Changing the Game
Rolled into San Diego on a Friday afternoon.
Traffic was light, nobody can afford gas any more.
Pulled into the landings.
It's cloudy offshore,
but sunny where I am.
Standing in front of Pt. Loma Sportfishing,
paying for my parking in advance,
I hear a voice calling my name.
It's Sean Allen, my host for this weekend.
We chit chat a bit.
I continue my stroll along the malecon,
checking out the tackle shops,
before heading back to my vehicle,
grabbing my gear,
and ambling down to the boat.
Sean's in charge.
We met last year.
He's a school teacher by trade, but he'd rather be a paperback writer.
He's also a charter master who was looking for a couple of guys to fill his load.
I was, and am, a solo angler always looking to ride a nice boat.
Apparently, I didn't piss anyone off, so that earned me an invite to return.
Covid, and it's peripheral problems have delayed our reunion,
originally scheduled for May,
then postponed until June,
then postponed until now.
Finally, we made it.
Sean is here with his number one fishing buddy, Big Tony.
I think Big Tony said he was blue collar,
but he looks like a professional...
fisherman, to me anyways.
You know your stuff is good when the crew asks to use it.
Big Tony has brought his number one fishing buddy along with him,
his son Blaine.
A fine young man, when he wasn't fishing, he was reading.
Sean brought a couple more guys to the party.
His friend, and number one neighbor, Jeff, aka Jethro.
I don't know what the Jethro thing was about,
maybe he's a little bit country.
Jeff is a retired welder.
Looks like that trade gave his body a bit of a beating,
but he told me he's enjoying lots of good times with the family now.
Sean has also brought along his number one uncle, Tio' Reuben.
Reuben is a retired school teacher,
and obviously an inspiration to Sean.
Former salmon fisherman, giving the tuna a go for the first time.
On a replaced knee.
I think he was embarrassed by his nephew's continuous rantings about what a great guy he was,
but equally proud of the relationship they had forged together.
Showed me what a number one uncle looks like.
Captains Ryan and Jody are running the show up top.
Chef Josh holding court in the galley.
A jack of all trades on the deck,
"Just call me Shoot", he says.
I arched an eyebrow.
"You know, bang, bang!"
He forms a little pistol with his right hand.
I put my hands up.
He laughed.
The whole crew was fantastic all weekend.
Just saying.
5 p.m.
A hundred and something foot yacht labeled "Champagne" pulls up on the other side of the dock.
I give the Captain a nod as he heads up the pier.
When he returns,
he's got about sixty to seventy five college aged young people,
in appropriate, or not, Halloween costumes.
They slowly start filling every nook & cranny of Champagne.
Shoot and I were checking out the little witches,
the Tinkerbells,
Brittany and Madonna wanna-bees.
Shoot looks at me,
looks at them,
says he thinks he's on the wrong boat tonight.
"Don't give up on us so easy buddy," I say.
"It's still early."
It was Shoot's turn to arch an eyebrow.
Time for a cocktail.
I couldn't help but notice they were pouring a less expensive brand,
instead of the top shelf product I like.
This economy is really taking a toll on us, isn't it?
Captain Ryan came down to give us the "Game Changer" plan for this evening.
We're leaving at five thirty.
We're gonna load up on bait.
We're gonna take off for San Clemente Island.
When we get there,
we're gonna try and hunt down,
and capture some live flying fish for additional bait purposes.
He invites us to sit down, relax,
and enjoy a nice dinner prepared by Chef Josh.
The "Pain Game" will come later, he warns us.
"Be prepared to be hurting when you get off the boat on Monday."
I'm hoping the pain doesn't come from the cheap vodka.
Josh served us a baked chicken breast over mashed potatoes with those little baby carrots. The chicken had a lot of flavor. It was good.
We were off to a great start.
2:00 a.m.
I don't know why,
but I got up to help make flyers.
I watched Ryan and Jody net about a half a dozen before Shoot came out on deck, took Ryan's net, then he & Jodie netted about a half dozen more,
Shoot told me to go back to bed.
5:30 a.m.
I tossed and turned for a couple of hours,
then got up to watch the knife jiggers do their thing.
All for naught so far.
Right at grey light, pre-sun up, Sean hangs one quietly,
and moseys over to where number one neighbor Jeff is standing.
He asks "Jethro" to hold his rod a second.
Sean reaches over and takes "Jethro's" outfit from his hands,
and it's Showtime!!!
"Jethro" did pretty good, considering his lack of experience.
Not much skill,
but a lot of will,
brought the tuna to the boat one time.
When the tuna went on a run,
"Jethro" tagged Sean,
and let him finish it off.
Easily triple digits.
Wow, just wow.
What a start!!
Sean & Jethro retreated to the galley,
to recharge over a cup of Joe,
where Josh is prepping some "home-made" English Muffins for today's breakfast.
9:00 a.m.
We go looking for them.
It's windy and white cappy.
It's a bit bumpy.
There's a marine layer all around,
but the sun shines on us.
10:00 a.m.
We stop to try for them.
The Skipper puts out one of the live flying fish on a one pound sinker rig.
We are fishing with the fleet.
We are the only boat stopped.
Everyone else is driving around,
looking for them.
It's still a bit breezy & bumpy,
but a nice day,
especially for late October.
Josh put out a mid morning snack thing.
Bananas, and nuts, and whipped cream, and stuff.
I called it a "candy bar in a cup".
1:30 p.m.
Dreadfully slow.
Josh's creamy pumpkin squash soup takes the wind chill off of my cold bones.
3:15 p.m.
Still nothing, but the wind and waves are beginning to abate.
4:00 p.m.
He slows.
"Start a chumline"
We stop to try.
It's nice in the sun, chilly in the shade of the house.
5:00 p.m.
He sends out the kite,
with a live flyer beneath it.
5:30 p.m.
He decides to troll,
and we substitute an imitation for the live.
I go in for a cocktail.
6:00 p.m.
The sun sets on a tough day.
7:00 p.m.
Josh takes some of the sting away,
with another of his wonderful creations.
Just a slice of rib roast, some risotto, and some green beans,
but boy was it good.
After dinner,
I went looking for some of that sleep that went missing last night.
Meanwhile, Sean and the lads went night fishing with Captain Jody.
sunday morning
Sort of an OK night,
I "sort of" slept.
I showered up, and felt pretty good.
Took a moment to be grateful for my good fortune.
I went out and checked the scoreboard.
Another five fish added to our tally.
Captain Jodie had wrestled another triple digit on board.
I asked Shoot if he had gotten any sleep, and he laughed.
7:00 a.m.
Sun's coming up,
and I'm sitting down.
Josh's Monte Christo breakfast sandwich.
He put a little bit of everything in it.
Everything, but the sink.
Nobody goes hungry on this boat.
9:00 a.m.
What a difference a day makes!!
The wind and swell have come down a lot!!
Everyone is at the rail, trying hard.
It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood.
10:00 a.m.
Trolling the rubber flying fish under the balloon/kite combo.
This lure was the "hot ticket" last season on Sean's charter.
We're keeping hope alive that there will be a sequel.
11:00 a.m.
The slow fishing means there was a lot of time for chit chat.
I got to know a lot about these guys,
and what makes them tick.
Call it a "fringe" benefit.
12:30 p.m.
Making a note there's nothing to note, the Skipper slows.
He's found a school of the smaller grade.
1:30 p.m.
We're still on 'em!!
The lads were filling their limits,
while I went in for Josh's Fabulous Boat Burger.
From scratch, one of the best I've had.
It should be a staple on every trip.
3:00 p.m.
We got the party started!!!
4:00 p.m.
The Captain is still working hard,
but we're not.
We got our happy ending already.
5:00 p.m
Sitting in sunshine on the back deck with a cocktail, counting my blessings.
Really happy I decided to come along.
6:00 p.m.
"Start a chumline!"
Uhhhh, no.
We pretend to fish,
while Josh prepares our final meal on the BBQ upstairs.
6:30 p.m.
Heading for home.
Another storybook trip.
Make a note of that.
El Fin
Rolled into San Diego on a Friday afternoon.
Traffic was light, nobody can afford gas any more.
Pulled into the landings.
It's cloudy offshore,
but sunny where I am.
Standing in front of Pt. Loma Sportfishing,
paying for my parking in advance,
I hear a voice calling my name.
It's Sean Allen, my host for this weekend.
We chit chat a bit.
I continue my stroll along the malecon,
checking out the tackle shops,
before heading back to my vehicle,
grabbing my gear,
and ambling down to the boat.
Sean's in charge.
We met last year.
He's a school teacher by trade, but he'd rather be a paperback writer.
He's also a charter master who was looking for a couple of guys to fill his load.
I was, and am, a solo angler always looking to ride a nice boat.
Apparently, I didn't piss anyone off, so that earned me an invite to return.
Covid, and it's peripheral problems have delayed our reunion,
originally scheduled for May,
then postponed until June,
then postponed until now.
Finally, we made it.
Sean is here with his number one fishing buddy, Big Tony.
I think Big Tony said he was blue collar,
but he looks like a professional...
fisherman, to me anyways.
You know your stuff is good when the crew asks to use it.
Big Tony has brought his number one fishing buddy along with him,
his son Blaine.
A fine young man, when he wasn't fishing, he was reading.
Sean brought a couple more guys to the party.
His friend, and number one neighbor, Jeff, aka Jethro.
I don't know what the Jethro thing was about,
maybe he's a little bit country.
Jeff is a retired welder.
Looks like that trade gave his body a bit of a beating,
but he told me he's enjoying lots of good times with the family now.
Sean has also brought along his number one uncle, Tio' Reuben.
Reuben is a retired school teacher,
and obviously an inspiration to Sean.
Former salmon fisherman, giving the tuna a go for the first time.
On a replaced knee.
I think he was embarrassed by his nephew's continuous rantings about what a great guy he was,
but equally proud of the relationship they had forged together.
Showed me what a number one uncle looks like.
Captains Ryan and Jody are running the show up top.
Chef Josh holding court in the galley.
A jack of all trades on the deck,
"Just call me Shoot", he says.
I arched an eyebrow.
"You know, bang, bang!"
He forms a little pistol with his right hand.
I put my hands up.
He laughed.
The whole crew was fantastic all weekend.
Just saying.
5 p.m.
A hundred and something foot yacht labeled "Champagne" pulls up on the other side of the dock.
I give the Captain a nod as he heads up the pier.
When he returns,
he's got about sixty to seventy five college aged young people,
in appropriate, or not, Halloween costumes.
They slowly start filling every nook & cranny of Champagne.
Shoot and I were checking out the little witches,
the Tinkerbells,
Brittany and Madonna wanna-bees.
Shoot looks at me,
looks at them,
says he thinks he's on the wrong boat tonight.
"Don't give up on us so easy buddy," I say.
"It's still early."
It was Shoot's turn to arch an eyebrow.
Time for a cocktail.
I couldn't help but notice they were pouring a less expensive brand,
instead of the top shelf product I like.
This economy is really taking a toll on us, isn't it?
Captain Ryan came down to give us the "Game Changer" plan for this evening.
We're leaving at five thirty.
We're gonna load up on bait.
We're gonna take off for San Clemente Island.
When we get there,
we're gonna try and hunt down,
and capture some live flying fish for additional bait purposes.
He invites us to sit down, relax,
and enjoy a nice dinner prepared by Chef Josh.
The "Pain Game" will come later, he warns us.
"Be prepared to be hurting when you get off the boat on Monday."
I'm hoping the pain doesn't come from the cheap vodka.
Josh served us a baked chicken breast over mashed potatoes with those little baby carrots. The chicken had a lot of flavor. It was good.
We were off to a great start.
2:00 a.m.
I don't know why,
but I got up to help make flyers.
I watched Ryan and Jody net about a half a dozen before Shoot came out on deck, took Ryan's net, then he & Jodie netted about a half dozen more,
Shoot told me to go back to bed.
5:30 a.m.
I tossed and turned for a couple of hours,
then got up to watch the knife jiggers do their thing.
All for naught so far.
Right at grey light, pre-sun up, Sean hangs one quietly,
and moseys over to where number one neighbor Jeff is standing.
He asks "Jethro" to hold his rod a second.
Sean reaches over and takes "Jethro's" outfit from his hands,
and it's Showtime!!!
"Jethro" did pretty good, considering his lack of experience.
Not much skill,
but a lot of will,
brought the tuna to the boat one time.
When the tuna went on a run,
"Jethro" tagged Sean,
and let him finish it off.
Easily triple digits.
Wow, just wow.
What a start!!
Sean & Jethro retreated to the galley,
to recharge over a cup of Joe,
where Josh is prepping some "home-made" English Muffins for today's breakfast.
9:00 a.m.
We go looking for them.
It's windy and white cappy.
It's a bit bumpy.
There's a marine layer all around,
but the sun shines on us.
10:00 a.m.
We stop to try for them.
The Skipper puts out one of the live flying fish on a one pound sinker rig.
We are fishing with the fleet.
We are the only boat stopped.
Everyone else is driving around,
looking for them.
It's still a bit breezy & bumpy,
but a nice day,
especially for late October.
Josh put out a mid morning snack thing.
Bananas, and nuts, and whipped cream, and stuff.
I called it a "candy bar in a cup".
1:30 p.m.
Dreadfully slow.
Josh's creamy pumpkin squash soup takes the wind chill off of my cold bones.
3:15 p.m.
Still nothing, but the wind and waves are beginning to abate.
4:00 p.m.
He slows.
"Start a chumline"
We stop to try.
It's nice in the sun, chilly in the shade of the house.
5:00 p.m.
He sends out the kite,
with a live flyer beneath it.
5:30 p.m.
He decides to troll,
and we substitute an imitation for the live.
I go in for a cocktail.
6:00 p.m.
The sun sets on a tough day.
7:00 p.m.
Josh takes some of the sting away,
with another of his wonderful creations.
Just a slice of rib roast, some risotto, and some green beans,
but boy was it good.
After dinner,
I went looking for some of that sleep that went missing last night.
Meanwhile, Sean and the lads went night fishing with Captain Jody.
sunday morning
Sort of an OK night,
I "sort of" slept.
I showered up, and felt pretty good.
Took a moment to be grateful for my good fortune.
I went out and checked the scoreboard.
Another five fish added to our tally.
Captain Jodie had wrestled another triple digit on board.
I asked Shoot if he had gotten any sleep, and he laughed.
7:00 a.m.
Sun's coming up,
and I'm sitting down.
Josh's Monte Christo breakfast sandwich.
He put a little bit of everything in it.
Everything, but the sink.
Nobody goes hungry on this boat.
9:00 a.m.
What a difference a day makes!!
The wind and swell have come down a lot!!
Everyone is at the rail, trying hard.
It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood.
10:00 a.m.
Trolling the rubber flying fish under the balloon/kite combo.
This lure was the "hot ticket" last season on Sean's charter.
We're keeping hope alive that there will be a sequel.
11:00 a.m.
The slow fishing means there was a lot of time for chit chat.
I got to know a lot about these guys,
and what makes them tick.
Call it a "fringe" benefit.
12:30 p.m.
Making a note there's nothing to note, the Skipper slows.
He's found a school of the smaller grade.
1:30 p.m.
We're still on 'em!!
The lads were filling their limits,
while I went in for Josh's Fabulous Boat Burger.
From scratch, one of the best I've had.
It should be a staple on every trip.
3:00 p.m.
We got the party started!!!
4:00 p.m.
The Captain is still working hard,
but we're not.
We got our happy ending already.
5:00 p.m
Sitting in sunshine on the back deck with a cocktail, counting my blessings.
Really happy I decided to come along.
6:00 p.m.
"Start a chumline!"
Uhhhh, no.
We pretend to fish,
while Josh prepares our final meal on the BBQ upstairs.
6:30 p.m.
Heading for home.
Another storybook trip.
Make a note of that.
El Fin
. 
