iclypso
11-26-2006, 12:54 PM
Well, last time we took the Bimini Twist out, we made it about 2 miles before the engine started to overheat. A new impeller and a week in the shop later, Dad and I launched out of O'side with the plan to run to La Jolla and look for a late season 'tail or two.
We got a later start than we hoped for, hitting the water at around 0700. There was a decent sized, long-period ground swell working and the sea was a little choppy due to an overnight and morning breeze that subsided as the day went on and the sun came out.
About 4 miles off the Carlsbad power plant we ran into a few big paddies and put the trollers out (1 silver and 1 green MyLure Dart feathers and a YoZuri crankbait). We picked up a few smallish bonita before we picked up and ran the remainder of the way to LJ.
The trollers went back in about 3 miles short of the hospital and it was about 15 minutes before we got the first knock down on the silver feather. The fight was classic YT: long first run and stubborn all the way in. That's why it was so surprising when it ended up being the biggest bonita I've seen in years...a complete toad, WELL above 10 lbs and one of 5 or 6 that size that we ended up catching. About 1030 in the morning we finally got a strike from the right kind and after a 10 minute fight and a fine gaff job from Pops, we had a 12-15lb YT in the kill bag.
We continued to pick up bonita until about 1200, including some of the thumb-smoking larger models. At one point we had a double header going and as I was bouncing mine into the boat a sea lion came halfway out of the water in pursuit. I'm convinced that the b**tard would have come into the cockpit if he was able; it was by far the most aggressive encounter I've ever had. I told Dad that he should get his fish in ASAP but sure enough the dawg grabbed the bonita at the boat and took about a hundred yards worth of line in the blink of an eye. The bonita was so large that the sea lion had to toss it back and forth in the air to tear it into smaller pieces, so what ensued went something like this: dog tosses fish, dad reels as fast as possible in hopes of getting the trolling lure back, dog grabs fish and takes line, dog tosses fish, dad reels...... Eventually something in the leader gives and, because of line stretch and the bend in the pole, the swivel comes flying back into the cockpit and hits dad in the square in the gut. All I can say is thank God it was only the swivel and no the entire lure that cam flying back and that the swivel didn't come back at eye level. Maybe we should have just cut the line but to sacrifice a trolling lure and 200 yds of line to a dog is infuriating. We put the trollers back out and watched the sea lion play with the carcass of the bonita for another 5 minutes.
We called it a day at about 1400 and started the 90 minute trek back up to O'side. What a beautiful day on the water: air temp around 70 deg, water was 65.5-66.0 and clean, blue. I mixed up a batch of beer batter that evening and I have to say that fish tacos are a perfect follow up to a Thanksgiving feast, plus I think the meal scored me some points with the new gf!
Hope you all get a chance to get out there before this storm comes in and turns over the water. Of course, I forgot the camera so the best I can to is give you a cellphone pic of the fish moments before it became fillets.
-Dan
http://momentoffame.com/photopost/data/505/medium/11-24-06_1329.jpg
We got a later start than we hoped for, hitting the water at around 0700. There was a decent sized, long-period ground swell working and the sea was a little choppy due to an overnight and morning breeze that subsided as the day went on and the sun came out.
About 4 miles off the Carlsbad power plant we ran into a few big paddies and put the trollers out (1 silver and 1 green MyLure Dart feathers and a YoZuri crankbait). We picked up a few smallish bonita before we picked up and ran the remainder of the way to LJ.
The trollers went back in about 3 miles short of the hospital and it was about 15 minutes before we got the first knock down on the silver feather. The fight was classic YT: long first run and stubborn all the way in. That's why it was so surprising when it ended up being the biggest bonita I've seen in years...a complete toad, WELL above 10 lbs and one of 5 or 6 that size that we ended up catching. About 1030 in the morning we finally got a strike from the right kind and after a 10 minute fight and a fine gaff job from Pops, we had a 12-15lb YT in the kill bag.
We continued to pick up bonita until about 1200, including some of the thumb-smoking larger models. At one point we had a double header going and as I was bouncing mine into the boat a sea lion came halfway out of the water in pursuit. I'm convinced that the b**tard would have come into the cockpit if he was able; it was by far the most aggressive encounter I've ever had. I told Dad that he should get his fish in ASAP but sure enough the dawg grabbed the bonita at the boat and took about a hundred yards worth of line in the blink of an eye. The bonita was so large that the sea lion had to toss it back and forth in the air to tear it into smaller pieces, so what ensued went something like this: dog tosses fish, dad reels as fast as possible in hopes of getting the trolling lure back, dog grabs fish and takes line, dog tosses fish, dad reels...... Eventually something in the leader gives and, because of line stretch and the bend in the pole, the swivel comes flying back into the cockpit and hits dad in the square in the gut. All I can say is thank God it was only the swivel and no the entire lure that cam flying back and that the swivel didn't come back at eye level. Maybe we should have just cut the line but to sacrifice a trolling lure and 200 yds of line to a dog is infuriating. We put the trollers back out and watched the sea lion play with the carcass of the bonita for another 5 minutes.
We called it a day at about 1400 and started the 90 minute trek back up to O'side. What a beautiful day on the water: air temp around 70 deg, water was 65.5-66.0 and clean, blue. I mixed up a batch of beer batter that evening and I have to say that fish tacos are a perfect follow up to a Thanksgiving feast, plus I think the meal scored me some points with the new gf!
Hope you all get a chance to get out there before this storm comes in and turns over the water. Of course, I forgot the camera so the best I can to is give you a cellphone pic of the fish moments before it became fillets.
-Dan
http://momentoffame.com/photopost/data/505/medium/11-24-06_1329.jpg