2022: Trip 2 - Thunderbird 2 Day

Trip 2 Report: Thunderbird 2 day, June 23-25, 2022

Scribe - Justin

“There are some days I take my violin (rod and reel) out and it feels dreadful, like nothing is responding, and I want to sell it and get rid of it. And the next day suddenly the skies open up and the sound (bite) is glorious again. So it's like a relationship: There are good days and bad days.” — Joshua Bell, Violinist and Composer

I found a good quote to start off reviewing a very unique DWRRC trip #2.

As we arrived, we had zero idea where we were headed and waited for our fearless leaders to help us find where the fish were biting. We followed the fishing reports earlier in the week, we expected high Yellowtail counts and a good bite. The Blue Fin had not gotten far enough North to warrant a trip South, so we agreed on Santa Barbara and Saint Nick.

Loading was painless and we all got tied up as we headed out to the Islands. Knowing there was not any Tuna fishing (evening activities) the whiskey came out, but nothing too over-the-top, just some good BS and excitement for the morning.

We started out early, setting alarms for 4:45 AM knowing the gray morning bite had been good for Sea Bass….Santa Barbara had some wind and rough times, but nothing severe. So, we put the time in and well…nothing. Bryan caught a white fish that went into his bag soley to capture the biggest fish…this is how the morning went. Jeff certainly did his part and looked high and low for biters, but there were no takers in that fine morning.

With 3 Mikes on the boat (Mike Harris and 2 guests, Mike Klepper and Mike Vas, both guests of Paul Morgan), it was easy to just call everyone Mike and get through the trip. Paul explained that he only hangs with Mike’s as he struggles with name recall. The banter in the kitchen was high as Goofy and Gary were on many topics throughout the trip. One memorable conversation was about ladders, so when the fish don’t bite, you tend to pull out any available topic for conversation.

In one stop, with zero fish from the stop, we got the “wind em up” from Jeff. Gary reels in his “naked” hook and catches a white fish. That too went in the bag, just in case!

At 9 AM, the decision was to bail on Santa Barbara Island. We opted to take the 3-hour ride over to San Clemente and see if our luck could change. It also set us up well to fish Day #2. We motored off with the majority of the group getting a nap in or discussing ladders in the galley.

That afternoon we stopped at a few Calico grounds on the North side of the Island, we had some luck with some Calico getting through the Sea Lions, but it was not fun fighting those dogs throughout the afternoon. We fished through dusk and that too was fruitless. Tony came up with the FISH OF THE DAY, a 4# Calico. That, my friends, was it…a few white fish, some small Calico and Tony’s winner.

Goofy served up some good dinner, and banter about NOT moving his salad bowl. TriTip, Baked Potato and a properly placed salad made for a satisfying filling meal. Wine was shared, and a chosen few were rewarded Klondike Bars.

We passed a few more bottles of the drink of choice and began to wonder what Day #2 had in store. My decision was to head to the bunk early and pray for a new, better day. Most did the same as we woke up the sound of……

DAY #2

Fish On! Yellow Tail on the boat at 4:45 AM by Chris, the night Captain. The call to the group went out and everyone scrambled to get a line in the water. We had live squid on the boat and most fished dropper, egg sinker or lead head.

The deckhands were busy pulling in more squid as the heavy squid light attracted a ton of bait. They netted 4-5 scoops of squid and had that ready for a new day of action.

5 AM- Chris brings his second YT on board
5:30 Nick brings in a nice 30# YT
5:50 Bill drags in a big Yellow, which eventually contended for the fish of the day.
6:10 Roy pulls on and delivers the fish of the day! A super fat 40# or so Yellow!

This stop was pretty good with the group picking off a good sized YT here and there. We also seemed to connect on some large Black Sea Bass, as many guys got broken off. I was lucky enough to land an 80# black Sea Bass that we struggled to bring back down into the sea.

Scuba (the deckhand that helped me with the Black Sea Bass) asked that I loosen the line so he could work. He used the 10’ push pole to push the fish below, trying to get the air to escape from its body cavity. He did this 4-5 times but the fish rolled over, showing its white belly…defeated. So, Scuba grabbed a filet knife, jumped the rail and stabbed the BSB in the side, allowing the air to escape…..finally the big guy found his way. Interestingly, Scuba kept the hook and line in, waited for the fish to be 300 feet out and yanked the line free. As Scuba said “even people can get stabbed and live to tell about it”, so we think the same for the BSB.

Finally, the bite slowed and Jeff called us to reel em up. That is when Nick struck again and had another hanging…..That stop from 5-8 AM was a great start to an awesome day on the water.

10 AM stop, Nick could not be stopped, he outfished the whole boat! On this stop we had Bonita, Calico and an occasional Baracuda.

11 AM to noon-ish was a great YT bite with the group doubling the YT fish count. Nick, Bryan, Pat Kelly (my guest), Jimmy, Mike Harris and many more scored on this stop. Paul “pull-the-hook” Morgan had 5 pulled hooks on the day. Certainly not normal for such a strong fisherman! He will seek his comeuppance on the next outing!

We headed to Calico fish for the end of the trip and that too had a decent mix of Yellows. It was fun watching the stern fill with elbows, trying to get the best spot to throw baits into the shore…many good-sized Calico!

The call came at 1:45 PM that we must head home, but all had a great time and felt like we got our revenge on the fishing gods. All caught fish (as there were many bonita, Calico, white and Rock fish caught throughout the second day).

My favorite memory of this trip was Romeo, the son of Oscar Ochoa. Oscar has done and continues to raise a great boy. At 11 years old the kid can FISH! and knows his rail side manners. Romeo landed a yellow as well, and had a great time learning from the many experienced anglers on the boat. He was very observant and did a great job of being part of the action, but not getting in the way….at 15 he will take every trip patch and jackpot, mark my word!

Winners:

Day #1 – Tony- 4# Calico (At least he caught one and got it through the Dog Gauntlet)

Day #2- Roy – Congrats to Roy in beating out Bill by ¼ inch “girth” of the fish…that was a fat one!

Fisherman of the trip- Nick Burson. Not only did he outfish his “old man”, but he outfished the entire boat with 4 nice YT and a bunch of other catch and release.

21 total Yellows caught…..not bad for a ¾ day haul!

Respectfully submitted….Justin

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2026: Trip 1 - Thunderbird 1.5 Day

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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. 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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. 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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. 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2025: Trip 7 - Thunderbird 2.5 Day

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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!”