6/10 - Offshore aboard The San Diego

Short:
We made a run 40miles west to hunt BFT
Boat Score (for 31) - 2 Bluefin Tuna (3 lost), 23 Yellowtail, 2 Bonito
My Bag - 1YT
Trolling Jig Strikes - 0

15 rental rods on deck

Beautiful skies but was rough and windy to very windy which made for a long uphill drive home.
Out - 5:30AM
In - 7PM

Story:
Booger was driving. Manning the decks were Andrew, Andrew, and Marco (with Doug on the grill and Ethan DH). I expected the ride out to be chillier than actual with a decent swell given the previous day runs offshore were cancelled due to wind.

Was nice and warm leaving Seaforth on-time with a mild chop developing mid-jetty. 3H later we stop on an active paddy. Drop in a nice belly-hooked swimmer for a hookup in under 30 seconds. Fathom20LW on a Calstar 270-8H made short work of this above average paddy yellow. Unfortunately, he inhaled my bait and my hook with it.

In the time it took to cutoff, retie and rebait, we had drifted a significant distance from the paddy (common theme) and our immediate action pretty much ceased. I typically carry 2 nearly identical 25lb setups to avoid this particular scenario. Given our intended target I had to forego the 2nd setup in lieu of the 100lb setup.

Unbeknownst to me this would be my only hookup of the day, reflecting later on the many pulled hooks or swinging hooksets on the paddys that I witnessed throughout the day (SMH). Interesting to note that Parker-Boy came blaring in and setup on the paddy, I mean RIGHT ON the freaking paddy; negating any possibility of resetting. Didn't see any bendos from them as we departed. I don't believe he was waved in, given an audible exchange later in the day pulling the same maneuver.

Wind 'em up and let's drive some more. Many Many paddys abound with nobody home. Wind starting to pickup close to noon, whitecaps forming in the early PM.

We say plenty of bird activity, but Bluefins being BFTs they dispersed once we got within casting distance. We eventually setup on a school that was metering around 150ft. One of the SD OGs (Art) that I've ridden with in the past gets to work using a 6oz sinker. A good 30-45min battle ensues and he's left with a sawed leader. Was definitely a good fish that took him around once with the help of the non-bearded Andrew. While this was being sorted, there was another hookup while I was fiddling with a 160g Sardine Flatfall. You guessed it, on a sinker rig.

This battle may have lasted all of 20-30mins, but would yield an 80lb Bluefin - 1st tuna ever he exclaimed...
Good info and coaching by the deckies - that's what happens when you listen to the experts !

Putter... Putter... Motor... Motor... Stop
Same deal, mixed up grade of fish somewhere 150-200ft below us. Our fellow Art is on again as is another angler using a 6xJr. Good fights which would both end in pulled hooks... I wisely switched to a 6oz sinker rig for this stop but was not able to muster a bite. Somewhere while all this was happening, a 40lb tuna hits the deck.

Putter... Putter... Motor... Motor... Paddy for a couple yellows was how the rest of the day would pan out.
Aside from the passengers puking going all day long, was a beautiful day to get out and see the dolphins, whales, and a 4ft blueshark that we spooked.

If you're heading offshore 3/4d, definitely bring:

1. 25lb flyline, 40lb, and 60lb setup.
2. 5 or 6oz sinkers rubberbanded to 40-80lb fluoro leaders
3. 140-160g flat-fall type jigs
4. 100-130g ColtSniper/Zakana jigs
5. 40lb JigStick - With the wind blowing and how super fast we came off the drift, I only casted a Stinger (3.4oz) SI a handful of times

 

The Good, Bad, and the Ugly

 

Tomorrow is looking ok down south, but supposed to start blowing again pretty good Sunday PM.
Headed west towards SCI, the wind is looking gnarly all weekend ...

 

Yes sir, mama bear is always stoked on fresh fish. My mom requests the collar and the head for some strange reason

Much appreciated.
Love fishing the YT, that’s for sure.
Family loves the taste and texture of YT and Mahi all day long. Tuna kinda wears on them after a quick minute. I have to be a bit selective on how I prepare for them; but they always ask for more “chicken” with the Dodo and Tail.