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2018: Trip 5 Thunderbird (2 day)
Thunderbird 2 day (July 27 th -July 28 th )
Anglers: Roy, Paul, Cody, Luke, Ryan, Jeff, Ron H, Ron S, Brian, Tony, Bob, Ron R, Tom, BJ, Gary,
Jeremy, and Chris jr.
Crew: Jeff, Brian, Ricardo, Goofy, and new deckhand Cole
Areas fished: SBI, one kelp in channel, Sci, and a few miles off the backside
Day 1
We arrived at Davey’s locker with questions as to where we were going to fish because there
was several spots and islands that were producing some gamefish. As we waited for the
Thunderbird to arrive we had news that the white seabass had been caught in decent numbers
at San Nick Island, so we were kind of thinking that might be an option, but we had not talked
to Jeff as to what might be the game plan. Jeff arrived, and we discussed all options of this trip
and we came up with a game plan of trying our luck at SBI and if it doesn’t pan out then we
would make the trek to SCI to try for some trophy bass and possibly some big bluefin in the
evening.
We arrived at SBI around 4:00 am and most everyone was awake and trying for any
kind of gamefish that would want to bite. We fished our butts off to no avail except for a few
slimers one of which was kept by Roy who I believe was strategically trying to win the old
chevron patch. The mackerel were in full effect as were the red crabs, so Jeff decided to move
on to another spot. We set anchor along the kelp in hopes for a White seabass bite or some
exotic species to spice up the morning lull. Well lucky Roy does it again and he hooks into what
most believed to be a Yellowtail, and some thought it was a big mud Marlin. After about a 15 to
20 min battle Roy lands a beautiful SCI yellow estimated around 22lbs. We gave that spot some
more time, but no more bites were to be had. Jeff wanted to try a different spot in the deeper
ledge which has been known for yellowtail activity and as soon as he told us we were going to
move the yellows started boiling right where he wanted to try. We set anchor on the fish in
hopes to get something going but the fish had other plans and exited the area promptly. SBI is a
very small island with not too many spots to fish so we had tried the whole side of the island in
an hour or so. We tried a few more spots but the fish were a no show and it was getting pretty
obvious the island was not biting for us today. We did get to witness a large sword fish tailing
just off the island and also found out they don’t like jigs. Luke decided to throw a surface iron
near the beast and scared the hell out of it, but it was cool to watch.
We headed for island #2
which was SCI and had some great nap time ahead of us. As we traveled we came across a huge
kelp patty and Jeff stopped the boat, so we could throw baits in hopes someone was home, but
it was empty except for a sealion and some birds. We arrived at SCI around 12:00 and we were
all rested up for the Bass fishing that was about to happen. Bass fishing in this club has come
down to a science and I feel were the best bass club on the planet. Ricardo and Cole put out
some primo baits and we threw them into the bull kelp on the backside kelp beds most all
afternoon. The Calicos would play a little then go into hiding and come out and play some more
but it was more hiding then playing. If you worked hard at it most were rewarded with at least
a limit and a few 5lbers in the mix too. Brian W. being the calico record holder for the year was
safe this day but there were a few close calls.
It was getting later in the evening and Jeff got a call from Pat Cavanaugh who was out trolling
for tuna that he started to see some activity and thought we should give it a try trolling the
yummy flyer. We were heading out to the tuna grounds when Jeff metered a ton of bluefin and
wanted to throw some bait to see what might happen. Well nothing happened, and we drove
on. Once again Jeff metered more tuna and we threw baits to no avail. So, we would try tactic
#2 and troll the flyer. We trolled for an hour and we had no sign of fish, so Jeff wanted to troll
back to where he metered the big schools of non-biting tuna. As we were heading into the zone
we had a huge blow out followed by another and one more but none of them ate the bait, it
was all show and no go. It was getting dark and Jeff made the call of the century. We were
going to drift on the schools of tuna throw bait and drop flat falls into the dark in hopes that we
get something going. As the night grew longer most of us were tired but we would keep jigging
as long as we could.
Right around 8:30 we had a bite on the flat fall and I believe the lucky
angler was Bob Wheeler. I dropped down and was bit pretty quick only to have a tackle failure
and bust off. There were multiple bites going on now and I believe Capt. Brian hooked up, Roy,
Tommy and Ryan were all hooked up at once. This was some crazy action as these fish were big
girls. Roy had a fish that beat him up pretty bad, so he handed it off to his son Jeremy and
Jeremy proceeded to hand it off to me then to Brian to finish her off. Tommy Hill was also
engaged and getting a whooping so Goofy took over fallowed by Ricardo I believe. Ryan was
battling his own fish from start to finish but was losing strength in trying to go over all the
anglers but being the youngster, he is he landed it on his own. So here it goes Brian lands a
beautiful 150+ bluefin, Bob lands a 90lb model, Ryan lands a monster 230+ pounder, Tom lands
a 300lb monster. All these landed before the one Roy had hooked and has been handed off
between 4 anglers. Roy’s fish finally comes aboard and it’s a beautiful 170lb bluefin. They say
the young teens are the toughest and I have to say they are right. I have landed 300lb yellowfin
that were not as tough as this s.o.b. We continued to land fish in the upper 100lb to lower 90lb
range for the next few hours. Ryan gives Luke the hot jig to fish with and boy does it get bit.
Luke gets hot and hooks 3 fish in a row, unfortunately they were all under 100lbs.
In the mix of the battles my son Cody gets bit and lands a 230lb tuna in 6 mins. His fish was
what we call a suicidal fish and came up right to the boat lights.
Once they gaffed it the thing went crazy and broke a few gaffs and also broke the tuna spike,
needless to say that thing was pretty green. This big tuna fishing was one for the record books
and here’s the numbers with the anglers who landed them also with their personal bests
recorded.
1.Roy, Jeremy and I 169lb personal best bluefin for all
2.Paul 156lb
3.cody 234lb personal best
4.Ryan 236 personal best
5.Tom 302 personal best and boat record (shit head)
6.Tony 50lb personal best
7.Bob 96lb personal best
8.Luke 65lb and 80lb
9.Ron H. 80lb personal best
10.Ron S. 50lb and 60lb
11.Brian W.147lb and 80lb personal best
12.Ron R. 50lb
Tom Hill wins big fish honors but Ryan wins jackpot because his fish was
landed on his own. Congratulations to all of you for really putting on a clinic on how fishing is
done and for all the personal bests that occurred on this day 1 of our trip. I am so proud of all of
you and how far this club has become, and I am very proud to be an angler in this club.
Day 2
We wake to being in a cove at SCI with the Saturday fleet in full effect. Some of us are already
at the rail at o’dark thirty while most are sleeping due to the awesome fishing that had taken
place only a mere few hours earlier. I was fast asleep so I’m not sure who landed some
gamefish in the wee early mornings so if I forget you please don’t feel bad. Luke made an
announcement that some yellowtail were biting and that we should get our butts up. I could
only assume that he had Landed one before this and he sure as hell did. I stumbled out on to
deck to see 2 Yellows on the deck and I think Luke, and Brian W had landed those. We all finally
made it out on the deck and started to fish for gamefish. Ryan was next to hook up and he
landed a Yellow in timely fashion. Gary was last to hook up and he landed a nice Yellow which
was estimated around 40lbs by Jeff. If this yellow was as big as we think we would have a new
leader on the yellowtail big fish honors, but we will have to wait to see. Jeff hooks what seems
to be a halibut by the way it was acting and low and behold up pops a nice 25lb halibut which
also is his personal best. As this spot dried up Gary weighs his yellow and it weighs 41lbs. That’s
a monster fish and rounds of congrats are in the air.
The Thunderbird is in big bass mode and why not being as this is a trip for the record books anyway.
We try all the shallow water bass spots for some pretty good big bass fishing in hopes to knock big bad
Brian off the leader boards. Well it didn’t take long and Ron H. nabbed the big bass honors from Brian with a
beautiful 8lb beast. We fished for a bit and played with the leopard sharks for a bit then Jeff
decided we should head home a little early to try to beat some traffic. Ha that Balboa traffic
was horrid, and I arrived home later then when we usually arrive. Gary wins jackpot for day 2
and Ron is the new bass master.
Thanks JR
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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
