This report has mostly been posted elsewhere as a comment, but thought this title might help others find good news. Please forgive the repetition if you’re a “latest post” kinda reader.
Checked in early at 22nd st, got a convenient parking spot and discussed tackle with the staff, then grabbed some dinner and sat around for a while. Left at 9, got some squid from another boat (amigo?) and had a little on board, too, plus healthy but small sardines. Some boats (including pride) have been getting solid loads of squid from a seiner just outside the harbor but when we stopped by they didn’t have any for us. Still had plenty for the trip.
We showed up on the grounds and got baits in the water at 5:40am. Steady plunk anchor bite yielded 40 BFT (averaging high 20s I’d say) boated by 11:20, then motored a while and got on to some excellent rockfish until 2:00 (I have lost my enthusiasm for RF lately so i took a nap but hot damn when I woke up and came back upstairs the RF had proven to be SOLID 5 STARS with lg-xl vermillion making up half the take and I kinda wish I’d stayed awake for it). Anyhow, much shuffling of feet and napping on the long ride home but hit the dock around 9:30. Sheet glass the entire trip. COLD.
Boat was good: spotless and spacious for the fishing, very ergonomic layout, solid bait capacity, RSW, good lighting, huge walk around, bow bait, minimal anchor chaos to work around, galley was spacious and clean. The crew was excellent: captain was visible involved helpful and friendly, deckhands (4-5?!) helped with the tangles, gaffed well, food looked quality and beers were frosty cold (but not cheap), fish handled well and quickly, and some excellent fillet work for those who requested it, with lots of custom details. The anglers were mostly very capable, helped each other out, mostly worked together, very few losses. One cool freedom detail: when you show up you can select your bunk at check-in, and receive the corresponding number at that time. Still a little vibe getting onto the boat for that all-important tackle and rod location, but my entire tackle bag was the size of a loaf of bread so overall it was a very casual boarding process for me. Highly recommend leaving the long range box at home. Bunks are snug, 4-tall in two separate rooms, with a handful of vacant bunks on each side if you have a little bag to store.
I fished a 2/0 ringed Jhook in front of a 1oz egg sinker on 40b fluoro (landed one nice fish, 43lbs), and a 2/0 ringed Jhook in front of a 3/4oz egg sinker on 30 fluoro (bait got stripped once and missed the hook a second time). So just one fish for me but that’s cool. I should have stepped down from 40 to 30 earlier, 30# was clearly the superior line class, and I should have retired to a smaller egg sinker when the current slowed. Most anglers pretty much the same, many using bigger hooks doing just fine (I just didn’t have any). If I could resupply I’d bring my 5/0 and 6/0 Aki twists. I think circle hooks would be fine and awesome, but threading them onto the squid might be a minor hassle and I just really like the way the longer Jhooks fit a live squid.
I had never anchor fished squid for tuna before, it’s kind of unique. The bait quality doesn’t matter much, people got bit on dead squids (and supposedly it’s not uncommon to get fish on squid chunks). Hooks definitely don’t matter (people got fish on 8/0), and the big sinkers against the bait didn’t seem to matter (I usually use a nail knot to trap a bead to keep my sinker away from the hook on a flyline, but apparently not relevant here). Line seemed to make a bigger difference though, almost everyone I asked (and including the hot rods) were using 30.
For RF I’d recommend double dropper loops on 40-50# mono with long shank circle hooks on 16oz sinkers. Dudes were having a blast on SPJ gear too. There were some tangles as people had light sinkers and the depths were around 300+. Personally I like to stay real vertical with 34 neighbors on a deep drift…
Sorry no fish pics but here’s a few of the boat for people like me who’ve never ridden the freedom:
Checked in early at 22nd st, got a convenient parking spot and discussed tackle with the staff, then grabbed some dinner and sat around for a while. Left at 9, got some squid from another boat (amigo?) and had a little on board, too, plus healthy but small sardines. Some boats (including pride) have been getting solid loads of squid from a seiner just outside the harbor but when we stopped by they didn’t have any for us. Still had plenty for the trip.
We showed up on the grounds and got baits in the water at 5:40am. Steady plunk anchor bite yielded 40 BFT (averaging high 20s I’d say) boated by 11:20, then motored a while and got on to some excellent rockfish until 2:00 (I have lost my enthusiasm for RF lately so i took a nap but hot damn when I woke up and came back upstairs the RF had proven to be SOLID 5 STARS with lg-xl vermillion making up half the take and I kinda wish I’d stayed awake for it). Anyhow, much shuffling of feet and napping on the long ride home but hit the dock around 9:30. Sheet glass the entire trip. COLD.
Boat was good: spotless and spacious for the fishing, very ergonomic layout, solid bait capacity, RSW, good lighting, huge walk around, bow bait, minimal anchor chaos to work around, galley was spacious and clean. The crew was excellent: captain was visible involved helpful and friendly, deckhands (4-5?!) helped with the tangles, gaffed well, food looked quality and beers were frosty cold (but not cheap), fish handled well and quickly, and some excellent fillet work for those who requested it, with lots of custom details. The anglers were mostly very capable, helped each other out, mostly worked together, very few losses. One cool freedom detail: when you show up you can select your bunk at check-in, and receive the corresponding number at that time. Still a little vibe getting onto the boat for that all-important tackle and rod location, but my entire tackle bag was the size of a loaf of bread so overall it was a very casual boarding process for me. Highly recommend leaving the long range box at home. Bunks are snug, 4-tall in two separate rooms, with a handful of vacant bunks on each side if you have a little bag to store.
I fished a 2/0 ringed Jhook in front of a 1oz egg sinker on 40b fluoro (landed one nice fish, 43lbs), and a 2/0 ringed Jhook in front of a 3/4oz egg sinker on 30 fluoro (bait got stripped once and missed the hook a second time). So just one fish for me but that’s cool. I should have stepped down from 40 to 30 earlier, 30# was clearly the superior line class, and I should have retired to a smaller egg sinker when the current slowed. Most anglers pretty much the same, many using bigger hooks doing just fine (I just didn’t have any). If I could resupply I’d bring my 5/0 and 6/0 Aki twists. I think circle hooks would be fine and awesome, but threading them onto the squid might be a minor hassle and I just really like the way the longer Jhooks fit a live squid.
I had never anchor fished squid for tuna before, it’s kind of unique. The bait quality doesn’t matter much, people got bit on dead squids (and supposedly it’s not uncommon to get fish on squid chunks). Hooks definitely don’t matter (people got fish on 8/0), and the big sinkers against the bait didn’t seem to matter (I usually use a nail knot to trap a bead to keep my sinker away from the hook on a flyline, but apparently not relevant here). Line seemed to make a bigger difference though, almost everyone I asked (and including the hot rods) were using 30.
For RF I’d recommend double dropper loops on 40-50# mono with long shank circle hooks on 16oz sinkers. Dudes were having a blast on SPJ gear too. There were some tangles as people had light sinkers and the depths were around 300+. Personally I like to stay real vertical with 34 neighbors on a deep drift…
Sorry no fish pics but here’s a few of the boat for people like me who’ve never ridden the freedom:
