Pacific Queen 3 day 4/11-4/14 trip report

[CI_SeaWolf]

Did anyone use the 16 oz GLOW sinkers? Result ?
Tight lines!

We did see some at the landing, but I don’t know if anyone had one on our trip. The plain lead ones worked fine!

 

[Rubberhook2]

Have you seen the price of a glow 16 oz torpedo?

About as much as a fully rigged Rip Roller....

I was shocked...but bought a couple anyway

 

[CI_SeaWolf]

Halco's will be impossible to get this year, and the market will be flooded with Mad Macs that don't work anymore. I love every new bft season.

Halcos have been out for a while now, just like every other lure in the shop, there will be several choices to catch fish. The PQ has used them very successfully for a while now. I think the new hot lure is the 16oz sinker jig. Hopefully Jer Dog can keep up with demand.

 

[hucklongfin]

Halco's will be impossible to get this year, and the market will be flooded with Mad Macs that don't work anymore. I love every new bft season.

The Halcos were working last year! The PQ was using them on their boat rods and getting bit. They were just flying under the radar.

 

[ChoeMan]

 

[jer dog]

Halcos have been out for a while now, just like every other lure in the shop, there will be several choices to catch fish. The PQ has used them very successfully for a while now. I think the new hot lure is the 16oz sinker jig. Hopefully Jer Dog can keep up with demand.

lol

 

[Mickeyfin]

Hello BD, just got home safely from a 3 day trip on the Pacific Queen. We had full limits of Bluefin for all anglers, and a bonus of full limits of quality rockfish for all anglers too.

Day 1: We loaded and got a bit of an early start, As Gavin drove, Johnny gave us the low down on what was working and how the boat did the trip before. Sea conditions were good, with a rolling big swell. The boat had got many on the trip prior on the slide, suggested hook for live bait was a #2 mutu, 40 lb outfit to start.
I lost the only trolled fish of the trip late in the afternoon, and we did have a few stops, wind picked up to around 15kts. as dusk settled in. Chef Johnny in the galley had made some delicious herbed chicken breast. I don’t recall if that was dinner or lunch, but it was great. We started hunting and finding metered schools from 200-350 feet down, I guess I was rusty, because I lost 3 fish at the surface and the count was starting to pick up. At one point, I was 1 for six. Knife jigs did ok but the hot ticket was a “Jer Dog” Jerry bomb rig. Most of the fish on the boat came on 16 oz sinker lures. Somewhere about midnight we got into a good jag of 40 lb class fish that wanted to play. I got one of those and two 25-30 lb bluefin on the boat. I was completely gassed out at about 2:30 am and they kept looking. Down in my rack, I heard tail thumps as fish hit the deck in a really good bite at 5:30 am. Woke up about 9 to grey skies and bigger rollers. We kept looking all day but no takers, had a piece of kelp hit one of the trolling lines once, but nobody wanted the Pacific Queen’s trolling lures that day. We had some incredible tacos for lunch, I missed dinner.
Gavin and the crew of the Pacific Queen worked super hard to find us fish, the boat deserves her reputation as a great fishing boat. Around 11pm on the second night, we found a school of willing bluefin 25-35 lbs, within about an hour, I had picked up 3, and the boat got her limit soon thereafter.

Captain Gavin told us we would hit up some rock fishing on the 3rd day of the trip, as the boat was limited out on the bluefin. We went to a spot that the new rockfish regulations had just opened after a 10 year closure. With the big swells and current, a 16 oz weight was needed to drop the 350 feet to the bottom. I used my 40nld2 as a bottom rig, and it worked great. Every drop it seem like produced a nice grade of Vermillion, Salmon Grouper, Starry, and other fish. The Vermillions were big, and hungry too, I used squid strips and heads to get a bunch. As the day went on, a friendly guy on the trip let me use his rock cod jig set up to get a couple fish on the jig. That was pretty fun for me. This was an open party trip, it couldn’t have been a nicer group of guys that all worked together to catch fish, help out other guys, and share a laugh or two along the way. Assisted by the stellar crew of the Pacific Queen, it was a great trip! We limited out on rockfish too. Dinner the last night was really great, chef Johnny fixed flatiron steak over fresh greens with baby potatoes. It was delicious! We packed up our gear and hit the rack, seas were smoothing out and we came back without a hitch.

A couple things I learned, Keep your rod straight out when they are close, the fish wanted sinker lures “kudos to Jer Dog”. 3 foot bite leaders of 200 lb mono was plenty.

A good start to what I hope will be a great season!

View attachment 1476418

CI SeaWolf had so many fish he generously gave me all of his Boccaccios

 

[hucklongfin]

CI SeaWolf had so many fish he generously gave me all of his Boccaccios

View attachment 1476755

What a guy! I throw them back!

 

[Mickeyfin]

What a guy! I throw them back!

I put my bocce’s in his bag

 

[CI_SeaWolf]

That’s why I like fishing with Mick! Never can let your guard down!

 

[hucklongfin]

Ok, I’m not telling you guys my number!

 

[kzaam1]

How did you get your passport in time? Or did you just sneak aboard.

 

[CI_SeaWolf]

How did you get your passport in time? Or did you just sneak aboard.

I had contacted my congressional representative a month prior to the trip and explained my predicament, they were able to schedule an in person appointment at the LA passport office and with backup documents that I had, was able to get my passport on my way down to SD . Talk about a goal line stand…

 

[Jibber805]

How weird is it to see big bluefin stacked up next to little rockfish at the dock?

 

[CI_SeaWolf]

How weird is it to see big bluefin stacked up next to little rockfish at the dock?

Well, we have to appreciate the opportunities given us. I am grateful for an excellent trip!

 

[SteveD]

How weird is it to see big bluefin stacked up next to little rockfish at the dock?

Big Bluefin ? Where ?

 

[CI_SeaWolf]

Early season, I think we will see the larger models a little later.

 

[hucklongfin]

I rarely keep tuna. When I do, I prefer a 50# BFT/YFT over a cow! I don’t need/want to pay to have a cow processed! Catching is different… bigger is better!

 

[Blackmagic]

Great job Tom!

 

[short-range]

Nice job and great report we were out there on the intrepid and got about a third of what you guys did

 

[CI_SeaWolf]

Captain Gavin was kind of mad at us for not staying up on the first night . That 5:30 bite was so good we could have limited then. He is a driven man to have the highest counts in the SD 3 day fleet. His crew is also very intense on getting fish. None of this is a deterrent, and they are all very helpful and competent. I’m going to schedule another trip on that boat when the schedule for next year opens up.

 

[Rubberhook2]

I heard that on the PS that want everyone up fishing until limits have been reached. I guess the crew has been known to knock on stateroom doors....

On the Vagabond I prop my door open so I can hear everything going on and nap with one eye open...

FOMO....

 

[nicodemus]

I heard that on the PS that want everyone up fishing until limits have been reached. I guess the crew has been known to knock on stateroom doors....

On the Vagabond I prop my door open so I can hear everything going on and nap with one eye open...

FOMO....

I assume you're also fully clothed in those rare bunk hours, but I'm curious - boots still on, or boots off???

 

[Jose Caballero]

i think more and more captains are acclimating to the nighttime thing, and in the limits game, those are the prime opportunities. i haven't been awakened by crew, but i've heard some pretty spicy roasting once on deck...

 

[Rubberhook2]

I assume you're also fully clothed in those rare bunk hours, but I'm curious - boots still on, or boots off???

Less comfy but boots stay on. Normally use my room mates pillow to prop them up.....