8/13 I'm in it to win it

[NoSlack]

When my good friend Loran turned 75 last weekend, I figured we should go out and do something he hasn't been able to in 65 years of offshore fishing here in San Diego.

First things first, get the old man hooked up. That happened 4 1/2 hours into the day.
http://www.bocapix.com/data/510/medium/4Marlin_1.jpg

15 minutes in, he's getting tired and has to sit down to rest the back.
http://www.bocapix.com/data/510/medium/4Marlin_2.jpg

25 minutes in we're at deep color.
http://www.bocapix.com/data/510/medium/4Marlin_3.jpg

30 minutes in, we accomplished our goal for the day. Got the old man his first marlin. Happy birthday buddy. Sorry about dumping the second fish. Yes we had a double going!
http://www.bocapix.com/data/524/medium/4Marlin_4.jpg

Boat: NoSlack
Date Aug. 13, 2005
Location: Top of the 9
Lure: Black & Purple Zuker

[Professor]

Congratulations to the skipper and the angler!

[DOGHOUSE26]

Congratulations Mike, a double no less! I bet at least one was on a No Slack Special Lure! I thought I was gaining ground, now it's more like one step forward, two steps back!

You're not going to make this easy!

By the way, where were you, off the Upper Nine or La Jolla?
Gee I guess I should read the captions!

Not a better feeling than helping someone catch their first marlin, memories for a lifetime!

[NoSlack]

The second fish was the exciting one for me. I had just come down on the deck after getting the auto pilot set and the boat moving away from Loran's fish. I reach over to clear the rod in the short corner when the second fish explodes on the jig, right in my face. What a rush to see a fish like that up close.

The fish did hit a home made jig. It was a large Bleeding Dorado feather, similar to the black & gold feathers I handed out at the BBQ.

Mike

[DOGHOUSE26]

Mike,

How many lines are you trolling, 2 3, or 4? Outriggers?

[NoSlack]

I was running 3 jigs, P&B zuker and a home made green HeadKnocker on the riggers with a pink down the middle. I also hade a big feather short in the corner incase we ran across some dorado.

On our last loop around the bank I reduced the speed from 8.2 to 7.8 to get some cleaner water out the back. I don't know if that helped, but I could see the jigs better in the clean water.

Mike

[yellowfin1]

Outstanding Mike,

You deserve it for taking the older gent out. What a great 75th birthday it must have been for him. I hope that when I'm 75 someone will take me fishing. Nice work. You really are da man!

Scott

[Professor]

Outstanding Mike,

You deserve it for taking the older gent out. What a great 75th birthday it must have been for him. I hope that when I'm 75 someone will take me fishing. Nice work. You really are da man!

Scott

Scott,

I'll take you fishing when your 75. I'll be about 100, but with our collective experience we should do ok.

[Dos Pelones]

Way to go No Slack!

[DOGHOUSE26]

Dos Pelones,

Now's the time for Ensenada, the stripers are thick below the Lower 500 and moving up the line ! Hopefully bringing some YFT with them!

[DOGHOUSE26]

Trying to make a move on the Leader Board , last Saturday 8-13 we headed south 30-50 miles looking to fill the yellowtail and Dorado classes and get back in the race; with all the tuna action out west we felt the paddies might be holding inside so we could limit out in the morning and still have time to catch the afternoon marlin bite inside the 182 or Nine Mile Bank, wherever they showed up Sat morning. Started @ the 425 at greylight, no life or paddies; headed 20nm. south down to the Hidden Bank and saw 3 separate birds heading west, nothing on the meter, no porpoise or other life, a complete desert! Stopped at 4 or so paddies for nothing but mini-macks.Turned west towards the 390 23nm. away; at 10.5 from it we saw 2 Dorado jumpers off the bow, headed over and my son Chris dropped a mini mack off the stern which led to a 26.8 female dorado in the fish hold. We headed west again and stopped 2nm later and hooked 4 YT and landed one 23#, I had a nice one which became tangled in the kelp; I asked Chris to back the boat up, get on the swimstep, cut the kelp off my line so I could retrieve the 25# YT sulking 30 feet below the kelp. Everything was going fine until Chris thought he was a gang banger in a knife fight; on the fourth swing I became detached. After a few choice words we headed past the 390 and got within 10nm of the 60 (which was dead) so we turned around and hit the same kelp 90 minutes later for 5 more tails up to 25.5#. We were 39nm. from the marlin action at the upper 9, 2.5 hours later I had just finished setting up the jigs and drop back mackeral rod, got back up on the bridge when Chris and his buddy see 3 tailers paralleling the boat on the port side. Our bow caster was not set up and in the stern racks so I turned the boat towards the fish and then one pops up behind the port short corner beeper lure and won't bite it. After 30 seconds (which seemed like minutes) I had Chris drop the mackeral back; he thumbed it until it was right next to the beeper and the fish would not switch! I then made the decision to cut the throttles and slow down so the mack might be more visable - NOT! The fish sinks out and then the starboard Mean Joe Green rigger goes off but doesn't stick even after I gun the throttle. I goose it and pull off a couple of times but they don't come back up and are gone. Nothing like Choking Under Pressure!

It was still a great day and we picked up a few points on the leader board but No Slack Mike's Marlin on Saturday took a little wind out of our sails! We are in good shape though as all we need is a marlin and a mako and we're right back up there. We might have missed our shot at the threshers but the albies are gone with the bluefin on their way out also. It should go down to the wire and it might take 500 points to get it done this year. These points are getting expensive, we paid $253 in fuel plus $50 in bait to earn our 133 points on Saturday. I have pics and weigh slips but I'm having trouble posting the pics; Chas is helping me work through it.

No fishing this weekend, we're taking our daughter up to Sonoma State to get set up for her first year of college which begins on Monday, I might need to tap her student loan for a little gas money in the next couple of months!

[Dos Pelones]

Good job! Good to see people in the hunt as we aren't.

Our boats at the Blackman yard getting some outdrive parts and while its there a new head gasket which leaked coolant ever so slightly and some rebuilt injectors too cause we are close to the 1000 hour mark on the 41p. 500 hours since we bought the boat last April and I have had 2 bellows failures in that time frame leading to saltwater intrusion and bearing and u-joint problems.

Every mechanic says he will do it right this time and the last guy who worked on it was an imbecile, blah, blah... I am just about out of mechanics to take it too. I hate outdrives and I really hate leaving them in a slip where even a pinhole leak can be a disaster cause it never drains.

Boat should be ready manana and then I have to make the call, Morro or Ensenada. We are paid up through September at the Coral but have a family camping trip to Pismo next week and if the weather is good, the fish are biting and there is bailt we will do Morro next week. Those are some big ifs for Morro, eh!

The other stuff is coming, but we aint caught no albacore this year and that hurts!

[Wizard]

Nice marlin Mike... good job! :)

[DOGHOUSE26]

Glenn, are you back? How was it?

[Wizard]

I'll post a full report on a new thread. Had a fantastic time.