Sashimi Tonight

[Vintage Offshore Tackle]

We took a day trip Friday September 4 on the Ahi Nui, a 25' Parker charter boat with Captain Marc Levine.  If you are looking for a So. Cal. offshore charter for 1-4 people, he is a great choice.  He worked hard to find us fish, and he's a great guy with a positive attitude.  The boat is spotlessly clean, comfortable and is loaded with state of the art electronics and tackle for anything from calico bass to cow tuna.  It has a tower and Marc spent every moment up there in the glasses, finding us one empty kelp patty after another.  Eventually he spotted one lonely tern acting fishy, slid into the spot, threw a scoop of sardines, and about ten seconds later, the ocean exploded with crashing yellowfin.  Our group of less than experienced anglers put a boatload of 25-40 lb fish on the boat in an hour and a half and Marc spent the whole time preventing tangles, chumming, cheerleading and gaffing fish, sometimes all at the same time.

Dana Point is centrally located to all of the most productive offshore banks, San Clemente and Catalina Islands.  At $1,200 for a full day trip including everything except food and tip, it's a heck of a deal. His web address is http://www.goallwater.com/course/dana-point-sportfishing/ and the phone number for his office is 949-245-0503 I know that this sounds like an advertisement, but I have no financial interest in this boat, we just had a great time and wide open fishing on a day when almost everyone else struggled to scratch out a few fish, and I don't think that you can go wrong giving him a shot at your business.

[broschro]

wow looks like y'all had a fine day of fishing,and the water looks super.

[Alto Mare]

Very nice Randy, that's a great day of fishing for sure.

[Tightlines667]

Nice job Randy!

Now that is how it's done!

Truly a good bloody deck.  How far offshore were you? & What class/kind of gear did you land those beautiful fish?  80 class stand up with 50 florocarbon leaders and circle hooks w/live bait? (just a guess?)  Looks like a great trip.  

Thanks for the report!

[Dominick]

Randy with all your choices of equipment what did you use for the trip?  Good job.  Dominick

[Dominick]

Randy with all your choices of equipment what did you use for the trip?  Good job.  Dominick

John and I were typing together.  Great minds think alike.  Dominick

[Vintage Offshore Tackle]

Thanks for the kind words.  It was one of those rare days when everything went right.  As to the tackle, the boat furnished all Shimano gear, mostly Terez rods and Trinidad 20 reels.  The reels were loaded with 65 lb. Power Pro braid, but we used 30 lb. Seaguar fluorocarbon leaders because the fish have been line-shy, and 2/0 Owner circle hooks with nice big cured live sardines.  The fish got more and more aggressive as the bite developed and I am sure that they would have gone on 80 lb. if we tried it.  If we had had enough bait to chum heavily, they probably would have eaten the paint off of the boat. 

I was fishing bait with a Truline VBG65 with a Newell 300C in 332 width with no trick stuff in it except for a set of Newell 5:1 gears, but I switched to a decidedly non-vintage Terez/Stella popper outfit with 65 lb. straight braid after a few bait fish, and it was a blast to watch them take two or three shots at the popper before they got the hooks.  They would make their first run right on the surface and you could literally hear the line hissing as it cut the water, throwing a sheet of spray.  With the straight braid, you could feel every tailbeat in your shoulders.  I am always the subject of ridicule when I break out the spinning gear, but that usually stops when people see how well it works.  I have tried to throw poppers with conventional gear, but the inconsistent tension that you get when winding slack line onto the reel makes for a bad next cast.  This is not a problem with the spinning gear.  The drag on the Stella is smooth as butter and I would put it up against any conventional reel that I have ever used.  I also like being able to pull on the rod with my stronger right arm, but cranking with the left takes a little bit of getting used to.

The weather was beautiful, sunny with less than 10 kts of wind, and the visibility was so good that it was like watching an aquarium.  Some of the chum would race back to the boat with tuna in hot pursuit.  Every now and then, the captain would kick the boat forward thirty feet to kick the chum out and the fish would go nuts.  We left 'em biting at 2:30 and headed in.  We were only 15 miles from the harbor, but we ran all of the way at 5 kts. so that we would have time to filet them.  California has new regulations this year for fileting tuna at sea.  You have to pack the collars and the area around the anal fin and all of the filets from each fish and pack them all in one bag per fish, which is difficult to do since it takes two gallon ziplocks to hold the filets from one thirty pound fish.

This is a rare season here in So. Cal., with tuna and big yellowtail all within easy reach of trailer boats launching from any port between San Diego and Ventura.  Striped marlin are making the best showing in years, and four were hooked by anglers on the Ventura sport boat Amigo while anchored one mile of the Malibu coast, fishing yellowtail.  I have been fishing here for more than fifty years and I do not recall ever seeing these types of tuna counts consistently coming from 3/4 and even 1/2 day boats.  It's been going on since May and I would be surprised if it doesn't last through October.  The dorado kelp patty bite is building, the first few wahoo have been caught recently, blue marlin have been spotted and speared, and huge bluefin over three hundred pounds have been seen and hooked and it is only a matter of time before someone puts one in the boat.  it is not uncommon this year to see the San Diego long range boats fishing alongside the local 3/4 day boats.  If you can make it to So. Cal. soon, jump on a boat and get out there.  There are no guarantees, but I don't think that you will be sorry.

[steelfish]

wow those are some big fishes for 30# line..


you cannot fish like that here in sea of cortez, damn fishes always run back to the rocks and heavy structure

[Shark Hunter]

Good Work Randy!

[Tightlines667]

That catch is even more impressive on that gear.  Catching Pelagics on surface poppers is exciting buisness.  You guys must be in pretty good shape.  Those fish will remind you of exactly what you are made of.

Thanks for the additional info.  This super strong ENSO event has really improved the fishing here in Hawaii as well.  Except the big blue bite seem to be mysteriously slow so far.  August is usually peak season.

[the rockfish ninja]

That looks like a bloody good time.