this is the second of four trips that were scheduled for winter with the osuna family. the first was december, the next two are february and march. when i find an operation that i like, i stick with them, and i really like these guys. it's one of easiest trips that i take. there is no fishing tackle to bring! it's clothes, shaving kit, cell phone, wallet and passport. to transport fish, i bring a pair of "48-can" norchill bags and a 200 count pack of 8x12 vacuum seal bags. seriously, that's it. no rods, no reels, no tackle at all. the flights in january are cheap, $230 round trip. the boat ride is $2275 and includes everything once you step on board. well, everything except tequila!!!!
january 10, 2022 - it's an easy flight!
(https://alantani.com/gallery/36/1_18_01_22_7_45_51_3616591.jpeg)
when you arrive at the airport in puerto vallarta, you go through customs, grab your bags, go through baggage inspection (or not), and walk out of the building. down the sidewalk to the left is a convenience store called "oxxo." grab a seat outside, have one guy watch the gear and send another in for cerveza. someone from the family will be along shortly to drive you north to the landing. we stopped at the "mega" supermarket. for a trip like this, i would recommend two bottles of tequila per person. you don't want to run out!!!! then it's a short run to the boat.
(https://alantani.com/gallery/36/1_18_01_22_7_45_53_361672116.jpeg)
meet pete mateo from fremont, ca and michael grosman from memphis, tn.
(https://alantani.com/gallery/36/1_18_01_22_7_45_54_361681367.jpeg)
then me and ron huddleston from scottsdale, az.
(https://alantani.com/gallery/36/1_18_01_22_7_45_56_361701619.jpeg)
once underway, you realize how small a 36 foot blackfin really is. it was really bumpy the entire way. no one slept at all. we were headed northwest towards the tres marias islands, straight into the wind and waves.
january 11, 2022 - the entire morning, we got nothing except a lonely, lost dorado. they don't freeze well but they make great fresh tacos.
(https://alantani.com/gallery/36/1_18_01_22_7_45_58_361722283.jpeg)
in the afternoon, scotty found a pod of spinner dolphin with lots of birds working on top and lots of 20-30 pound yellowfin underneath. we dashed ahead of them, dropped our lines in and hooked up. we did this six times for six fish. finally they scattered and we were done for the evening.
(https://alantani.com/gallery/36/1_18_01_22_7_45_59_361731939.jpeg)
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(https://alantani.com/gallery/36/1_18_01_22_7_46_03_36178351.jpeg)
lots of fun, but these were not the fish we were looking for.
https://youtu.be/KzEvRgPg1PY
january 12, 2022 - ok, time to stop goofing off!
(https://alantani.com/gallery/36/1_18_01_22_7_46_06_36181638.jpeg)
we settled in and slowly we started hooking up. the guys landed 5 fish in a 120 to 150 pound range. i got lucky this time and picked up one on the balloon when it was my turn up. i landed it in just under 20 minutes and it taped out at 243.
(https://alantani.com/gallery/36/1_18_01_22_7_46_12_36188844.jpeg)
this rail stuff allows you to land a fish quickly. it helps that the osuna's have the right rods and reels and that the drags are set up properly. pete and mike figured things out pretty quickly. once you get your rhythm down, you can make quick work of these fish.
(https://alantani.com/gallery/36/1_18_01_22_7_46_15_36191881.jpeg)
https://youtu.be/QAFmkfkJbhU
(https://alantani.com/gallery/36/1_18_01_22_7_46_21_361961402.jpeg)
https://youtu.be/oHp0HZroUas
on the other hand, ron was having a little trouble. he couldn't quite find his groove. it's a simple thing, really. lay the rod on the rail, use the boat, add enough drag so that the fish comes up when the boat comes up, reel down when the boat comes down. pete and mike figured this out quick. ron didn't. if you watch him carefully, you will see a good example of what not to do. he landed the fish, but it was painful. he had one this day and will land another tomorrow. both fish took over 30 minutes because of poor technique. don't get me wrong. ron is a great guy, but he just couldn't find his groove.
(https://alantani.com/gallery/36/1_18_01_22_7_46_17_361931177.jpeg)
https://youtu.be/r1stQQ7J8TU
https://youtu.be/PA1G4AcpP9Y
January 13, 2022 - last day of fishing! today was easy. we basically had enough fish for all of us with yesterday's take. figure maybe one more just to make sure and we're done. with these larger fish and the care that the antonio takes, i think it's close to a 35-40% yield. we already had 1000 pounds of whole fish. that gives us 400 pounds of filet. it was all vacuum packed and is now on ice. add the salt and it freezes quick. ok, maybe one more tuna and we'll call it done!!!!
(https://alantani.com/gallery/36/1_18_01_22_7_46_24_362002009.jpeg)
ron and i both had one fish each from the previous day. he was up next and landed this 150 pounder. ok, we're done!!!!
(https://alantani.com/gallery/36/1_18_01_22_7_46_25_362011596.jpeg)
we made the call to head south to find bottom fish. it was weird. we could see them on the meter but they didn't want to bite! mike got one and that was really it.
(https://alantani.com/gallery/36/1_18_01_22_7_46_26_36202343.jpeg)
january 14, 2022 - we got back to the harbor at about 2am and finally got some decent sleep. there really is nothing prettier than the la cruz harbor early in the morning.
(https://alantani.com/gallery/36/1_18_01_22_7_46_27_36203111.jpeg)
we had a quick breakfast at the la cruz inn, then a quick run to the clinic for our covid tests, back to the boat to sort out fish, an easy shuttle ride to the airport, breezed through check in and security, then straight to bubba gumps inside the airport for lunch!
(https://alantani.com/gallery/36/1_18_01_22_7_45_52_36166466.jpeg)
all in all, a great trip!
Alan: looks like a nice trip and good fishing (nice to see). Looks like they have done some work to the boat or at least painted it .................. any other upgrades ?
Cheers:
Todd
Thanks for the report, Alan!
Looks like you guys had a great time.
Congrats on the big fish!
Best, Fred
No sleep? Bad seas? Good fishing. Hmmm Ya gotta be a diehard. Congratulations. Dominick
Alan, your reports are the next best thing to being there, and in this case, even better than being there. Dominic and I would have been fighting over the driest, least windy spot at the rail on the way out, enjoying another taste of our dinner.
it's the same old boat. the only/best upgrade was the new rail, but that has been there for a while. weather wise, it was really rough. we pretty much got beat up most of the time. hey, i made it back in one piece with my wallet, passport, cell phone and glasses. that makes it a good trip!!!!! ;D
Prolly just me, but it didn't look that rough.
I played hide n' seek with the whales yesterday, but no keeper fish. They are finally here!
What a great trip! Scotty and his crew work hard to get you hooked up and then the work of slicing and packaging up the fresh fish. Wow! I learned so much! Thank you again, Alan!! I definitely will be back!!
And I have to thank Pete for holding me up so I wouldn't fall again!😂
Mike from Memphis
Amazing. Glad you caught a few fish.
Nice report great pics and videos !!! Congrats on the trip ! John Taylor
Looks like another great trip. I loved how you said that you "lucky" got a nice sized fish, it's never luck with you Alan, it's all skill!
I'm curious as to why you think mahi doesn't freeze well? I used to freeze a lot of it when I lived in Florida and it was always in good shape when I thawed it.....
Nice report and trip, got a few tunas, mission accomplished. What kind of bottom fish is that? choopa?
Good trip!
Nice COW Alan - congrats!
Quote from: Swami805 on January 19, 2022, 03:12:35 AM
Nice report and trip, got a few tunas, mission accomplished. What kind of bottom fish is that? choopa?
I think its a Blue Trevally , cousing of the Jack crevalle, I read they are better eating than JC
Quote from: steelfish on January 20, 2022, 06:12:02 PM
Quote from: Swami805 on January 19, 2022, 03:12:35 AM
Nice report and trip, got a few tunas, mission accomplished. What kind of bottom fish is that? choopa?
I think its a Blue Trevally , cousing of the Jack crevalle, I read they are better eating than JC
Alex, we have that fish in the Atlantic, more common in the Bahamas than Florida though. We call them Black Jacks (Caranx lugubris).
Photo in the shadows makes its bit tricky. But pretty sure it is a Bluefin Trevally (Caranx melampygus). Blueish body with vivid fluoro blue spots and stripes. Some of that blue is still visible in the photo. Nice looking fish. Notice that the lateral line toward the tail is solid, but on the black jack it is a series of diamonds. Bluefin trevally are relatively common in that neighborhood.
-J
Quote from: steelfish on January 20, 2022, 06:12:02 PM
Quote from: Swami805 on January 19, 2022, 03:12:35 AM
Nice report and trip, got a few tunas, mission accomplished. What kind of bottom fish is that? choopa?
I think its a Blue Trevally , cousing of the Jack crevalle, I read they are better eating than JC
The meat is not red like a Jack Crevalle. However, it still has a strong iodine taste.
That picture is dark. What did the crew call it? I've caught both Jack Crevalle and Horse-eye Jacks there.
Im pretty sure I heard Scotty call it a blue trevally!
Mike
Blue trevally and bluefin trevally are different species. And common names are a pain :)
I think that Alex and Scotty were referring to bluefin trevally (Caranx melampygus) . Mebbe the locals just call it azul (blue). Jurel aleta azul doesn't quite roll off the tongue in a reasonable length of time :).
I don't think that blue trevally (Carangoides ferdau) are found on the Pacific coast of North America, but they may get both species in Hawaii. Haven't seen a blue trevally live and in person, but all the photos show faint gold-ish vertical bars.
With that bright blue band under the dorsal visible, and all the spots, I would put big money on the fish in the photo being a bluefin trevally if I was the gambling type. First saltwater fish that I caught on a fly that I tied myself, so it is burned into my memory. Seen a bunch of them. Pretty common in tropical shallows throughout the Pacific, and the catch them fairly frequently starting somewhere south of La Paz.
-J
Well after glancing at the internet pictures it sure did look like a bluefin trevally!! Of course my hearing isn't so good as I get older, Scotty could have very well called it a bluefin trevally!
Alright, off to the fish logbook and I'm adding BlueFIN Trevally- check!!!
Thank you J!
Mike
Btw, fishing on the Marla IV, AWSOME! 😁