Trip Reports

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

Trip #3: Boat: Thunderbird 2 day Departs: Thursday July 25th Fishing: July 26th & 27th Synopsis: 23 supper athletes forfeit their chances of Olympic Gold to participate in our two-day-fishing-trip departing Newport Landing on charter boat Thunderbird. Tom Hill’s grandson, Ari and three guests join us for the trip. The catch includes 25 quality Yellowtail, one super-sized Bluefin Tuna, 23 Calico Bass and a variety of miscellaneous species. Saif Liswi takes both Friday and Saturday jackpots. The trip: 8:00 pm Thursday: Anglers board the Thunderbird. We take on about 60 scoops of sardines at the bait barge. A small number of live squid are also in the tanks as we leave the harbor for San Clemente Island. Boat operations are conducted by captains Jeff and Chris, cook Goofy and crew members Collen, Steve and Jared. 3:00 am Friday: Boat arrives at Pyramid Cove and anchors up. Dropper loop fishing in the dark commences while an abundance of squid attracted to the boat lights is harvested. Alex losses the first biter from line rubbing the hull. At 3:20 am Bill Parks lands the first Yellowtail. A lull follows. At about 4:30 we distinctly smell smoke from the island’s wildfire. Then a red sunrise. At 5:20 am, Bob, Tony, Jeffy and Chris land nice grade Yellowtails. We are surrounded in the Cove by boats including the Fury, Eldorado and Aggressor. Jeffy’s fishing line is snagged by a jig cast from the nearby Fury. It is quickly released with no fuss. The bite stalls. We round the East end of the island to the leeward side. 8:30 am Friday: Fly lining and jigging produce Yellowtail, Calico Bass, Bonita Whitefish and Barracuda. Noon to 2:00 pm Friday: Kevin lands a nice Yellowtail. We hopscotch with other sport boats northwesterly along the leeward side of the island. At various stops, we catch and release small Calico Bass, potpourri of island fish and more Yellowtail. We pass smoking vegetation on the ridge marking the edge of the island brush fire. A Navy helicopter operating overhead is dropping seawater on the fire. The Fury gives us sardines. We cruise past our old friend the Amigo, a boat the club had regularly chartered year’s back. 2:00 to 9:00 pm Friday: We make a 2 1/2 - hour northwesterly run leaving the west end of the island for open ocean where other boats are working the Bluefin. At 7:00 pm Kevin and Luke hookup. Large Bluefins overwhelm their tackle and breakoff. At 9:00 pm following a very tough fight, Saif lands a beast – a taped 148-pound Bluefin that would probably be another 15 pounds on a scale. Saif is exhausted. He wins Friday’s jackpot. A nice prime rib dinner with exuberant table-talk and wine follows as we head back to the island. 3:00 am Saturday. We arrive back at Pyramid Cove and start fishing the same spot. All is quiet until 6:00 am when Saif and Jimmy land two nice Yellowtail. Saif wins the Saturday jackpot giving him a clean sweep for Trip 3 – his fans hold up the broom. 6:30 am Saturday: Repeating the prior day’s strategy, we hopscotch with other boats along the leeward side of the island fishing bass and Yellowtail. I venture to say that maybe one out of twenty bass are keeper sized. To the east we see a Navy flotilla approaching the island. 1:00 pm. We lunch as the boat turns homeward bound for 7:00 pm arrival back at Newport Landing. The crew continues its excellent customer service helping us unload and collect our filleted fish. Driving out, traffic on Balboa Avenue is ugly as our cars creep off the peninsula with hordes of Saturday beach goers.  Best regards, Andy Sienkiewich

Trip #2: Boat: Thunderbird 2 day Departs: Thursday July 11th Fishing: July 12th & 13th Gary had been diligent enough with information prior to the trip which included somewhat spotty fishing along with a forecast of calm seas with a light to moderate breeze. We boarded without event and shortly thereafter the ride was rough, we began pitching to and fro. The wind was gusting unbelievably at well over 50 knots. It was so bad that most of the time the restrooms were not accessible, the crew was not able to assist at all. Moving around was very limited. We were directed not to move above about. Surprisingly, not one soul on board got sick. Nevertheless, we continued southwest to our destination. Well, things finally settled down, we were able to use the restrooms and our landing at Long Beach Airport was smooth as could be. Stewart was there waiting for us, we enjoyed dinner at the Hangout and we were anxious to get on the water and fish with our old friends again. Erich and I should know by now that it is always bumpy flying over Rockies in the afternoon. That was Wednesday. Thursday we made it to the docks around one-thirty, the usual early birds were there, Hayden, Luke, Bill, Jeffy, and President Gary. Shortly thereafter the remainer of our group began to arrive, Stewart Finley, Steve Sturm, Mike Allen, Dan Shumacher, Ron Matro, James Harris, Brian Drazba, Patrick Thunyakij, Logan Reinmiller, Mike Harris, Josh Edwards, Mike Barton, Bryan Upcraft, and Brenden Hanley. We also had the pleasure of having Ron Matro’s son Cayden, and Logan’s son Cory on board with us. The both of whom I wanted to throw overboard at one point or another. Just kidding, sort of. No really, they were both a joy to be around and fish with. My frustration with them was only due to their profound fishing abilities. They both displayed excellent rail manners in my humble opinion. Looking forward to fishing with you both again someday. New member Erich Kirch and myself, Mike Zinniker (not so new member) rounded out the ship’s passenger manifest. We set off around 8-ish from the dock after the normal orderly boarding procedure. We loaded up with ‘dines at the bait receiver and headed off to the West End of San Clemente Island. With some intel provided to us by both the Fury and the Amigo it was decided that the best strategy was to start out at the west end of Clemente in the morning and then head out to the Tanner late morning. This would put us in a position to fish for bluefin Friday night. The seas were pleasant, unlike our plane ride from Colorado. At around 2:00AM Friday morning the T-Bird crew was able to get the squid to float. So much so that after we stuffed our tanks, we were able to share and help the Fury load up as well, as the Thunderbird’s stern was literally surrounded by squirters. This is basically where and when the fishing would start. Cayden was the first U16 angler to get under my skin by pulling in a Yellowtail that scaled at 48 pounds on the dropper loop. Very impressive and just reward for getting such an early start in the wee hours of the morning when many of us had sleeping on our minds. Good job Cayden! Gary was the next early morning riser to bring in an impressive catch on the dropper, a white sea bass taped at 33 pounds. Brenden also managed a nice white sea bass. Despite Cayden, and Brenden and Gary’s promising start the rest of the morning was a slow, slow pick. It was made more humbling by watching the Fury fishing next to us catching at a moderate rate with the bait WE GAVE THEM! Oh well, I still think we should have given them the squid we each paid ten bucks for and gotten our money back. Again, just kidding, paying for the squirters was for sure the right plan and it was appreciated that the T-Bird went out of their way to get it. Squid was scarce up until Friday morning. We tried our best, as always with the DWRRC, and come around 6:15 Jeff Markland decided it was time to head out to Tanner Bank. The Tanner didn’t prove to be much better, there was current heading the wrong direction which didn’t help and tons of Sea Lions around as well. There was a Yellowtail caught here and there, but after a while it was time to work on filling freezers, move out to deeper water and fish for rock fish. It reminded me of my first time I fished for rock fish with the club. We all donned paper bags on our heads to hide our identities, the unknown rock codders. I guess we’ve all aged a bit since then and we don’t seem to be so proud about having to scrounge our next meeaaal ( Bob Dylan lyrics a song writer and occasional rapper b.t.w. for Cory and Cayden and maybe a few others). While that macrame gathering was taking place, in the galley, Gary being a newly elected official insisted that I include this in the write up for full transparency. This conspiracy theory, according to Hayden (the victim) is bigger than the JFK assignation, or Whitewater. It seems that according to Hayden, Bill Parks (the perpetrator) has been directed to stalk Hayden and continually subdue Mr. Claisse by entangling his bright neon blue spectra line, preventing Hayden from completing his assigned mission of killing as many fish as possible. It’s like something right out of the Manchurian Candidate or Three Days of the Condor (those are movies, Cory and Cayden, and possibly a few others). Hayden, stay vigilant and maybe consider changing the color of your line to throw off Comrade Parks. Kudos to our president for bringing this conspiracy out for full disclosure. That was about it as far as the excitement got for the rest of Friday’s daylight hours. It was time for dinner, fine wine, cocktails and rest for the hopes of an evening Bluefin bite. Final count as of dinner time, that is, for day one was 12 Yellowtail, 2 White Sea Bass and an assortment of bottom grabbers. Would Cayden’s 48 lb Yellowtail hold up for the day one jack pot, would Gary’s 37 pound (taped at 33) White Sea Bass earn him a top angler patch for day one. You’ll just have to wait and see, just until the next paragraph actually. Some of us, including myself, were more than happy to forgo the evening hunt for bluefin, lick our wounds and get to bed in hopes of a better day in the morning. Many others, more ambitious than I, braved the lack of sleep and carried on after dinner once arriving at the Bluefin spot. For those hearty fellows rewards were reaped for most. It began (I am told) with tuna in the 30 lb. range and steadily increased in size, down goes Cayden’s tail, down goes Gary’s WSB (Cory and Cayden and possibly a few others that was a reference to Howard Cosell a sports announcer primarily for boxing and football)( boxing is a sport that was popular before MMA and cage fighting). Anyway, the fish ranged from 35 to 135 pounds. There were 13 caught all total. Notables were Erich Kirsh getting his first bluefin, a 35 pounder, Brian Drazba and James Harris caught nearly identical 135 poundish bluefins. They were so close in size it would not be decided until the next day. Also putting bluefins on the boat that evening were Jeffy, Luke, Ron, Cory, Mike Bardon. The evening featured a tail- wrapped jack pot contending Bluefin, a gaff stealing Bluefin (gaff retrieved by deckhand Jose, fish retrieved by Ron) and a triple gaff miss by the crew, fish recovered the second time. Four brave souls, (sorry I was sound asleep so I can’t congratulate you by name) were the ironmen staying at it until 2AM Saturday morning at the rail until it was time to head back to Tanner for hopes of a decent yellowtail bite. The total bluefin count was thirteen. Although these hearty fellows fished well past midnight all bluefin were caught Friday, meaning the jackpot would be one of the larger evening tunas, to be determined at a later date. We were all hoping for a better yellowtail bite Saturday morning than we had Friday morning, and the day delivered. The bite was on sardines and continued fairly consistent with only a few lulls. There were a few fish lost to the dogs, but all and all it was a good morning of fishing with most of the tails being between twenty and thirty-five pounds. Bill Parks and I hooked the same yellow, which we successfully landed. It turned out to be the largest tail of Saturday but obviously was disqualified. Bill’s theory was he caught it first since he was using a mackerel as bait he let it run longer than normal giving it time to eat my sardine while on the run. I did not necessarily see that as a conclusive deduction since I also let the fish run before setting the hook, mostly because I wasn’t paying attention; therefore, the fish could have taken my sardine first. Anyway, the fish was not eligible for the jackpot, so it was a mute issue. Bill was kind enough to allow me to take the fish back to Colorado with me, thanks again Bill. That said, Parks goes and lands a 28-pound tail anyway and takes day two’s patch and jackpot without my help. After being in this club for over twenty-some years I am so glad to see that Bill is finally getting the hang of this fishing thing. Day two ends about 11:00AM and it’s time to count fish and determine jackpot and patch fish. Day one’s contenders are too close to determine with the scale alone, and too dang heavy. After much measuring and calculating the jackpot goes to James with a bluefin taping out at 124 pounds! Day two jackpot and patch goes to Bill Parks with his unassisted 33-pound yellowtail (taped at 28.3). The ride back to Newport was calm, and we got back to the dock around 7:00PM. For me personally, it was great to see and fish with old friends and meet some of the new members, especially since I had not fished last year at all. Take care everyone. -Mike Z.

Trip #1: Boat: Thunderbird 1.5 day Departs: Thursday June 20th Fishing: June 21st Return: June 22nd am The first trip of the year for the DWRRC was a 1 1/2 day that departed on June 20. There were 18 club members, 5 guests, and a junior angler. The reports from SCI had been good for YT. The weather was up outside and the BF was too far away so SCI was where were going to fish. Jeff wanted to get away quickly to get a spot in the Cove. After getting bait we cleared the harbor close to 9 PM. Jeff already had lots of squid on the boat. The crossing to Catalina was pretty rough, sleeping was not easy. The ride from there to SCI was ok. We were worried about the forecast of wind for the day but that turned out to be wrong. We arrived at the Cove just after 3 AM, anchored near a squid seiner, and quickly had to re-anchor because the seiner was wrapping squid and we were too close. Once repositioned guys got up and started fishing. Tony Beall was the first to connect with a beautiful ~35# YT. And that started what was to be an amazing YT bite with all the fish being BIG! Tony stayed hot landing 5 big YT. Others were hot too with many getting 3 or 4 fish. All but one fish was caught on dropper loop rigs, there was one yo yo fish. And guys were fishing heavy line, most fished 50# or 60#, some fished 80#. It did not matter. It was over by 6:30 AM. When the dust settled we had 43 YT, all between 25# to just over 40#. It was good, very good. Everyone said it was the best big YT fishing they ever had at SCI. We then tried a couple of halibut drifts in the Cove without success. The next move was to the lee of the island where YT were caught in recent days. Jeff tried many spots working up and back the down the island. We caught another 55 YT but nothing the size of the fish in the morning. They were between 5# and 17#, a few were lost to sea lions. Most on sardines, a couple on squid and one on the surface iron. We also tried for Calico Bass but they did not want to play. We caught some but it was hard to get a bite. At the end of the day we moved back to the same area in the Cove hoping for an evening re-bite before we left for home.......that produced zip! Goofy served a great dinner around 6 PM that allowed all to eat and then fish into the sunset and dark. It was a good tri-tip dinner. Wine flowed as usual. Now the challenge was to determine JP/Patch. They got all the fish out and it was apparent that many of the larger YT were close to the same size. After much discussion, the Officers came up with a plan to get the larger qualifiers weeded out from the rest. It came down to 6 larger yellowtail, all were long and fat. The big fish honors went to Oscar's guest Ernesto Valdepeñas with a 41# YT. The patch was close also between Tony Beall and Nick Burson. After both fish were measured Nick's was the biggest by about 1# at 36# plus. The crew then started the filleting that would take all night. Final fish count for the trip: 31 Bonito, 67 Calico Bass, 6 Sheephead, 1 Triggerfish, 98 Yellowtail (43 big ones!) This was a great start to the DWRRC fishing season.....thank you Jeff and crew for an outstanding trip!