Queen of Hearts Party Boat / ANO Nuevo >> /8/20/06 7am - 3pm (whew...)

went on the queen of hearts sportfishing boat. it was a cold ride out to ano nuevo area. the water was calm but it sure was cold. fishing was good for a lot of folks. i used plastics and butterlfy jigs all day. stuck about 20 fish altogether and took home one nice vermillion. it was shallow water light tackle. of course everyone else had 40lb test and either long surf poles or 3 speed reels with deep sea and tuna rods.

i learned that when it comes to party boat equipment one should pick with care. they sure get slammed around a lot. the guy i saw with the beach pol, like 10+ feet tall, ended up having lots of gear issues. that and his braided line snagging up all over the bottom and into people. i switched to all mono for my two light / med action poles and boy am i glad. it was so much more fun. so many people with braid were getting worked and poles were gettin sucked under the boat becasue they did not want to break it off or cut the line.

most folks used shrimp fly jigs tipped with squid.

i had best luck on butterfly jig with two kevlar tied hooks.

i got ticket #1 and got he back right corner looking forward. as luck would have it, "regulars" came onboard later and crowded me pretty and took my seat and laid out a nice blanket for them to put their asses on. i got a taste of how rude people could be and thats fine. they were praying for lingcod and i hexed em with a spell and sent banana sauce down on their shrimp jigs so they were to receive nothing for their disservice to me , at least they got a nice coastal view tour! 

karma baby.....

the crew was great, the deckhand (singular) was excellent and deserves lots of tips. hard workin and caters to all including people who can't tie their own shoelaces.

thank you all for the advice.

yes i also saw some NCKA members out working the reefs near davenport. i know you folks were slamming good ones. they were biting. i could tell you guys are ncka members just by the vigor and strength of your fishing prowess. i think one yak was a gray one.

i think that was enough party boat for me for now. i like being able to move freely and not having line get taken under the boat. also avoid snags with others and .... get this...... i had a bit ASS bite, was reeling up, it shook off and the guy next to me instantly had a hitchiker ling. 36 inches and fat.

that one was MINE!!!!! Grand Larceny / Theft / At Sea Robbery!!!!

in all , fun, great boat and worth the money.

made me think of my kayak though. i felt like i was cheating......

Thanks for the report.  GrammarPolice and I fish that boat pretty often, but fortunately we're part of a private charter so we don't really have to deal with the 10' rods and the seat stealin'.

The captain, both of them, and the deckhand (most likely Heather) are all great and make the trip fun.

Thanks for the report.  GrammarPolice and I fish that boat pretty often, but fortunately we're part of a private charter so we don't really have to deal with the 10' rods and the seat stealin'.

The captain, both of them, and the deckhand (most likely Heather) are all great and make the trip fun.

i agree man, the boat is a great boat and staff was excellent.

last time i was fishing off a boat was out of san diego. it was a fun time and the fish were big.

overall, it sure was nice to see our local coastline as well from the water.

i had my camera ready in case there were any GWS

glad you got that over with and can just fish off your kayak now!

party boats are scary. 

J

Next time take 3-5 rods so when you show early you can spread em out and take up space to prevent overcrowding.  When you start fishing people will slide over but you prevent the initial onlslaught and can still fish comfortably. Never hesitate to vocalize overcrowding, big fish can be lost and days can be spoiled by tangles too easily.

How'd you like that butterfly jig?  Pretty ballsy to use one for Rf =)

i should have marked some spots if i had a gps but they were all holding small fish anyhow. i thought about it but ended up not bringing the gps. i didnt want to backstab the captain.

those boats are interesting to say the least.

i used the butterfly jig and it worked well. they did not provide any bait as i thought they would so i fished artificials all day long. i was surprised how many bites actually. i lost 2 butterfly jigs and 3 swimbaits total. not cheap but the ability to present a different lure than that of what everyone else was fishing was one of the keys to me landing fish this day.

i sure miss the nice jigs i had that morning though. i had a feeling they would get snagged or cut off somewhere that day.