quality fish put up on trip #6 and #7, those of us on trip #8 had high hopes for back-to-back-to-back successful trips. Early in the week our hopes diminished when Luke sent out an email with the latest news from Jeff. Counts at SCI and the offshore banks had slowed and were tapering off. Another email from Luke on the morning of our departure painted an even bleaker picture which left us having to take a vote at the dock as to where we’d fish and what we’d target. The decision was made (almost unanimously as there were a few members that will remain unnamed that wanted to fish SCI) to head to Tanner and Cortez to pick at the schools of bluefin that ‘may’ still be in the area.


With our destination decided upon, we went through the rituals of bunk selection and loading gear before departing the dock at approximately 8:30 PM. While stopping for bait on the way out, members gathered around their gear and tackle boxes rigging up everything from 20# fly line outfits, to mid-weight set-ups with colt snipers and flat falls, to the 100# combos in case the ‘cows’ decided to bite. We were not treated to the quality bait we had earlier in the season. A mix of ‘chovies’ and smaller sardines would be our ammunition with some larger sardines mixed in. Once the bait tanks were full, we exited the harbor only to be greeted by breezy and choppy conditions. The overnight boat ride was bumpy to say the least. I can’t speak for all those onboard, but I was nearly rolled out of my bunk on several occasions throughout the night.


We arrived at our destination well after dawn which provided plenty of rest for those that stayed up late taking part in the shared libations late into the evening the night before. First lines were in the water around 9:00 AM with the tuna kite gliding overhead. Jeff was metering scattered fish in the area and it wasn’t long before Jim B. and Hayden had ‘freshies’ on their line. Unfortunately, Hayden was the victim of a sea lion attack while Jim was able to avoid the same fate and land a quality Yellow Tail. Brian U. and Luke B. hooked and landed ‘schoolie’ BFTs fly lining on light tackle.


I’ll pause the story here to address the topic everyone surely wants to know. The BFTs and YT mentioned above were the only jackpot eligible fish caught on the trip. Brian’s hot streak of patches continued as he edged out Luke to claim the jackpot. From what I heard, Luke has yet to ‘patch’ for the season. Sorry Luke.


While we drifted and anchored throughout the morning we were treated to boiling bluefin around the boat but the bite never materialized. Three of us however were fortunate enough to have our numbers pulled to fight and land fish hooked on the Kite. Chris L. was the first up and it was clear from the beginning that it was a big fish. Chris did his best to put the hurt to the fish. The fight lasted nearly 1.5 hours with Goofy lending a hand. While Chris was hooked up another fish bit the kite bait and Greg (Luke’s guest) had his number pulled. Greg gave it a valiant effort early and eventually handed if off to the crew for the final push to bring it to the boat. Chris’s BFT taped at 202 lbs while Greg’s taped at 165 lbs. We continued our search for the scattered schools of tuna. Before too long the kite hooked up again and stopped the boat. Luckily for me my number was called. Having never fought/landed a fish of this size the fight felt like David v. Goliath (me being David). I gave it my all for 25 minutes or so before handing it off to the crew. I felt enormous pressure to not lose the fish given the scarcity of fish put on the boat by this point. The fish taped at 188 lbs. The 3 big fish were personal bests for us all.


The counts were rounded out by a sampling of rockfish that were accumulated while drifting and anchoring throughout the day. It was clear by 1:30 that the prospect of more fish on deck was not promising. It was not for a lack of effort put forth by the anglers or the crew of the Thunderbird. It just wasn’t our day.


Jeff pointed the boat towards Newport Harbor around 7:30 and unlike the first night, our overnight cruise was smooth and comfortable. We arrived at the dock around 4:30 in the morning. The members agreed that any fish caught on the kite would be shared amongst the group. Everyone went home with fresh BFT to enjoy.


The ocean calls to us.

Salt air and comradery.

A bounty we seek.


Until next time,

Nick H.


Latest Posts

Three people on a boat hold up a large fish while fishing at sea.

2026: Trip 3 - Thunderbird 2 Day

August 14, 2026
Trip #3: Boat: Thunderbird 2 day Departs: Thursday, July 23rd Fishing: July 24th & July 25th Returns: July 25th PM 

2026: Trip 2 - Thunderbird 2 Day

July 30, 2026
Trip #2: Boat: Thunderbird 2 day Departs: Thursday, July 9th Fishing: July 10th & July 11th Returns: July 11th PM 
Fresh fish laid out on ice at a market, with silver bodies and yellow fins visible.

2026: Trip 1 - Thunderbird 1.5 Day

July 8, 2026
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.
Group of eight men standing under shade structures outdoors.

2025: Club BBQ

December 31, 2025
White boat sailing on blue water with a brown cliff in the background.

2025: Trip 8 - Thunderbird 1.5 Day

October 13, 2025
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.
Man on boat at night holding a large tuna fish, smiling.

2025: Trip 7 - Thunderbird 2.5 Day

September 30, 2025
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!”
Show More