Author Topic: Old Glory 11/17  (Read 2573 times)

jrodda

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Old Glory 11/17
« on: November 18, 2020, 04:06:42 PM »
Arrived at the landing around 6pm, 2 hours before departure. Looked like I was about the 5th person to arrive. Guy in front of the line looks and sounds about 10 beers deep, and he's trying to get me to roast battle with him. I'm all for a little game of improv but let's wait for our 2nd date before we roast each other. Get with the program, bro. He started napping shortly after and I chatted up a couple other guys, who were not seeking a roast, while we waited for the boat to arrive and unload.

Boat arrived and unloaded around 6:30pm. A bunch of happy campers piled off with limits of yellowfin and some yellowtail. Looked like an okay grade in the dock carts, 10-15# tuna and 5-10# YT.

On the boat by 8pm, off to the bait receiver, then away we go. Chatted with various folks before heading down into the bunks around 10:30pm.

By 11:30pm, it seemed that everyone had gone to bed except for the Roast Master, who was getting aggressive with the crew. A lot of slurred threats echoing into the bunk room. Eventually I hear some thunks, some yelling, then the captain asks the crew for his info and the manifest over the PA. at 1:00am, the captain comes back on the PA to say that we're going to have to go back and drop this guy off with the police. I couldn't sleep a wink, so I popped out of the bunks to find the guy zip tied, face down in the galley. Some more guys came out of the bunks and corroborated the story and we mourned our trip looking like it was falling apart. Apparently the guy may have also been high on something. During the struggle with the crew, he apparently sh!t his pants and it got on the deck, in the bathroom, and on some of the crew. As some of the passengers were worrying about the fate of the trip, a deckhand hopped into our conversation and said we're still gonna fish, and while it may seem like a stretch, we're gonna book it back down the line and we'll get lines in the water by 6:30am.

We arrived back at the bay and dropped the roast master off with the harbor police at about 3:30am. Statements were quick enough and we were back out of the harbor by 4am.

I was finally able to sleep a little on the way out, the second time around. I woke up around 6am but stayed in the bunk til our numbers were called. Sure enough, by 6:40am, the boat slows down. I popped out for the slide and we were on 'em immediately. We got 10 minutes of schoolie yellowtail before it cooled down and we were back on the motoring. I missed my shot at a skunk buster by jumping on the jigstick instead of accepting the bait bite.

30 minutes later and we come into some more action. This time I got my skunk buster. Rat yellow. First yellowtail ever for me so a pic to commemorate it. Species #109. Smallest one I saw on the trip. Released it and then managed a couple 5lbers for the fish hold.





Left that stop and then found the tuna. Hot bite on 20#. Super fun on an old 8'3" Fenwick noodle I just got off a buddy who found and restored it. I made friends with a kid who was a great stick and he handed me some #4 hooks early on. Those were my ticket to success. I got 2 10-15# YFT on the stop before it cooled off.

Next stop, the YT showed up in the mix. Tuna were being hooked while we finished out the boat limit for YT. Once I got my 3rd YT in the hold, I switched over to a colt sniper to cull my last YT. Immediately hooked into tuna #3. Then finished out my limit of YT and then some. Bite shut off with the iron, so I went back to bait. Even then it was a scratch bite. There was generally always somebody hooked up for the next hour. During the hot bite I switched to a #2 circle so I wouldn't lose hooks to CPR'd yellows, and I was slow to switch back to the #4 J, but when I did I hooked up and got the only skipjack of the day.

Stupid pic angle but it was lit up.



I went back to the iron for 30 minutes before I finally decided to take a burger break. By this point we should have been on our way back, but the captain wanted to make up for our lost time and kept pushing the envelope in hopes of getting us on another tuna flurry.

Captain shifted the boat on the school but only found more yellows, despite the apparent tuna sitting below them in the water column. We ditched that school and started heading back with the plan of one more stop.

I was pretty tired and ready to nap my way home, but we pulled up on our last stop right before I was about to go down to the bunks. When our fly-lined 'dines hit the water, hoards of yellows flashed in the water and lit up the boat with action. The captain said to keep trying, there were definitely tuna around. Sure enough, one in every 5 hook ups were the right kind. There was no rhyme or reason to who hooked up to tuna, except to keep a lively bait in the water and cross your fingers. Finally, after 6 or 7 yellows in a matter of 20 minutes, I got my 4th yellowfin and my Mexican limit, just as the captain pulled the plug on the day.





The crew made the best decision they could with the drunk douche bag, and went on to do what they could to salvage the day. We planned on a sunrise bite of YFT that could have been easy limits, but instead the captain worked hard, we made our way down the line, and fought for our tuna. First time on the boat, great captain, great crew, solid boat, buttery diesel engine. I somehow didn't get my YT fillets, but didn't notice until I got home since I was handed my fish in 2 blue opaque trash bags. I stayed through the whole fish roll call back at the dock just to be sure. Kinda bummed about that. Seemed like heavy enough bags but alas, I have YFT for months, and my cats are really happy about the Skipjack. Actually, after Steve's 7, I might try magic-threading the hell out of some skippy fillets and sending it into the surf.
« Last Edit: November 18, 2020, 05:54:28 PM by jrodda »

sasquatch

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Re: Old Glory 11/17
« Reply #1 on: November 18, 2020, 06:22:44 PM »
Skippie went to the cats? Ugh.

My Hawaiian friends would give you yellow fin for the skipjack.

I would keep it for bait.

Won’t comment on what I would do with the cats.

Sounds like a great trip.

Tim524

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Re: Old Glory 11/17
« Reply #2 on: November 18, 2020, 06:53:31 PM »
Nice read, made me laugh pretty good, there's always one Roast Master in every crowd ;D ;D

jrodda

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Re: Old Glory 11/17
« Reply #3 on: November 18, 2020, 07:19:58 PM »
Skippie went to the cats? Ugh.

My Hawaiian friends would give you yellow fin for the skipjack.

I would keep it for bait.

Won’t comment on what I would do with the cats.

Sounds like a great trip.

I still have all of the skipjack fillets and the collar still. I tried a little strip of it raw as I was vacuum packing last night and found it too fishy for my taste, probably should have bled it myself as soon as I caught it. So I probably will use it for bait. I do wonder how to keep it on the hook best. Skin seems tough but meat seems soft.

sasquatch

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Re: Old Glory 11/17
« Reply #4 on: November 18, 2020, 07:30:07 PM »
I keep my bait frozen as possible. Skippies I cut 1 1/2” steaks, then cut that in half vertically. Hook from skin side through meat maybe a half inch down leaving hook point pretty exposed. Bait thread the beejeezus out of it including in the hook gap. Stays on well.

Filets I would cut into strips maybe then bait thread generously.

No idea how to eat it. I’m sure bleeding promptly is good.

skrilla

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Re: Old Glory 11/17
« Reply #5 on: November 19, 2020, 08:18:15 AM »
Skipjack poke is ono brah broke da mouth! Bleeding and RSW or put on ice ASAP is a must. And if not eaten within a few days then vacuum packed is the only option. Otherwise it's chum.

Glad you guys made the best of the situation. Drunkard shouldn't even have stepped aboard. Hope the hangover was brutal.

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Re: Old Glory 11/17
« Reply #6 on: November 19, 2020, 09:09:10 AM »
I think I might have had that guy on an overnight trip 20 years ago! LoL
Unreal to make it happen when only re-leaving the docks at 3:30!  Awesome to get on them with that bad start. Also bummer on the list yellowtail fillets. I've had that happen a few times to me.

Great trip considering!
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Re: Old Glory 11/17
« Reply #7 on: November 19, 2020, 07:44:41 PM »
Fillet the skippy then salt it. Salting concentrates the flavor and smell and makes it very firm. Perfect for a hook without the use of bait thread. That's what I did with mine.
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