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Topic: Islanders Conquer the Cortes Bank! - Photo Report  (Read 13814 times)

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Randy

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These trips just keep getting better!  Thanks to Sean and Paul for putting it together.

It would be impossible to find a better group to fish with, or a better boat and crew than the Islander.

I was unable to shake the YT skunk as well, but caught plenty of fish (read Bonito) and had a great time doing it.  I only kept 2 Bonito because I didn't know what to do with them - my previous attempts to make them palatable were dismal failures.  BUT, on the last evening out, the Islander cook demonstrated how delicious they can be. Now I wish I'd have kept all of them.  :smt044  I'll post in the recipe section in a couple of days. 

Kit Mann from Kokatat was aboard and raffled off scads of paddling clothing.  Included were a pair of dry pants so good that I'll never wear anything else for kayak fishing.  I'll write a more detailed report later in the gearing up section. 

Can't wait 'till next year!




bluefin17

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I may not be able to catch a yellowtail but I can find cabbies anywhere it seems.
From the looks of it, I think this is a California scorpionfish aka. sculpin in SoCal and very venomous, glad you didn't get nicked.

Pat, very, very cool looking fish nonetheless!!!!!!!


Tote

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Epic! and Zilla got a haircut!!!! :-)

You have no idea!!!
Great pics PAL. Who was the one riding the wave? I would kill for a pic like that of me.
<=>


Seabreeze

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PAL didn't just spend his time photographing the craziness.
Saltwater is the cure for everything that ails us,
sweat, tear or the sea.


Tote

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I am frothing at the mouth over those photos!!!!! SAWEEET!
<=>


guitarzan

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Damn that looks like fun.
Elk 2008 Winner
Mooch strong
http://www.flickr.com/photos/56542681@N08/sets/
I sure do miss you guys.


Dale L

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Now that's what reporting is all about:: so some of us can live vicariously thru the adventures of others,,,, So cool

Thanks


ZeeHokkaido

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Was I the only one seeing this?? :smt003





Can't wait for more pics and reports!!!

Z
2010 NWKA Angler Of The Year
2008 Moutcha Bay Pro - 1st place
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Danglin

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I was about 2 miles away when Mark Peirpon ( Spw? ) was " Surfing "  I could hear.....

  " YEEeeeeEEeee  HaAAAaaaAaaa !!!!! " 

 And the Sound and feel of Thunder on the Water,  every now and then I look over at the " Mountain with Snow caps " and thought "How Nice"..., Then I would remember the are no mountains here, :smt102 
Pal and Mark probably had the most fun out all of us taking that Monster on,...

  Great Time, my new used ride and Kayak trailer performed like a champ and escorted 5 of us and our gear down and back,  very relieved, thanks Guys for the great Company, the whole NCKA gang and quest kayakfishing studs and crew of the Islander...

Really Tired, will post more later, but I will say

 " Stay Away from The Meat Loaf!!!!! "   :smt078
« Last Edit: October 28, 2008, 07:59:15 AM by Danglin »
There are 3 Types of people in the world,,,
                          
                 The Sheep, The Sheep Dog & The Wolf,
                                                                         
      Which are You ,,,

2006 NCKA Shark Fishing Tournament Champion    
2nd Moutcha Bay, BC. 2006 "Tyee" Surfing Contest
ELK 07  1st Place Loser
HMB 09 3rd Place
HMB 09 Sardine Champion
2009-2016 Northern California HOW Coordinator

Love Baja…  :smt055


Tote

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I want to know what each of you caught your YT on and how deep in how many FOW.
<=>


FishinJay

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My first time on the Islander and it was AWESOME! This trip really is every bit as good as people have made it out to be.  :smt003

Between the nice ride provided by Danglin, the great company, and the days of fishing the open ocean by kayak, this was easily the best time I have ever had on my boat. I can't wait for next year! I'll let some pictures tell this year's story for me:

The trip started with meeting up at Danglin's place and then going over to P-Spark's house to gather up the five of us that traveled together...


We got into San Diego about an hour early and were itching to load and get going. Here's Fisherman's Landing...


Once we started loading I was really surprised how quickly were were able to get everything onboard...


Everybody spent the first evening hanging out and getting their gear ready for the next day. Here's a shot of the accommodations...


The next morning we woke up on the fishing grounds. As soon as we dropped anchor it was time to start pulling down our boats and getting ready to launch. While waiting a couple minutes for our turn to launch, many of us took to fishing from the rail...


Once launched you can get a good look at the Islander and the nice conditions on the first day...


There was no shortage of Bonito to be caught! They pull like crazy and were fun at first, but after a while I got tired of catching bonito after bonito after bonito...



But, after just an hour or so on the water I got the right kind of pull down. I had been jigging with a 6 oz butterfly jig and as I passed through a school of Spanish Mackeral I snagged a couple of them. We were all drifting live sardines too, but I figured I would pin a Spanish Mack on instead and see what happens. After less than 5 minutes in the water my clicker starts screaming and I'm hooked up with my first ever Yellow Tail!


I continued to sabiki up more macks, but they never worked for me again the rest of the trip.  :smt010
I did catch a second smaller YT on the second day in the fog and lumpy conditions, but this time it came on a live sardine. I never was able to hook up with anything more than a few rock fish and Bonito considering all of the Yo-yo jigging I did.

Ididn't take many pictures the second day because it was pretty foggy most of the morning, in the afternoon I was trying to figure out why the bite died, and by the late afternoon/early evening it took everything I had to fight the drift. That second day we had a current that was ripping and it was ripping in the same direction of the wind. A few folks tried to gut it out but it seemed that only those few with Hobies could make a decent go at it.

Back on board the Islander we had hot showers, hot food, and lots of free Kokatat gear. Thanks Kit! Here's a shot of the galley...


The food was good too and attractively presented, but from what I heard it wasn't as good as it was in the past. I still enjoyed it though!


On the last day were at the south end of San Clemente Island. There were a few mishaps here, but I'll let those folks tell their own stories.

The island...


The view...


I caught a variety of fish here, including this Calico, and of course many Bonito...


Unfortunately all good things must come to an end. Here's the Islander as I approached for the last time on this trip...


At sunset the last day...


Once we all recovered on the last night it was time to sort the fish and head for home!

« Last Edit: October 28, 2008, 09:23:00 AM by Fishin-Jay »
Searching is half the fun: life is much more manageable when thought of as a scavenger hunt as opposed to a surprise party. -Jimmy Buffett


Danglin

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It's really Hard to get a Grip of how far your out there, but by the end of the second day,
 It became very clear, Big Water as far as you could see with 300 yard swells sweeping across.
And I had a Feeling that this was small for what usually happens out there.

 I was the last in on the second day per having a tangle with a especially feisty Bonita that dragged me 1/2 mile past the Islander with swell/wind building. It was quite a Rush getting pummeled by all that ocean and the plus of Getting all that dried YT Blood off my Yak   :smt003

 3rd day at San Clemente was nice but a little slow, did get into the Nice Calico bite around the kelp with a fishtrap and that was a blast, all released but one 13"er, sadly it did not make it home with me, but
fate smiled on me as we were finished unloading and The Polaris was off loading maybe a Gazillion tuna...
  Dude just gives me one... :smt001

I promptly rewarded him with a RootBeer.... :beer2  

They were unloading fish for close to a Hour,  Amazing   we got to get out there......
« Last Edit: October 28, 2008, 09:28:29 AM by Danglin »
There are 3 Types of people in the world,,,
                          
                 The Sheep, The Sheep Dog & The Wolf,
                                                                         
      Which are You ,,,

2006 NCKA Shark Fishing Tournament Champion    
2nd Moutcha Bay, BC. 2006 "Tyee" Surfing Contest
ELK 07  1st Place Loser
HMB 09 3rd Place
HMB 09 Sardine Champion
2009-2016 Northern California HOW Coordinator

Love Baja…  :smt055


PAL

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My view...

We couldn't have had better weather on Friday. It was lake-like out there, smooth as butta'. The bonito were outrageous - throw a bait out, it was bit within seconds. I have nothing to say about YT - no forkie love for me.  :smt013

Launching and landing went quickly. On the Islander, the boats spent more time on deck and fully rigged than on the rack. People came well prepared, and the gear situation was very good and not at all over-stuffed.

The food was not up to its prior caliber. The new cook tried hard... Unfortunately, Danglin wasn't the only one to take ill. Sean and I will discuss it with the Islander skippers.

We spent the second night on the hook at the Cortes - a gamble, 'cause conditions change out there muy rapido. We lost the bet; fishing day 2 was windy, choppy, foggy, and cold. Even the bonito slowed down. But the monster waves, they were wide open!

When Mark Pierpont and I started our wave play, the swells were big pyramids about 20 ft high. They'd hit the shallow spot, pop up, and then melt back into the deeps. We nearly overstayed our welcome. I remember seeing the third wave of that last set. It skyscrapered on me, absolutely looked like a vertical wall freight-training my way. Pierpont was off on the shoulder - I was in the bullseye. Fortunately my slow Trident 15 cut through the top of that monster and the next two. I didn't make it by much - did it look that close from the boat?

Third fishing day was sunny at San Clemente. The fishing was only so-so. The beach at Pyramid claimed a couple of kayakers. We'll leave those stories to the victims.  

Finally, major kudos to the Islander crew - top of the line service all the way. There's not another boat in the fleet that would take 22 kayak anglers 100 miles out to the middle of nowhere. Next year, they'll do much more - we're going long range baby! Details on the '09 6-day voyage to the fabled yellowtail grounds at Cedros and Benitos coming soon.

Congratulations to the entire group of kayak anglers. Great communication, fantastic attitude, teamwork and fun-loving spirit. You folks are tops!

Huge thank-yous to the trip sponsors. Kit Mann gave aways thousands of dollars of top-line Kokatat kayak fishing paddle-wear. They assemble the gear right here in the USA - give 'em a look, and give them your support. Good people.

And how about Mark Pierpont of Wilderness Systems? Awesome, a new in the wrapper Tarpon 160i - the odds of winning were 1 in 18, as high as I've ever seen. Lucky Mike took home a sweet new ride. The Tarpons are getting a major redesign for 2009 - the decks should be fishier than ever. The hulls, still some of the highest performance paddlers out there. Check 'em out!

Paul
Read about kayak fishing: www.KayakFishMag.com


Seabreeze

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Yeah.  The sponsor support was wonderful.  Crazyman Mark was a hoot.........and made Mike's good tourney great.
Kit's Kokatat goodies were unbelieveable.  A replacement for my much loved red pac-lite jacket, a pair of high end britches suitable for warm mexican fishing days and a fishing hat to match my boat.  That and the great group to spend a long weekend with.......priceless.
Saltwater is the cure for everything that ails us,
sweat, tear or the sea.


promethean_spark

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Tote: We caught yellowtail on pretty much everything, at depths from over 100' to 50'.  Most came the first day along an 80' contour on the west side of the bank at all depths.  Mine came trolling a 8" mackerel colored rapala, probably only 5' down.  It wasn't like last year where they only hit irons near the bottom in 200fow.

On another note, this trip was a death warrant for okuma rods, no less than 3 were broken on the first day.  Mine snapped like a dry twig the first time I jigged into a rock, on the first drop on the first day.  Maybe it had a defect, but having 3 of them fail (and no other rods) is pretty lame.
« Last Edit: October 28, 2008, 02:15:44 PM by promethean_spark »
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
Superior, they said, never gives up her dead
When the gales of November come early.


 

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