you should've came yesterday to Gonzaga Bay

[steelfish]

yep, it's what they say when fishing is slow 
.............good news is that I was fishing.. yesterday   

well, again I got a call on Saturday noon from a friend with a big modified panga (another friend, not the same than last week), Compa Alex, boat is ready, gas tank is full, bring some drinks and tacos and lets go fishing tomorrow, dannnng!! is one of those moments when its hard to decide between spending the whole sunday watching nexflix and helping the wife with house chores or go fishing until the sun goes down, after .003 miliseconds of deciding I accepted the offer from my friend.

since I went fishing last week this time I was more into having a relaxing day, so I took plenty of pictures to document the fishing trip, I will post some interesting pictures and talk a bit about them.

this time fishing day started early, 4am we were driving to the midriff islands (gonzaga bay) but our destiny wasnt the islands like normally, but fishing on the last point of the bay, its called "punta final" (final point).



we were ready to launch at 6am



this time I was going to use the 113hw with tom's sideplates, tib frame, Lee octagon insert and old stock Steel main gear 3:1, Alan Chow handle and knob I bough from Lou (another AT.com build) and my good ol'Baja Special, my casting combo was my rebuilded musky rod with a saltist 20H drag star.


Found the little brother of the 113h, an accurate valiant 400II, so funny to see them wearing the same color scheme


this time we just saw the Islands passing by, we didnt stop to try them out, check the water.. danm, no many days like this, it was like a big lake.





we arrived to punta final and started trolling deep diver lures but fishing was slow, I mean really slow, after half day/6hrs fishing we just have like 4 medium sized fish, we tried trolling, casting irons, jigs, bait and nada, there were plenty of sardines everywhere but no predators, they must have been full by the time we arrived there.
so, we opted to stop for a moment and prepare a fresh sashimi with a YT from earlier
only two options with hot salsa or nothing, both ways was delicious !! still salivating.





it was until 2pm that fishing stoped and "catching" started with a nice Yellowtail from my friend.


then I got a nice Cabrilla grouper


then big mama Sierra came to town, it looked like a small wahoo, maybe the biggest sierra I've saw so far, those next guys are tall, 6.10ft average


then another guy caught another Big Sierra


then I felt a strong pull, like if I was snagged while trolling, captain told me it was not a snag/rock, we were at 60ft deep and I was trolling a 25Ft lure, so it must've been a fish, so, I put the rod on the figthing belt and game on!
I was using the Baja Special (I know, I know, I cant help it, love the simplicity and want to keep testing Tom's upgrade till it breaks) well, fight was really good, I had to set the drag higher than the 22# to stop it, I didnt measured with a scale but for the turns I did on the star I calculate 25-27# drag to stop this fish.

a big gun angry Cabrilla Sardinera (it deserve the full name) of 19# and 30", I was estimated a lot more since it felt really heavy while it was alive in my hands)




we caugh some more fishes but the sun started to went down and then we called it a day cuz the natural ramp where we launched the boat has no electric power for lights



remember the problem I have with the Ice cooler being to small?
well, I still have the problem 




again, we didnt reached our fish limits per person but this is never the goal but to have a great time on the water, bringing some fish to the table is jus the cherry on the cake.

but who will say NO to one of the best meat on the water? (by the way, I also need a bigger filleting cutting board too)


want some?  get yours !!

[MarkT]

WTG!

[Hardy Boy]

Great job Again !! As I sit and look out the window at another cold rainy day (there have been many in a row) I can't help but be jealous . You make me want to jump on a plane ! I'll take you up on that Tecate one day; but I usually buy Pacifico or Sol.

Cheers:

Todd

[Dominick]

Good job Alex.  Dominick

[thorhammer]

It's been too long since we had a great write up! Nice work, Alex! Gets my mind of builds that are sticking!

[Crow]

A fun....and productive .....trip !

[conchydong]

Nice fishing amigo! Great eating fish, all of them, even the mackerels.

Scott

[ChileRelleno]

What an awesome day on the water, chilling out with friends, food and fishing...  Nice!

Thanks for taking us along, great pics.

[David Hall]

way to go Alex, another awesome day for you and your compadres on the big pond.

thanks for the ride along!

[Shark Hunter]

Too small of a Cooler is a good problem to have Alex.
Great work my friend.

[alantani]

Too small of a Cooler is a good problem to have Alex.
Great work my friend.

agreed!  looks like a great trip.  congratulations!!!!!

[Alto Mare]

Great report Alex, with some great pics as well. I'm glad you're having some fun.

Sal

[coastal_dan]

Nice Alex!  Looks like a nice way to finish the day!  I too love my Bubba Blades.

[mo65]

Great fishin' Alex!

[steelfish]

thanks amigos, it was a good day indeed.


@Dan, love the knife, it lose the sharpness sometimes too soon depending on the fish bones or skin but nothing that cannot be fixed with a sharpening tool or stone at your side while filleting.