NorCal Kayak Anglers
Kayak Fishing Zone => Hookups and Fishing Reports (Viewable by Public) => Topic started by: Great Bass 2 on November 14, 2007, 03:09:10 PM
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Still on the way home with P-Spark at the wheel and our YT's I on ice but since I had a few minutes (hours) I will start the string. First thanks PAL and Rickshaw for organizing such a great event and the Islander crew and Capt Shane. A total of 12 YT in the 20# class boated. Sean and Walker drew first blood with Sean going Ike on the VHF. Yesterday turned into a YT slug fest with Danglin landing 2 and bathing on their blood. P-Spark and I also had luck with one YT a piece. All were taken at SCI on yoyo jigs. Didn't make it Cortez because of weather. More details and pics to follow.
Scott
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well done, nothing pulls like a Jurel......... :smt002 :smt001 Can't wait to see the pics, and reports!
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Sweet... thanks for the report. Look forward to seeing the pics.
I heard about the weather and was worried it would screw up the plans. Glad it all worked out!
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Here are some photos to whet your appetite.
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HELL YA!
Way to go, guys!!!
More pics please....
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Ok, just a few more... I bet there'll be a lot up here tomorrow.
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Oh Man, those are Great Pics Pal :smt004
Huge Hats Off to Pal for organizing this event and all the HARD WORK that went into everything
from planning to bringing all the extra gear and who knows what else :smt006
What a trip, don't know where to start, so I won't, too Tired and sore,
I will say , A Big Thanks to KZ for a Awesome Gaff that I finally got to put to Bloody Use :smt002
But here a few pics,
Awesome Trip..... :smt003 ..... Danglin
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Super cool guys....super cool! Much envy!
Glad to see everyone made it back safe.
Cheers!
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When is this trip coming up again?
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Great job fellas. Glad you all made it back safely and caught some beautiful fish.
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WAY more pics to follow tomorrow and more of a story too.
I cannot think of anything that could have been done to make this a better trip.
Just wanted to include one pic so Hydrospider will know he wasn't forgotten.
WAY more tomorrow. Right now it is bed time. I am beat.
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Here are some photos to whet your appetite.
Only people I recognized were Sean and Don (and Scott in the first post), which brings up the question of how many of the kayakers are from northern California and how many from southern California.
Howard
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OK, here is the details on my YT. I was a little bummed that we couldn't make Cortez and it was the last day on SCI and only two YT's had been bagged so far and it was the last day of the trip and I had only bagged a dozen calico bass and assorted rockfish and bonito to show for 2 hard days of fishing. I started the drift with my standard 2 rigs: dropper loop dine at the bottom and yo-yo blue and white jig. After an hour of drifting with the lead group I hook a YT in 150 FOW on the yo-yo at 100 FOW. Slam him hard with my Avet SX 2 speed in low gear pulling 60# braid with 30# fluoro top shot, after 30 minutes he comes off and I pull my jig up to find he bent the hook out. Called it in to the Islander and Capt Shane says "what do you have the drag set at?" and I said "the drag was set by your crew" followed by silence. :smt005 I loosened the drag a little and jigged some more for nada so I decided to paddle up wind and re-drift the area of the first hook-up. Luckily I had marked the waypoint on my GPS when I hooked up. On my way up wind I passed Danglin who consoled me on the one that got away. I had decided to set up the second drift with a butterfly jig in the green mac pattern to give him something different the second time around. At the top of the drift Danglin called in that he had hooked a YT on a butterfly jig and I was thinking I made the right call on the jig. Ten minutes later I dropped the jig in 150 FOW and 50 ft up I go bendo big time. :smt003 :smt003 I was thinking, Scott this is your last chance, so don't screw it up. I put the Avet into low gear but the fish is ripping line at a rediculous rate. After the first run, I pulled the line and found the drag to be at about 5-7# but I didn't want to readjust it in the middle of a fight and since I was in a yak there wasn't much urgency to bringing him on-board. That was until it turned into a fast sleigh ride and was heading directly at Big J who was fishing about 25 yards from me. I called out to Big J that I was "incoming" and she moved just in time. By this time I was ready to have this one over before something goes wrong so I pushed the drag to the maximum setting and horsed the fished to the surface where I thought it was going to be over, :smt005 unfortunately the fish had other ideas and started a 360 degree tour around my kayak. About this time Zilla showed up and took some pics while laughing at me. :smt005 I finally got him tired and gaffed him in the head and brought him on the yak. With over 20# of YT flopping around in my lap, I cut the gills with clippers and watched him die while I sat in a pool of blood. It was was a truly primal experience which I remember for my whole life. :smt007 I called in to the Islander and asked if they were going to pick up the fish but there was no answer. Eventually they did come around and pick up the fish but I was so wasted from the experience I forgot to take pictures of the fish but all of the fish on the trip were about the same size in the 18-25# range. I fished with Etienne a little in the afternoon and he hooked one of the largest calico's of the trip in the surf zone. I had the crew fillet the fish out and the NCKA crew consumed the YT sashimi in about 15 minutes. I had to hold them off to save some for Zilla. More stories and pictures to follow...
Scott
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Only people I recognized were Sean and Don (and Scott in the first post), which brings up the question of how many of the kayakers are from northern California and how many from southern California.
The only SoCals on the trip were myself, HuntersPa, Ric from Okuma - and I think there was one more, a friend of an NCKA'er.
Every one of those yellows was what we call down here Quality.
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Way to go guys! Needless to say I am jealous and stoked at the same time. Quality fish all around.
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When is this trip coming up again?
Stay tuned. We're waiting on the Islander guys to finalize their 2008 calendar, and then its back into the breach for another go.
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Grrrrrrrrrr...I think I'm getting the virus! This doesn't help!
Great job! Nice pics!
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Usually,
One would not stop for chow when fishing Peligic waters,
But when it comes to the Islander,
You better " Come and Get it!!! " :fat .... :smt023.... Danglin
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Danglin -
What I will remember most from the trip is you covered in blood from head to toe after you ripped the gills out of those 2 YT's. As I said, clip don't rip. :smt005 You will only end up sitting in the blood. Good fishing with you even if we ended promoting my least favorite and overpriced jig. :smt005
Scott
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Got to put this up for Mooch,
Not that one would ever do this, but
Strong sugestion would be not to send food back to the Kitchen!!!!!
What a Amazing Chef this man was, incredible care attention to detail...
and service with a .... Uh...Mmmm... Well,
Just say thanks and don't look him in the Eye!!!!
Not Really, He's a really nice guy too...
Just looks like he could Kill you with one swing.... :smt002
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What I will remember most from the trip is you covered in blood from head to toe after you ripped the gills out of those 2 YT's. As I said, clip don't rip. You will only end up sitting in the blood.
" I love the smell of Yellow Tail Blood in the morning.......
Smells Like......... Victory ".... :rambo:
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Huge Hats Off to Pal for organizing this event and all the HARD WORK that went into everything
Thanks - but don't forget my partner in crime Sean aka Scwafish. Not only does he bust his butt standing up for our right to fish, he puts together some of the most fun kayak fishing events around. Much love.
Props also to Okuma and Ric Hawthorne for sponsoring our charter. Ric is one of kayak fishing's best friends. That's him perched above the Okuma logo in the photo below. He raffled off lots of nice gear and then provided a discount code for Okuma's Shopatron site: https://www.shopatron.com/index/422.0 (https://www.shopatron.com/index/422.0) and http://www.okumafishingteam.com/index2.html (http://www.okumafishingteam.com/index2.html)
And let's not forget Promar and lobster hooping guide Jim Salazar for providing a huge pile of nets, light sticks, and lobster gauges for our use. We pulled up probably 100 lobsters. Too bad they were all short. I've never experienced such a lopsided ratio but it looked to me like people enjoyed the experience of kayaking at night under a river of stars. Promar also donated a couple of Sabiki Stick bait catching rods for our raffle. http://www.promarnets.com/ (http://www.promarnets.com/)
We had another sponsor - Catalina Offshore Products / Unigoop. They sold us lobster bait at cost and gave us a box of bottles of their great scent product UniButter. This stuff stinks up plastics with the best of them. http://www.unigoop.com/ (http://www.unigoop.com/)
Please support these companies and others that treat our odd way of fishing with respect.
EDIT - If I took your photo and you'd like a full size copy suitable for an 8x10 or even larger, please PM me your email address and I'll get it to you soon.
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Good going guys... looks like it was a blast out there. Hopefully, I'll be able to join the madness next time... mmmmmmmmm... next time. Fresh sashimi...
Tote-
That shot is so Hydro except you should have taken it from a lower angle and with your legs a little more spread open... hahahahaha I love it.
Freddie
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Here is a picture of Zilla on a YT sleigh ride. Unfortunately, this one got away and I think we learned alot this trip about spacing and tactics so we will lose less fish next year. And we WILL be back next year. :smt003
Scott
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Thanks - but don't forget my partner in crime Sean aka Scwafish. Not only does he bust his butt standing up for our right to fish, he puts together some of the most fun kayak fishing events around. Much love
Props also to Okuma and Ric Hawthorne for sponsoring our charter. Ric is one of kayak fishing's best friends
Amen, Amen ......
Great talking with ya Ric, and thanks for the Swag!!!! ....... Danglin
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I take it this was a private set up? Didn't see this one on the hookups. Looks like a great trip. Any trips in the future planned. Always wanted to give a trip like that a go. Great report, keep the pics coming.
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Huge Hats Off to Pal for organizing this event and all the HARD WORK that went into everything
Thanks - but don't forget my partner in crime Sean aka Scwafish.
Props also to Okuma and Ric Hawthorne for sponsoring our charter. http://www.okumafishingteam.com/index2.html[/url]
And let's not forget Promar and lobster hooping guide Jim Salazar for providing a huge pile of nets, light sticks, and lobster gauges for our use. We pulled up probably 100 lobsters. Too bad they were all short. I've never experienced such a lopsided ratio but it looked to me like people enjoyed the experience of kayaking at night under a river of stars. Promar also donated a couple of Sabiki Stick bait catching rods for our raffle. http://www.promarnets.com/ (http://www.promarnets.com/)
We had another sponsor - Catalina Offshore Products / Unigoop. They sold us lobster bait at cost and gave us a box of bottles of their great scent product UniButter. This stuff stinks up plastics with the best of them. http://www.unigoop.com/ (http://www.unigoop.com/)
Please support these companies and others that treat our odd way of fishing with respect.
Paul -
For sure Okuma, Promar and Offshore made the trip even more enjoyable. I own many Okuma reels and use them all the time up north. The Promar video was very educational especially for someone like myself who has never been hoop-netting for lobster. BTW, besides the Danglin blood bath, the hoop netting at night was my favorite experience of the trip. I pulled a trap with a bunch of shorts and eels in it and wondered what was I thinking wearing shorts instead of the full wetsuit? Something to add to V2 of the Promar video. :smt005
Scott
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I take it this was a private set up? Didn't see this one on the hookups
Not Private..
It was put up and people signed up, backed out and signed up again,
Things changed along the way, but it was first come, first served, and space was limited...
I pulled a trap with a bunch of shorts and eels in it and wondered what was I thinking wearing shorts instead of the full wetsuit? Something to add to V2 of the Promar video
No Kidding!!! @ one point I looked down and a Huge EEl on my Lap!!!!, :smt087
I was greatful I was out there without my Pedal and dispated him quickly through the Mirage drive Hole :tongue2:
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Oh no.... I bet we can count on seeing Danglin's yellow tail pics in the Fish Sniffer, the Western Outdoor News, and many, many future posts. :smt002
I'm just bit envious -- I still haven't caught my first yellow. :smt003
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Too tired for a thorough post right now, but this gig was all about good food, great company, fantastic crew, and an overall awesome experience. Thanks to all! I've attached some teaser pix...more to come:
#1: Our filet master holding Walker's / SlowMo's (sp?) HOG
#2: Scott landing his YT
#3: Tote with his YT (he's an animal with the bat!)
#4: Me with my typical "hot-dog-bun" fish
Janice aka Big J
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I know how long and how tough it can be to reel in a yellowtail while standing at the railing of a boat. How long did it take to haul one in from a kayak?
Howard
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I know how long and how tough it can be to reel in a yellowtail while standing at the railing of a boat. How long did it take to haul one in from a kayak?
Howard
Probably 10-30 minutes depending on the size
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Wow!!!!! that's awesome guys..I hope to join you guys next year.....thanks for the pic and report..
Kiel
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Holy @#$%^& was I pooped last night!!! LOTS of fishing and lots of road time...TOTALLY worth it.
After the long drive down, I crashed at Rics house and I started out my SoCal tour at 0400 on Saturday by fishing with Ric and PAL at the Plastic Navy Tourney at Newport Bay. Not exactly a wilderness experience, but at least you could tie-off and get a latte!
(http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=38846&g2_serialNumber=1&g2_GALLERYSID=66e25aae722329dd5749911a15433f7c)
This beast of a butt had me crying for mercy...sOOOoooo cute!
(http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=38852&g2_serialNumber=1&g2_GALLERYSID=66e25aae722329dd5749911a15433f7c)
I finally managed to hook a spotty. These little rascals had over a 180 anglers on the water....
(http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=38850&g2_serialNumber=1&g2_GALLERYSID=66e25aae722329dd5749911a15433f7c)
After a brief stint at the weigh-in/partay (BTW, NCKA could cook these people into the ground...no comparison) we headed off to Ric's to load up. We LOADED up. This was just the gear to use. Ric had a whole nuther' load to give away. Okuma kicked down a TON of raffle prizes. We had a rod for every occasion and then some...
(http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=38848&g2_serialNumber=1&g2_GALLERYSID=66e25aae722329dd5749911a15433f7c)
Zilla also packed super minimalist :smt003...
(http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=38854&g2_serialNumber=1&g2_GALLERYSID=66e25aae722329dd5749911a15433f7c)
Like everyone, I was a little bummed that weather had dashed our hopes of Cortez. However after 20 minutes or so on Day 1 my opinion of SCI changed dramatically. I just couldn't get over the view...
(http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=38856&g2_serialNumber=1&g2_GALLERYSID=66e25aae722329dd5749911a15433f7c)
On day 2 we had a real SoCal day. Blue-blue water, warm weather, and cool vistas. The fishing was ok, but not as good as Day 1...
(http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=38858&g2_serialNumber=1&g2_GALLERYSID=66e25aae722329dd5749911a15433f7c)
Althoughit was slow, the Zodiac would occasionally come by and drop off my order of happiness. The service and food on the Islander remained nothing short of awesome...
(http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=38860&g2_serialNumber=1&g2_GALLERYSID=66e25aae722329dd5749911a15433f7c)
Me and PAL fished til dark on Day 2 for a mix of entertaining fish, but no toads. Sooo nice to roll in at dark knowing a killer dinner and a hot shower was waiting onboard...
(http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=38862&g2_serialNumber=1&g2_GALLERYSID=66e25aae722329dd5749911a15433f7c)
Day 3 brought NorCal weather but excellent YT action. By the time I took this shot before loading up for the last time I was dog tired and at full fishing saturation. Yet it was sad to be time to go.
(http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=38864&g2_serialNumber=1&g2_GALLERYSID=66e25aae722329dd5749911a15433f7c)
All in all an outstanding trip, couldn't really ask for more. Great service from the Islander crew, insanely generous support from Okuma, GREAT food, and lots of big YT. Me and PAL will continue to fine tune the schedule and itinerary to improve this trip even more, and we'll let everyone know when we have next years trip scheduled.
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Pic #1 - Carpooled with Josh and Allen. Josh's son thought the trailer was cool. Note the getto tie down.
Pic #2 - My roomate Tall Paul and Rickshaw waiting to fish castle rock the first day. Paul ended up with a large YT on the 3rd day.
Pic #3 - lining up to get back on board at the end of the first day. Was exhausted after pulling a 4 in bait tube through kelp for 2 miles after the military guy on the VHF says "unidentified vessel you are in the target range". Capt Shane called back to the military guy and told him we were in kayaks and he said "kayaks???". It was pretty funny but kind of creepy thinking someone might be shooting at you. :smt005
Pic #4 - 2nd day - one of 10 calicos all caught on a pink and silver butterfly jig
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Left Placerville at 3:15 AM Saturday. 10 hours and 6 freeway accidents in So Cal later ( not us thank goodness ) we arrived at Fisherman's Landing.
Bought a few last minute goodies and hung out with the gang waiting for the Islander.
We left the dock at midnight and I bagged one of the best nights sleep in a long long time.
Woke up to the north side of San Clemente Island where we all launched. It was a tough day due to the wind and the never ending kelp bed. It seemed no matter how far I paddled out I couldn't get around it.
At first we were warned by the Navy to stay 300 meters from Castle Rock. No problem. Then later in the day we were called by the Navy on our VHF. "Unidentified vessels; you must stay between 3000 and 4000 meters from Castle Rock."
Then Zilla responded, "4000 meters? Earlier it was 300."
Navy, "You need to stay 3000 to 4000 meters away."
Zilla again, " But we're in kayaks."
The last thing we heard from the Navy was, " KAYAKS?!??!!?"
And that ended that. It was pretty funny.
Sean and Walker were the only two to have any YT love that day.
I didn't realize what a slug you got Walker until I saw the pic. You da man!
Since Cortez was out due to the weather we decided to head for San Nicolas. When we got there it was typical NoCal conditions. Windy and choppy. The kind of conditions that most of us are used to. But with 20 yakkers and a stiff offshor wind the capt decided that only six of us could go out at a time. it was just too rough to keep an eye on 20 with those conditions. After some discussion we all decided it was better to head back to San Clemente so we could all get wet. It cost us 1/2 a day.
We ended up at a different spot than the 1st day. Calm and relatively flat.
I decided to dive instead of fish. It was like being in an aquarium with all the colors and underwater activity. I speared one sheephead. I was exhausted when I ended my dive. Climbed back onto the yak, took off my hood and mask. Looked to my right to grab my gun and it wasn't there. It had fallen over the side. :smt013
Pat was still in the water so she dove a personal best of 23 feet and snagged it! WAY TO GO PAT!! Thank you so much for that.
Went back to the Islander and chilled. After a great nap the mackeral bite was ON at the boat. it was like bluegill fishing for a little kid. Was hoping for something to be under them all but no YT love there.
The last morning it was ON! Seemed there was rarely a moment when someone wasn't hooked up. Mine came in 158 FOW about 80 feet down on a blue/white knife jig, 50#Spectra with 40#Seguar fluro.
From hook set to wood shampoo was 25 minutes. What a sleigh ride! Just when I thought I was gaining some ground it would peel line off and I would have to start all over. I could see it was headed for the kelp and a lobster buoy so I had to put the clamp down and not let him strip any more line. I think he was pretty tired about that time and things worked out in my favor. Amazing all the things that go through your head when you really want that fish at the other end. My biggest worry was that my knots were right.
I didn't get another YT hook up. I did get a bonito and a whitefish and a few calicos.
I cannot say thanks enough to all who were involved.
Big J for the photo right after I landed my YT.
Scott Gee for schooling me in cribbage ( he crushed me! )
Danglin for showing me his YT weapon.
Rick for the awesome Okuma Rod I won in the raffle.
Paul and Sean for all the hard work putting this together.
Pat for the gun rescue.
Everyone for making this one of the best experiences ever.
The cooperation of the guests and the crew amongst each other was amazing.
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Me and PAL will continue to fine tune the schedule and itinerary to improve this trip even more, and we'll let everyone know when we have next years trip scheduled.
Sean -
Forgot to thank you also. I have been on many long trips and caught many YT but nothing compares to this trip and catching one in a yak. An epic trip for sure. Man, BAM, Elk, Islander what's next... maybe a GWS sleigh ride at Guadalupe :smt005. Count me in for next year. BTW, NCKA can FISH and COOK with any kayak angler group IMO, not to mention a great group of people to hang with.
Scott
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Scott Gee for schooling me in cribbage ( he crushed me! )
Tote good fishing with you and nice to meet Becky. Sorry about the cribbage game. After awhile nobody wanted to play me anymore :smt012. WTG on the YT.
Scott
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Oh no.... I bet we can count on seeing Danglin's yellow tail pics in the Fish Sniffer, the Western Outdoor News, and many, many future posts.
I don't know about that, my pics seemed to be boycotted lately, But that won't stop me from trying :smt005
Got's to Work It Baby :smt002 ....... HollyWood... :smt004 ....
And spread the word of our sport and NCKA..... :smt003...Danglin
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More
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More
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More
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More
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The weapon, the yield from 1 YT and more.
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Enough yet?
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almost done
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OK, one last shot of loading the Islander the first night. Capt. Shane was worried that all of our gear wouldn't fit on the boat and I will say I have never seen a boat with that much stuff on it. Will have to pack less stuff next time. Maybe 8 rods and reels and over 20 jigs was overkill. Funny thing was that there other guys with even more stuff. :smt005
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The last of 'em.
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I'm between HAPPY and PISSED....Happy you guys had the BLAST-of-a-LIFETIME and PISSED because I was not on-board.
DAM!! sweet pics, stories of blood,goodtimes, food and beer! WOW! :smt004
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Absolutely awesome! Good on ya'll for the landing the YT's. Those are beautiful fish and sure they're really tasty too. Love the pics and thanks for posting so many. Some day I'll have to do the real mammoth drive and get all the way down there. :iroc:
Z
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Some day I'll have to do the real mammoth drive and get all the way down there. :iroc:
Zee, I call shotgun on your mammoth drive!!!
Way to go guys!!! Looks like a great trip.
-Allen
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I had a blast as well and caught my vindication YT on the last day. I finally switched from sardines to jigs after about 5 hookups all on jigs, shortly afterwards I got hammered and the fight was on. Once I was really starting to gain ground on the fish a sea lion started hanging out around me, so I just kept the line tight and stopped winching the fish up. The sea lion gave up on me, but during this time the fish wrapped up on a lobster trap rope! After much cursing I pulled up over the rope and looked down - there was the fish 15 feet below the surface. I pulled up the trap-line until I reached my spectra - then HANDLINED the YT in the rest of the way and gaffed it. Mission accomplished! ;)
Only a few of us got out to dive, but the diving was spectacular, the reefs were absolutely full of fish and lobsters. IMO even better than Hawaii for sheer numbers of fish and critters. On two tank dives I saw about 100 lobsters, but maybe only 1 legal one deep in a cave well out of reach. I also saw an abalone, probably a green ab since it didn't have a black fringe - it was very big and all alone, not very promising for the future of abs down there without human help. I got a couple scallops and an uni while I was down there too.
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EPIC report on what looks like a fantastic life experience. Made me laugh from the belly.
Glad everyone came home safe for more adventures.
Tote, thanks for the tribute.
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Quick question on the YT..
The filets were frozen by the Islander and given to use mostly frozen.
I drove home with them packed in ice and that is how they are now,
can I still freeze them or do I have to find a way to eat it all now? :fat
and how long will this fish keep on ice?.. Thanks
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Tote, thanks for the tribute.
...and did you use the super-FAT "elMarko" on the Yak?! it looks Big&Bold!
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Looks great y'all.
Wow, a beer delivery zodiac and chunky yellowtail! Now I have something to dream about this afternoon while I'm stuck in the office.
Thanks for the virtual trip!
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Everyone should note that nearly all the YT were caught on yo-yo jigs. Usually bait is better on a slow bite, and a bunch of us did sardines until the last day when the evidence really started to pile up that the jigs were the magic lure (didn't matter much what type), once we were all jigging instead of fly-lining and dropper-looping sardines the fish really started to pile up. Next time I fish for YT the jigs will be my 'A game' not my 'B game'.
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Tote, thanks for the tribute.
...and did you use the super-FAT "elMarko" on the Yak?! it looks Big&Bold!
Not just one but THREE of those super fat El Markos..
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Generally I do both. When I hooked mine on iron I was dragging a bait as well...cover your bases. Although it can sometimes lead to a bit of a tangle/hassle (which mine did) I was able to get it out quickly and land the fish. Thanks P-spark for being ready to help in case I was gonna need some. I do this all of the time in baja and it has been very productive an well worth the risk.
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Quick question on the YT..
The filets were frozen by the Islander and given to use mostly frozen.
I drove home with them packed in ice and that is how they are now,
can I still freeze them or do I have to find a way to eat it all now? :fat
and how long will this fish keep on ice?.. Thanks
Help!!!!,
Does anyone have a answer to this????
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Quick question on the YT..
The filets were frozen by the Islander and given to use mostly frozen.
I drove home with them packed in ice and that is how they are now,
can I still freeze them or do I have to find a way to eat it all now? :fat
and how long will this fish keep on ice?.. Thanks
Help!!!!,
Does anyone have a answer to this????
Danglin
You can freeze them or completely thaw and eat. If your preference is sashimi, I would thaw and eat in the next 2 days.
Scott
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I'm freezing my yellowtail...Can't tell you authoritatively why this is the best way to go...but logistically, it's just what I'm doing, ya know.
Cooked a bit of it last night, great but needs some good sauce or seasoning...I'll be researching recipes soon for a fish grilling evening on Tuesday.
Best,
Paul
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Cooked a bit of it last night, great but needs some good sauce or seasoning...I'll be researching recipes soon for a fish grilling evening on Tuesday.
Best,
Paul
Yellowtail Teriyaki
INGREDIENTS:
4 small fillets yellowtail (1 serving size each about 1 inch thick)
2 tbsps sake rice wine
1 tbsp soy sauce
For teriyaki sauce: 2 tsps sugar, 3 tbsp soy sauce, 4 tbsps mirin
PREPARATION:
Mix sake and soy sauce in a bowl and marinate fish in the sauce for 5-10 minutes. Wipe the liquid from the fish and set aside. Heat some oil in a frying pan and fry fish until browned. Mix teriyaki sauce ingredients to make teriyaki sauce. Wipe some excess oil in the frying pan with a pager towel. Pour teriyaki sauce over fish in the pan. Simmer the fish for 10 minutes over low heat.
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Hey Guys and Gals... Awesome report!
I'm so happy to see that many of you scored some yellowtail love.
Sounds like a very memorable trip... as expected given the organizers and participants. I wish I could have been there and hope to get in on the action in a future trip!
Danglin... glad you got the gaff bloody... thanks for sharing the pic.
I'll be expecting to see more of your ugly mug in WON, Fishsniffer, In Fisherman, Pacific Coast Sportfishing, Field and Stream, Boy's Life, Maxim, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Sixteen, and Better Housekeeping.
EK
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Danglin... glad you got the gaff bloody... thanks for sharing the pic.
I'll be expecting to see more of your ugly mug in WON, Fishsniffer, In Fisherman, Pacific Coast Sportfishing, Field and Stream, Boy's Life, Maxim, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Sixteen, and Better Housekeeping.
Hey,
@ My age, ya take'm where ya can get them .... :smt003
Thanks for the tips on freezing....
My question is they have thawed on the way home on ice,
so I am wondering if it is ok to " ReFreeze " the fish....
Thanks Again, don't mean to jack the thread, but I don't want to screw up a great fish.... Danglin
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Refreezing fish is never good, I would let it thaw SLOWLY in the fidge for best quality and give the gift of meat...it is the holidays!
YT is great marinated in Soy Vey's Island Teriaki. Just don't cook it to death, remember that it is great as sashimi too.
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Thanks to the NorCal group for letting me join the party. Could not imagine a better group to have out there. Even though I got no love on the yellows despite doing the yoyo (note to self - buy butterfly/knife jigs!) for hours it was a phenomenal trip.
Crew couold not be beat, especially the divemaster that rescued my homewrapped Graphite USA from 105 feet of water (another note to self - don't try to reach around & drain bait tank if ya don't have to). Food pics speak for themselves. And the schwag from Promar, Okuma, andPAL - thanks for the year of WON!- was just a bonus.
Hope to make it up there to harass some fish NorCal style.
Shawn (Hunters Pa)
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Thanks for the tips on freezing....
My question is they have thawed on the way home on ice,
so I am wondering if it is ok to " ReFreeze " the fish....
Thanks Again, don't mean to jack the thread, but I don't want to screw up a great fish.... Danglin
Danglin -
If your intent to cook the fish, then it is probably safe to refreeze IMO. Geez it was swimming around 2 days ago. For sashimi thaw and eat today. Below are the official guidelines from the University of Minnesota...
Occasionally, frozen foods are partially or completely thawed because of delays in getting them into the freezer, a power outage, or a change of plans for cooking the food.
The basis for safety in refreezing foods is the temperature at which you held thawed foods, and how long you held them after thawing. Look closely at frozen foods you thawed partially to determine if they can be safety refrozen. Completely thawed meats must be cooked before refreezing.
Foods may be safely refrozen if they still contain ice crystals. Put the packages in the coldest part of the freezer, mark them and use them within two or three months.
If a food is completely thawed, but still cold, and refrigerator temperature (34 - 40 degrees F.), move to the refrigerator and use it within two days. Do not refreeze.
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Thanks GB :smt006
That answers it...
Now I can get to work :smt002 ...... Danglin
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Quick question on the YT..
The filets were frozen by the Islander and given to use mostly frozen.
I drove home with them packed in ice and that is how they are now,
can I still freeze them or do I have to find a way to eat it all now? :fat
and how long will this fish keep on ice?.. Thanks
Help!!!!,
Does anyone have a answer to this????
Put them in your freezer, Don. If they were frozen befor eyou put them in ice, the filets will have thawed very little, if any, by the time you reached home. On my annual long range trip, the fish are kept in water just above freezeing. As soon as I reach land, I pack them in ice. And the ice keeps them nice and cold for almost 3 days, in case I don't cut, wrap, and freeze them right away.
Howard
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First off, My thanks to Paul, Sean and Rick plus the entire crew of the Islander for one of the best times of my life.
Thanks also to every one there for contributing to it, we simply had a great group.
I still have sea legs and occasionally feel like the room is rocking but I am also swamped with work. I will download some photos and my memories in the next few posting. I can not wait to get back out there.
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I know I missed out bigtime on the Islander fun, but through GB2's generosity, my wife and I will be eating good tonight. He stopped by today and gave me a nice chunk of his yellow tail. Scott, thank you so much! :notworthy:
I just sampled a piece of sashimi and it's delicious!
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Wow. The smiles in all the pictures say it all. Thanks to everyone for documenting the adventure through pictures so I could live vicariously through you all. Hopefully the star will align and I will be able to make the next trip. Way to go you guys!
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Thanks also to every one there for contributing to it, we simply had a great group.
Sackyak has that right in my opinion. The trip/adventure was a lot of planning, $, dreaming, and sleepless nights when the brain just would not shut down with the excitement of the time coming. If the fish are there it almost guarantees happy faces, but on this trip by the end of the second day the fishing had been somewhat less than what we all had hoped for. None the less, the "group" was going with what had been dealt, keeping it up beat, and making it fun. On the third day when it got exciting it was all the better and over the top we went with happy faces.
Favorite moments: Listening to Zilla on the radio declaring a large fish had just cruised under his kayak and then the change of tennor to his voice when he realized this was not a fish he wanted to hook up with. God, that was hysterical.
Watching the surreal scene of the hoop netting night with all the light stick illuminated floats and kayaks bobbing in the dark. Wondering what the military was thinking was going on out there in the dark.
The look on Paul the cook's face while watching the kayak fishing video, you know the one, the look on his face said it all "these guys are all dorks!" Truly a priceless moment
And, what can I say about how cool it was to watch Walker finesse a big yellowtail into his kayak on a 15lb test rig. His first non rockfish and worked like a master. Now, of course, I won't mention how he lost a second one in true rookie fashion since I didn't bag one myself... he out fished me on this trip and that's just fine with this dad.
My thanks also to Rick for his generosity and the $ it will cost me Christmas shopping.
Sean and Paul, you made it happen! Does Paul ever stop? Man, he just never slowed down seeing that everyone had what ever was needed.
The Islander crew of course, and a special one to Shane for all the tips on what and how to target the spot we were at, I learned a bunch.
To those of you who made Walker feel part of the NorCal family, he had spot of worry being the only "kid" on the trip and came away with nothing but great feelings (and he got all his homework done). Thanks!
A final thanks to the "GROUP" for making it what it was!
Steve (rocketman)
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Just in case you want to see even more pix of this fabulous trip, please visit my photo website at:
http://jamas.smugmug.com/gallery/3835644#221848022
Janice aka Big J
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Forgot to thank you also. I have been on many long trips and caught many YT but nothing compares to this trip and catching one in a yak. An epic trip for sure. Man, BAM, Elk, Islander what's next... maybe a GWS sleigh ride at Guadalupe
Scott
Guadalupe is also known for giving up 100 pound tuna...
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I know I missed out bigtime on the Islander fun, but through GB2's generosity, my wife and I will be eating good tonight. He stopped by today and gave me a nice chunk of his yellow tail. Scott, thank you so much! :notworthy:
I just sampled a piece of sashimi and it's delicious!
Chuck -
You are very welcome. Thanks for inviting me to join NCKA on lake Chabot 2 years ago. Never had so much fun and made so many friends since I joined. Really a special bunch of people. Tell your wife to have a safe trip.
Scott
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Oh my! I'm speechless. Congrats on a successful trip. Thank for sharing, for the unfortunates who can't go. Hopefully I can go on the next one.
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Nicely Said Rocket,
Thanks for the replies on the freezing, packed them in water and back to the deep freeze..
The Trip...
The night before, I got a little food poisoning to start with, stayed with me till the end of the 1st day
fishing. I always get sea sick on charter fishing boats, and can't say enough about the scopase pills.
$20.00 for 20 pills and worked like a charm,
1st day on the water, Still Queasy from the food I ate prior to the trip,
totally intimidated by my new, very expensive rig, with my 65lb. Braid,
40lb flouro carbon held together with a special " Bimini Twist " done by the Kool guys @ Bay Tackle,
10 min. into the day I snag the Bottom. No way I'm going to break this set up, the Braid slices my fingers
tring to break it free and finally cut the line,
losing my professional terminal connection with " Go to YT Jig ":smt010,
Regroup, left my flouro on the Islander, pick up a few coppers towards the end of the morning,
did not do much better the rest of the day but Phisically started to adjust..
Day 2 , Windy St. Nicolus and a 4 hour ride back to SCI, it was nice and more time to adjust,
So excited to get on the water that afternoon, Get out there.....
What the Hell am I doing???? Kind of lost again, Drop looping a bait, Jigging a Jig like I've
never done before and finally pick a small Bonita on the Sardine and Plug with the KZ Gaff :smt003
OK, Now were getting somewhere, things totally die off, don't hear much of anybody doing anything.
Captain Shane said to throw swim baits into the shore, tight for Calico's, WTF, nothing else going on..
Oh ya!!!! 2nd cast...BAM!!!! nice 2lbder in very shallow water, Nailed on 1 for 5 cast average with
12" to Nice little toads,
Wound up being last in that night totally feeling like I'm getting on my Game, pull up to the islander
" You going Hooping "... Uh ... Sure... Stay in my water soaked booties/paddle pants,
eat a incredible dinner and head out with traps on my Yak, again not knowing what the Hell I'm doing.
But I did have the Kool Blinking lights on my Yak :smt003,
So Glad i went out there,
Unbelievable, just kicking back on my Yak, warm breeze, gentel surf, watching these lime green lights
and looking up to a canopy of stars, simply magical,
Then pulling those bugs and eels up was really a treat, Supper fun,
Thanks Pal, That was so Kool and something I'll never forget :smt006,
Get in, Clean up the traps, drop like a rock in my shelving unit of a bed, looked small, but oh so Comfy.
Day 3, we awake to a bit of a swell and wind, Again full of excitement and Positive Vibes..
Till I get on the water, all I want to do is not snag kelp or bottom.
I'm going out deep, I start towards shore,...
YT?.. probably not going to happen, Captain Shane Pointed out a good Halibut area with good
Calico's... start heading inshore... Come on Danglin, think Big.. what sign do you need to get confidence?
I stared out @ the horizon and I see 2 birds about a mile out...
then I see what looks like a Porpoise, then another, and they are moving fast...
I radio up about what I saw and the Scaw comes on that he See's them too,
Beat tracks to the area,
Send the the sardine down, send the Butterfly down with my 2 speed Avet, reel up fast, nothing...
Still thinking positive that this is it, send it down again and reel fast.....
WAM!!!!!! BENDO!!!!!!!! OH MY GOD!!!!!! " ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ " Key up the VHF " I'm ON!!!!! "
WAS so Kool to Sink that KZ Gaff into that Babe and came in like butter,
Pal came up gave me a good shot and the advice to bleed him out,
" How do you do that? "."Rip his Gills out" he says. Ok, and the Barbarism began, Ya there are more
civilized ways to do somethings, but I wouldn't have done anything different.
Second fish came while I was just drifting a Butterfly Jig and pumping it up and down. I had sent it to the
bottom, reeled up just enough to keep it off the bottom, one minute later, there he was.
Much more confident and relaxed on this one, Great fight and went like clock work.
Would have been a Awesome time with out the 2 YT, but it sure put it over the Top picking those
Babies up,
Thanks again to Pal, you really put a ton of effort into this and thank you..
Sean, you can always count on my support and thank you,
Rick, Great Talking with you and the great stuff ya brought with you, that was over the top,
people walking away with Rods and Reels, got to like it,
and thanks to Promar for all the equipment to make a hooping experience I will never forget...
Had to go long on this one while it was still fresh,
Great time,
My imagination ran wild on what this trip would be, I had visions of battling a 100 lb Tuna,
a 23lb YT
( I'm guessing, my smaller one was 20lb, did not get to weigh the big one )
Kicked my Butt,
But, I still want a shot at one of those IBM's :fishing1
Maybe we can get BW Jon to come along for some pointers,
That video was pretty funny :smt005 ......... Danglin
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Just in case you want to see even more pix of this fabulous trip, please visit my photo website at:
http://jamas.smugmug.com/gallery/3835644#221848022
Janice,
Thank you so much for taking and posting all the photos...WOW, well done!!!
Steve
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Ditto to that!!!
Well done Big J :smt002..
Glad we were able to pool down there together, Great Company, Thanks
I should have forced you to take some of that YT,
I have slabs in the freezer if ya change your mind,
I heard they can make great Fish Tacos :fat
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Great job guys and gals looks too kool, I can't believe you let Sean near a beer with his history of beer and wind :smt005. Don't see any pictures of Ric I heard he was spotted getting breakfast right after you all got off the boat.
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Thankfully the Tomales wind gods were nowhere near. I am POSITIVE that Ric was not seen at Macs...he has lost 45 pounds and is still losing...GO RIC!!!
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To follow are a slew of pictures and some memories.
Loading up at night you could taste the excitement. I pulled into the lot as Cal was down by 7 and never even thought about the game again until we landed. It was fun watching the heron feed in the shallows while we waited for the Islander to arrive. Loading in the fog and drizzle.
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The first day was overcast and drizzly but we were ready to go. Mostly Boccacio and Calicos that day but I had a two good take downs one in the kelp that I fought for 5 minutes until it broke off my 50lb power pro. I had been watching my spool diameter shrink at an amazing rate when I got tangled in the kelp. It is hard to run three rods in the kelp two with live bait and one jigging rod without getting tangled. I believe I had a YT on but never saw it.
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The second day dawned with 15-20 mph wind outside at San Nicola Island so we made a 4 hour trip back to San Clemente. We started late because of this but the 4 hours of forced relaxation pending arrival at San Clemente Island was welcome. When we got there the conditions are great and I had my first sleigh rides (other than by seal) by three good size Bonito. My first catch of the day was a flylined seagull. I had a fourth that was small and Let it go. I also landed a nice Calico this day. The sun was out and we fished till dark. Lobstering after dark and a great fun Mack bit off the stern of the Islander all evening long.
The Bonito Sleigh rides were great fun. The visibility in the water was so good you could see the Garibaldi and other shallow reef fish from the surface. Beer and Bait delivery on the water can not be beat.
Paddling at night among a bunch of lit up boats paddlers and lobster floats in calm water with warm wind and the excitement of what might come up in the traps was a highlight of the trip. The ocean and sky were so dark and our little lites were beautiful. The following picks are from the second day.
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Awesome reports, I am jealous. I would love to do that next year, looks like you all had a great time.
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Day three was a winner for most. My radio had been left on over night after the lobstering and so I kept if off in case I needed it for an emergency. As a result, I missed the work about the hot YT bite outside. As I headed inside the crew headed outside and many hooked up on yellows. I landed a nice Ocean White Fish (these fish are really good nice white meat with a firm texture when cooked similar to salmon or halibut in texture) that we ate last night. As I figured out what was going on I through on a Mack pattern X-Rap and paddeled to the outside I hooked a nice Bonito on it and proceeded to jig till my arms hurt with no YT love.
At one point Scott offered to let me try is Butterfly jig and rod. As I was figuring it out, Zilla was fighting a YT nearby and suddenly he went from my left side and was on my right hading straight for me. With over 200 ft of line down I tried to get out of the way but before either of us realized it his fish was off. It was a true rookie move and I am sure that I felt even worse than Zilla. Sorry dude. I knew you were pissed and you deserved to be. I learned a good lesson. Sorry that it was at your expense. I really wanted to land a YT after that and give it to you but it was not to be. My hart was just not in it after that.
In the afternoon we tried for butts and YTs but the bite had stopped so I followed the advise regarding the grandpa Calicos in the shallows. I went into the boilers inside two large rocks where the water was from 2-10 feet deep. I was constantly fighting the wind current and swell to stay off the rocks and out of the breakers but managed two reasonable Calicos that I wrenched form the kelp. On my third to last bait, I casted into 2 fow and pulled out a 6-7 lb hog of a calico. He emerged with kelp stringers hanging from his mouth. Two more casts with bait that came off the hook and I headed in for the day.
My hands were sore and swollen from saltwater and hook knicks but I was smiling inside. What a great time.
Last night we ate Bonito Poke and steamed Whitefish. It was great.
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Ok, it's two days later. The gear is heaped in the garage, I've made a post-trip deadline, and had some sleep to help me sort out the many impressions and memories of our adventure.
I posted some pics, but I haven't really put a report together yet, so here goes.
First off, all the work of putting this thing together was worthwhile and incredibly rewarding. I consider our adventure a huge success. If we'd made it to the Cortez Bank, we really couldn't have counted on any better result than that last day.
The thing about that is - you guys made it happen. You wanted yellowtail. In true kayak fishing style, you went out, found the bait and marks yourselves, and ground out a bunch of big fish. Much respect. It is I who owe you a BIG THANK-YOU.
It's hard to make conclusions from one trip. I'll say this. Fall definitely looks like a better time for a SoCal mothership than spring. We really are making history. No one had tried this length of trip, at this time of year, or found a full boat-load of go-getters willing to be pioneers.
We'll try to run this one a little bit earlier next year. A lot of you were there when we talked about the economics, so you know we're limited in our choice of dates. The good news is the Islander crew wants to work with us to keep this thing going.
Hey, didn't I say this would be a report? I'll keep the rest short and hit just the highlights.
All the salmon grouper I could ever want on day 1. :smt001 Calicos too, cute little guys. That weather on day 2 was incredible. I had fun with the bonito - oh those two doubles made a mess of my lines. The calicos were rediculous. Rather than catch endless 12 inchers, I just sat on the 'yak and peered down and watched them in fascination, dropping them the odd stunned sardine and watching as they lit up. Very cool.
Hoop netting at SCI was a blast. I really love it out there at night. Truth to tell, it was so fun I was only a little disappointed we didn't bring in any legals. I'm still shocked by the ratio of shorts. A special thanks to Danglin for helping me clean up all those nets when we were both ready to drop. That was one long day.
That last day I decided to chase trophy calicos on the rocks, so I headed in tight only to barely escape a brutal pummelling by a set of monster waves. The last one I scaled seemed at least 20 ft high - it was probably closer to 8 but big enough. I was a little busy running for my life at the time, but the radio chatter about my size 13s and walking on water was a highlight. It's hard to paddle when you're laughing hysterically.
Hearing about the first big hook-up, I headed out deep and commenced to jigging. Snapped some photos of happy anglers (super gratifying seeing those happy faces), then got my own opportunity when I went bendo near the bottom. Moments later the 'yak and I are ripping upwind, my fastest sleigh ride ever, even better than the time a sea lion grabbed my yellowfin in the East Cape and dragged me around and through a fleet of at least a dozen boats.
Five minutes in, rod tip in the water, I'm pressing the line down on the rod butt risking a bit more pressure, and I KNOW the fish down there is about to give in a bit and come up. Then nothing - broken off on a rock, line chewed a good 5 ft. Taken to the woodshed, schooled, beat and bested, outgunned, a score to settle. I lost that battle. Gotta love those YT - they have no quit in them.
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Big J, those pics are awesome! Thanks for the morning virtual trip! :smt001
Z
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Here are a few more pics, I will let Zilla give the full report. He and Brook are still going hard on the drive back up, they nailed the stripers and cats last night. My feeling on the trip... Just flippin amazing! PAL did such a great job pulling it all together, thanks so much. The crew on the Islander is the finest there is. The work so hard and have the best attitude the whole time, just a great group. totally willing to do what it takes to put us on the fish. NorCal guys, what a great group! I look forward to doing it again.
Kaimana (Harry)
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Harry...the chow...OMG!!!
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Paul -
Sorry about losing the YT. When you hook them close to the bottom, there is always a good chance you will get "rocked" even on 50-60# test. I am thinking about bumping up to 40# for the jig and bottom rigs next time although I had a blast on the 30#, I was lucky to hook mine 50' off the bottom. With the number of calls and PM's I have been getting, I don't think we will have a problem filling the boat next year. In fact, why not 2 fall trips? :smt003 :smt003 I know I already thanked you and Sean, but I will say that I can't remember ever having so much fun. So thanks again. :smt006 I still can't get over BAM followed by the Islander.
Scott
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Kaimana, great pics and unreal grub!!!! :drool
Z :smt023
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Harry...the chow...OMG!!!
I have eaten some pretty good tail (YT that is) in my life. I must say that this was the best I have ever eaten. The quality of the fish taken out there was SOLID, seemed that none went under 20lbs. They were all pretty thick as well. The belly meat was sooooo buttery, like really good toro.
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Shit howdy, where do I sign up?
Nice work and happy BBQ'in- yellowtail is one of my favorites for the grill.
Mike
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Wow :smt007….. I think it would be almost impossible to match a trip like that. Thanks for sharing
Pat R
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Great report guys! Looking forward to next year's trip.
Couple questions:
1) Seems like the butterfly jig was the hot ticket for the yt. Were these primarily the Shimano variety, did the ones with the treble hooks on the bottom work also?
2) I never caught a YT, were you able to mark them on your FF?
3) I heard everyone brought their kitchen sinks - anything different the next time around?
Thanks!
~Elric
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Quick link for anyone that was on the trip & wants a copy of the video from the last night
http://www.bluewaterjon.com/
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Great report guys! Looking forward to next year's trip.
Couple questions:
1) Seems like the butterfly jig was the hot ticket for the yt. Were these primarily the Shimano variety, did the ones with the treble hooks on the bottom work also?
2) I never caught a YT, were you able to mark them on your FF?
3) I heard everyone brought their kitchen sinks - anything different the next time around?
Thanks!
~Elric
Elric -
3 YT's were caught on Shimano butterfly jigs. Danglin was using the new flat sided one in blue and pink. I was using the regular in the mac pattern rigged with 2 owner stinger hooks. I was using the 5 inch size, I am not sure about danglin.
The other 9 YT's were taken on Tadys, Salas, Sumos, and Knife jigs mostly in blue and white or blue and chrome.
I did mark some fish on the bottom as did others but the ones in the mid column are on the move and hard to mark. The FF was helpful mainly to identify depth, structure and bait.
Next time I will bring..
Only 4 rods and reels, not 8
A couple of plastic hangers to hang my wet suit and jacket outside to dry at night
Less clothes
Leave my hoop net at home, PAL brought many
More wine, we had lots of beer
More money to tip the crew, man did they work hard
More butterfly jigs, less trolling lures
More 8 oz weights, we were fishing as deep as 250 ft
A power strip for my rechargers
3 inch bait tube instead of 4 inch, the 4 inch was great for the bait but a ton of drag
scott
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They came on butterfly jigs and yo-yo jigs, I think they were equally effective. Everyone was raving about blue/white, but mine came on a blue/chrome mackeral patterned jig with a glow-in-the-dark back. I don't think the type of jig mattered too much - the bite wasn't WFO and it wasn't like guys with the butterfly jigs caught 10 fish and everyone without had to go home empty handed.
I never marked anything in the area we were catching the fish in, no bait, no reefs, no fish.
We did bring a lot of stuff, and next time I'd probably bring about 25% less. There isn't much room in the bunks for gear so most of it stayed on the deck. It's good to have a few rubbermaid or similar containers to keep your gear together and organized in. Loose stuff like weight belts, fins, anchors, ect, were strewn about. Wetsuit hangars would be very nice so they can hang from a railing to dry rather than lay on your other gear. Extra rope (floating) would also be useful. One thing I would bring is lots of bottled water, they were selling it on the boat and I didn't know how potable the tap water was, having your own would be nice. A 2.5G jug and a couple bottles would be best due to space restraints.
I'd reiterate that the diving was spectacular, if you can bring free/scuba dive gear and use it you'll be making the fullest possible use of the Islander, the bite was always much slower in the afternoon and morning fishing followed by afternoon diving got the best of everything.
Great report guys! Looking forward to next year's trip.
Couple questions:
1) Seems like the butterfly jig was the hot ticket for the yt. Were these primarily the Shimano variety, did the ones with the treble hooks on the bottom work also?
2) I never caught a YT, were you able to mark them on your FF?
3) I heard everyone brought their kitchen sinks - anything different the next time around?
Thanks!
~Elric
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I'd reiterate that the diving was spectacular, if you can bring free/scuba dive gear and use it you'll be making the fullest possible use of the Islander, the bite was always much slower in the afternoon and morning fishing followed by afternoon diving got the best of everything.
Josh -
Couldn't agree more. The afternoon bite sucked and diving would have been much better. Will be free diving next year for sure. Morning fish, afternoon dive, evening hoop net and sabiki macs. 14 hours of non-stop fun. :smt003
Scott
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Yeah, the way I figure it is I paid something like $100 to dive off a boat in Hawaii for a day and it was a bathtub compared to the Islander. The diving at SCI was better too - more fish, larger fish, more inverts (other than coral), sea fans, abalone, lobsters, and of course the beautiful kelp forests. $300 worth of diving and $400 worth of fishing and the trip seems even more of a bargain. ;) It's also something that could drag in a non-fishing SO, which may help the WAF considerations work out.
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Other than the butterflys the other hot iron was a b/w Salsa 6xJr...a YT classic. A few heavier knife jigs would have been sweet, the fish on day 3 were WAY down there.
People definitely went nuts with the gear. I brought 4 rods and never used one of them. The diving looked great, the vis was nuts.
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One thing I would bring is lots of bottled water, they were selling it on the boat and I didn't know how potable the tap water was, having your own would be nice.
The Islander crew was generous in allowing us to bring drinks. Most sport boats rely on drink sales for extra revenue. That said, please don't bring cases of water and soda next time. It's bulky, and really not that expensive on the boat. I looked at the tab sheet. By far I bought the most waters, something like a dozen. My galley tab for a 3.5 day trip was about $15. If you want to bring a little bit, like one big bottle of water or Gatorade or something else that isn't available on the boat, that's ok.
3) I heard everyone brought their kitchen sinks - anything different the next time around?
One thing we want to leave in the car next time is the ice chest. There were several on board - usually a no-no on a sportboat. The Islander guys were very cool not to say a thing. They had lots of refrigeration available in the galley for our beer, wine and soft drinks.
It is a gear intensive sport, then we add the multi-day dimension. We could have found a surface bite, we might have broken some of our gear, who knows? You need to be ready for any potential contingency.
Personally, I think it would be a disaster if everyone brought a large plastic tote. Please, only if necessary (divers), it'll stay full most of the time, and it's no bigger than it has to be. They take a lot of room, and there's only limited storage space on that aft deck.
If your kayak gear can fit in your hull, that's where it should go. I'm talking seats, stringers, rod leashes, and the like, stuff that can get and stay wet.
I'll definitely bring more irons. Sean and I are working on a couple of concepts concerning tackle and a bit more how-to. Our departure was very late, otherwise we would have held a question and answer session or a mini seminar with one of the skippers on hand. We have a clue, but they spend their lives fishing professionally.
I won't bring as many rods. I had extra on hand in case anyone needed something to borrow.
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Yes, please definitely leave the water at home. These guys already give us a good deal, squeeze us into their overly full schedule as a favor, and bust their ass schlepping our crap on and off for 3 days...I think its fair to allow them to make $0.50 on a bottle of water. My galley tab was an $12.
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So, lots of pics and some good stories here. I'm happy to see some ideas from others on how to pack lighter, make things simpler, and make the best use of time and space. Next year we'll be leaner and meaner, and we'll get to Cortez banks to get yellowtail for all! Kudos to the crew of the Islander for putting up with all our gear strewn everywhere!
I got my biggest kayak fish ever, and here's how it went:
Day three, and trying not to be disappointed over two days of small calicos, boneheads, and rockfish. That type of fishing is all well and good, but we all travelled a long way to get to chase after big strong fish...and the clock was ticking. I got a briefing from Captain Shane on how to fish the weather side of San Clemente, with a description of birds working over yellowtail in deep water, and big calicos in the boilers and shallows.
I worked the kelp edges for a few small calicos, and then heard of a yellowtail caught just outside of me. The location was nondescript, no kelp, no structure, no fish on fishfinder, but that's where the fish were. So I worked a mackerel pattern 6x Salas Jr., dropping it down and reeling it quickly back, over and over again. This type of fishing is work, yo-yoing the iron, but I told myself to be patient, knowing that just about all our yellows were coming that way.
Got my hopes up with a feisty four pound bonito, which fought, as they always do, way out of their weight class. Then nothing. For an hour and a half. And then...halfway up the water columm, my jig just stopped. Dead weight. Kelp? Nope, I'm in deep water, not a strand around. Then just a bit of a head shake. Something heavy there...Okay, I'm on! The fight was vertical, no sleigh ride, and I knew I was on a good fish because I couldn't make any progress for the first ten of fifteen minutes...just a tug of war. Then gradually, a few strong runs, and I'm getting back a bit of line each time. I'm pretty confident, because this fish is on the iron, so I'm not worried about abrasion, and there's nowhere for this fish to hide. So up he comes, and I'm stoked to see that flash of color as he circles up from the deep, and to see the size of him as I catch sight of his slab sides. I get him alongside the boat, and swing my little lip gaff I use for Norcal rockies, sticking him in the belly just behing his head...but he flips off the gaff just as I'm hoisting him into the boat. But he's still on, and one final run is all he's got left, and I have him to color once again. This time I won't miss. But this time I have competition. looking down, I see two brown shapes dogging my fish. Sea lions, a pair of them, right there just feet away from my fish. I button down the drag, and keep him coming my way, and in an instant (well, it seemed like an eternity) he's on the boat. What a beautiful fish, as long as my inseam, and later weighed at twenty-four pounds.
So thanks to the crew of the Islander, and to PAL for doing all the work to put this trip together, and we'll all be looking forward to a chance to get after them next year!
Best, Tall Paul
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WOW !!! i am totally and thoroughly blown away. you guys definately took it to the next level. i dont imagine there are to many things more fun than landing a yellowtail in a kayak. except maybe......landing a yellowtail on your kayak while living it up with a bunch of friends out on the open sea !!! very well done !!!! i noticed the islands in the background of some pics. i assume they are the san clemente isls. was there anything on those islands?
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With Janice's permission, I'm posting her website pictures here. SmugMug is OK, but frequently stalls due to viewer traffic.
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More of Janice's excellent pictures
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Even more of Janice's most excellent images...
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More pictures
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More images
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Almost at the halfway point...
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We're almost, ALMOST at the halfway point...
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Turned the corner...
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More pictures...
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Two more postings and we're done...
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Sorry...THIS is the next to last posting...
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Finally!
As a former photographer, I must say that the overall quality of the pictures from Janice and others have been very, very good. And, of course, I wish I could have been there.
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Paul -
Next time I will bring a mesh bag to put my PFD, seat, plano box and dive equipment in instead of the large tupperware container. That way we could pile them up easier and keep the deck cleaner. I think putting the seat and PFD in the hull might also work and would be more ideal but would add a small amount of time to the rigging and un-rigging process. One of the things to think about is the speed of rigging and unrigging since this really slows down the launch and landing process. We normally aren't under time pressure to rig our yaks but on the Islander, speed is really an issue. A couple of times I was one of the last boats in the line at the end of the day and wished I had brought a couple of beers with me because I was waiting a long time. I am thinking 4 rigs (20# live bait, 30# jig, 40# dropper loop & trolling, 15# calico) is all I need.
Scott
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I think the less you have to dig out of your kayak while it is still on deck the better.
I kept the stuff in the hull that I could pull out once I got on the water.
I definitely want to be wearing my PFD while I get on the kayak. I took a dump due to bad timing while trying to get on the yak. Glad I was wearin gmy PFD. I definitely want my seat on the yak before I get on too.
My tackle bag stayed in the hull. So did my gaff, fish Finder, knife, gloves and pliers.
I set them up on the yak once I was out.
I took 4 rods with me the first day. Then only three after that. I am sure I could get by with just 2. One to yo-yo and one to flyline. With a heavy top shot of 40# fluro and a decent snap swivel I could prob use one rod to cover flyline, yo-yo and dropper loop if I had these three rigs set up and ready to go. it doesn't take that much time to switch them out.
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am sure I could get by with just 2. One to yo-yo and one to flyline.
For YT...absolutely. You might want to bring at least one lighter rod for calicos/halibut. There is pretty good butt fishing there. We caught 2 or 3 nice ones in one day last trip and no one was really even targeting them.
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Slowmo here- I used a ginormas mesh dive bag for my wet suit and pfd and the stuff that was bulky and could get wet on deck. For setups I had a pen boat combo with 6 to 1 ratio using 15# mono, a uglystick tiger light with a penn jigmaster 500 with 25# line, and a penn tunastick in case we ended up trolling from the boat. The first day my dad(rocketman) convinced me to use my lighter setup and onlybring the one pole to make fishing simple. I thought, why not, On my first drop with a salas 6x jr b/w I hooked into YT at 70 ft in 150ft of water. So then I am sssssssstuck fighting the YT with 15# line!!! In the end I was able to land the hog and have him picked up by shane. On the third day I hooked up with another YT with approximatly the same water conditions using the 25# line. Unffortunatly I lost him when he broke my line as i was about to gaff him. How ROOKIE.
I would like to thank everyone on the boat for a good time and accepting me as a young adult and not a kid.
I would also like to thank okuma for the raffle and the new Baidarka rod that I won.
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Hey Walker~
You're a MAN in my book!
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Absolutely awesome report, my stomach is growling. How much $ for the trip??
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Absolutely awesome report, my stomach is growling. How much $ for the trip??
It was $705 for the boat; all meals and bait included. A GREAT deal.
I don't want to say how much it cost me in all the extra gear I purchased for the trip. :smt010
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I would like to thank everyone on the boat for a good time and accepting me as a young adult and not a kid.
Your a class act "Kid" :smt003,
No, just kidding about the " Kid " Really appreciated your presence on the boat and glad you had the success you
had, Excellent Job :smt004
It's over now, You are Officially Consummed By the Madness :smt006
I don't want to say how much it cost me in all the extra gear I purchased for the trip.
Amen brother, Amen...
Got to keep fresh flowers in the House for a while :smt002
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Walker - you rock!! You really schooled us the first day. If there is room next year (I doubt) I will bring my son and you can hang with him and show him how to do it. Maybe You and my son against me and your dad for a MBF. :smt003
scott
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There's definitely improvement to be realized in getting the yaks off and on the boats. The biggest gains come from having as many on the deck getting rigged as possible. That should be nothing less than 4 (1 on either side of the stern, the other two up beside the house), but it only works if people are standing by ready to set up their kayaks.
For me, hooking up the electronics is the most time consuming part of rigging. Clipping on a seat takes only a few moments.
But there's no one right way to do this stuff - all our boats are rigged to our individual tastes. Each individual should use the system that works for best for him or her. Bottom line - the only responsibility to your fellow tripmates is to get your kayak out of the way ASAP so it isn't slowing down the process.
Just watch, by next year the group will have this down.
I definitely want to be wearing my PFD while I get on the kayak.
I couldn't agree more on the PFD. Getting on and off isn't terribly difficult, but mishaps do occur. Better safe...
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For me, hooking up the electronics is the most time consuming part of rigging. Clipping on a seat takes only a few moments.
PAL -
I left my FF attached but folded down then closed and buckled the sonar shield over the top. I did this on the water which was pretty easy. This trip really changed my opinion about the Trident compared to my P15, although I will continue to use my P15 for NCAL saltwater. On the Islander, the Trident had many advantages such as stability and storage options.
Scott
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So much good information here! I was so busy trying to keep it all together myself I missed out on seeing what others where doing. Much learned for sure. I must say the Trident looks like a great boat for this type of thing. With the FF storage and large deck hatch it seemed like a great way to keep things on the boat while launching/landing.
On my last trip I was a bit of a mess and had to have many things passed back and forth on departure and landing. This time I brought a small soft sided cooler/tote, it worked great. I put tackle, food, drinks and any other loose items in the tote. I would get on my yak and have them pass me paddle, rods, Hobie Mirage Drive and my tote bag. I would then peddle off put everything where it belonged and fill my bait tank before coming back for bait. I always feel bad for how heavy the boats are for the guys, we all need to do our best to make them as light as possible each time they come on and off the boat.
Please keep the good info flowing, it really helps all involved. I like what PAL was saying about getting a process in place for rigging and departure, it would save a ton of time.
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Quote from: PAL on November 17, 2007, 07:23:55 PM
For me, hooking up the electronics is the most time consuming part of rigging. Clipping on a seat takes only a few moments.
PAL -
I left my FF attached but folded down then closed and buckled the sonar shield over the top. I did this on the water which was pretty easy. This trip really changed my opinion about the Trident compared to my P15, although I will continue to use my P15 for NCAL saltwater. On the Islander, the Trident had many advantages such as stability and storage options.
Scott
Ah, but I'm talking about hooking up the batteries. One under the hatch, the other for the bait tank. Seems like it should only take a moment...
I also fished a Trident on this trip. As a package it is quite a platform. The sonar shield concept is fantastic; the boat pulls a load and then some, and its plenty roomy and comfortable for those long sessions. I put 5 heavy hoop nets on the bow - the Trident shrugged them off. Recommended for everything but true go the distance marathon paddles.
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My electronics were a breeze. I use the 10AA rechargeable set up.
I kept my Shimano tackle bag in the front hatch. I could easily pull my FF from the Scotty mount and place it in the tackle bag. I could just as easily pull it out and put it back into the mount. Below are some pics.
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Nice fishing guys. Weather looked great, and that boat is freakin sweet.
Jim
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tote, is that part of a boogie board chunk hoding the transducer? I used on for my batterie box holders and transducer too.-slowmo-
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tote, is that part of a boogie board chunk hoding the transducer? I used on for my batterie box holders and transducer too.-slowmo-
No. It is from a super giant pool noodle that is 5 1/2'' in diameter. they come in 3' sections. I got mine at Kmart. REAL handy.
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you guys are so so lucky...
Congrat on YTs :smt041, they look so yummy!!! :drool
I need start saving now!
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Hey Guys, sorry for the delay in getting the Promo code going. Technical issues with the program.
For those of you that were on the trip and that received the Okuma Promo Code, you can now get 15% off on any item EXCEPT the Kayak, ordered through the online Okuma store. Simply enter your promo code while checking out and you will get the discount.
Thanks,
Ric
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Well, if you're lucky you came away with a few pounds of gorgeous yellowtail fillets, and you need to honor your fish by preparing it really well...
I haven't had yellowtail in many years, so I did a search for a good grilling strategy and came up with a recipe for grilled yellowtail with mango salsa. It was really excellent...best fish I've ever cooked, and I'm a decent cook. Served with a nice red (Opolo Zinfandel), new potatoes, spinach salad, and home made flan. It was an epic dinner- my guests were really happy!
I'll post in the recipe section tomorrow if you want to give it a go.
Regards,
Paul