Friday 8-24-01

Arrived in San Diego at 9:30am and loaded our gear onto the American Angler.

http://www.momentoffame.com/snapshot.html?id=8425

http://www.momentoffame.com/snapshot.html?id=8426


Picked up bait - large sardines and headed out of the harbor at 2:00pm.

http://www.momentoffame.com/snapshot.html?id=8424


We had a safety and fishing seminar with the captain and crew on the way out and a raffle for a custom Badfish rod after dinner.


Saturday 8-25-01

By morning we are still travelling south and the captain tells us that we are heading for Benitos islands.

We reach the area at 1:30pm and start trolling for yellow fin tuna until 7:30pm.

Final count at the end of the first day of fishing is 49 YFT ~ 20 pounds
I got 2 fish, one on the plastic and another trolling.

We head for Cedros island after dinner to make bait.
We fished for spanish macks and green back macs until 12:00 midnight.


Sunday 8-26-01

We trolled for yellow fin tuna and fished for yellowtail on Sunday at Benitos.

Very good fishing with 110 yellowtail caught by 10:00am. I landed 4 on bait and then get hooked up to a striped marlin on my 30 pound set up. After 10 or so minutes and numerous jumps the line finally breaks and big fish swims free. I managed another 4 yellowtail on the iron after lunch and then “hook and hand off” a fresh YT to our French cook Oliver and he reels in his first fish ever! Big smiles all around.

The fish boxes filled up quick.

http://www.momentoffame.com/snapshot.html?id=8432

Competing for the light and absurd tackle tourney, I catch a yellowfin tuna on my 12 pound bass set up. After 15 minutes or more Jim sinks the gaff into an 18 pound fish. This fish holds the first place position in the mini tourney until we get to the albacore grounds.

http://www.momentoffame.com/snapshot.html?id=8422

By dinner we had 269 yellowtail for the boat and a bunch more Yellowfin tuna.

http://www.momentoffame.com/snapshot.html?id=8418

Rat with a nice YT caught on 12 pound line.

http://www.momentoffame.com/snapshot.html?id=8421

Matt with a nice fish.

http://www.momentoffame.com/snapshot.html?id=8419

Deckhand Randy gets in on the action.

http://www.momentoffame.com/snapshot.html?id=8420

The Benitios boys make a house call and we send them home with a sixer of beer.

http://www.momentoffame.com/snapshot.html?id=8423

We head back to Cedros island after dinner to make bait one more time.


Monday 8-27-01

Fished for YT and YFT at Benitos until 10:30am. We then headed for the albacore and bluefin area 200 miles away.

Totals are now:

377 Yellowtail
186 Yellowfin tuna

Winding on new line.

http://www.momentoffame.com/snapshot.html?id=8427


Tuesday 8-28-01

We arrive at the area and fish for slug sized Albacore from 6:00am until 4:30pm.

Final count for the day:
105 Albacore ~ 37 pounds
2 Bluefin tuna ~ 41 pounds

I got 4 alby’s, one on the plastic and three more on bait.

http://www.momentoffame.com/snapshot.html?id=8417


Wednesday 8-29-01
We returned to San Diego at approx. 7:00am with a boat load of fish.

Starboard side

http://www.momentoffame.com/snapshot.html?id=8428

Port side

http://www.momentoffame.com/snapshot.html?id=8429

Piles on the port side

http://www.momentoffame.com/snapshot.html?id=8430

Piles on the starboard side

http://www.momentoffame.com/snapshot.html?id=8431


Unloaded our gear and fish, weighed in for the jackpot and packed the fish into ice chests for the ride home. I cut and bagged fish with a few buddies and sent them home with mass quantities of Yellowfin tuna, Yellowtail and Albacore. Life is good.

Thanks go out to Louis at Badfish and the captain and crew of the American Angler.

This was the best fishing trip I ever had.

Fish Counts - Long Range Trips
Last update Wed, Aug 29, 2001 6:45PM
AMERICAN ANGLER

Trip #31 From 8/24/2001 To 8/29/2001 with 27 anglers.
Location: Benitos Islands & Off Shore
Captain(s): Dan Sansome

SPECIES COUNT
ALBACORE 105
BLUEFIN 2
YELLOWFIN 186
YELLOWTAIL 377

1ST Place Jackpot: 37.4lb ALBACORE, LARRY MARTINEZ, PASADENA, CA
2ND Place Jackpot: 36.8lb ALBACORE, KENNY BYRD, TORRANCE, CA
3RD Place Jackpot: 36lb ALBACORE, DUNG PHAM, WESTMINSTER, CA


Sea Chaser
~~~~~~~
Dan