2018: Trip 7 Thunderbird (1.5 day)
DWRRC Trip Repor
Trip #7- 8/23-8/25- 1-1/2 Day Trip
Scribe- Gary T.
NOTE- This is a long report so you might get two beers in hand.
Club Participants- Brian W., Andy W., Tom H., Gary T., Paul C., Tony B., Steve L., Bill P., Bill H., Tom A., Ron S., Joe S., Ron H., Luke B., Ron R., Tim S., and Stewart F. (sort of- more later)
Crew- Jeff, Brian, Ricardo, Steve, Goofy
This trip actually started on Aug 18th when Luke sent out his first pre-trip update. I think we all appreciate the effort in the Club leadership keeping all of us apprised as best as possible of what we may expect or to look to for an upcoming trip. With providing weather and wind forecast updates, fishing conditions and what fish are where as best as can be ascertained, and recommended tackle and equipment to bring, we all benefit from these updates. As such, I think we all should thank them for providing such a valuable benefit to all of us in the club so we can always be best prepared. (Even if some of us hate fishing with flat falls….but who could that be?????)
The Scribe arrived at Davey’s Locker at 2:35pm on 8/23 with Tony B. in tow, and some of the usual suspects were already there- Luke B., Brian W. and Ron H. Joe S., Steve L., and Tom H. followed with everyone else filtering in, EXCEPT Stewart F. By 7:00pm, and still no Stewart who was number 3 on the bunk sign up list, a little anxiety set in. Was Stewart OK? Did something happen to him? Or was it just everyone wanted their bunk? In any event, Luke finally made positive contact with him and determined that Stewart had forgotten that he was on this trip! So, we ended up going one short with 16.
One little note here about early arriving- the scenery. The whale watch boats can, at times, carry some real “talent”. It is always useful to observe that “talent” as they embark and disembark those boats. We must ensure that we maintain all of our skills at the highest level, and observe for new innovations in “fishing”, if you all know what I mean…..
During the waiting period, the usual things we all do took place. The rigging table was in full operation with Luke and Brian holding class, reels were put on rods, lots of small talk, BS talk, sea stories, and the usual shuck and jiving going on, dinner treks here and there, beer drinking, and the highly anticipated wait for Goofy’s arrival. We always anticipate lots of words of wisdom when Goofy arrives with his galley supplies, and this trip was no exception. We all gathered around him at his 6:25pm arrival and engaged in the usual discourse- what do you know, when will the boat be here, where are we going to fish, what’s for dinner, etc.. When it was all said and done, nothing was resolved as usual.
At one point the manifest signup sheet had to be put on hold because Bill H, dropped the pen through a crack in the wood planks on the pier, and we had to wait for him to find a new one. I hear he targeted that pen drop as if he was casting a mackerel into a hole in a rock chasing a bass. Anyway, we dodged a bullet there when he got a new pen. Can’t leave the dock without a completed manifest.
Finally, the boat arrived around 7:30pm and the anticipated wait for Jeff to come up and give us a quick rundown on the “plan” came and went. Jeff was not on the boat! Brian had run the previous trip, and Jeff snuck down to the boat from the other gangway. As we still figured he would come up at some point to fill us in, we eagerly awaited. As we waited, we finally drug Andy and Tom H. out of the bar who had been hustling a couple of blonds from what we were told. I cannot confirm the truth of this though. Anyway, Jeff never came up and at 8:45pm, he hollered at us to load up. We were all wondering now what was up. We loaded up and left the dock at 9:00pm.
The bait at the receiver was pretty decent with a mix of good size sardine and smaller sardine. A few mackerel mixed in. We loaded 3 tanks full and left the harbor at 10:30pm. And still no word from Jeff on the “plan”. Finally, Jeff comes on the PA and says he has no idea what we are going to do. The weather is up on the outside so the outer banks were off the table, the fish south are too far, and the Navy has San Clemente Island all jacked up all day (or so the schedule said). Soooo…. the “plan” was to try the large Bluefin on the backside of SCI first thing in the morning, watch the wind, and then go from there. And with that we all headed to bed for the ride out, which turned out to be not too bad. We went around the west end and then down the backside of the island looking for fish.
We arrived over our first school of fish at 4:45am on 8/24, a few miles off the backside of the island, about the middle of the island. Most everyone was up and flat falls were flying everywhere, grinding, winding and giving it our all (yes even me- for 10 minutes). However, no bites, the fish disappeared and we went on the hunt again. Shortly thereafter our second stop on fish produced more of the same. So we continued in search mode. Weather so far was ok, but we were anticipating the wind at any time. At 5:45am, we stopped on another school. Same deal, same result. On the move again and at 6:25, another school and ditto.
Between stops, lots of weird discussion and witty banter took place in the galley, with Goofy expounding more words of wisdom, and then showing us what he keeps on top of the CLs in the beer cooler. Mike Trunk would be pleased……We can tell by now as the morning went on, and the wind starting to come up as expected, that Jeff was most likely up in the wheelhouse wondering WTF do I do now? In the meantime, we all chowed down on Goofy’s chorizo, egg and potato burritos for breakfast. At 7:30am, we stopped on another spot of fish, and got our first bite! Tom H’s sea chicken. After quite a fight, the sea chicken was on board. We didn’t keep it because Goofy said we already had enough chicken for lunch later. We continued our seek and destroy mission, working our way around to the east end of the island, while talking shop talk about reels in the galley and anxiously awaiting the next opportunity.
By 9:30 am, Jeff finally had enough and learned that the front side of the island would be available to fish as the Navy had apparently cancelled the closures. So off we went to check things out. We arrived at the corner spot at Pyramid after a short run and after a quick look, Jeff decided to give it a try.
As the anchor was settling back, the stern exploded with yellowtail and it was game on! These fish wanted to bite, and they did for about 20 minutes real well. And they put on one of the best shows we have seen in a while. Finally, the sea lions showed up and the fish got a bit spooked and slowed down. We picked away for a while before it finally died off. When the dust settled, we had 23 yellows in the RSW. I also was 4 for 5 on the sea pigeons so take that Tom H.! The conditions were perfect for this spot with the current running strong and in the right direction, and it paid off.
At 10:50am, we were on the move headed off the island looking for some yellowfin tuna that Jeff had said the purse seiners had been fishing for a couple of days. After a while searching with no luck, Jeff decided we should head back to the island and look for more yellows. Weather was flat calm at the moment but that would change later in the day.
We stopped briefly at the “Slide” spot for one yellow and a couple of barracuda, and at 12:45pm were on the move again up the island in search mode. The sun was out, winds were calm, and it was getting hot. Perfect front side conditions.
Next stop was the “Red Bluff” area above Steve’s Point. We had a decent hit on the yellows putting 14 down in the RSW along with a couple barracuda and a few bonito caught. Again, perfect current conditions, but the sea lions were a problem as usual. Once back on the move again, we had a good lunch of Goofy’s chicken burgers with cheese and all the trimmings on the burgers.
We ran all the way to Gold Bluff where the Outrider had decent yellowtail fishing in the morning. However, it was for nada, and the wind was now coming up, blowing down the island creating a wind against the current situation which can be problematic. At 2:35pm, we were on the move again back down the island, and the wind was following us all the way. We stopped at the “Sailboat Wreck” below Steve’s Point for 3 quick yellows until the sea lions set in. We put on more yellow before we blew out of there.
Our next stop was at Purse Seine Rock sometime after 3:00pm I believe. By this time, the wind was blowing pretty good down the island with an uphill current, and we were laying sideways to the wind because of it. But it didn’t matter. The yellows showed right away and were eating everything. Surface irons and fly lined baits were getting bit. And then it was the same deal when the sea lions showed up. But the pick bite was steady and lasted a lot longer. When it was all said and done, we put 35 more yellows into the RSW. We finally left Purse Seine Rock at 7:00pm and continued down the island.
We tried one bass spot after we left Purse Seine rock, but no bites. Conditions were too difficult to fish properly, plus we had pretty much blown through all of our big baits fishing the yellows. Ron H. still has the target on his back. We rolled into one more bass spot in tight in calm water to try and have a nice dinner.
Cocktail hour for the most part began around 7:30pm., much later than usual. We miss Hayden’s cocktail alarm system. Hurry back Hayden! Goofy, again, served up a great dinner of pork chop steaks, au gratin potatoes, salad, rolls, and Klondike bars for desert. Very filling after a long day of fishing hard.
We must give credit to Andy W. and Tony B. here. Well after dark, while everyone else is breaking down gear, eating dinner, drinking libations, cleaning up, and getting ready for the ride home and a night’s rest, those two were still at the rail bass fishing. Even Luke finally said it was time to quit, but not those two!
After dinner, and around 9:30pm or so, the crew and Luke settled the jackpot/patch and the crew set about cleaning fish. And Tony and Andy were still fishing. True dedication I must say.
The lucky jackpot/patch winner turned out to be yours truly the Scribe. I got lucky again, in spite of not wearing my dilapidated shoes and lucky pants with the holes and seams torn out. Maybe I should get some new shirts now?
We left for home at 10:15pm and with a smooth ride home, we arrived at the dock around 4:10am Sat. morning. We all unloaded from the boat, hustled for our vehicles, loaded up our gear and fish, said our goodbyes and any final insults, and headed home looking forward to the next trip.
All in all, given the weather outlook when we left the dock, and the uncertainty of the island, we can honestly say that some one was looking out for the DWRRC on this trip. I think we really did pull a rabbit out of the hat. For the last several weeks, there hadn’t been any yellows on the front side of the island, and now, it was loaded. Jeff believes a new batch has moved in, and coupled with lite fishing pressure recently due to everyone fishing the outer banks or the backside, we got in on the ground floor. Bass fishing wasn’t very good, but we really never targeted them due to the conditions and the fact that the yellows were biting.
Final Trip Score- 76 yellowtail and a handful of barracuda, bonito and bass kept. A quick note here- I did not take note during the trip of how many each person caught, but I believe a couple of high liners had 6 or 7 fish.
Some observations-
Sea Lions- The sea lions were being their normal obnoxious selves on every spot as usual. However, I do not believe we lost a fish to them. They picked at our baits and spooked the yellows as usual, but were disinterested in eating them. Not sure why at times they are like this, but we benefited by it on this trip. However, if they had not been around at all, I think we could have doubled our fish count. Those fish were very eager to bite on 3 spots, but as soon as the dogs moved in on the spot after 10 or 15 minutes, the spooked yellows would back off to a pick.
Yellows Biting After 3:00pm- Now this may sound strange, but that last bite we had at Purse Seine Rock, which was our best overall bite, all came after 3:30pm and lasted until the sun went behind the island. It is very unusual for this to occur as for some reason, the front side yellowtail fishing is always very slow by that time in the afternoon. When we returned Sat, I asked my brother what he thought of that because I had never seen a bite that late. He said it was extremely rare and he had only seen that happen once in all his years fishing the island. So, I guess we experienced a bit of history as well as some good karma on this trip.
Epic Battle of the Day- No doubt the epic battle of the day was Andy W. and the Blue Heron. It was the classic surface iron attack as the Blue Heron decided it was time to take on Andy’s jig. It was an EPIC struggle as the Blue Heron and Andy battled for supremacy, but in the end, Andy slayed the day. However, in recognition of the Blue Heron’s heroic effort, it was decided that it must be set free to live and fight another day.
Final Observation- For those of us that will be fishing the next trip on the Thunderbird, it will be the last club trip on this boat. As you all are aware, my brother Wiggy and his partners in crime have purchased another boat and the T-Bird is up for sale. We have had a good 3 (4???) years on the T-Bird and certainly look forward to fishing the new boat next season. As of Sat, 8/25, the boat was enroute from Homer, AK, had crossed the Gulf of Alaska, and was in Ketchikan, AK headed south. It should be in Newport within the next 10 days. After it arrives, much work will be performed to set it up for SoCal fishing as it was a halibut and salmon boat before. I for one am looking forward to watching the outfitting of this new boat.
And that ends my report for Trip #7. Signing off.
Gary T.
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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
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.
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
Trip #2: Boat: Thunderbird 2 day Departs: Thursday July 10th Fishing: July 11th and 12th Returns: July 12th pm Thunderbird Crew: Jeff Markland- Captain Steve Raby- 2nd Captain “Scuba” Steve, “Melo” Carmelo and Jarred on deck Goofy in his usual form in the Galley As the usual suspects, newer club members and a slew of guests began gathering for the upcoming 2-day venture on board the Thunderbird on Thursday afternoon/evening, a lot of discussion occurred around where will we fish, what is our bait, are we going to fish for tuna? As I was the one as club president that is supposed to have all the answers, I had only one…I have no f**king clue! And as everyone sauntered off to dinner, I sat there thinking based on the way things are fishing and bait wise, we could be in for a long two days. When the boat arrived around 6:45, I sauntered down to the boat and sat with Jeff and discussed our “options”. There was about 75 pieces of live squid on the boat and the squid at San Clemente Island was starting to phase out. Also, the yellowtail fishing was hit or miss at best early in the cove, and then really nothing to catch the rest of the day unless the bass decided to bite on our other bait...the long disappeared but now returned anchovies. There was, and still remains, no sardines in range of the landing bait haulers. The tuna grounds were in range to do some night fishing between the days, but without sardines, daytime fishing would be a waste. And there has not been any gamefish on the outer banks either. Soooo, what to do. Jeff thought it might be a huge gamble but he did suggest a 113 mile trek to Santa Rosa Island for white sea bass and halibut which have been biting. He mentioned that the Oxnard/Ventura boats have been snagging squid during the day up there so we should be able to get more and have plenty to fish with. So with everything as it was, we rolled the dice and that was the plan. And it turned out to be one good call when it was all said and done. We loaded up and departed about 8:30pm, stopping at the bait receiver to top off the anchovies and cleared the harbor around 9:30 pm. Day 1- Arrived at Santa Rosa Island around 7:30 am, fished several areas, picking all day long at WSB and Halibut and a few large barracuda mixed in most everywhere, with a pretty good little hit late in the day. We caught plenty of daylight squid, but when dark fell after dinner, the squid nest we were sitting over decided to float, so we loaded up. That evening, the decision was made to move about 30 miles closer to home for Day 2, so it would be off to San Nicholas Island to see if a WSB could be had, and fish for more halibut. We took off around 10:30pm and headed that way. Day 1 fish count- 14 WSB, 16 Halibut, 10 Barracuda JP winner- Jim Bertella- 26.1 lb Halibut, Patch winner Craig Steinwand- 26.2 lb Halibut (was not in jackpot but Halibut larger than Jim’s) Day 2- Arrived at San Nicholas Island at 3:30am down at the sand spit area to a screaming current. Flylining a dropper loop with 8 oz of weight in 60 feet of water. Basically no WSB to be found trying several areas, but did pick up more halibut. Went south of the island later in the morning and fished the deeps for a good amount of nice reds, other rockfish and one nice ling cod. Left for home around 11:30am since we were 73 miles away. Arrived at the dock at 6:30, and as usual, everyone piled off the boat and went home. Day 2 fish count 6 Halibut, 2 Barracuda, 100 plus mixed Reds/Rockfish, 1 Ling Cod JP & Patch winner- Mike Higa- 30 lb Halibut Trip total- 14 WSB, 22 Halibut, 12 Barracuda, 100 plus mixed Reds/Rockfish, 1 Ling Cod Note- Largest WSB was Chris Lund- 24.8 lbs The weather for the entire trip was good. Temperature cool both days but very nice. Very little wind to flat calm the entire 2 days. All the WSB were decent fish in the 18-24 lb. range, and several halibut were over 20 lbs up to 30 lbs. All in all a good time had by all and a very good group of guests on this trip as well. Goofy was his usual self and apparently there was quite a lot of fun going on in the galley after dinner on Day 1, after I had gone to bed. Lots of beverages consumed as I understand it. And I also learned a squid attacked and bit a certain club member who shall remain nameless in the lip and he bled like a stuck pig! And I have a copy of the video! That’s all folks! Your Scribe- Gary Thompson
Trip #1: Boat: Thunderbird 1.5 day Departs: Thursday June 26 Fishing: June 26 - June 28 Returns: June 28, AM “Your life does not get better by chance; it gets better by change.” — Jim Rohn. Well, on trip #1 we saw many changes to our normal DWRRC routine. We had zero Burson’s in attendance, Hayden was not the first in line, hell, he was not even on the trip! Our fearless Captain Jeff was subbed in by Captain Chris and lastly….no sardines. Wow, that is a lot of change for us men to handle. How did we survive? Quite well actually. The trip started off as normal, with many getting in line and finding ways to work off the 4-6 hours before we actually boarded the Thinderbird. Oscar had coaching duties which stifled his ability to join us, but Junior took his spot and was well looked after. On the dock, we were told that BFT were not within reach and would not be pursued, we would fish for Yellow Tail, do some bass fishing and do a few passes for bottom fish. We had a plan. We pushed off around 8 PM to San Clement Island. Chris parked us at Pyramid Cove where we woke to night fishing. Some were up around 4 AM, with Said catching a shark and a White Sea Bass, we also landed 3 Yellows early, before sunrise. The big bite happened just before and thru dawn with good sized Yellowtail (#30-#35) being landed. We lost very few as we were fishing heavier gear with dropper loop and squid. Paul landed 2 nice Yellows and Jim, as usual, could not be stopped with 5-7 Yellows already in the hole. At 7:20 AM we pulled up anchor with 35 YT and 1 WSB. It was strange not having Sardines on the boat, as many veered away from the small anchovy. Chris started off to the front of the Island, with a few stops sprinkled in. We picked off some white fish, sheepshead and an occasional barracuda. Around 9 AM, on the East End, Chris pulled us tight into a nice spot for Calico fishing. Some whoppers were caught; Bill bringing in a very nice bass with “cheat code” bait, Said also landed a nice Calico with Anchovy. This was a change, certainly, that we had to work with the smaller baits and match hook, line and strategy to get bit. We continued around the Island heading East with some stops throughout the morning, stops produced an assortment of White Fish, Barracuda a few Bonita, and a sprinkling of YT. At 12:30 we had 30 Yellows and the 1 WSB. At one stop we had good bass and YT fishing but 6 sealions on us, that halted the fun. Chris tried to pawn the sealions off to some private boats and return to the spot, but we never got the groove back. Spent some time, mid-day, looking to bottom fish. Chris made of few attempts at floating past some nice spots, but struggled to hit the pass, so after a few swings through the grounds we aborted the bottom. Reds and other rock fish were caught, but nothing consequential. As Ron noted, we spent much time “rigging and re-rigging” as we moved from dropper loop, yoyo, to weighted line and lightly weighted fly line using squid and anchovy. The afternoon was a science experiment, with many trying different options to land fish. Chris brought us to Eel Point, where the Amigo caught a bunch of WSB in the early Friday morning bite. We assumed the meandering Sea Bass would come back in the evening and we would be ready. Unfortunately, none were landed and we spent most of the time hoping for action. The evening excitement was Paul’s bat ray that stirred the crowd, expecting a WSB bite. We had some dinner (Costco Special) and drank some wine, but pretty tame evening all in all….scribe crashed at 9:15…out! We finished with 42 YT and 1 WSB. All the Yellows were of good quality running between 30-38 pounds….Paul won the Jackpot and the only badge available with a #38 Yellow Tail. Congrats Paul! With all the changes on this trip, we still managed to land some nice Yellows and enjoy some time on the water. A good first trip for a 1.5 day’r!
