Islander 11/11 - 11/13 Yellow Fever

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.

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

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?

With Janice's permission, I'm posting her website pictures here. SmugMug is OK, but frequently stalls due to viewer traffic.

More of Janice's excellent pictures

Even more of Janice's most excellent images...

More pictures

More images

Almost at the halfway point...

We're almost, ALMOST at the halfway point...

Turned the corner...

More pictures...

Two more postings and we're done...

Sorry...THIS is the next to last posting...

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.