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2022: Trip 2 - Thunderbird 2 Day

Trip 2 Report: Thunderbird 2 day, June 23-25, 2022

Scribe - Justin


“There are some days I take my violin (rod and reel) out and it feels dreadful, like nothing is responding, and I want to sell it and get rid of it. And the next day suddenly the skies open up and the sound (bite) is glorious again. So it's like a relationship: There are good days and bad days.” — Joshua Bell, Violinist and Composer


I found a good quote to start off reviewing a very unique DWRRC trip #2.


As we arrived, we had zero idea where we were headed and waited for our fearless leaders to help us find where the fish were biting. We followed the fishing reports earlier in the week, we expected high Yellowtail counts and a good bite. The Blue Fin had not gotten far enough North to warrant a trip South, so we agreed on Santa Barbara and Saint Nick.


Loading was painless and we all got tied up as we headed out to the Islands. Knowing there was not any Tuna fishing (evening activities) the whiskey came out, but nothing too over-the-top, just some good BS and excitement for the morning.


We started out early, setting alarms for 4:45 AM knowing the gray morning bite had been good for Sea Bass….Santa Barbara had some wind and rough times, but nothing severe. So, we put the time in and well…nothing. Bryan caught a white fish that went into his bag soley to capture the biggest fish…this is how the morning went. Jeff certainly did his part and looked high and low for biters, but there were no takers in that fine morning.


With 3 Mikes on the boat (Mike Harris and 2 guests, Mike Klepper and Mike Vas, both guests of Paul Morgan), it was easy to just call everyone Mike and get through the trip. Paul explained that he only hangs with Mike’s as he struggles with name recall. The banter in the kitchen was high as Goofy and Gary were on many topics throughout the trip. One memorable conversation was about ladders, so when the fish don’t bite, you tend to pull out any available topic for conversation.


In one stop, with zero fish from the stop, we got the “wind em up” from Jeff. Gary reels in his “naked” hook and catches a white fish. That too went in the bag, just in case!


At 9 AM, the decision was to bail on Santa Barbara Island. We opted to take the 3-hour ride over to San Clemente and see if our luck could change. It also set us up well to fish Day #2. We motored off with the majority of the group getting a nap in or discussing ladders in the galley.


That afternoon we stopped at a few Calico grounds on the North side of the Island, we had some luck with some Calico getting through the Sea Lions, but it was not fun fighting those dogs throughout the afternoon. We fished through dusk and that too was fruitless. Tony came up with the FISH OF THE DAY, a 4# Calico. That, my friends, was it…a few white fish, some small Calico and Tony’s winner.


Goofy served up some good dinner, and banter about NOT moving his salad bowl. TriTip, Baked Potato and a properly placed salad made for a satisfying filling meal. Wine was shared, and a chosen few were rewarded Klondike Bars.


We passed a few more bottles of the drink of choice and began to wonder what Day #2 had in store. My decision was to head to the bunk early and pray for a new, better day. Most did the same as we woke up the sound of……


DAY #2

Fish On! Yellow Tail on the boat at 4:45 AM by Chris, the night Captain. The call to the group went out and everyone scrambled to get a line in the water. We had live squid on the boat and most fished dropper, egg sinker or lead head.


The deckhands were busy pulling in more squid as the heavy squid light attracted a ton of bait. They netted 4-5 scoops of squid and had that ready for a new day of action.


  • 5 AM- Chris brings his second YT on board
  • 5:30 Nick brings in a nice 30# YT
  • 5:50 Bill drags in a big Yellow, which eventually contended for the fish of the day.
  • 6:10 Roy pulls on and delivers the fish of the day! A super fat 40# or so Yellow!


This stop was pretty good with the group picking off a good sized YT here and there. We also seemed to connect on some large Black Sea Bass, as many guys got broken off. I was lucky enough to land an 80# black Sea Bass that we struggled to bring back down into the sea.


Scuba (the deckhand that helped me with the Black Sea Bass) asked that I loosen the line so he could work. He used the 10’ push pole to push the fish below, trying to get the air to escape from its body cavity. He did this 4-5 times but the fish rolled over, showing its white belly…defeated. So, Scuba grabbed a filet knife, jumped the rail and stabbed the BSB in the side, allowing the air to escape…..finally the big guy found his way. Interestingly, Scuba kept the hook and line in, waited for the fish to be 300 feet out and yanked the line free. As Scuba said “even people can get stabbed and live to tell about it”, so we think the same for the BSB.


Finally, the bite slowed and Jeff called us to reel em up. That is when Nick struck again and had another hanging…..That stop from 5-8 AM was a great start to an awesome day on the water.


10 AM stop, Nick could not be stopped, he outfished the whole boat! On this stop we had Bonita, Calico and an occasional Baracuda.


11 AM to noon-ish was a great YT bite with the group doubling the YT fish count. Nick, Bryan, Pat Kelly (my guest), Jimmy, Mike Harris and many more scored on this stop. Paul “pull-the-hook” Morgan had 5 pulled hooks on the day. Certainly not normal for such a strong fisherman! He will seek his comeuppance on the next outing!


We headed to Calico fish for the end of the trip and that too had a decent mix of Yellows. It was fun watching the stern fill with elbows, trying to get the best spot to throw baits into the shore…many good-sized Calico!


The call came at 1:45 PM that we must head home, but all had a great time and felt like we got our revenge on the fishing gods. All caught fish (as there were many bonita, Calico, white and Rock fish caught throughout the second day).


My favorite memory of this trip was Romeo, the son of Oscar Ochoa. Oscar has done and continues to raise a great boy. At 11 years old the kid can FISH! and knows his rail side manners. Romeo landed a yellow as well, and had a great time learning from the many experienced anglers on the boat. He was very observant and did a great job of being part of the action, but not getting in the way….at 15 he will take every trip patch and jackpot, mark my word!


Winners:


Day #1 – Tony- 4# Calico (At least he caught one and got it through the Dog Gauntlet)

Day #2- Roy – Congrats to Roy in beating out Bill by ¼ inch “girth” of the fish…that was a fat one!


Fisherman of the trip- Nick Burson. Not only did he outfish his “old man”, but he outfished the entire boat with 4 nice YT and a bunch of other catch and release.


21 total Yellows caught…..not bad for a ¾ day haul!


Respectfully submitted….Justin


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2024: Trip 8 - Thunderbird 2 Day

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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
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2024: Trip 7 - Thunderbird 2.5 Day

September 24, 2024
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2024: Trip 6 - Thunderbird 1.5 Day

September 10, 2024
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
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2024: Trip 5 - Thunderbird 2.5 Day

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2024: Trip 4 - Thunderbird 2 Day

August 13, 2024
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
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