1.5 day trip gear list and opinions on new loann

[baitboy]

looks like they are still on bluefin. not sure of what grade but looking at a trip in a few weeks. any info on current happenings?

[steelfish]

you might get better luck asking in Bloody decks, there are reginal subforums for San Diego and California Fishing

[Swami805]

Yup, check bloody decks. Be prepared with heavy gear, fishing 80lb. A lot of 1st hand info on there from guys who have it dialed in.

[MarkT]

I hope it's not over by then.

You know what they say. You shoulda been here yesterday.  If you're not here today then tomorrow you couldn't have been here yesterday and you missed out.

Check with the boat closer to the time of the trip to see what the bite is and how to prepare. What's happening now may not be relevant by then.

[Keta]

looks like they are still on bluefin. not sure of what grade but looking at a trip in a few weeks. any info on current happenings?

Hi Rick, glad to see you stop by.

Rick is a good friend of mine trying to go fishing and I suggested asking here.

[Bryan Young]

Welcome Rick,

i've heard that BFT fishing in SoCal can be tricky.  Sometimes its no problem with 80# gear and others it's 20-35# top shots all day long with hours of fighting the fish just to get bit.  Call the boat you are planning to go on.  They will have up-to-date information.  Pink Seagar fluorocarbon is a must.

And welcome.  Any friend of Lee's is a friend indeed.

[baitboy]

thanks for the welcome, just not sure what to expect on such a short trip

[SoCalAngler]

Check a few report options like Bite's On, they list Ca landings from north to south. Also 976tuna has on the water audio reports on their main page from sport boats and you don't to have to be a member to listen to them.

The last couple of days the bigger BFT bite has slowed, but may pick back up and a few 1.5er's are seeing and catching tuna to 40-50lbs. There are not a lot of sporties chasing the BFT now as the season has ended for many so it is tougher to gauge how well the bite really is.

I was thinking about going out in a week and a half IF the tuna are still around. This time of year it is tough for me to get two days off work in a row or I would of already been out there. If the tuna are around I will bring one 20lb, one 25, one 30 and one 40lb setups.
If the bigger BFT are around I will add one 80-100lb test setup and most likely leave out the 20 lb. For the bigger fish I will bring some heavy glow in the dark jigs, a handful of 4-5 oz weights, 4/0-5/0 circle hooks and have fluorocarbon to make leaders for all setups I bring.

Check the reports for a several days before you go and it should give you an idea of whats happening.

Good luck on your trip.

[Jim Fujitani]

You picked one of the better boats for a 1.5 day trip.  Markus will go all out to find the fish, and his crew is good as well.  There is a video clip on-line showing him diving overboard to save a big fish that was wrapping in the props.  The weights should be torpedo-style weights, to be rubber-banded to your leader if the fish won't come up to the chum.  Large glow in the dark flatfalls on heavier rigs also occasionally work.

And since you are going out of San Diego, you won't be heading toward the northern islands (San Clemente/Catalina) for fish.  So concentrate on watching the reports on the short trips out of San Diego, Oceanside, and Orange County.

And don't forget your passport!  And have fun!