LAST EDITED ON Jul-02-01 AT 07:11 PM (PST)

Ok, finally got the pictures developed and have a minute to sit down and write up the report. Drove down to San Diego on Wednesday, the 27th with my mom and stayed in a hotel right across the parking lot from H&M, Point Loma and Fisherman's Landing. On the way down we stopped in Tarzana and picked up a 50# setup (700H and Alutecnos 30, very sweet italian reel I was supposed to try out) from Mike (aka hawk on allcoast). When we settled into the hotel we walked around the landings, observed the results of a 6 day lying on the concrete at H&M (lots of albies, yellows and a few bluefin) and did some last minute tackle hoing.

Day 1- Thursday

Got on the boat at 9:00AM for a 1:00PM departure. Put reels on rods, rigged up, showed off the Alutecnos to the deckhands, etc. When 1:00 finally rolled around we headed over to the bait receiver to pick up some cured chovies. Apollo, the cook gave a nice lecture on what was to be expected on the trip, and Rick the captain joined in for a bit too. Rick informed us that he'd let us troll that day once we got outside of the islands (Coronados).

When we reached the 5 fathom curve we put the troll rods out. A couple bluefin were caught as well as some albies before it got dark, but I didn't get any.

Day 2- Friday

Friday started out pretty $hitty, for me at least. I fished the slide all morning with plastic for nothing, and I couldn't buy a bite on bait for some reason. I was using the 15# Floroclear so I knew it wasn't the line. I was using the same exact rig as just about everybody else, either a 1/2oz. slider on a #2 hook or a rubbercore. For some reason I just could not get bit. It was really annoying. I finally got ripped, set the hook and had the hook pull. RRRRRRRRRRR. By noon I still hadn't caught anything. Ate lunch, gathered myself, and reviewed the situation. I wasn't doing anything wrong with the bait fishing. I didn't know what was going on, but I couldn't get bit on bait. I noticed after I'd quit fishing the slide that a few guys were catching fish on the slide just before lunch. I decided to fish the slide harder after lunch.

Finally at 3:30 I hooked up on the slide with a 2oz. leadhead and 5" fishtrap on the yellowtail special 4/0 and 700M with 40#. Got an average sized albie to the deck. A few jigstops later and I got another one on bait. I was gettin to like that slide deal. I also got a troll fish that day. The weather for both of the first two days was really bad. 8ft. swell, lots of wind. So, paddy hopping was pretty much a no go. Somehow we stumbled onto a paddy and I went back to bait and hooked a yellowtail on the 700ML/Progear 545 w/ 25lb. Got absolutely ripped, pulled him away from the paddy and a nice sized yellow met the gaff. It probably pushed 15lbs. That was it for the day and I hit the bunk right after dinner (which was VERY good BTW).

Day 3- Saturday

Ok, I knew I sucked at bait fishing so I decided to focus most of my effort on the slide with the fish trap. I sat on the rail with slide rod in hand, reel in freespool and ready to drop in as soon as somebody said hookup. I stayed on that rail all day for probably all but two or three jigstops at which time I was in the galley eating. It payed off for me. In the morning there was a good bite on the bait, but again I couldn't get bit for some reason. I ended up throwing plastic on the 15# up in the bow and hooked one fish but broke it off. Reeled in to find a curly Q. Only problem is I tied a San Diego knot, and that's a 98% knot. Later on that day I stripped the Floroclear and put 20# P Line back on the Calcutta. I finally got a bait fish off of that school and got sawed off on another one.

When we started trolling I was on the slide. I got pretty damn quick. Often times the quickest draw in the stern is the only one to get bit on the slide, and I had the method down. I ended up only getting 2 slide fish to the boat that day (I must've had at least 5 either come unbuttoned or get sawed off), and three bait fish.

We got into an absolutely wide open bite on one stop. All four troll rods went off, the guy in front of me on the slide got bit, then I got bit, then the guy behind me got bit. My fish went all the way across the stern to the other corner, where I fought it next to two other hooked fish and ended up getting sawed off by some jackass who couldn't follow a fish. I racked the slide rod, and grabbed the bait rod. Soaked a bait, got short bit, threw back out and hooked up. At this time, the deckhand, Randy yelled, "There's 20 bent rods in the stern!!!" I looked around and every single person was bent. Freeswimmers were darting under the boat, boilers off the stern... I got my fish up the bow where I got it into circles. I had the 9' stick so I didn't have much leverage. Tommy (gnarly deckhand guy) was standing by with the gaff as well as Rick (w/ no gaff). I got my fish to color but couldn't gain on him from about 10' underwater. Tommy said, "Sometimes you just gotta go in after em" and with the full length of the 20' gaff, he reached under the boat and pulled my fish out. It was unbelievable. Rick commented that that was the best gaff he'd seen in a long time.

Later in the evening I went into the galley to wait for dinner. I was sooo tired. I heard Randy yell hook up and I moved over to the side of the bench to see if any bait fish were caught, and Randy yelled, "there's a fresh one!" so I got up, grabbed the bait rod and dunked a bait, half conscious. I got bit and got the fish to the boat half awake, and after that I racked my rod and went back into the galley :-).

Day 4- Sunday

On Saturday night Rick decided that we would run about 40 miles overnight closer to home and catch yellowtail. That way we'd have about 6 hours of fishing rather than 2 had we stayed at 130 miles before we'd have to leave. Plus, a mixed bag would be nice. So, we went paddy hoppin and got into the yellows pretty good. I missed one and hooked one on the 900XL/400S. Holy smokes, those fish can pull. I hooked this yellowtail and it TOOK OFF. Made it's first run, paused, I got one crank on it and it made another run. It stopped and I got two or three cranks on it but didn't really move it and it took off again. My spool was down to like 50 yards and Tommy comes over and says, "need a little line?" I replied, "Dude, this is a full spool!" After that he stood next to me... I finally turned it and short stroked another solid yellow to the boat.

So, that' just about it. I ended up with 7 albies and 2 yellows. I should've had more albies, but between my not getting bit on bait and the fish not sticking on the leadhead and a couple getting sawed off I was a little hurt. It was cool though, I've got no shortage of fish that's for sure. The one thing I learned is that tuna fishing is WAY more aggressive than just calico fishing or whatever. On the first fish I caught on Friday, I got it on the slide and it took me across the stern. Tommy and Randy were both over there untangling lines from my line, cutting lines with the dikes, I had my dikes out cutting lines as I fought the fish, it was insane, but I didn't want to lose that fish cause it was my first one... If you're a pussy about getting your fish to the boat, it'll get sawed off. You literally have to force people to go over you or under you, or elbow your way around somebody if you want that fish. It was kinda fun. Here's the pictography-

Full sacks
http://www.calfishing.com/dcforum/User_files/3b41365d61299b91.jpg

Purty ain't they?
http://www.calfishing.com/dcforum/User_files/3b41369461888b1c.jpg

Red Dex!!! (this is after the ONE WFO stop)
http://www.calfishing.com/dcforum/User_files/3b4136cc62033ae8.jpg

That yellow wasn't mellow
http://www.calfishing.com/dcforum/User_files/3b41375c632229a0.jpg

Another yeller
http://www.calfishing.com/dcforum/User_files/3b4137876374533f.jpg

The spoils
http://www.calfishing.com/dcforum/User_files/3b4137e464badf2e.jpg