!!! Islander balance DUE Nov 1; EDIT Reports, Trip Info

My thanks to you all. The checks are in - we are in great shape. I have to say, Ive met the finest people in kayak fishing, but NCKA is tops. There is no other group that I would put my reputation on the line for to run an at-cost charter. Thanks for sticking with it in spite of early hiccups. Now lets go make history - remember, our trip is the first of its kind. You cant say that very often these days.

Paul

This trip has not been done before..?

  Oh My   Love It!!!!! ....... Danglin

Anyone fishing La Jolla on Saturday?  I plan to go out with my buddy Brian who lives down there.  Let's hookup.

Really?  I can't think of a better crew to make something new work.  Maybe I need to bring a couple more things.......golly I'm excited!

Just curious, do you prefer freezing so you can transport the fish whole? I was on the Royal Polaris for 8 days earlier this year. All fish were RSW'ed - they were perfect, beautiful, pristinely fresh.

Paul -

On my long range trips I freeze the fish until the last 2 days then RSW. At the end of the trip I trade the frozen tuna for canned which I give to my local food bank. My wife works at the food bank and they really need the protein canned foods like tuna. I don't like tuna after freezing unless it is canned or smoked. The other frozen fish (non-tuna) I bring home and process myself or have 4 star smoke it. It is a long drive home to the bay area and being frozen takes the pressure off of processing as soon as I return. I think RSW may be OK for longer than 2 days, but I have never tried it. BTW, do you bleed your YT and YFT on the yak after you bring it on board? For sashimi, I think it makes a big difference. Up north we are a little paranoid about sharks.

Scott

This trip has not been done before..? Oh My   Love It!!!!! .

Yes - our trip breaks ground in several respects. We've been doing the mothership thing down in SoCal for years, but we've never packed a boat with 'yaks for a multi-day. 3.5 days is the longest full-boat mothership trip I've ever heard of. The extra time gives us the opportunity to break more ground by taking 'yaks out to the Cortez (weather permitting). That should be epic.

We're trying another cool first. To this point, the overwhelming majority of SoCal motherships have run in spring. Those trips are great for calicos, but they've been more miss than hit for pelagics. Now, November also falls outside of the prime offshore season ('yak trips don't pencil out during high season), but the water conditions should be much better than in spring. If we like this trip and want to repeat it next year, we can put it on the Islander's schedule and move it up to Oct. That's prime fishing time, but not high $$$$$.

BTW, do you bleed your YT and YFT on the yak after you bring it on board? For sashimi, I think it makes a big difference.

Scott, I agree with you. The answer is yes, most SoCals bleed their yellows and tuna. I always do, although I inevitably end up sitting in a puddle of blood.

Snap a few gills & cut a notch on the dorsal side of the tail about 3 inches from the narrowest spot, towards the head.  The notch helps the blood run out.  Makes all the difference if you are doing sashimi.  And don't forget the belly meat.  Yellowtail toro is about as good as it gets.

I'm expecting lots of pics and great reports from everyone going on this trip.  Good luck to all!

Count me in for next year.

With respect to bringing home fish; what does RSW mean?

RSW+ Refrigerated Sea (or Salt) water.  Teh saly content allows it to chill below the 32 degrees at which fresh water freezes.  I've also heard of RFW - Refrig Fresh Water

Here's a recent Cortez report for you, the kind we like to see. No yellowtail in the count, and a lot of rockfish, but nearly 2 yellowfin per rod.

11-05-2007 Overnight, 22 anglers, 39 Yellowfin Tuna, 125 Whitefish, 115 Sculpin, 1 Lingcod, 48 California Sheephead, 52 Bonito

Now, I know everyone here has tuna fever. I do too. Please keep in mind that we'll get what conditions give us. Yellowfin, bluefin, even jumbo bonito - they all equal sleigh rides. But none of them will put the hurt on like a mossback yellow. I want to see you folks giddy while getting the wood put to you by big fish.

If you haven't kayaked for big gamesters, please remember to fish your live baits on clicker only. Also, make sure your drags are set properly, not mashed down. More reports as they become available. That is all. 

PAL,

Since we are looking at smaller dines from the receiver, think they'd let us do a stop somewhere on the way out to put some macks in the tank??

PAL, Since we are looking at smaller dines from the receiver, think they'd let us do a stop somewhere on the way out to put some macks in the tank??

I doubt we'll stop on the way out - we need to make tracks so we'll have the best chance to be ready to fish early our first day. During our three days we'll have plenty of time to make macs. I for one am bringing sabiki rigs for the job - in fact, I have a couple of Sabiki Sticks for people to use. 

PAL,

Since we are looking at smaller dines from the receiver, think they'd let us do a stop somewhere on the way out to put some macks in the tank??

Are we looking at 1/0 size dines or smaller? I heard they were using 1/0 or 2/0 hooks last week.

Thanks! sCOTT

Are we looking at 1/0 size dines or smaller? I heard they were using 1/0 or 2/0 hooks last week.

To be on the safe side, please bring smaller live bait hooks as well, probably at least down to size 2. A pack of hooks won't set you back too much, even at Fisherman's Landing Tackle shop.

For those who can't get enough gear, you'll get to run a gauntlet of tackle shops in the area. I'm out the door, so I don't have time to link them all. There's Angler's Choice, Fisherman's Landing, Hook Line and Sinker, and the least expensive Squidco nearby. I've probably left out one or two in my hurrry. Also, for Sat yak supplies, OEX Pt Loma and WEst Marine right down by the landing.