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2019: Trip #2 on the Fortune (2 Day)
DWRRC Trip 2 – 2 Day Trip on the Fortune, Cast off June 6 th , fished June 7 th and 8 th
June 6 th 2019. The 75 th anniversary of the D Day invasion.
Events that happened June 6th many years ago, the sacrifice by all allow us to have the freedom to be at
sea on the Fortune to pursue a passion we all have. Thank you does not seem enough.
Short version:
Day 1. 10 Yellow Tail - Mario Sr. JP Winner - 10 pound Yellow tail.
Steve Lenker new Calico leader 4.8 pounds
Day 2. 3 Yellow Tail – Ryan Burson JP Winner – 15 pound Lingcod.
Beer required version:
I arrived later than planned as I was driving up from San Diego Thursday morning and I still had to change
the line on my reels before heading to San Pedro. Stopped at Hogan’s for last minute supplies, paying
homage and thanks to the folks there. Recommendation they made last year were spot on.
Once prepped and the car loaded, the traffic gods were kind on the trek from South Orange County to
22 nd street landing.
When I arrived around 5-ish, the well-oiled machine known as the DWRRC was already onboard getting
ready for Fridays activities. A familiar sight was Super Mario fishing from the boat. A buzz of activity
rigging line, swapping stories, greetings, stowing gear, rods, BS’ing, last minute phone calls home, etc.
As I was on my final trip schlepping my stuff from the parking lot, Steve Lenker walked up behind me and
asked, “Hey Jeffy, you need some help?” I always need help.
Always a friendly greeting from club members and crew.
Crew of the Fortune.
First Bob, Second George, Axel, Alex and stand-up comedian / galley slave Steve.
The anglers and consumers of fine spirits, wine and beer
Bill Parks, Matt Kindsfather (Ryan’s Guest), Luke Burson, Mike Trunk, Brian Wynne, Ryan Burson,
Steve Lenker, Hayden Claisse, Joseph Gigante (Mike Trunks Guest), Ron Henry, Roy Patterson,
Tom Hill, Gary Thompson, Andy Woodfill, Mario Caporuscio Sr., Super Mario Caporuscio Jr.,
Jeff Hinrichs (scribe doody) and Joe Stassi – Joining as a guest. Looking fit and ready to go.
Andy was the last to arrive with Silver Bullet provisions that hopefully would make it to Saturday
afternoon. Now we had the Trunk and Andy factors to add to the entertainment level that would start
peaking Friday evening as Matt was battling a brute during dinner hour.
As I was assisting Trunk carrying the valued cargo to the boat, I informed him there was a two-beer
corkage fee for assisting him. He informed me that was an issue as there were only 72 beers available.
I left it at that.
The Caporuscio’s appears to be well stocked with Cerveza’s and Jack.
Plans were to be under way around 6 PM and we were.
All aboard and accounted for. Off to the bait receiver for a fill of sardines.
Chef Steve served wieners and bean-less chili with Mac salad whilst the tanks were being plugged.
Delicious. We left the receivers at 7:11.
Under way to some very calm seas. The weather promised to be a cool evening. It was.
We were looking to fish SCI in search of Yellow tail, perhaps the legendary white sea bass and whatever
else we could entice to bite.
1:30 AM At the cove circling for squid. Gary in the galley sipping coffee, Mario Jr. ready to go. Does he
ever sleep?
1:45 AM sounds like crowders going over. Anchor out and engines off.
Learned from Gary later the crew was able to scoop a considerable amount of squirters before the dogs
showed thier ugly mugs and scared the ink out of the squid. That sounds like a sad Western Outdoors’
News song, Squid before Sea Lions.
Of the sea lions, Thompson said, Trunk can Punk em, then Gary would Plunk em, whatever that means.
Off we went to find a no dogs zone with no luck.
The crowd at the rails grew slowly pre-dawn. Thoughts were on White Sea Bass.
Action was almost non-existent, however picked up when the dogs wanted to play. We don’t need no
stinking dogs. Pretty slack current not happening. Gonna be overcast and cool all day.
6:15 AM Awesome biscuits and gravy courtesy of Steve. (The highlight of early morning was breakfast)
Moving around to get away from the dogs and find some current. Finally found some of the right fish to
play. Forktails were showing in small numbers. And the heartbreak of the dogs taking them. However, a
few anglers prevailed over evil.
Then Gary was on something big. Maybe a WSB. Sea Bass, yes, White, no.
This is the same area Gary hooked and released another BSB a few years earlier, on the same rod and
reel. This was a considerable battle that was finally over when the beast surfaced. Some upper
estimates of two hundred pounds were murmured. Well done Gary. Not even the sea lion wanted to
mess with this fish.
The crew took action to ensure the fish was back on its ways to the depths.
We moved between the Cove, LA Basin, and back.
Mario Sr. picked up a nice YT on fly lined squid.
There were a few more YT’s, goats to be had, cuda, white fish, bonitos, blue perch and a few birds.
Sometime during all this movement, Steve served an awesome lunch of Pastrami sandwiches, slaw and
mac salad.
Moved over to Pyramid. Calicos for many on dines and squid. A few Yellow tail. Tough to keep from the
sea lions. Farging Iceholes.
Then I saw Matt bring up what looked like a blue gill of the sea. I was informed this was a Blacksmith
Perch. What do I know?
Steve Lenker was on fire using Hook Up Bait. He is deadly using those.
He landed what appears to be the leader Calico for the year.
Taped at 4.8 pounds. (or was that 4 pounds 8 ounces). 19.75 inches long, 14 inches girth.
Mario also landed a sizable calico. 20 inches long, 12.5 inches girth.
Luke hooked something that looked like it was going to spool him before it came unbuttoned.
Hayden picked up a Yellow tail despite inviting 4 of his closest friends to tangle along.
We were on a good spot of small yellow tail when the Fury radioed to come on over and take these
wretched sardines from us. First steady action all day and we had to pull away.
As can be, we were burning through bait pretty fast, so the offer was welcomed.
We stopped at the Fury to relieve them of several scoops of sardines before they headed back to port.
When we returned to the hot spot, it was over.
Pulled into a calico spot for dinner. There was plenty of action for calico’s and other squid loving fish.
Dinner was served for the first sitting. Still steady action on the calicos. Then it got interesting. Ryan’s
guest Matt hooked into something sizable. Very sizable. Humbling sizable. To the bow and ripping line
with little slow down. A ton of line before it slowed down.
Speculation of what quarry was on the end of the line.
Big sea lion, big mud marlin, black Sea Bass, thresher?
Since it did not surface, this ruled out a Sea Lion. And it did not run like a ray.
Several members instructed Matt of how to gain line on this beast.
Other offered colorful words of encouragement. Very graphic and at times disturbing words of
encouragement were thrown his way.
Matt was torn between toughing it out and handing this over to someone else. This dragged on for 10
minutes, then 20 minutes, then 30. Matt was gaining ground with help from Ryan coaching him. When
it looked like there might be some headway this formidable foe took all the line gained and more. Matt
still hung on. After several more agonizing minutes, Matt relinquished the battle to Ryan.
Ryan put the screws to this, only to have the hook pull after several more minutes of battle.
Speculation was a thresher.
Not to miss reporting on meals, dinner was pork loin, green beans and rice.
A fine selection of wines provided by many.
With a cheesecake chaser. Another fine meal.
All told I believe there were 10 Yellow tail taken Friday.
Mario Sr. took top honors with a 10 pound yellow tail JP.
Off we were back to the cove for more squid then to Tanner for Yellow Tail.
ETA for Saturday morning fishing was 5: 30 AM. A bumpy ride to the bank.
Words of wisdom during the pursuit of tuna
If it smells like fish, it’s a dish.
Day two: Sunny all day.
We were in position at 5:50 AM. We were not the only boat in town. Out went the surface irons, yoyo
irons, fin bait, squid, anything and everything. Long soaks. Some salmon grouper, white fish, goats.
Trunk made the adjustments to get the forktails to bite. He went two for three on yellow tail. Ryan a
hook up on a yoyo iron, that came unbuttoned. I was soaking a fin bait next to Ryan, he got bit and
landed what looked to be a JP contender. When I asked him why he got bit and I didn’t, he told me his
bait was prettier than mine. Enough said.
We moved around to find more willing targets to no avail.
Breakfast Burritos or eggs and taters and pork your way for breakfast somewhere along the way.
Then the decision was made to target some reds before heading back to port.
Somewhere in the middle of this, Steve served a large silver platter of brownies.
Joe Stassi was right in the thick of things. It was very cool to see him wind up a very nice pair of reds.
Several nice sized reds were put onboard.
Made a few long drifts that netted several reds and various other species.
Among those was a pair of Ling Cod. First it was Luke who pulled in what appeared to be a 12 pounder.
Not to be outdone, Ryan landed a 15 pounder.
More reds then it was time to head back to San Pedro.
Burgers and steak fries for lunch.
Day two tally
Three Yellow tail
Two Ling Cod.
Reds
Ryan took top honors with a 15 pounds Ling Cod JP that outweighed his Yellow tail.
Some mental notes I made from boarding through both days.
I noticed how Ryan really took the time to prepare and to mentor Matt on the finer points of fishing and
catching. Everything from the differences of the rod and reel set up, when to use the 25 or 30 set up,
how to hook the bait, how to fish the bait, how to properly set a hook. A class act Ryan
Some other notables:
Gary having the hurt put to him by a sizable BSB and still have enough energy to land a blue perch.
Joe Stassi going at the reds like the youngster he is.
Trunk making the adjustments to get the YT’s to bite.
The amount of beer required to keep Andy and Trunk fishing.
Mario Sr and Mario Jr, not to be out done on the beer and Jack, ouch.
Brian, thank you for checking in on me.
Hayden, it is great to have you fishing with us.
Oh, the stories.
The great crew.
Comedian chef Steve always on the prowl to see if we were paying attention by bumping the butt of the
fishing poles during a soak.
Words of wisdom during the pursuit of tuna (cont.)
If it smells like cologne, leave it alone.
For you bird watchers: Bald Eagle and Albatross.
Lessons learned, again and again and again.
Always have a rod and reel set up ready for the trip home.
We encountered two different stops of sizable crashing tuna.
Ryan and Super Mario were ready. Mario got picked up on one of the stops.
Chef Steve and other crew members also on them.
Very smooth ride home. Rounded the north end of Catalina, on a spectacular day sail boats plentiful.
In port somewhere around 8 PM.
Time to put a fork in it. This trip was done.
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Trip #8: Boat: Thunderbird 2 day Departs: Thursday October 3rd Fishing: October 4th, 5th Returns: October 5th pm Arriving at the dock a little later than I usually like to, the typical group as one would expect was all there. At this point I am starting to think that Hayden secretly lives at the landing, and only comes out of the shadows every couple weeks to fish with the club. It was overcast and on the cool side at the dock and I was beginning to regret only bringing shorts on the trip but figured with enough beer and maybe some stronger beverages I would find a way to stay warm throughout the trip. The fishing had either been wonderful or complete garbage the days prior, but everyone was hoping the optimistic that we would locate some hungry fish. After the standard, organized, boarding of the vessel we would call home for the next 2 days, we loaded up some great looking bait and off we went into the calm night. The plan was to head to Cherry Bank to hunt for the elusive bluefin. Our crew consisted of Carmello, Steve, and Jarid with Captains Jeff and Chris. It was my first trip without Goofy, and there was a calmness in the galley that felt very unfamiliar but also a feeling that something was missing. The forecast was absolutely wonderful with very little wind and a swell that was almost non-existent. After the guys all set their gear up, they disappeared one by one into their bunks. Day 1 - Friday Fishing began around 4am for some, with 2 bluefin being landed by Jim (81 lbs) and Ryan (87 lbs) just after 5am. Excitement was high with a couple of great grade fish coming over the rail, but we would soon lose that excitement. We continued to look for hungry schools, and look, and look…. We found several good schools swimming deep, but they would either disappear or avoid our bait like I avoid my mother-in-law. At about 1130 Captain Jeff decided it was time to take a break and drop deep for some taco meat. The rockfish grade was great with Luke pulling in the largest Salmon Grouper he had ever seen. It weighed in at 11 lbs, but I swear it looked bigger. We continued our taco quest until around 245 before resuming the look for the bluefin. We looked, and looked, and looked some more with zero success until dinner time. At this point, I figured if I wasn’t going to catch any fish I might as well catch a buzz. With a great dinner from Carmello consisting of chicken, rice, salad, the cocktails and conversations flowed into the evening until it was time to look yet again for these stupid fish. We looked, and looked, and looked some more. At some point only 4 were still standing. Jim, Cory, Ryan, and I were hanging out hoping to come across something to catch. We did our best to stay well hydrated, and that was about the only thing we were successful with late into the night. Of the 4, Ryan was the first to throw in the towel sometime around 2 or 230, I think... The remaining soldiers finally surrendered at about 315 and made our way to our bunks. Final count for the day was 2 bluefin and 52 rockfish. Day 2 – Saturday With a disappointing day 1 behind us, day 2 did not bring a change. We drove hundreds of miles looking, and looking, and looking. I think Captain Jeff was more disappointed than any of us. We sat around and ate what we could of the endless amounts of chips, which seemed to be the only snack option when people were shopping prior to the trip. On the upside, we had a great group of guys and some of the calmest seas that I have ever seen. Final count for day 2 was a big fat zero but I guess that’s the way fishing goes sometimes. We returned to a quiet dock, and disembarked with our snack size bags of rockfish, and headed home. Till next time, James Harris
Trip #7: Boat: Thunderbird 2.5 day Departs: Tuesday September 17th Fishing: September 18th, 19th Returns: September 20th am It all started on a pleasant Tuesday afternoon, Tuesday September 17th in fact. Tuesday is a fantastic day to get to the docks, because this Tuesday happened to be Taco Tuesday. Taco Tuesday is a great way to start anything of any importance, especially a fishing trip, two-dollar tacos and five-dollar margs to get things rocking while you’re still on land. This has been unscientifically proven to allow one’s sea legs to become accustomed to an imbalance of equilibrium, making for a smooth transition to the boat. We departed the dock around 8 pm with words of Tanner and Cortez slipping through the breeze and dancing upon our ears. Day 1 we arrived at Cortez bank around 5:30 am. After a night of getting rocked by large swells we awoke to a sea that was not all that happy to have us and not very willing to give up the fish. It was on the tougher side of things, but we still managed to scrape out a pretty good haul of fish. With a tally of 47 fish caught from good sized yellow tail to smaller blue fin from 20 lbs to the largest being 55 lbs caught by our Junior Angler Lucas Harris. Now, I believe, young Lucas learned a valuable life lesson on this trip, if you don’t gamble you can’t win. The next biggest fish, patch recipient, and pot was caught by Steve Sturm! Day 1 ended with a trip back to the bait barge because the bait was not great. Day 2 we arrived at Cortez bank around 5:50 am. As we were now a well-rested contingent of hardened sea slappers, everyone was extremely eager to get a line out. With rods in our hands and lines in the water, Bonita and small yellowtail began to come over the rail. After 3 hours of Bonita, El Capitan, Jeffe, decided it was time to make a move to Tanner. And this was well received. We arrived to Tanner and it began to sprinkle which was nice. At Tanner we caught yellowtail and smaller bluefin. The night bite wasn’t very bitey, El Capitan made a great effort moving multiple times to try and get us on the fish to no avail. Mr. one cast one fish, Mike Castillo caught the biggest blue fin of the day receiving the patch and pot. Light lines, small hooks and bait that was less than willing to be sacrificed in the belly of monsters make for tough fishing but it’s always great to be out on the water. Adios Brandon Lockwood
Trip #6: Boat: Thunderbird 1.5 day Departs: Thursday September 5th Fishing: September 6th Returns: September 7th am Trip 6 kicked off as it routinely does the usual suspects being at the dock, possibly before sunrise for all I know. My dad and I arrived at the dock around 2pm on Thursday with almost no traffic on the peninsula due to school being back in session. The weather at the dock was beautiful but we knew there was some wind ahead on the Tanner and Cortez Banks but that was really the only option as that’s where the fish have been basically all summer. Captain Jeff told us he wasn’t sure where we were going to start but it was going to be a bumpy ride out. After getting bait we were headed west. When we woke up, I was informed that Jeff took us to the Tanner Bank and was looking for fish. We stopped on a couple spots of fish and eventually got the anchor down and tried to get a bite going with no luck. Around 9:00 AM, we made the hour and 20-minute run to the Cortez Bank. The fishing improved once we got there but it was still a grind and we were soon anchored up in about 150 feet of water. The next 3 and a half hours were classic plunker bite fishing. Light line, small hooks and a hot bait would be rewarded with bites. There was a good mix of bluefin and yellowtail biting and the weather really improved from the ride out and was better than forecasted, but still a bit breezy. The final count for the morning was 14 Bluefin (8-15lbs), 14 Yellowtail and 4 bonito. At 1:30PM, with the bite really slowing down Jeff decided it was time to make another move towards the northwest end of Clemente; that would not only put us closer to home but get us in position for an afternoon/night bite on some better grade bluefin. With that being said most of the boat went down to get some rest. After the nap it was time to enjoy some beers in the sun on the top deck of the boat. Things got interesting when Bruce spotted bigger tuna splashing nearby. The crew jumped into action, setting up the kite and sending out flyers, while others used fly lines and sinker rigs. There were some standout moments: Hung, Bruce’s guest, landed his first bluefin on a dropshot rig with 40lb test after a tough fight and Kevin Kom quickly pulled in a solid bluefin on a 50lb fly line. Last but certainly not least, Rico worked the flyer like a pro, and at one point, we had two bait fish and two kite fish going at the same time. We had a close call when two kite fish got tangled and broke one of the fish off but when the first fish was gaffed the braid of the broken off fish was wrapped around it. Jeff and Scuba Steve jumped into action to try and save it. Jeff wrapped the braid around his shoulder and hands, and Steve spliced the line back to the rod, letting us bring in the fish. Our junior angler Lucas was pumped after the catch. This description truly doesn’t do it justice and was one of the most impressive things I’ve seen done by a crew. After the heroic save, we went a perfect 5 for 5 on 70-130 lb fish. The kite fish were caught by Mike Barton, Ron Shrout and Lucas, our junior angler. With the sun starting to set and a few hours left to fish, Jeff kept the search going while guys were having Carmelo’s pork loin and mashed potatoes in the galley. He told us we were going to have to work hard at it as the fish they had been seeing in this area was in wolf packs. The first few stops were quick as the fish that were located kept on the move. Slowly but surely, Jeff started to work away from the fleet and it paid off on the first stop. At 9PM the boat stopped on a school that was from 270’- 400’ and just as my jig got to 400’ I was able to get the first bite of the night and was able to boat it, but not before it swam off the gaff at 50 miles an hour with my reel in free spool. Shortly after that fish hit the deck, my dad was engaged in battle with a bluefin of his own and was able to make quick work of it. Micheal Harris was the next to join the party and got one on a flat fall with a little flashback to 2016 nights. They do in fact still get bit. There were a few more hooked on that stop that found eventually their freedom due to various reasons. There were a few more stops, but no bites and at midnight it was time to turn the boat back towards Newport and get some much earned rest in flat calm seas. The final count for the trip was 23 Bluefin (8 from 75-130lbs), 14 Yellowtail and 4 Bonito. Jackpot went to Kevin Kom with his fly lined 80 pound bluefin. All in all, the fishing was tough but as always this group of guys always manages to put a good score of fish together. It is always a pleasure to fish with this club and create lifetime memories. It is a highlight of my summers and look forward to it for many years to come. Tight lines, Jake Chutney
Trip #5: Boat: Thunderbird 2.5 Day Departs: Tuesday August 20th Fishing: August 21st, 22nd Returns: August 23rd am
Trip #4: Boat: Thunderbird 2 day Departs: Thursday August 8th Fishing: August 9th & 10th Returns: August 10th PM “In every species of fish I’ve angled for, it is the ones that got away that thrill me the most”. — Ray Bergman: The late Ray Bergman was born in Nyack, New York in 1891 & died there in 1967. He wrote for "Outdoor Life" magazine for 26 years. I am not going to bore you with the same deck foreplay that usually starts these scribe histories. Yes, Hayden showed up before dawn. Yes, guys dropped their bags and went to their usual watering holes and dinner spots. What was unique is Paul forgot his tackle box. That, I would think, would be hard to do….but he did scurry home and get what ne needed. By the goodness of all on the deck, he was allowed to keep his place in line. Ian and I have “day jobs” so we did not show up to see the morning coffee being made at Newport Landing Restaurant. Instead we arrived at 6 PM. Getting a call from Roy asking if I’m still attending the trip was entertaining; glad he cared enough to make sure I was aboard! It was interesting that when we did arrive, all the gear was on board and bunks were taken. Now I know why you arrive early; my top bunk was not the best on board. Next time I will take conference calls while watching the Ferris Wheel! As I grabbed my bunk and dropped my tackle box, I noticed an earie tranquility on The Thunderbird. NO GOOFY! I am not an old DWRRC salty dog like the rest of this crew, but in my 3 years in the Club, Goofy has been a main-stay. Always there, always giving someone sh_t and certainly taking some too. That tranquil glow graced us the entire trip. We left at 7 PM, picked up bait and started off to Cortez Bank. There was some hints of wind, but we decided to brave the elements. We arrived at the Bank around 5:30 AM and Jeff rolled us into some deeper water. We started fishing around 6 AM to a nice bite of Blue Fin. We had at least 2 loaded up consistently on that stop, with schoolies of 25-40 pounds. We dragged in 52 BFT on that stop with a few Yellow Tail coming aboard as well. Jim (6) Brian (4), BJ (6) and Saif were pretty active with nice numbers and good quality. Andy and Ryan pulled in some nice Yellows. It was good to see that Ryan could still pull on fish. His back, for the most part, held up while fishing for Pelagics. Fly line was the set-up of choice on this stop, but Yoyos and drop shots were also successful. We moved off this part of the Bank and moved to shallow water as the bite seemed to taper off as we continued to fish that stop. There were some that thought we should stay….Captain Jeff made the right decision! At 8:30 we pulled up into more shallow waters at 120 feel and anchored. We were not alone, in looking around there were at least 10 other Sport Boats in the area sitting on the same shallow bank. We moved off that anchor around 11 AM. We had to move as the boat LIMITED OUT on Blue fin with 104 boated (that includes the 52 from the earlier spot). We also bagged 35+ Yellow Tail! What was great about that stop was the quality of fish and the ability to catch YT and BFT at the same spot. If you had a Drop Shot on or you were Yoyo-ing, or fly line you were hooking up! It was an epic morning bite and one for the record books. Saif bagged 16 fish (10 BFT /6 YT) BJ- 11 (9 BFT/2 YT), Jim- 13 (11BFT/2 YT) and Steve- 10 (8 BFT/2 YT). These 4 guys caught 50 of the 145 fish caught…well done guys. (NOTE: I’m sure I missed another Big Hitter on this list, so apologies if I missed someone…I was too busy wrestling my own catch!). Since everyone had smiles on their faces and a full fish hold, Jeff moved us to bottom fishing. The Bank always shines with Big Reds and a sprinkling of other cod mixed in. Jeff let the boat know that we were headed off to bottom fish and gear up for bite. Everyone has their “ultimate” bottom set-up. I like the double dropper loop with a bunch of squid, Saif showed on deck with a large Blue Fin knife Jig. As I looked at the different rigs, I catch Mike with a dildo strapped onto his line! What the hell is that? The “tail” was long and the head would make any porn star blush. It did catch fish, but Mikey was bummed that his tail got eaten off. The knife jig stole the show as Saif brought up some huge cod monsters from the deep. I was fishing next to Paul and, on the drop, he got nailed. He was fishing a Tranx 500, so coming up was not fun; but he pulled up 2 massive, beautiful reds that put a nice smile on his face! Unfortunately, Ryan did not have a smile on his face, the heavy swells and waves did a number on his back….not fun fighting those swells with a bad back. We made 2 different drifts and brought in some beautiful fish; Reds, Bocaccio, Vermillion, and a few Sheephead. I caught a huge White Fish that I was excited to cook up when I got home. Guys who wanted to “fill their sacks” had that opportunity and we made quick time to leave the swells and white capped waves. A third drift was not warranted. We headed to San Clemente (The Island, not the beach town) around 3 PM. Night fishing for Blue Fin was off the agenda with limits on the boat, so that offered up many options for the thirsty fisherman. Some started Happy hour early while others bunked down for a few hours. I decided to nap a bit and came up to quite a happy hour crew. It did not take long to join the party, Bourbon, tequilla and many wine bottles were found throughout the galley. Carmelo, standing in for Goofy, did an awesome job on dinner. We had baked chicken with a purple rice and salad. The salad was worth noting as it was a mixed green with tomatoes and cucumber…nice alternative to the bland head lettuce we usually see on these trips. No Goofy drama with this dinner. The dessert bars got handed out and no one had to beg….I’m sure some missed the banter. Day 1 JACKPOT Winner - Roy, who edged out Saif and BJ with a nice sized Blue Fin caught during the AM bite. Congrats Roy! We woke at Pyramid Cove with lines being wet around 6. This Scribe did not see the sun till 7ish, but no harm was done…no fish landed. Jeff moved us out of the Cove to hunt Yellow Tail. He stopped at Gold Beach where Hayden and Reilly caught 2 nice YT and we picked off a few Bonito and Calico. While at Gold Beach, Alex hooked a nice Yellow on his Yoyo and brought it to the rail, it was gaffed and “controlled” but as they moved it to the stern to lift it to the deck, the fish flipped off the gaffe and the jig! Go figure! Jeff did Alex right and gave him a Boat Yellow to make up for the gaffe (get it ha, ha). We left Gold beach and searched for other spots. We stopped on some Calico, stopped to fish YT, but never found a sweet spot till 11:30. Thunderbird pulled onto “Runway” and the spot lived up to its name. We fished there for 90 minutes and brought in18 yellows and missed many more than we bagged. All of these fish were of high grade 20-30#. I was pulling on a nice Yellow when my spool went off with a huge run…quite a fish! Then I hear Mike yelling from the top deck that I was on a seal…. my Jackpot lust was lost. We left Runway at 1 PM and started to head home. Bruce won the Jackpot and Fisherman of the Day. Congrats Bruce, great looking YT! As we were heading home I was chatting with Jake intently (as you do with Jake ) on the port side of the rail. We were into a good story intent in conversation when….Crash…on my head and 50% of Jake, a cooler was emptied from above deck! Ice cold water allowed us to sober up and laugh at the “accident”…still wondering if that was an accident or prank, but fun no matter! Our Junior Angler was Rowan, Ryan B’s girlfriend’s son. Great young man who was excited to be on his first overnight! He had some issues with waves and swells, but finally got his sea legs and enjoyed pulling in a few big fish. Great work by a future DWRRC Angler! What an epic fishing trip with great quality and a crazy consistent bite throughout the 2 days. Thanks to the folks who helped me Scribe, hard to keep up on such an action-packed trip. Dutifully submitted, Justin
