Best Trip Ever Guys!

hi guys this is Jon, whatsup. Short story, went down to Baja again, maxed out the credit cards, wifey and kids were gone with her family and I was on break, mothershipped out to a place with a great marlin bite, hooked, fought, landed, and released 8 marlin from a yak in 2 days.

All fish were hooked, fought, landed, and released from the yak. Average amount of time spent paddling prior to hookup, 20 min, avg fight time, 30 min. I'd basically paddle my behind off and try to get as close as I could to a roving mass of birds, trolling a live mac behind my yak. The marlin strikes were very gradual. I'd be paddling, then the bait would get nervous, then the reel would ZZZZ just a tad, and it would increase ever so slightly. When the fish started to run (they never took off right away), I would stop, take the rod out (it was wedged under my leg as I had no rod holders on the rental yak), and then I'd do the ol' gradual increase on the line (used circle hooks to hook the fish in jaw and make releasing easier). Only later, when the fish realized that they were hooked, did they start to go nuts- and nuts they did! Some would jump in circles around me, super close, and some would head for the horizon. Then it was a balancing act, getting them in at the right time so they could still swim away healthy, while not being so green that I couldn't safely release them. Some, I cut the line at the hook witha release knife, but at least two, I was able to get the entire hook out of the mouth. That was my favorite part!

I also lost a very big tuna. I was paddling during one of the very few calm parts of the outing, and a school of porpoise overtook me. Next thing I know, my reel SCREAMS and the fish heads straight for the bottom! Totally different than the marlin gradual strikes. I was on a TLD-20 II speed, 60 pound  P-line, and the fish took a ton of line, i was worried I was gonna get spooled, even with the spectra backing. I fought it crank by crank for a long long time, and then got the fish like 20 feet below my yak. I decided to try and hasten an end to the battle ( I was worried the hook would wear a hole in his mouth and he'd get free, which has happened to me before) so I upped the drag by pushing the line against the rod, and heaved one last time, and...POP! The darn hook broke in half! I saved the thing for posterity. The guys on the boat saw the head of the fish and said it was a really big one, which I actually didn't like hearing. I am still haunted by that- tuna are real tackle busters! I had hired a guy to film it in HD and he got the whole episode, me paddling next to the porpoise, then my reel screaming, me setting the hook, me getting my butt kicked, fighting the fish, and then the climactic moment when I bore down and the hook popped, on video. It was hard to watch!

I invited a slew of guys, including Norcal's own Allen (PolePole). I wish you did come, Allen-it would have been a blast to do it together! I know for a fact that many other yak anglers would have done just as well as me-or better- it was just being at the right place at the right time.

here is a youtube clip of some of the action:

I invited a slew of guys, including Norcal's own Allen (PolePole). I wish you did come, Allen-it would have been a blast to do it together!

You should PM Skygreen, she is from your area and I think you guys would get along great.

You should PM Skygreen, she is from your area and I think you guys would get along great.

        

Dang Sean!!!!

Sean when you win the CDs could you burn me a copy? 

  MAN ,  Don't sweat these guys Jon..

 Where bitting our own tails off up here because were not fishing

 Awesome Report, slightly on the edge of Epic...

 8 Marlin and a Huge Tuna Fight?.......... Very Nice,

 Would have traded the Islander trip for that,

 Give me a PM next time....

 I would have done just about anything to escape this Holiday season.... ... Danglin

BTW,

 Whats the music you used for the beginning of the U-Tube video?

maxed out the credit cards...

  Whoa dude. You're kinda nuts. Hope you have a forgiving wife. Glad you had a good time though.

FF

Danglin, The music is actually me- at least the guitar work. I put some backing tracks together and then recorded it myself. I used to play out a lot but I don't carouse at night anymore so putting together little video things and soundtracks is one way I get to stay in music, at least in some small little way. Yes lets' do something together soon!

Fish Flogger, Yeah my wife is way cool. She's from Mexico. She is very very understanding.Lucked out with her big time!

AWESOME!
Now THAT is cool!

thanks for sharing,
PK

Out of control, Jon!  Elements of your report really indicate that you're dedicated to the same kind of adrenalin rushes that I am.  Good job on the releases - I like how you said you really enjoyed removing the hooks from the marlin mouths.  That's my kind of wildlife interaction!  Thanks for sharing.   

AbKing, Exactly, I like that term- wildlife interaction- what better way to describe it!
By the way what do you think would happen if you trolled a big live bait out at 4 mile beach( you know, the one 4 miles past S. Cruz), or at Davenport? Do you guys do that?

AbKing, Exactly, I like that term- wildlife interaction- what better way to describe it!
By the way what do you think would happen if you trolled a big live bait out at 4 mile beach( you know, the one 4 miles past S. Cruz), or at Davenport? Do you guys do that?

You could catch a lingcod or a salmon like that, Jon, but the big game, warm water species aren't in there, so you'd likely just get bored...  It's pretty much a tropical thing:  Baja, Hawaii...  Now drop that live bait down to the bottom and you might pull up a decent halibut.  Up here (north coast) you might hook into a Pacific Halibut - that's what I'd like to do, but I really haven't started learning about it yet.

Let me know if you're in to checking that out at some point.  I'd like to mothership out to Pacific Hali waters and do that some time.  Once I learn it and learn of how close in to Punta Gorda they come I'll be able to consider a Roleez trip and launch off the beach to try for them.  And bring that guy who we can pay to get it all on HD!   

The music is actually me- at least the guitar work

 Very Nice... I used to play my self...

  ( 3 Decades of Insanity...)

 " Kill Your Mother, F#@! Your Brother, Human Sacrifice... " ... Stuff

 Dabble in Classical and picking it more and more these days with My Fellas,

 Working on getting a small studio together ,

 Keep me posted on your next adventure down There....

 

I wish I had had a third grade teacher like you, but I had Mrs Alzina instead

Amen to that!!!!!......

  Mrs Thompson... Give me a Break ........... Danglin

You could catch a lingcod or a salmon like that, Jon, but the big game