2016: Trip #7 on the Fortune (2 Day)
9/29/16 - 10/1/16
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Trip #7 Report
By Tom Anderson
The usual gathering at Fisherman's Landing started a little after 3 PM. Final trip of the year for DWRRC on the Fortune Included 2 father and sons combo, Roy and Jeremy Patterson, Bill and Murphy Parks along with George Miller, Chris Lund, Bob Wheeler, Paul Casillas, Jeff Hinrichs, Ron Shrout, Mike Allen, Ron Henry, Brian Wynne with guests Steve and Mike, Ron Rudrud with guest Tim, and yours truly Tom Anderson as scribe.
We were treated by Ron Shrout and Bill Parks yellowtail sashimi with a killer sauce made by Murphy.
Usual dinner 6 PM ish with a delay boarding between 8:30 . Capt. Bruce arrived at the dock when the Fortune came
in so was fresh and rested for our trip. After a routine boarding we were off for bait. Bruce had 2 options for us. 1 we can head 120 + miles to kelp patties with smaller 8 -10 lb yellowfin or head up the coast where larger yellowfin were but where already hammered but were still biting if you found the right school with the lighter line. Due to the fact we could fish Clemente on day 2 with the yellowtail and calico bass trophies possible. Option 2 was unanamous.
We loaded healthy 5 to 6 inch sardines and off we went north. Somewhere between 4 and 5 AM the engines would be killed and their we floated. Some early morning risers ventured out.. It wasn't till just before sunrise Jeremy Patterson hooked up and did a wonder job landing about a 23 lb YF showing his Dad how it was done. They pretty much got the rest of gang out of their bunks and throwing baits.
Once the sun was fully up I could count at least 42 boats in around that area.
About 7 AM with no more bites Bruce fired up the engines and started looking around. We headed out and south from the rest of the fleet looking for tuna. About a 1/2 hour later Bruce was metering something and began a figure 8 pattern with the deckhand James throwing full scoops on bait, somewhere in the second pattern boils erupted and game was on. Not sure who hooked up fish but we had 3 -4 going all on the lighter 20lb with 20lb flouro. I know Mike Allen was on , Brian. Roy and Jeremy again. We had 2 to 4 fish going for the first hour and these were quality yellowfin 15 to 30 lbs. On the lighter line some of the guys were getting worked big time. I have to say how well all the members worked together and we had minimal casualties.
A little after a hour and half the rest of the fleet had notice we were hooked up and by 9 AM I counted 24 boats around us, with the smaller private boats as usual running through our chum line, pulling up off our starboard. There was 1 boat that was in direst line of our long drifts.
Choice words by Capt. Bruce and Ron Shrout where to no avail. Needless to say the bite began to die off. Last hooked and 1st fish was Murphy Parks at 9:30 AM. After once around the boat Roy put him on the clock. After a second time around about 45 minutes the fish was gaffed. When you fly all the way from Boston to come fishing with the club you DON'T want to lose your first fish with dad watching.
After that Bruce had had it with the private boaters and again fired up the engines and off we went. 16 quality yellow fin had been landed with Jeremy, Mike Allen, Jeff Hinrichs, Ron Shrout and Brian had 2 with myself, Bob Wheeler, Roy ,Paul and several other had singles.
Sorry if I missed you catching a fish it hard to fish and scribe sometimes. As we all know that late morning early afternoon can begin not fishing but a boat ride. That was pretty much it all afternoon until a little after 4 when Bruce again began metering fish. Bait was thrown and it took awhile to boil but it was keeping its fair distance. Brian's friend MIke was hooked up and several others but not like the morning. More like 1 maybe 2 going at best after long soaks. It was getting tougher to get the baits to swim out to where the tuna were boiling. Bruce I think hooked 2 handing them off.
Again after an hour or so 10 to 12 boats were flocking around us.
By 5:30 ish the bite died and that was really the only 2 schools we found. Brian Wynne had landed a larger yellow fin on 15lb that looked like a JP contender. 8 yellowfin where landed in the afternoon for a first day total of 24 yellow fin. Paul the chef prepared a awesome steak on mashed potatos with a gravy and green beans. The food on the Fortune this trip was as good as any long range with chef Paul on board. Capt. Bruce came down and told us day 2 game plan. Some blue fin had been caught again at Desperation reef and he was going to try and make squid at Clemente. After a little bumpy ride and several attempts at squid we anchored up on the south edge of the reef around 5 AM. From the 20lb light stuff now we had 40 to 50 lb most fishing the flat falls. Nothing was happening until 7 AM when Chris Lund hooked something decent. He did a great job and no more than 15 to 20 minutes had a nice 45lb ish blue fin on board. (Congrats Chris, it was his first fish of the trip) It was now 8 ish and nothing else had happened when Bruce had got a call from Andrew on the T-Bird that the sound end of the reef yellowtail where biting. A short 1/2 hour move we motored and anchored a fair distance from the Thunderbird. Bruce had not even have the anchor tight and Jeff "E" HInrichs was on along with Mike Allen. Bruce came on and anounced try yo yo irons about 160 feet down. The bite was at first ten to 20 feet off the bottom and these were quality fish and did not want to come up. The crew and club did a great job trying to minimize casualties. Jeff H, (Mr. Hot Stick went 6 for 6 ) I believe everyone had at least 1 to 2 with many members 3 to 4.
Seemed like MIke Allen, Roy , Bill , and Ron were hooked constantly. Ron Rudrud had a bigger on that a hand scale had at 30 lb. (Sorry Ryan Burson)
The scrambled egg yo yo seemed to be the hottest but many others that swam well were getting bit. Seemed like we had 3 to 4 constantly going.
Bob Wheeler had 3 along with Brian Wynne and others. It was a good bite until the sea lions moved in and began to make it tough. By 11 AM ish we had 46 and time was running out and the club wanted a shot at the calico bass title so Bruce pulled anchor and headed for Clemente.
The first couple spots on the windward side produce smaller bass and Bruce finally found a area with larger size.
Ron Henry, Bill Parks and Mike Allen all measured bass that were getting close to the length but just didn't have the girth.
It was getting close to 2 PM and Bruce said guys we got to head back as ETA at San Diego was 9 PM. Brian Upcraft survived barely his club calico. Heading south was comfortable and many naps were taken. Fish were pulled out of the RSW and both JP winners were announced. Day 1 had Brian Wynne just getting it with a taped 28 + yellow fin. Day 2 had Chris Lund getting it with his 45 + lb blue fin and Ron Rudrud got club largest yellowtail taped at 26.4 lbs. (Congrats to all)
Total counts 24 yellow fin, 46 yellow tail, near limits of calicos released, and assorted bottom grabbers.
Thanks to Roy Patterson with his constant e-mails and making sure we had the right gear for all situations and Capt. Bruce Smith, 2nd ticket Bob, James, Tom and especially chef Paul would constantly had quality meals all day.
It was a great trip to end our season and all on board got along exceptionally.
Proud of the DWRRC gang! We Fish and we Fish Hard.
See you at the picnic, TA
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Trip #3: Boat: Thunderbird 2 day Departs: Thursday, July 23rd Fishing: July 24th & July 25th Returns: July 25th PM
Trip #2: Boat: Thunderbird 2 day Departs: Thursday, July 9th Fishing: July 10th & July 11th Returns: July 11th PM
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.
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.
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!”
