Intrepid 5/12-5/15.
On the first nigh we got into very hungry BFT in the 25-150 pound range and landed 130. I slept through 1/2 of the bite and my 3 were all sub 50#, I pulled hooks on one and got cut off on another larger fish. The next day zero fish until dark then a less agressive but good bite with a larger average fish, nothing under 100#.
I managed to get my 3rd cow BFT and so far the largest fish caught on this trip.
(https://alantani.com/gallery/38/1583-140524224423.jpeg)
Good report, Lee!
Congratulations!
Best, Fred
Give a man a fish,,, teach a man to fish and he makes the rest of us jealous! Nice!
Beautiful fish, hope you find some more tonight
WTG Lee, try to get some sleep!
Napping off and on.
Nice score Lee, Congratulations!
Nice!
Congrats on the cow Lee. Hope you guys plug the boat !!
Awesome fish Lee - congrats!
Nice fish Lee, I have yet to join the Cow Club.
130# in my PB (and it kicked my Butt).
Sleep on the ride in, get out there and fish! 8)
Steve
Nice job! - john
:al :al :al
Nice. Your fish and your beard are getting longer.
(https://alantani.com/gallery/38/1583-150524121057.jpeg)
Wow!!! - Jimmer
Wtg that's a bigun. The nite bite is going off obviously. And hard not to sleep well on that yacht!
lee, you look like hell, but that's a really nice fish. congratulations. wish i could have joined you on this trip. it just wasn't in the cards.
But I always look like hell....
but not as tired.
you still have the touch amigo, awesome fish !!
Congrats farmer Lee!
Hey this is a fishing reel site, how come nobody mentions their equipment.
Penn VISX 16 set up for 80#.
way to get it done Lee. a cow BFT on 80# setup is a feat of its own. :d
and, of course, friends don't let friends fish with 80..... ;D
I agree but my arthritis was painfull and it was hurting to fish the proper rod.
Some very nice fish!! How big did that last one go? 280-290#?
After looking at it again, I'll guess 265-275?
Quote from: Jim Fujitani on May 16, 2024, 02:54:40 AMSome very nice fish!! How big did that last one go? 280-290#?
After looking at it again, I'll guess 265-275?
213#.
Two Cow Trip!
You Are Legend!
:al :al
So Jealous, Steve
Wow Lee, hope you brought a couple extra large coolers for your long drive home
As they used to say in SoCal:
Dude!!!
Sweet!!!
Nice job Lee.
-J
Nice fishing ,keep the young ones jealous of you ... :fish :fish :fish
Quote from: Crab Pot on May 16, 2024, 03:20:02 AMTwo Cow Trip!
You Are Legend!
:al :al
So Jealous, Steve
I have had one 2 cow trip but it was a 2005 10 day and on yellow fin. It was my first LR trip. I also caught my first wahoo on this trip, 87#. This trip only one cow for me and the only one on the boat. For most of my friends on this trip the 100-160 pound fish were the largest they ever caught and all had a great time.
We decided that driving further as tired as we were to stop west of you in Woodland at the home of one of the friends I went down with daughters house. Damn, Woodland has changed in the last 54 years.
Quote from: Maxed Out on May 16, 2024, 03:33:41 AMWow Lee, hope you brought a couple extra large coolers for your long drive home
A 1/2 tote, 2 large coolers, a large and small kill bag are filled with fish and ice. The "small" 100-150 pounders Mike and Rick got, more than 1 ea, also take up cooler space.
The other 3 BFT I caught were "tiny" 25-30 pound fish and among the few sub 100# fish caught. We got 25-35 pound fish and 100-160 pound fish with the one 213# I got.
Eddy Bombs were the "bomb" on this trip, do not leave port without a few. They are low cost/high value. A guess would be around or over 1/3 of the fish were caught on them with fewer than 1/4 of us using them.
The Oregon crew can fish,
(https://alantani.com/gallery/38/1583-160524112806.jpeg)
On reel note there was 4 reel issues, one a easy fix, one of the loosest spooings I have ever seen and crap arbor knot, one not as easy but only a pinion bearing replacement and 2 new very high end reels (I will not name the manufacturer) that went to hell before even hooking a fish. I did not work on these 2 reels and told the owner of them to send them to the manufacture with a "nice" note. In my opinion things occasionally slip through but for the price of these reels one would think they would have better QC. My guess is a bit of metal shavings or crud in the shift mechanism that a more "sloppy" reel, good "slopy" as in not as tight of tollerances, would have still functioned with. These are not the first of their reels I have seen fail with little use. Tight tolerances are not a bad thing in most cases but at 100+ miles from port I would rather have a "family car" that you occasionaly change the oil in and drive than a drag racer you have to rebuild every time you go a 1/4 mile in.
Great fish, and a great trip!!
also had a couple of the shimano handles come loose. gotta figure that one out. it's the third one that i've heard about.
I am not big on indiscriminate use of loctite but a small dab of 242 (blue) on the screw would have prevented it from happening. The screws are tiny and easy to strip so possably using a inch pound torque screwdriver would help. I got one of the handles secured but the screw for the other got washed over the side.
Quote from: Keta on May 16, 2024, 11:42:34 AMTight tolerances are not a bad thing in most cases but at 100+ miles from port I would rather have a "family car" that you occasionaly change the oil in and drive than a drag racer you have to rebuild every time you go a 1/4 mile in.
Great analogy Lee! I'm gonna steal that one. - john
Your trip caught some nice big BFT. A lot bigger than my PB of double digits. I was always happy just taking home some BFT for sashimi to enjoy!
Me too. I realy would rather see my friends that have never caught a cow do so but will not turn down the oppertunity to add another one to the ones I have caught.
Quote from: Keta on May 16, 2024, 11:16:26 AMWoodland has changed in the last 54 years.
Yep, it's not an AG town, well not as much of an AG town anymore.
Quote from: Keta on May 16, 2024, 11:26:20 AMEddy Bombs were the "bomb" on this trip
Can you post a picture or two of the bombs you used with details?
Enquiring minds want to know!
(and copy) :d
That's some big fish,,,,, ;D
Quote from: Crab Pot on May 17, 2024, 12:42:33 AMCan you post a picture or two of the bombs you used with details?
Enquiring minds want to know!
(and copy) :d
It was just a 16oz torpedo sinker with a home made 11/0 assist hook on 200# mono.
(https://alantani.com/gallery/38/1583-170524025630.jpeg)
I was hoping you guys were going to swing by San Jose on you way back. Next time.
Quote from: Bryan Young on May 17, 2024, 04:35:40 AMI was hoping you guys were going to swing by San Jose on you way back. Next time.
If I was driving I would have Bryan, Mike and Rick had 6 and 7 more hours to go to get home.
I was going to clone this version and paint it in glow white for my August 4 day.
In my opinion lots of glow is not natural and plain jane Eddy Bombs support this. a few small dots might be ok.
If you can find a through wired sinker you won't need the safety leash to the treble hook.
Or just go with one or two assist hooks on top.
Quote from: Keta on May 17, 2024, 10:08:55 PMOr just go with one or two assist hooks on top.
Thats the rigging most Captains I've fished with prefer.
They don't like trebles swinging around if the fish is hooked by the assist hooks.
Quote from: pjstevko on May 17, 2024, 09:57:00 PMIf you can find a through wired sinker you won't need the safety leash to the treble hook.
I'd hate to lose the fish of a lifetime by trusting the factory wire.
Be it a assist hook or treble, it's cheap insurance to leash it.
In my opinion.
Top assist hooks obviously work too!
Thanks for posting the pic Lee,
Steve
Quote from: pjstevko on May 17, 2024, 11:23:06 PMQuote from: Keta on May 17, 2024, 10:08:55 PMOr just go with one or two assist hooks on top.
Thats the rigging most Captains I've fished with prefer.
They don't like trebles swinging around if the fish is hooked by the assist hooks.
Yup, for some reason the deckhands do not like large hooks in their body parts.
When I was a deckhand on Oregon charter boats I hated diving plugs due to having to remove a hook or two from my hands. Even a smallish albacore inhaled plugs so hooking was never a issue. A BFT will swallow a 16-24 ounce eddy bomb.
Quote from: Crab Pot on May 17, 2024, 11:50:43 PMQuote from: pjstevko on May 17, 2024, 09:57:00 PMIf you can find a through wired sinker you won't need the safety leash to the treble hook.
I'd hate to lose the fish of a lifetime by trusting the factory wire.
Be it a assist hook or treble, it's cheap insurance to leash it.
In my opinion.
Top assist hooks obviously work too!
Thanks for posting the pic Lee,
Steve
You don't have to trust the factory wire if you attach the assist hooks to a Ultra split ring to the solid ring on your bite leader....
Quote from: pjstevko on May 18, 2024, 02:55:17 AMYou don't have to trust the factory wire if you attach the assist hooks to a Ultra split ring to the solid ring on your bite leader....
PJ
I was referring to directly snap ringing a hook to the weights bottom wire loop.
Steve
Through wired weights eliminate that it you must have hooks on the bottom.
That cow will make alot of Sashimi ,Bet that was
Quite a battle Lee !
About 30 minutes on 80# gear.