06.26 thru 06.28.2022 Islander 1.75
Captain: Pete. Deckhands: David, Matt, Brody and new kid Aaron. Chefs: Mike and Rick.
I’ve been getting texts recently from Newport Beach Davey’s Locker pumping and promoting Whale Watching cruises just outside the harbor. Most of the SD Fishing Fleet should’ve done the same the past few weeks and weekend. We got to see an estimated 500 False Killer Whales migrating, a few humpbacks blowing steam, five possible UFO’s or UAP’s and thousands of baby BFT putting on a pop up and down foamers show. All teasers and no biters.
33 Caliber Anglers, 45 hours on the water, 1.75 hours fishing, 1 mackerel catch and release, and zero BFT. There were about a dozen of SD’s finest with us on the water searching the waters inside, outside and upside of Desperation Reef. Aliyar and the Polaris Supreme had gotten surprisingly into a lone wolfpack of jumbo biters Saturday night in this upper zone off of SCI but the rest of us that followed and surrounded this area after weren’t as fortunate. The NLA racked up 11 BFT for their 25 but almost all the rest of us drew zeroes. So why am I posting a BD Fish Report when we didn’t catch a bloody thing? Well for one we had crispy skin seagull for dinner one night and I’ll tell you the details later...
I’ll run 5-6 charters this year and most of them are 1.75’s because last year we could’ve easily caught multiple limits on most of our 1.5’s. I even put in caps, TWO FISH LIMITS, reminding everyone of the possibilities but forgetting bluefin are bluefin. The normal for the early years has been, you’re lucky to get one bite and one bluefin or none for the whole trip. The past two years though BFT fishing has been like going to Disneyland. Pay your ticket and parking then jump on rides until you’re too tired then go home beat and smiling. This trip made me appreciate more what I’ve had and we have. An amazing fishery that hasn’t been in our backyard for a hundred years. I’m pretty sure that even some in heaven are jealous of what He has blessed us with, because at least seven of the disciples were fisherman and I’m sure they didn’t catch any BFT in the Sea of Galilee. My dad and father-in-law are not one of the seven but pretty sure they’re jealous but happy and amazed too.
There’s always a silver lining in circumstances and conditions if you pause and look. Typically on the boat there’d be little time to talk to each other except for “rail talk” which is more like screaming, yelling “move to your other right!”, hoop and hollering...Onboard there were 6 sets of father-sons, 1 father-daughter, 1 husband-wife, 5 uncles, brothers and friends talking, playing, fishing, eating, living life... That was cool to witness, feel and be a part of. Victor V is deaf but can read lips and by grace bunked with John IV who could sign fluently. The youngest onboard was 14, Ethan K and is at least six inches taller than his Dad. Ethan reminds me a lot of my son Christian, two big kids with even bigger hearts. One of the oldest guys, Rogelio G, is forever in my book as Ironman. Throughout the whole night he sat outside on the RSW cover ready to drop in the dark while the rest of us a bit younger guns laid and cozily waited in the galley or our bunks. My friend Xiao who I last saw a season ago lost 20 pounds and looks 20 years younger than me, oops he is 20 years younger! Back to fishing, the competition this trip was a bit unfair, not the pin heads or high or hot sticks, but 500 false killer whales that were flipping and flopping 20-40# bft in the air and eating them like we eat a bag of chips. The 500 fkw kicked our butt and 12 more of SD’s finest and brightest fleet. They turned our hot tuna zone into the dead zone like the flick of a switch. We worked this zone hard, a good 30 hours but next time we see 500 fkw’s, I’m telling the Captain, give them the ball and lets go play somewhere else. What separates the highliners like the Polaris Supreme, Intrepid, NLA, PQ, AA, Fortune, SD, Condor, OG...is not Plan A but imho Plan B-C-D and their will and instinct to adapt.
Trips like ours unveil or reveal the real secret to fishing. The tug may be the drug but the high, history, and secret is simply fishing, it’s sharing the time. Thank you, Islander, for the cruise, it was a tough one but we had a good time.
Ps The crispy seagull was actually duck.
Pss Pictured is my modification to the new sinker rig setup. I made the change because my friend Sean and others used the one many in the SD fleet have adopted. Unfortunately resulting or experiencing occasionally short(long) or sinker bites. The bft chews off the sinker but not the bait. If you go to youtube and type in, best damn sinker rig for bluefin by Friedman Adventures, you’ll see the video by Island Fishing Tackle with the original version. Here’s the link to it:
On the modification, please note that the torpedo is rubber banded to the swiveled circle hook or assist hook and will fall off during battle whichever hook the bft chews. Pics are the first prototype. Updated version is 24” of 300# crimped mono to a 5/0 swiveled circle hook, then 30” of 200# crimped mono to a 7/0 swiveled circle hook. Spring loop protectors. Heavy duty split rings.
Psss We heard that the lights were Navy flares but UFO’s or UAP’s sounds more exciting. Plus whoever heard of flares miles in the sky, what are they illuminating at that height?
Captain: Pete. Deckhands: David, Matt, Brody and new kid Aaron. Chefs: Mike and Rick.
I’ve been getting texts recently from Newport Beach Davey’s Locker pumping and promoting Whale Watching cruises just outside the harbor. Most of the SD Fishing Fleet should’ve done the same the past few weeks and weekend. We got to see an estimated 500 False Killer Whales migrating, a few humpbacks blowing steam, five possible UFO’s or UAP’s and thousands of baby BFT putting on a pop up and down foamers show. All teasers and no biters.
33 Caliber Anglers, 45 hours on the water, 1.75 hours fishing, 1 mackerel catch and release, and zero BFT. There were about a dozen of SD’s finest with us on the water searching the waters inside, outside and upside of Desperation Reef. Aliyar and the Polaris Supreme had gotten surprisingly into a lone wolfpack of jumbo biters Saturday night in this upper zone off of SCI but the rest of us that followed and surrounded this area after weren’t as fortunate. The NLA racked up 11 BFT for their 25 but almost all the rest of us drew zeroes. So why am I posting a BD Fish Report when we didn’t catch a bloody thing? Well for one we had crispy skin seagull for dinner one night and I’ll tell you the details later...
I’ll run 5-6 charters this year and most of them are 1.75’s because last year we could’ve easily caught multiple limits on most of our 1.5’s. I even put in caps, TWO FISH LIMITS, reminding everyone of the possibilities but forgetting bluefin are bluefin. The normal for the early years has been, you’re lucky to get one bite and one bluefin or none for the whole trip. The past two years though BFT fishing has been like going to Disneyland. Pay your ticket and parking then jump on rides until you’re too tired then go home beat and smiling. This trip made me appreciate more what I’ve had and we have. An amazing fishery that hasn’t been in our backyard for a hundred years. I’m pretty sure that even some in heaven are jealous of what He has blessed us with, because at least seven of the disciples were fisherman and I’m sure they didn’t catch any BFT in the Sea of Galilee. My dad and father-in-law are not one of the seven but pretty sure they’re jealous but happy and amazed too.
There’s always a silver lining in circumstances and conditions if you pause and look. Typically on the boat there’d be little time to talk to each other except for “rail talk” which is more like screaming, yelling “move to your other right!”, hoop and hollering...Onboard there were 6 sets of father-sons, 1 father-daughter, 1 husband-wife, 5 uncles, brothers and friends talking, playing, fishing, eating, living life... That was cool to witness, feel and be a part of. Victor V is deaf but can read lips and by grace bunked with John IV who could sign fluently. The youngest onboard was 14, Ethan K and is at least six inches taller than his Dad. Ethan reminds me a lot of my son Christian, two big kids with even bigger hearts. One of the oldest guys, Rogelio G, is forever in my book as Ironman. Throughout the whole night he sat outside on the RSW cover ready to drop in the dark while the rest of us a bit younger guns laid and cozily waited in the galley or our bunks. My friend Xiao who I last saw a season ago lost 20 pounds and looks 20 years younger than me, oops he is 20 years younger! Back to fishing, the competition this trip was a bit unfair, not the pin heads or high or hot sticks, but 500 false killer whales that were flipping and flopping 20-40# bft in the air and eating them like we eat a bag of chips. The 500 fkw kicked our butt and 12 more of SD’s finest and brightest fleet. They turned our hot tuna zone into the dead zone like the flick of a switch. We worked this zone hard, a good 30 hours but next time we see 500 fkw’s, I’m telling the Captain, give them the ball and lets go play somewhere else. What separates the highliners like the Polaris Supreme, Intrepid, NLA, PQ, AA, Fortune, SD, Condor, OG...is not Plan A but imho Plan B-C-D and their will and instinct to adapt.
Trips like ours unveil or reveal the real secret to fishing. The tug may be the drug but the high, history, and secret is simply fishing, it’s sharing the time. Thank you, Islander, for the cruise, it was a tough one but we had a good time.
Ps The crispy seagull was actually duck.
Pss Pictured is my modification to the new sinker rig setup. I made the change because my friend Sean and others used the one many in the SD fleet have adopted. Unfortunately resulting or experiencing occasionally short(long) or sinker bites. The bft chews off the sinker but not the bait. If you go to youtube and type in, best damn sinker rig for bluefin by Friedman Adventures, you’ll see the video by Island Fishing Tackle with the original version. Here’s the link to it:
On the modification, please note that the torpedo is rubber banded to the swiveled circle hook or assist hook and will fall off during battle whichever hook the bft chews. Pics are the first prototype. Updated version is 24” of 300# crimped mono to a 5/0 swiveled circle hook, then 30” of 200# crimped mono to a 7/0 swiveled circle hook. Spring loop protectors. Heavy duty split rings.
Psss We heard that the lights were Navy flares but UFO’s or UAP’s sounds more exciting. Plus whoever heard of flares miles in the sky, what are they illuminating at that height?
Happened to me with small bass, lol.
magic? Like the linked ring trick. Cuz if it's magic it's probably little wonder it works on bluefin.
