2 day on the Pacifica

Started by CooldadE, October 22, 2019, 03:56:20 AM

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CooldadE

Seaforth Sportfishing is running a limited load trip on the Pacifica this week end. The trip is sponsored by Penn with Steve Carson hosting. I'm looking forward to the trip, my first down south. I had a couple of trips that fell through last year because of health issues. I'm also lookin forward to using some of my hopped up narrow penn reels. There is still 10 spots left...
Any tips for a greenhorn ?  I'm bringing a 20# a 30# a 40/50# and an 80# rig...

Cool
I would rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6...

Fishy247

Right on man, glad you are getting down there for this wicked bite that's been going on! A couple of suggestions for ya: if you have a 25# outfit to bring, do it. I did a 2 1/2  day in September and it seemed like sometimes they would bite the 25#, but not the 30#. Made a huge difference in landing the fish quicker. Practice your knots! Make sure that you can tie them quickly and accurately. Bad knots will frustrate the heck out of ya when you're in a hot bite! Change your bait. Make sure that your bait swims away from the boat. If it doesn't, knock it off your hook and get a new one. The first stop of my trip, I went 4 for 5 on the yellowfin. I probably went through 30-40 baits trying to find that magic one that would swim! It gets pretty frustrating when your 8th bait in row(that takes time to pick out of the baitwell) swims straight back to the boat. Keep in mind that he's seeing all those tuna inhaling his buddies and doesn't want to get eaten! That being said, practice your casting if you can before you leave. Getting a good cast will help get your bait to swim away from the boat. Don't be married to any one setup or hooking method. Not getting bit? Change something that you're doing! Last bit, above all, make sure that you listen to what the crew says to do! They are out there every day and know what is working. Don't be afraid to ask for help. They will do what they can to help you out.

Good luck and I'm looking forward to a report with lots of pics!

Mike

Tunacious

Sounds like you have it covered with 20-80. I'd also have flouro in the 15-40/50 lb. range also. Your 80# can be your trolling, bait or jig setup. Make sure your flat falls are rigged with 200# leader, 130# minimum. At minimum, your hook sizes should be #4 up to 2/0 - J or circle. I mostly use J hooks but fish them like a circle. For these fish, however, I'd probably go with circles since the schools are mixed - bft/yft and 15-60# fish.

Have fun out there and be safe!

funhog

Id leave the 80# at home and bring another 20-30# outfit that has decent line capacity. For the last month most of the fish have been in the 15-30# range ..with a few scattered 40-60#in the mix. 4-6" sardines and small hooks . They're school size fish and very manageable on the smaller gear. ... unless your group is specifically targeting BIG Fish outside of the current gathering area ? Call the landing or boat to get the current game plan. your boat may be different than the rest of the gang. the fish have been in pretty close (30-40 miles). Bites happen quickly. Have an extra small line set up rigged. I hate trying to re-tie hooks when its going off and things get crazy fun.

CooldadE

Wow ! A lot of great info... much appreciated !
I'm getting crazy excited...

Cool
I would rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6...

bhale1

Bait, Bait, Bait.. ....Its been said above, and they will say it on the boat...keep changing. If it wont swim away from the boat, change it. If it is not acting lively..change it. Experiment with belly hooked -vs- nose hooked-vs- anal fin-vs- shoulder. Listen to the crew, they want you to catch fish, they are there to help........
And, although some purists may disagree, get a small bait net to make catching the really lively baits in the hand well easier. They sell them for a couple bucks in Seaforth...NE corner by the bait freezer ;D
Brett

Tunacious

The Endeavor just reported 2 day limits this morning on the 40-60 lb bft. Now they're looking for some yft before going in later today. Other boats today continue to get mixed schools of the bft/yft. One boat this morning is saying to bring 20-80/100 lb setups, including your rubber band sinker rigs. They've been catching (and losing) bft on the flatfall today. Sounds like the majority of the bft are the 40-60 lb stuff while the majority of the yft is 20-30 lb.

As has been stated already, bait selection is key as well as ensuring the bait is moving away from the boat quickly. Talk to the crew. I'll also second the suggestion someone else made about using 25# over 30#. If your reel is in great working order with new drags that are smooth and not jerky, you can pull hard on these fish. I'd choose to bring two 25# outfits over one 25# and one 30#.

If I was bringing only 3 outfits for your upcoming trip, I'd bring 15, 25 and 40. Of course, being me, I'd never do that  ::) since I'd probably bring 5  :D. Remember, the actual breaking strength of the mono is higher than the rated strength. I use Izor so it's crazy higher. Also, you can use different strength flouro on your mono...i.e. 15# or 20# flouro on 15# mono; 20, 25 or 30 on your 25# mono etc. The flouro will break before the mono most of the time.

CooldadE

Thanks again!  I'm soaking it all in. What do y'all do with your catch when you get off the boat? Processors or ice chests ? I'm driving 8 hrs to get home...

Cool
I would rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6...

Tunacious

Quote from: CooldadE on October 22, 2019, 11:34:39 PM
Thanks again!  I'm soaking it all in. What do y'all do with your catch when you get off the boat? Processors or ice chests ? I'm driving 8 hrs to get home...

Cool


I'm cheap so I have the crew fillet my fish. I get ice at the landing and I'm off. I've only got a 2-3 hour drive but then again I don't do add'l filleting and packing until the next day. I figure the fish are on ice for about 15 hours when I begin add'l cleaning/packing. The bags are always frozen solid in the chest(s).

Fishy247

When we get in, I have the processor handle it. I used to take my fish home whole or have the crew do it, but I live in Santa Cruz, so I have the 8 hour drive home also. The last time I had the crew do it for me on the boat was a 3 day trip for me and my girlfriend. It took me about a week to get it all cleaned up(skin and dark meat removed), vacuum sealed and into the freezer. Royal PITA!!! You can have the processors take care of it for you at a pretty reasonable rate ($1-$1.115/lb) and they will vacuum seal your fish for you to take home fresh. This time of year, you probably will have to wait maybe 2-4 hours. It's usually enough time to go get breakfast and head over. When you pick it up, it's ready to eat! Just open the package and wipe off any extra juice. Definitely worth it to me!

One extra benefit of having them do it is that you will miss any morning commuter traffic out of San Diego. Being that you have an 8 hour drive, I'm assuming that you will be staying the night before driving back up again...

CooldadE

Yea, I'm leaning toward the processors. Do you have one you can refer ?  I will prob be tired and want to stay and The night and leave Monday fresh... I live in LA... "Lower Antioch" haha. So I've got to go a bit further than Santa Cruz. This is my first foray out of San Diego and an hopping for some beginners luck !
Thanks to everyone for imparting what y'all have learned. I'm soaking it all in.

Cool
I would rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6...

Fishy247

I like 5 Star myself. Just remember that if you want the collars, you gotta ask for em and they do cost extra to do. I wouldn't bother with the smaller yellowfin, but if you get into the Bluefin, try to remember to save those! Also, if you do want to go with the processors, make sure that you PUT IN A RESERVATION WITH THEM!!! If they are busy, they will get yours done first. Also, let them know that you are driving back to Antioch. I've seen them make sure to get the guys done first that need to get going.

One more thing: I actually couldn't get all of my fish back up to the Cruz when I drove back. They will ship your fish to you if you need them to! They came in about 3 weeks after I got back, frozen solid. Costs another buck a pound to get em shipped to the nearest airport.

Good luck!!

MarkT

Sportsmen's processing will probably be there at the landing when you get back. They're located right down the street from Seaforth on Quivira. I walk down there for dinner if I get there early enough. The food at the landing is good too although I haven't tried them since the new mgmt took over back in June.
When I was your age Pluto was a planet!

bhale1

Cool,
here ya go if you want to call and arrange something with them. They are only a couple hundred yards from the dock.



Brett

CooldadE

I just hit town... going to grab a bite then go down to the marina. Last night I called the seafood / processor and I'm good to go. Now I need to catch some fish...
Thanks

Cool
I would rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6...