|
Grateful Starting off the day at the bottom end of things gave us the advantage of covering new territory. Not knowing what was off our bow kept the excitement level high. And it wasn't until around 10 o'clock that we found warmer water and sea life - feeling pretty confident that we were in the zone. After stopping on several different deals of fish, some cooperated and some did not... but lack of fish wasn't the issue! In the end we were very grateful for our 26 yellowfin tuna and beautiful weather. Today's picture stars Dave and Dave Samarin showing off their quality yellowfin. Before signing off, we would like to give a very special thanks to Mr. & Mrs. Samarin for putting together another successful year.
The End, The Family ETA 5:30am 3 spots on Sunday's 1.5 day trip and spots available on next Tuesdays 5 day |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Good position We had one more morning in the lee before having to move up. Today we spent our time making drifts yanking and cranking, scratching at yellows. After a rfun morning it was already time to start heading up the line in order to put ourselves in position for some tuna fishing for our last day - with fair local offshore reports, we are staying positive and keeping the faith. Turn off the wind, the boys |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Having enjoyed a beautiful night out of the wind, we woke up this morning with fish on the brain. With tough conditions and trying to be patient, we were able to focus, set the anchor down and get to work. A nice steady pace on yoyo jigs and fly line baits kept us busy til lunch giving us a nice start to our day on 16-25lb yellowtail. Making a short southerly afternoon scenery change, we were able to pick up some premium yellows to complete our day. Getting some of the sweat off, we are going to spend another night in the lee and hope to finish the job tomorrow. fingers crossed, the boys |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Time of day Leaving the dock with a good jump, we steamed down to our first destination of the trip in hopes of catching the afternoon bite. With excellent morning reports, we had high expectations of getting to work and using tags, but when we arrived after lunch, we were introduced to a totally different island. What was the morning hot spot, wasn't so hot in the afternoon - but after various anchor jobs and drifts we scraped up 47 good grade yellowtail. Spending the night in the lee and looking for a nice fresh start tomorrow. Keeping Out Of The Wind, the family |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Chasin Tuna Group returns Even though Mike Goldsmith and his gang didn't spend much time chasin tuna, they were fortunate to boat a beautiful grade/ quality Yellowtail. A gigantic thank you to Mike for organizing his annual charter and to Sarah Saraspe for her generous donations from Five Star Fish Processing. Pictured below are the jackpot winners and the whole limited load group dockside. First place : Mark Malone 40.6lb Yellowtail Second place: Jerry Levan 38.8lb Yellowtail Third place: Ray Guerrero 38.6lb Yellowtail
With Capt. Ray at the helm - David Samarin's James Hardware Gang is on their way to do what they do best - fish like gentlemen.... There are five spots on the 1.5 day trip departing next Sun Sept 5 (fishing Labor Day) and there are also a couple of spots on the following 5 day trip departing Sept. 7 sponsored by Bob's Sporting Goods. American Angler |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
ANOTHER DAY OF FUN IN THE LEE Today was our day to target the premium size fish and that's just what we did. We have been really blessed to have such a great fishery while we wait for something to change in the near future. The photos of the day are Mark & Mike, Ray and the AA famous Nate. We are having a nice dinner right now and wlll be heading home soon.
GOOD NIGHT AND HOPING FOR A GOOD RIDE UPHILL, The AA Gang |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
FINALLY LANDED ON THEM.. We have spent the last couple of days trying to catch something besides Yellowtail, at least in the beginning part of the trip, and let me tell you - it's not as easy as it seems. Yesterday we spent all day offshore in beautiful 67 degree blue water for a few very small Tuna and all you want on Hatchery infant Yellows. Today we started on the coast to try to catch a few Whiteseabass and only caught 2 of those. Well time to do some of that Skipper Stuff. This afternoon we had a blazing bite on Yellows to really get the trip started and calm everybody down with some fish (mainly the capt.). We had all grades from 14 to 35 lbs - tomorrow we are going to spend the day in the Lee and just fish! The photos of the day are Mark, Dennis and Jeff with the Seabass and a nice YT and of course Lloyd with the Choice Sizer that he picked up late in the day..
GOOD NIGHT, The AA gang |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Uesugi-Kimura - fantastic trip Nice yellowfin tuna trip, with yellowtail and a few other varieties thrown in including 4 wahoo and 3 of the tuna were over 100lbs. A huge thanks to George Uesugi and Russell Kimura for putting this trip together every year - it is always such a pleasure to see and spend time with this group. There were a few new members and looks like most of them will be back on this 7 day adventure next year - thanks everyone! Congrats to our jackpot winners and also pictured is a group of the whole gang in a bow shot, new to the group and sport, lady angler Tammie Ludington and regular lady angler to the trip - Michelle Uesugi, who put together a beautiful book of last year's trip which will be treasured by all who own one - thank you Michelle for all your hard work!! First place : Jimmy Lew 101 lb Yellowfin tuna Second place: Terry Kimura 100 lb Yellowfin tuna Third place: Wayne Nakaoka 76.5lb Yellowfin tuna Honorable Mention: Paul Oster 108 lb Yellowfin tuna
The 11th annual Chasin Tuna trip, organized by Mike Goldsmith, departed and we wish them a great trip! American Angler |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
TIMING IS EVERYTHING!!! Today we had a morning that anybody who has ever been Long Range fishing will remember for a long time. The fish started to bite around 0700 and didn't let up til well after lunch time. Just to give you an idea of the action, we kept 5 to as many as 13 bent rods going for hours and keep in mind this grade of fish takes a while to wind in on 40lb test. When all the smoke cleared and the day was done, our final tally on the board was 101 Yellowfin Tuna - all 50 to 60lbs and 3 of those were over 100lbs. The photos of the day are Terry with his 100lb Tuna, Russ & Andrew, Jimmy Lew & Nate and a shot of the Gang with what was today a busy bow for most of the day. We are on our way home with time to make a couple of stops here and there to break up the ride, Phase two is now complete....
GOOD NIGHT AND THANK YOU BABY JESUS!!! The AA Boyz |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
DECENT DAY OF FISHING We arrived at 0700 and started looking around. By 0800 we got the ground tackle down and in short order began to see sign of what we were looking for. The first couple of fish caught were Wahoo and then the Tuna started biting for a steady pick throughout the morning that tapered off by the mid afternoon. The photos of the day are Long Range expert (the one and only) Jimmy Lew and Dennis with his fishing buddy Tammie. We are going to give it another day here and start running up tomorrow night.
GOOD NIGHT, The AA gang |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
PHASE ONE COMPLETE!! We made the long run down to the Ridge to start our 7 day trip and arrived this morning in hopes of getting the group settled in to working together and maybe catching some fish in the process and after a few hours of Yanking and a Cranking, it was fun for all. The weather the last couple of days has been, may I say, Just Like Summer, flat calm and very warm out. The Yellows we caught were good grade ranging from 16 to 25 lbs, as shown by Andrew and Tammie with some of the bigger models that came aboard. We are heading outside for the next couple of days to try for trophies.
GOOD NIGHT AND WISH US LUCK, The AA Boyz |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
August Open returns The boat returned with a beautiful grade of Yellowtail and a group of super nice people that were some regulars and some new and all worked and played together like a well-oiled machine which really makes the trip a success for all. We want to thank everyone and look forward to seeing you again! Special note that the jackpot was swept by returning passengers on this trip, two of which are married. First place : John OBrien 42.6lbs YT Second place: Rose OBrien 40.2lbs YT Third place: Carleton George 39.6lbs YT
Uesugi-Kimura trip left on their 7 day adventure today - tune back in for reports. American Angler |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
ANOTHER DAY IN THE LEE We started at our Hot Spot and everything seemed to be right on schedule, with the first fish being hooked at 0545 am. We picked up 8 Yellowtail out of that rally and it just didn't seem the same as yesterday. After about a hour, it was time to go looking... cause that's what we do. Throughout the day we picked and scratched at those Premiums, stopping along the way to catch a few of the stock grade and when it was all over, what a nice day. The photos are some of the gang showing their bigger fish of the day. In a nut shell, this was our best big Yellowtail trip of the season Hands down. We are going to be running straight home from here with no time to play around tomorrow - so we are calling it a trip.
GOOD NIGHT AND WHAT A TRIP! The AA Gang |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
TODAY WAS OUR DAY With the weather up and the offshore scene not so nice, we are spending some time fishing in the Lee of an Island. We couldn't have asked for any better fishing then we had today and I don't mean because the Yellows were biting everything in sight, but to have the Quality of the fish to catch was a nice surprise. We started hooking these Big Grade Yellows just before daylight and kept 1 to 4 going til lunchtime and then got a hit in the late afternoon to close the day with one of the best Big Yellowtail bites of the season. The photos of the day are the OBrien team - Rose and John, Capt. Brian and Walter, and part of the gang showing off the Grade of these beautiful Yelllows. In the photo of Brian and Walter, Walter is using one of the Boat Loaner Tackle Rigs; Calstar rod with an Avet reel packed with some of Jerry Brown's spectra which was the rod of choice without a doubt. Kudos to Ben Frazier from Avet.
We have another day down here so we'll see if Lightning strikes twice for us, GOOD NIGHT AND LOVING THE LEE, The AA Gang |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
HEADED FOR THE LEE The wind is up just a little bit, so we made a run down to the Island to enjoy a little protection and some action for the begining part of the trip - we arrived in the late afternoon to some biting Yellows which got everybody used to working together. We are enjoying a nice dinner in the calm right now and looking forward to getting an early start in the morning. Good Night, The Gang |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Anglers Choice Trip Returns The boat returned with a nice catch of Yellowtail and not much to show for their offshore efforts on this five day trip. Thanks to Luc of Anglers Choice and Frank for representing. Hope to see everyone next year! First place : Eric Newby 36.4lbs YT Second place: Bill Patton 28.2lbs YT Third place: Bob Axel 25.2lbs YT
August five day on it's way, it was nice to see everyone! American Angler |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
SOME JUSTICE TODAY We have had a very interesting trip so far; the first couple of days was a lot of looking in a very big Ocean to find very little of what we wanted. Yesterday we ran down into some warmer water to find anything that would bite. We did find Kelps with a few Yellows on them, along with some small Yellowfin tuna and of course a couple of Dorado. Today we spent all day Jerking and a Pulling on Yellows - nice for the Troops to get busy with that - and the photo of the day is our Lady Angler, Allison, with one of her many yellowtail for the trip. We're not done yet, we are going to give it another try offshore in High Hopes that this Albacore may just be waiting for us tomorrow - because guess what, we are ready.
GOOD NIGHT, The Gang |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
GOOD WEATHER ANYWAY This offshore fishing has been tough; the last trip we saw a lot of fish that didn't want to bite and today we didn't see much at all. One thing is for sure, as we keep saying, the ocean changes everyday. We have very nice weather so we're going to take advantage of it and do some more looking tomorrow. GOOD NIGHT AND HIGH HOPES, The Gang |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
August One Open Home The boat returned with a nice catch of Yellowtail from the Island and a sample of offshore fish for this five day trip. Thanks to everyone on board this trip - regulars and newcomers! First place : Joe Ornelas 35.4lbs Albacore Second place: Dan Spiegel 34.2lbs Albacore Third place: Ron Hatada 33.8lbs Albacore
Anglers Choice 5 day headed out at noon with high hopes, American Angler |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
PLENTY OF FISH We put a lot of effort in getting back on this fish today and all I can say is we hope we're here when they decide to bite. It was mid afternoon when we got located and for several hours we were spinning on one spot to the next, most of the time for nothing and others when we either had a strike or hooked a fish on bait. We got a sample of Albacore, Yellowfin and also Bluefin for the group's effort this afternoon. The photo of the day is Rusty and also the school that his fish came from - so you see what we're looking at on our Fathometer. We are going to give a try tomorrow and keep are fingers crossed.
GOOD NIGHT, The Boyz |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
A FUN DAY IN THE SHALLOWS We arrived at our destination just after daylight and got right to work Yanking and a Cranking on Yellows. It was very good fishing for the morning and then they backed off for a few hours and again late in the day they wanted to get with it again - perfect end to a perferct day. I would like to say that even with the inconsistent offshore fishing we're experiencing, it's very nice to have an option on these 5 day trips. We are going back offshore for the next couple of days and Yes... we hope that it will be our day to shine! The photos of the day are Joe and who else, but the one and only Mr. Clark.
GOOD NIGHT AND HOW MANY YELLOWS DID YOU CATCH FROM YOUR COUCH? The AA Gang we had a couple of spots open up on next Wed. Aug 11 five day... |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
SAME OLD SONG AND DANCE Well today was another day of offshore fishing... being in the right water, being where the fish are and not being able to get these things to bite like we would like. It could be worse - if we didn't see anything at all, so there is Hope. We did skill up a couple of handfuls of Albacore for the day but as always, we wanted more. There is very good sign of Bluefin out here in a lot of different places that for now, act the same and don't bite. There is one thing for sure - when it does change, I want to be here. The photo of the day is our Buddy, Dan Speigel, with one of the fish picked up today and all of these fish were of the nice grade. We go fish the Beach tomorrow and take it from there.
GOOD NIGHT, The Gang |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Harry and Roger's Trip home A big thanks again to Harry Yamada and Roger Kuramoto for putting together their annual five day.....nice t shirts Roger! We always look forward to seeing this group every end of July. The boat had great yellowtail fishing and a sample of offshore species including a magnificent 126lb Opah pictured below. We have had enthusiastic feedback as to the flavor of the Opah and what incredible eating it is....this guy, however, is destined to a life of immortality thanks to Lyons and O'haver. We also have one more great story from this trip as narrated by Gary Teraoka.... " Thank Ray again for me as he recovered my rod and reel that accidentally went overboard with a yellowtail hooked to it. Good thing that big Tony was fishing where he was. I think my rod landed on one side of Tony's line and the yellowtail on the other side. Ray used Tony's hook to snag my outfit and retrieved it from the ocean. Ray had a suspicion that my line might be over Tony's line and asked Tony for his rod. Ray slowly reeled in Tony's bait and caught my line with Tony's hook. I used this reel during the rest of the trip and it worked fine. I took my Accurate BX500 reel apart tonight and found very little water in it. The bearings still look good and so all I did was clean and dry off the drag washers, dry out the side plate and will put the reel back together." Congrats to our jackpot winners! Both photos were taken by Bill Roecker - thank you. First place : Anthony Contreras 126.0lb Opah Second place: Ben Kawata 33.2lb Yellowtail Third place: Gordon Toguchi 28.8lb Yellowtail
The August 1 open is on it's way - check back to see if that offshore fishing down below is holding up... American Angler |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Planning We planned our trip to be in position for some albacore fishing on the last day of the trip because it has seemed like during the last week the best sign was within 130 miles from home. The reports have been pretty slow so the mind set of "It can only get better" came into play. We woke up with high hopes as the weather had laid down beautifully. We had a double jig strike at about eight in the morning and we thought that we would be on our way. Soon though, reality set in as we saw very little sign the rest of the day and what little sign we did see did not want to bite. We caught nothing else and as hard as it is to take, everyone aboard is a seasoned veteran and understands the hot and cold that goes along with fishing. On the bright side for the long range fleet, there was good sign of bluefin,albacore and a sprinkling of yellowfin tuna in the farther zone. That just goes to show how fast the ocean changes as just yesterday the mood was doom and gloom. We thoroughly enjoyed Roger Kuramoto, Harry Yamada and the rest of the gang as this is one of our mellowest bunch of fish killers. We are looking forward to next year seeing our regulars back and hoping that our first timers on this trip will become part of the annual group. Going Home, The Guys |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Taking A Break We had a choppy ride above the island last night so we ended up pointing up toward the beach. We spent the morning messing around for table fare before we took off offshore looking. We found streaky conditions and only one lone yellowtail for the afternoon but the weather came down and we had a nice ride out.It was nice taking the morning off from the offshore grind and putting some good eating fish aboard. More Looking Tomorrow, The Guys |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Not Free We arrived on the yellowtail grounds at daylight and it was already blowing about 15 kts. We saw excellent sign of yellows and they started biting right away. We had great fishing all day but paid for it by dealing with 15-30kt winds. Ben Kawata landed the day's largest yellowtail and Karyn Ott picked up one of today's two nice halibut.
Rolling Around, The Guys |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Stingy The offshore grounds continue to be very tough. Water conditions are very streaky but the killer is when we find good conditions there is no fish and or when we do finally find some they don't bite. We found a few kelps that had some good grade yellows and a token dorado. On the bright side there was an area of scattered albacore meter marks which was very encouraging except for the fact that it gave up only a few fatso's. In that same area we saw a couple of mystery marks that we have come to associate with the not so commonly caught opah. Last trip we had the very same style of mark and Chris hooked a fish on a jig only to have the hook straighten out on what we all assumed was an opah. Today we spun around and stopped on the same kind of mark and Tony Contreras hooked a mystery fish right away. After a short time our crews educated guesses were that the mystery fish hooked was indeed an opah. After about a half an hour the unmistakable pink sides came into view. Tony ended up landing an incredible 125lb opah on thirty pound line as this seemingly once in a lifetime catch seems to now become more common.
Mother Nature Can Be Frugal, The Guys |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Kens Custom Reels Home Thank you again to Ken Corwin for organizing this annual 5 day trip which always is a great group of people. The ocean only yielded a handful of fish offshore and they had outstanding fishing at the island. We'll see Ken and the guys again in Sept. for their limited load 6 day trip - look forward to it! Congrats to the winners - couple Jay Love and Lee Ann Sisson teamed up to dominate the jackpot and Zeke is in between representing the rest of Ken's guys. Jay also had a beautiful 25lb Dorado, not pictured.. First place : Jay Love 82.0lbs Bluefin Tuna Second place: Zeke Harloff 26.6lbs Albacore Third place: Lee Ann Sisson 25.4lbs Yellowtail
Harry and Roger's trip are on their way to offshore grounds, American Angler |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Tough Scratching We ran up the line in hopes of putting us in position to end the trip with a bang. We started out with the fleet and it took until lunch before we saw sign of fish. We had high hopes for a big hit but stops seemed few and far between. We had one decent stop where they were biting good for a few minutes but overall it was a pretty tough day for the whole fleet. We ended up the day with 39 hard earned albacore and it took a group of talented fisherman to manage those. We would like to thank Ken Corwin from Ken's Custom Reels for once again assembling a great group anchored by a core of regulars. Not only is this one of our more talented groups, they always seem to have a good time. The Potential Is Still There, The Guys ETA 6:15am |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Tough The offshore scene is pretty tough right now with sign of non biting bluefin and not much else. We washed the feathers all day long for one fish as we are basically traveling up to the local area. Larry Amboy caught the day's first fish and Doug Untiedt caught our first albacore of the trip. Just like the other day, the two pictured fish were the only ones of the day. There are many positives such as the sign of bigger bluefin 75-100lbers around, lots of clean water loaded with bait and the fact that things can only get better.
Scraping Them Up, The Guys |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Steady We arrived at the yellowtail zone before daylight, shut the boat down and waited to see what the day had in store for us. It was a pretty good omen that we caught our first couple of fish before even moving the boat - in the morning it was a picky bite where we kept 1-4 hooked but every time we moved we saw good sign of yellows. At lunchtime we had our first flurry with almost everyone with a line in the water had a fish on and throughout the afternoon there were several more times where that same thing happened. We took off in the late afternoon traveling to the area where we caught our one nice bluefin in hopes that there are a few more of those around. Fun, Fun, Fun The Guys |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
No Cooperation We decided to start the trip taking a different path down to the islands. The inside track has been covered so we figured that we would have nothing to lose by looking at new country. We saw decent water but very little sign of life. When we dropped into clean 65 degree water it seemed instantaneous that we saw a couple of feeding striped marlin. Our marlin expert Ken Corwin, of Ken's Custom Reels, showed off his skills by successfully baiting one of the fish. After entertaining the crowd with some acrobatic displays, he long released the fish and we were back under way. Our first fish of the trip was a nice yellow caught by one of our favorite new regulars, Marianne Harris. Jay Love also captured our first "local" exotic of the year, which was a nice dorado and both are assisted by the newest proud addition to our deck crew, Ryan Cavanaugh. Late in the day we got into an area of wild and non-responsive bluefin that refused to cooperate. The only exception to this, was our last stop when we slid into a nice area of jumping 75-100lb bluefin. Jay Love is pictured with his two loves, Lee Ann and an 82lb bluefin. Unfortunately today's pictures include the total days catch.
Looking Forward, The Guys |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Sport Chalet returns The guys had great fishing at Cedros and brought home a few specialties from their offshore travels along with a nice sample of the tuna swimming out there. Pictured along with the jackpot winners are regular veteran Tom Szczeblowski (who has been fishing the American Angler since it was built) along with newcomer Jerry Olsen, proudly displaying their beautiful Opah. Thanks everyone and look forward to seeing you next time! First place : Paul Martinez 32.4lbs Albacore Second place(tie): David Gross 31.4lbs Albacore Third place (tie): Bill Randall 31.4lbs Albacore
Ken's Custom Reels gang is on their way - American Angler |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Dumbfounded We started off in the same area where we saw good sign of fish the previous day. Driving around in the dark we saw a few albacore on the machines and our hopes were high. After daylight we saw a few meter marks but they refused to bite. At that time we saw plankton sign on the fathomed but an hour after daylight, it completely vanished. The fathomed was completely sterile and so was the ocean. With the exception of the ever-present-non-biting-small-bluefin-boilers, there was no sign. We were fishless all morning and most of the afternoon.It was so tough that Gary Samarin's blue shark(released) was going to be the internet picture of the day. At three in the afternoon, like a light switch, the fish came up and they were everywhere. We saw giant foamers the size of football fields in every direction, but for some reason they refused to bite. We would have fish jumping all around the boat right next to us and we were casting jigs and bait right in the middle and they would not bite. We also saw balls of albacore that on most normal days had been one stop shopping, but today we were hard pressed to hook a few bait fish. It was great sign of fish but poor fishing. Father son team Bob and Nathan Hunt show off the last fish landed of the trip. Brad Lemoine and Sport Chalet once again proved to be the ultimate hosts and with a great core of regulars, it made for a fun trip.
They Will Bite Someday, The Guys |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Where Did They Go? We made the long run up to the offshore grounds in hopes of catching albacore and bluefin. After yesterday's good fishing we thought that we were in step to be in position on the grounds for the afternoon bite. The previous day the fish came up and bit in the afternoon so when our guys were seeing sign of fish in the morning, we thought that we were in them. As it turns out, the albacore vanished by the time we got there and all that was showing were non-biting bluefin. We caught a couple of handfuls of fish but we have high hopes for tommorrow. Gary Samarin caught a nice bluefin and Tom Szczeblowski & Jerry Olsen picked up a pair of opah in one of our last stops of the day.
We Need To Stumble On Them, The Guys |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Whew We arrived at the yellowtail grounds around 7 in the morning. We started poking and prodding in a lot of the old honey holes for zero success. The reports from the previous days were marginal at best but we still had to see for ourselves as we looked over some of the areas where we have had recent success. After seeing no sign, we started looking in different zones where we have had good fishing before. It is now eleven in the morning and we have covered half the area, still skunked, and so as one could imagine, the anxiety and stress level was red line. We were cruising and saw one fish puddle... went that direction and the whole world lit up. We stopped and never moved as we absolutely clobbered a nice grade of yellowtail. There was many times when the whole boat was bent over and many passengers said that this was the best yellowtail bite that they have ever seen. We wrapped it up after being stopped for a handful of hours and are headed back up the line. Getting Lucky, The Guys | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Where Are They Going To Be Tomorrow The ocean is changing fast, as there are strips of water moving in all different directions. For example, where we fished two days ago in 64 degree water it is now almost 66 degrees. With this rapid change in the ocean it is even harder to keep track of the fish - so thankfully we had the help of four other boats to find signs of life. Once we were semi-located, we had decent action but never had a stop for more than ten fish. We scratched about 60 fish but saw the potential for many more. We are currently rolling down the line for a day of yellowtail fishing and will utilize the last few days of the trip for offshore exploration. The More We Do This, The More We Realize How Much We Don't Know, The Guys |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Crystal Pier The gang came home with plenty of fish for their various preparations....Bluefin, Albacore and Yellowtail. Joey will have jars ready soon, some will be smoking belly and a few yellowtail went out for a big birthday dinner this weekend - happy birthday Ken! A huge thanks to Jim Bostian for knocking himself out once again to come up with great prizes and always new gags onboard. Check out jackpot winners below and Jim's grandson, Dylan, showing one of his best YT of the trip. Also pictured is Valerie Otera showing us a sample of her catch (pic courtesy of Bill Roecker) and we were surprised with new office staff today. First place : Bob Williams 35.8lb Albacore Second place: Jim Bostian 35.4lb Albacore Third place: Ron Huges 34.6lb Albacore Honorable mention: Dylan Bagaline
The Sport Chalet 5 day is underway and ready to catch a few fish! Tune in tomorrow night. American Angler |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The Perfect Ending We spent the last day of the trip on the offshore grounds hoping that we would get lucky and end the trip with some action. We were stoked when we had a stop for 28 fish right out of the gate and continued to pick for a few more hours before the fish stopped biting. We had fun stop and go fishing with bait fish and all the fun adrenaline rushes that goes along with albacore fishing. Dylan Bagaline shows off his fishing skills with two fish out of the same stop which would make his Uncle Bub (Owner/Operator Ryan Bostian of the San Diego) and the rest of his family proud. This trip, sponsored by Crystal Pier, is definitely one of a kind. This limited load group has the casual, kickback attitude that really gets to work when the fish are biting. Led by our fearless leader, Jim Bostian, also doubles as the waiter, deckhand, restroom attendant,and every other job that happens on this boat (if he had his license I could take next year's trip off). This is one of the standout trips on our schedule.
Already Looking Forward To Next Years Trip, The Guys |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Things Are Moving We fished offshore today and were blessed with decent working conditions. Once again, we saw good sign of blue fin tuna but they continued to be very picky. We ran up to where there were a few albacore being caught and had a few short stops. We ended up with 23 mixed tuna fish and hope to catch a few more tomorrow. We talked about the water changing fast and today was no exception. Although today's water temp had a lot to do with solar warming and not much wind, we saw some 65 degree water with plenty of 64 degree water around. Right now it can be tough to put a catch together because it seems like the fish are never in the same spot from one day to another. For those of you going sport fishing in the near future we wouldn't worry because fishing can only get better; water conditions are getting better all the time, we see plenty of fish and it is only a matter of time before they start biting better. Bob Williams shows off the day's biggest albacore and Pat Graber had the hot hand today, proudly displaying part of her catch.
Keeping It Real, The Guys |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The Picture Says It All After driving around the ocean all day long and finding fish that wouldn't bite, it was time for a change of scenery. We had an incredible downhill ride to the island and awoke to grease calm conditions. We started scratching right away and enjoyed steady fishing all day long. It didn't seem to matter whether you liked to fish bait or artificials as all techniques were equally effective. Everybody had a great time and we finished off the afternoon with one of the most epic and crazy bites that most on board have ever scene.
Good Weather, Good Fishing, Good Times, The Guys |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
High Hopes We had very high expectations after we heard about the good albacore fishing that was had the previous day. We got into the zone shortly after daylight and got on a decent school of blue fin but only managed three fish out of it. After that the search was on and it never ended until dark. Along the way we saw a few kelps with yellows, small spots of jumping tuna, and some pretty decent sized spots of blue fin. The yellows on kelps were nice grade and it seems like the cyclical 2 or 3 weeks of good grade yellow tail fishing is about ready to start. The jumping spots of tuna produced only a few albacore and alot of anxiety as we watched them boil on their own bait right next to the boat. The decent spots of bluefin were no different as they acted like "bluefin" and were very hard to hook. Adam Jonas provides a smile with one of today's bluefin and experienced angler Dylan Bagaline gets the assist from crew member Jim Bostian with a sample of today,s yellow. The water is moving around very fast and things are changing more quickly than we have seen so far this year. Hopefully,it will move the fish into local range soon
There Is Never Enough, The Guys |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Visual sign First and foremost, we were blessed with some of the best weather we have experienced offshore this year. We started where the best local albacore fishing has taken place the last few days. With great weather and an eager group, we started to see sign instantly and stayed busy all day sliding on puddling fish and picking shear waters. With such great sign of fish, one would think that numbers for the day would be higher, but instead we looked at more fish than we caught. Our efforts did reward us with 42 beautiful grade albacore. Enjoying the weather, the guys PS. we would like to thank Mike and the boys of bobs sporting goods for another great trip! ETA 7:15 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Right place at the right time!! Having caught fish in such a large area yesterday, made deciding where to start in the morning tough. We drove around in the dark and covered a lot of water and found where we needed to be and with biting fish. Running and gunning from spot to spot of jumping fish and shear-water birds we were fortunate to capitalize early. Having a nice morning we were still able to pick away all afternoon and end up with smiles and high-fives. In today's shots we have father-daughter team and three generations of family showing off their nice catch
Good Fishing, The Boys |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Congratulations to Edward Franceschi, jackpot winner, for his 34lb Albacore and thanks to all on this Salas trip - looks like we'll have a lot of repeat offenders for next year's trip. Check back Sunday night for a report on the day's fishing for the anglers on this BSG trip. Thanks to Scott Okamura for the amazing Kalbi!!! American Angler |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Visual Today we started our trip on the local offshore grounds in hopes of locating the elusive albacore. At first light, we instantly took advantage of the beautiful flat calm weather and got to work with the binoculars. Having to sacrifice a few morning hours to get them dialed in, we then did not have to go far before seeing small spots of jumping fish. With some spots cooperating and some not, we managed to piece a day together. Seeing encouraging sign throughout the day gives us high hopes for tomorrow. Today's picture stars owner of Salas Lures, Mr. Matt Salas, showing off the first fish of the day.
enjoying the weather, the boys |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
4 day open This trip returned with many new passengers - thank you for coming fishing on the American Angler. They had beautiful 30lb average bluefin tuna scattered all over the dock and these tuna were in prime condition - they looked like they were still swimming in the ocean. Hope everyone is enjoying some sashimi, seared bluefin or even on the bbque tonight!! Congrats to our jackpot winners and also pictured is Jennifer Calissi showing us a sample of her catch. First place : David Karlin(w/son Mitchell) 38.2lb Bluefin Second place: Donavan Dsouza 37.6lb Bluefin Third place: Richard Dsouza(Uncle) 34.0lb Bluefin
GOOD NIGHT, The AA Gang |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
ROLLING UP THE LINE We split the difference and fished on the way home finding several spots of Not-So-Eager-To-Bite Bluefin. Some of the spots had plenty of meat in them and others just a few fish, however it didn't make a difference because we caught the same amount of fish out of each. We ended up with a few handfuls for the effort and now it is time to go home. We had a great trip on these Bluefin Tuna and the weather was just like you want it. We would like to thank all of the gang for coming out with us and especially all of the Newcomers for giving the American Angler a try. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, Your Crew, Sam, Ray, Taro, Cam, Jordan, Paul and Greg ETA 0800 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
IT'S GOOD TO BE LUCKY We had all the stars lined up for us this morning when we woke up. Right at daylight we got our first spot of fish and it was good fishing for Bluefin tuna; throughout the morning and into the afternoon it was steady fishing from spot to spot with better luck on some than others. We have had very nice weather along with our nice fishing and looks like tomorrow's forecast is in our favor again, so we have to work up the line and hope for some more good luck.
GOOD NIGHT, The AA Gang |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY We didn't have any fireworks tonight but did finally bump into a little sign of what we are looking for in the offshore area. We got stopped short in a zone with some fish that didn't want to bite too well and then late in the day we got on some that did want to play for us. We are going to give this a shot tomorrow and hope for the best!
HAVE A GOOD NIGHT, The AA Crew |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Here is a video clip from the Shaker Tour trip courtesy of Jack Purtell - Thanks Jack!! Click here for the video Happy 4th Everyone |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The trip returned 6:15am with a disappointing ending to be sure. One albacore caught and rough weather was the story for this 1.5 day trip who has seen bountiful fishing in the past five years. The weather is supposed to be nicer for the upcoming 4 day trip departing today - check back tomorrow night. Happy 4th of July Everyone! |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
A big thanks to Jackie Larkin of Randall Lamb for putting together this charter - it was great meeting and having new anglers on board the American Angler. We appreciate it! Annual 4th of July trip departing this afternoon with lots of regulars and their friends and families... American Angler |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Down After the decent albacore fishing we had last trip, we were ready to do it again. We woke up to another beautiful light wind morning and witnessed one of the charter boats getting a triple jig strike and 5 bait fish. We Didn't think twice about it as we figured we would be enjoying steady strikes throughout the day. Little did we know that one blind jig strike for three fish would be it (pictured is Lincoln Banks, John Schultz, and Jeff Benson). We were fortunate enough to find an area of bluefin boilers in the afternoon where we could at least stop the boat and fish. We saw plenty, but they acted like "bluefin" and most of the spots did not want to bite. We ended up with 16 bluefin for the afternoon and each one that came over the rail was greatly appreciated. It is weird to find out that the albacore was down in the lower area as well and once again it is more than coincidental that when they are down, they are down everywhere.
Coming Back Up Soon, The Guys |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Let's Get The Ball Rolling We have the pleasure of taking out one of our regular charter groups from the Curtis Rosenthal group led by their charter head Bob Hara. When we left the dock, the local day and a half zone was pretty scratchy. Our goal was an honest one fish per rod and that would make us happy. The signs were in our favor when we awoke to the best weather that we have had in three weeks. Our first stop right out of the gate was almost too good - it wasn't completely light and the fish were biting which made it hard to follow our lines. We lost a few fish due to crossed lines, but it would have been impossible not to have. We had a couple of decent stops in the morning which set the standard for the rest of the day. There was some slow periods throughout the day - but all in all, it was steady action. We ended up the day with 78 albacore and one opah. Bernie Caughlin was the only one to hook up on one stop. When we shut down on a meter mark, right away we knew it was a better fish and after a few times around the boat - we finally saw the orange glow and boated Bernie's 115 pound opah. Check out photos courtesy of Bob Hara
The Local Fish Are Here, The Guys |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Recipes Eating your catch, sharing it with family and friends and "living off the land (or living out of the ocean in this case)" is a very satisfying feeling. After asking fishermen to share their favorite albacore preparation - thank you for your responses! Check out some of your fellow angler's recipes: Albacore Enchiladas 1 lb. fresh albacore cut int 1: steaks 24 corn tortillas 27 oz. can enchilida sauce 4 C Jack and Cheddar cheese mixed Sear albacore 1 minute on each side-keep raw in the middle heat tortillas in small amount of oil until they are hot spray a 9 x 13 pan with a non stick spray ladle some of the sauce into the pan until the bottom is covered arrange 8 tortillas in the pan and cover with sauce arranage part of the albacore steaks in the pan and cover with part of the mixed cheese repeat the steps 2 more times cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes Serves 8 *compliments of Bill Casper Recently marinating last year’s albi with olive oil + sesame oil+ garlic powder and sea salt for a couple hours and throwing it on the grill. Seems to keep it real moist and tastes great *compliments of Pete Hanson Although we like eating it raw with a little wasabe, sticky rice, tobiko (flying fish roe) and a little finely chopped baby chives after freezing it for 24hr. of coarse to rid any possible parasites. (Albacore or blue fin belly is the bomb) But my favorite way to prepare Albacore is in the smoker I usually cut the fillets into 1 to 2 lb. chubs wrapped in cheese cloth marinated in either teriyaki or just slightly salted and black pepper and hang it in my smoker with my special mix of smoldering oak chips mesquite and pine cone chips for about an hour. Try to keep the temp as low as possible, the fish come out firm and delicious and freezes extremely well, My family sometimes mistakes it for smoked turkey breast around Thanksgiving time it come out so moist its unbelievable! *compliments of Jess George Thai Albacore w/ soy-ginger butter: marinade: 1 TB fish sauce 1 TB fresh lime juice 1 TB granulated sugar 1 tsp red thai curry paste 1/4 tsp asian sesame oil 4 alb stks - 6oz, 1" thick veg oil butter: 4 TB unsalted butter 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger 1 tsp soy sauce marinade: whisk together the marinade ingred. coat both sides of tuna stks with marinade. cover with plastic wrap and refrig. for 15-30 min. lightly brush or spray both sides of stks with veg oil. grill over direct med heat until opaque throughout and firm to touch. 8-10 mn, turning once 1/2 way thru grilling. meanwhile - make butter: melt butter and add ginger and soy sauce. stir to blen - cook 20-30 sec. Remove stks from grill and serve warm with sauce. It works even better after the fish has been in the freezer for 6 months as it eliminates that fishy taste! *compliments of Dan Steinke fresh squeezed lemon juice couple bay leaves oregano(kind sold in baggy) couple garlic cloves finely chopped fresh pepper refrigerate 2 hours 2 cups quality olive oil - add to marinade add albacore loins and marinade - no more than 30 minutes bbque not directly on flame apple/cherry wood if works for your bbque *compliments of David Anderman Standard/traditional albie bbque recipes that are easy and quick to prep: Marinade albacore steaks in good seasons italian dressing 1-2 hours and bbque & Marinade albacore steaks in teriyaki sauce for 1 hour, wrap in raw bacon, skewer and bbque both marinades amazingly complimentary to albacore Thanks for the preps guys - keep them coming to help us bbque our way through the summer and do this albacore justice!! Enjoy! American Angler |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Shaker Tour Home The boat returned from a very productive 5 day trip - with plenty of albacore for everyone's bbque and a beautiful catch of yellowtail. If anyone has an albacore recipe they'd be willing to share - email it to the office (office@americananglersportfishing.com) to be posted. People are always looking for new and delicious ways to prepare this fish other than the old stand by: teriyaki wrapped in bacon (which adorned a few bbques tonight and is a good tradition - but trying something different is fun) A huge thanks to our webmaster and chartermaster, Barry Gambarana, for hosting and organizing another successful Shaker Tour, & to Paul Pangburn for bringing a delicious pork shoulder to share and to all the passengers on board for coming fishing on this trip. The topper for this trip was having 4 lovely ladies on board - thank you for bringing a softer side to this past 5 days! Hope to see you all next year... Check out jackpot winners and Tiburon rep, Skip Stenbro, with his lovely lady, Melanie Kito of Fish Junkie and Pink Fishing: First place : Skip Stenbro 70.0lb Bluefin Second place: Jesse Imai 36.4lb Albacore Third place: Gerald Gaughen 36.2lb Albacore
The boat departed early for Bob Hara's 1.5 day trip - tune in tomorrow night. American Angler |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Fatso Frenzy We arrived on the offshore grounds right after breakfast. It was a blessing to get a short reprieve from wet windows and whitecaps (only until the afternoon) and fish in a pleasant 12 kts of breeze. As soon as we crossed into the right water we spun on a meter mark and the albacore instantly jumped on the jigs. By the time I located my pliers and walked to the ladder everyone on the boat had one on and they were showing right under the scuppers. We could talk about it for many paragraphs, but to sum it up - we clobbered them. Skip Stenbro caught the one standout bluefin of the day that weighed 70lbs.
Back On Them, The Guys A spot on Sunday's 1.5 day trip (early departure) and we're almost out of July 5 day spots....call the office 619 223 5414! |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Nail Biter After catching only a handful of fish yesterday, passengers and crew were all ready and waiting to put some fish on the boat. We started at some traditional yellowtail hot spots for no sign. By 9 in the morning the comments like "It's okay we're having a good time anyway" or "We know you're trying your best" were starting to circulate around the deck. Although we appreciate such considerate comments, we all know deep down inside we just want to catch them. As luck would have it we were fortunate and ended up landing on them at the right place and the right time. We stomped the yellowtail as we kept very busy for several hours. At times we had over half the boat hooked up and there were sheets of yellows swimming in the water. We threw in the towel early so we can cover some ground and move up to the tuna grounds. Taking Spray Again, The Guys We have a couple of spots on upcoming 5 days in July - call the office to see if we have a date that fits your schedule... |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Short Lived We traveled down today in good weather knowing that we would have to find good water before we caught fish. It took the better part of the day to find the right water temp, but once we did we saw fish instantly. We hooked and landed 4 albacore out of our first stop and spent the next half hour seeing fish on a regular basis. We were very excited, feeling that a good stop was right around the corner. Unfortunately, it never materialized as once again the mysteries of the ocean took over and the sign of fish disappeared, but we succeeded in making the vast ocean a little smaller by figuring out where some good water lays for some possible future good fishing. Our first nice albacore honor went to Barbara Holmes and our first bluefin went to Marianne Harris.
Looking For Action Tommorrow, The Guys |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Zuker/Old School Stiks trip returns This annual 7 day trip returned this morning early with a bountiful load of Yellowfin tuna and Yellowtail. They had great fishing at the Rocks and at their island stop on the way home. We welcome back Danny Kadota after a brief absence - everyone was excited to see him on the trip along with Zuker. Thanks to both sponsors for their generosity and sunny dispositions. Sounds like we'll be seeing most of you guys back next year - thank you! Check out jackpot winners and our fearless leaders of the trip: First place : Tony Valenzuela 113.5lbs YFT Second place: Joe Park 110.0lbs YFT Third place: Brian Clemente 88.0lbs YFT Honorable Mention: Rick Kramer 65.0lbs Yellowtail
The boat departed early with Barry and his shaker tour - have fun guys. American Angler |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
A Good Time We are running up the line today looking back on the trip and realizing that we made the most of what we had to work with. We were faced with a lot of wind and some pretty nasty sea conditions but everyone stuck with it and had a good time. We enjoyed good fishing and never once did the tough weather conditions put a damper on our spirits. John Lloyd from Zuker lures was once again at his best, telling stories, helping with the kite and keeping everybody smiling. Dan Kadota was trying out his new line of fishing rods and they proved that they are the real deal as he put them to the test on nice tuna and yellows. His rods are called "Old School Guy Stiks" and they can be seen on Black Rock Tackle.com. Next year's trip is going to be extended another day and we are looking forward to having most of our regulars come back. Going Home, The Guys ETA 5:30am |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Paying The Price We arrived at the yellowtail grounds about 9 in the morning and after a long and choppy ride we were looking forward to fishing in semi calm waters. We were not disappointed with the weather or the fishing - fishing was action-packed winding and grinding, whether it was the surface plug, yo yo or traditional fly line bait... it was on. We were done in a handful of hours, as everyone's yellowtail appetite was satiated. It Was Worth The Price, The Guys Happy Fathers Day |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Lucky We pulled the anchor right before daylight and started looking around. We saw a ball of tuna on the machines and dropped the anchor in hopes of hanging. Lucky for us the anchor held (despite the 20 kts of wind) and the fish got on us right away. We enjoyed steady fishing and everybody that wanted another fish got one. We pulled the anchor mid morning to start running up for a change of scenery and gave ourselves ample time because of the the high winds and nasty sea conditions. Rick Kramer got the big fish of the morning with a 90 something pound fish caught on a blue and white salas 7xjr.
Taking Them Over The House, The Guys |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Fun While It Lasted Throughout the night we enjoyed a nice ride on the anchor and were looking forward to an enjoyable day at the Rocks. Unfortunately in the morning where we saw sign of fish there was no good bottom for holding anchor. Dragging anchor has to be one of the most frustrating things that a sportfishing captain can endure - we tried to set anchor the second time and lucky for us, we stuck. We eventually had the tuna fish get on us and from that point on, we were very busy. The first round of fish we hooked involved many fish that were more than 100lbs.. Unfortunately we lost several good ones close to the boat just because they were too big for the gear and conditions. By now the wind started to really cook in excess of 25kts and these 100lb plus type fish are too much for forty pound gear and choppy weather. Tony Valenzuela landed today's best with a 113.5lb tuna, Terry Snell has help lifting his 104lb fish from his son-in-law Mark Beach and Rick Kramer picked up his personal best, a 65lb yellowtail. We had good fishing with everybody getting a good one until the wind really started to gust and our anchor lost hold of the bottom.
Wind Wind Go Away Come Back Another Day, The Guys |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Relieved We bypassed the offshore thing yesterday and ran down to the stones in hopes that the fishing was still as good as our last trip and for the guys that were here in the interim. It took a while for the fish to get on us, but after a few more grey hairs they found us and stayed throughout the day. It was steady 1-4 hooked at a time and we ended up with 85 nice grade fish. Our standouts were Joe Park with his 110lb fish and Brian Clemente with a 90lb fish displayed with the help of Ray.
Praying For Fish, The Guys couple of spots on Sat July 17 & Tues July 27 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Catchy Tackle on dry land again Capt. Brian Kiyohara brought back this 8 day trip with a great selection of beautiful-looking fish. The gang had fun and lots of return customers back next year, despite the difficult weather conditions this trip - so thank you for that everyone! There were two fish over 100lbs and a nice catch of YFTs, Yellowtail, Bluefin and Albacore- nice fresh fish. If you were lucky enough to have a sample of any of that yellowfin or bluefin sashimi style, think you'll agree that there is no finer food!! Thanks to Drew Grindley for sponsoring this trip, we appreciate your support. Pictured below are the jackpot winners and Wayne Martin/John Grindley - Catchy Tackle. Check out jackpot winners: First place : Joe Rubio 104 lbs YFT Second place: Dave O'Halloran 62.0lbs YFT Third place: Gary Sullivan(tied w/2nd) 62.0lbs YFT Honorable Mention#1: Louis Velazquez 50.0lbs Yellowtail Honorabale Mention#2: Dave Zeman(not pict.) 112 lbs YFT
The boat departed early with the Zuker and back-in-action-Danny Kadota with his Old School Guy's stik. This trip is fun to watch at the dock as these guys renew their friendships on this annual 7 day. Have a great time everyone! American Angler 2 spots on five day departing Sat. July 17 and 3 spots on five day departing Tues July 27..get out on the water with the Amercan Angler crew!! |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
More On The Way We traveled up the coast in hopes of getting on some offshore fish. The wind blew very hard for a couple of days which made it impossible to keep tabs on the fish, but with the help of our comrades we were able to get centrally located by lunch. We never saw any giant schools but we saw enough to keep us busy most of the afternoon. We had short stops on beautiful grade albacore and bluefin and in the early evening we had a group of fish stick with us that made for a nice long plunker drift. We ended up the day with close to 50 albacore and 40 bluefin which was the icing on the cake. We are once again blessed with a great group of individuals led by John and Drew Grindley and Wayne Martin from Catchy Tackle. We have our normal group of familiar faces and a refreshing mix of first time American Anglers whom we hopefully converted. Captain Cam helps John Grindley pose with one of the average fish of the day.
Hopefully The Fish Come Pouring In, The Guys Still one spot on Tues 22nd five day trip and two spots on Sat. July 17 five day trip - |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The Roots Today we moved up the line to put us in position to take a look at the offshore grounds tomorrow. We stopped and looked for yellowtail to break up the ride. It took us a little bit to figure out conditions, but once we did... it was game on. We had school grade 12-18lbers free swimming next to the boat biting fly-lined baits and every kind of jig that was thrown in the water. We did this for a little while and in order to only take what we need, we took off to put us in position for some offshore fishing. For myself and the rest of the crew, this kind of fishing never gets old. We all still like to go fishing locally and throw the surface plug and no matter how many times we see good yellowtail fishing, it still gets the juices flowing. Booger,Steve P.,Mikey and Ernie (The Local Guys) Would Be Proud, The Guys One spot on Tues June 22 5 day and a couple of spots on Sat July 17 5 day |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Well Deserved We almost didn't want to say it when we got up, but the weather was significantly better. We saw pretty much the same sign of fish that we have been seeing, but when we got situated the better weather condition helped. We immediately started hooking fish and enjoyed steady fishing the rest of the day. It wasn't stupid-type fishing, as one had to work at getting a bite which made it all the more gratifying when it all came together. We had 2-6 going all day on 30-60lb fish with a couple of standouts. Dave Zeman got big fish honors with one that weighed 112lbs and Dave Manning got one that weighed 80lbs(both Pictured). After getting beat up by the weather, we all deserved this great day and believe us when we say it was much appreciated.
May It Be Nice The Rest Of The Way, The Guys One spot on 5 day trip departing Tues June 22 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Tough Conditions Today we woke up from a sleepless night to find ripping west current and 18-28kts of NW wind. If anyone doesn't understand these conditions - believe us when we say that they are not good. We made the most of the situation because the fish were cooperating. We ended up with over 50 good sized tuna topped off with Joe Rubio's 104lb beauty(pictured). There were also some bonus yellowtail and some filler grade smaller tuna that went into the mix. The yellowtail department was led by Louis Velazquez who put his Catchy Tackle yo yo jig to work with several nice tuna and yellows including a 50lb trophy shown with Bobby Kiso who had the gaffing honors.
Hunkering Down For The Night, The Guys One spot on 5 day trip departing Tues June 22 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Working For It We arrived down to the Stones in the early afternoon. We saw pretty good sign of fish but it took us several anchor jobs to find the cooperative ones. Thankfully there was still some time left in the day to enjoy some steady scratch fishing. We caught a lot of fish in the 40-55lb class as well as smaller fish 18-30lbs. Our standout of the afternoon was bested by our own Uncle Bill Kuehl and with the help of Jordan they were able to pose with the beautiful 98lb yellowfin tuna. We had the breeze come up today and with the current going straight up into it we are really starting to roll around but we are happily making the best of it.
Being Patient - As Good Things Take Time, The Guys |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Things Change Up until yesterday there have been decent shots of albacore, as reports of good schools were the norm. Today was a different story as our two counterparts that were on scene at daylight saw very little sign of fish. Lucky for us the fish popped in the afternoon which coincided with our arrival. There were small spots of bluefin boilers up showing and we were able to pick a few off most of the spots. We were fortunate enough to use our limited time on the grounds to put 65 bft on the boat. Shown in today's picture is David O'halloran with the trip's toughest fish to catch (the first one). Between the three of us there were only three albacore caught as everyone's imagination was tested about the whereabouts of our longfinned quarry.
Keeping Us On Our Toes, The Guys |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Sport Chalet 8 day returns The boat backed in early with a beautiful catch of variety - Yellowfin tuna, Bluefin tuna, Albacore and Yellowtail - and enjoyed epic fishing along with the rest of the fleet this week. A big thanks to all the passengers on board and always in our corner, Brad Lemoine of Sport Chalet. We appreciate having the folks on board this great trip and everyone being in the spirit of catch and release for the later part of the trip. Thank you and....enjoy that sashimi and bbque!!! Pictured below are the jackpot winners - congrats guys! Photo credit to Bill Roecker - thank you Check out jackpot winners: First place : Joe Ferris 106.5lbs YFT Second place: David Klein 64.5lbs YFT Third place: Larry Knupp 60.0lbs YFT
The boat departed early with another 8 day trip - Catchy Tackle - have a great time everyone! Tune back in for progress! American Angler |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
LET EM GO Today was a little different program. One of the reasons we come out on these trip is to catch our share for the dinner table - but it is really cool when that table order is filled and we can educate the anglers how important it is to let a few fish go. We are on our way up the line now with still nice weather and scheduled to be in early Monday morning. The photos of the day are the fish having a good day.
GOOD NIGHT, The AA Gang PS One spot on June 15th 7 day and availability on 5 day departing Sat. July 17. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
IT'S A GREAT TIME TO BE A FISHERMAN!!! We rolled up from the Stones after a great day of fishing and we were just hoping to get a feel for the water and scratch at a few fish. When we arrived up in the 300 mile zone, we zigged and zagged a few miles and started to see a little bit of sign here and there. Late in the day things started to come together with a few Bluefin and a few Albacore. Around 5:00pm the ocean floated with those Fatso Albacore and we were in em... There really isn't much more to say... the weather is flat calm and the fishing was Epic. We are heading in to Cedros to play around and enjoy the Island before we head home.
GOOD NIGHT AND WE LIKE BEING LUCKY, The AA Boyz guys - had a cancellation on the Zuker trip departing Tues June 15 and there are spots on Sat. July 17 five day - come fishing! |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
LIVING THE GOOD LIFE I would have to say it didn't look right at daylight and yesterday's Hot spot was cold as Ice - well, it wouldn't be right if we didn't have to work for it, now would it? After having to do some of that Skipper stuff with a whole different day and current conditions, we hit it Big. By 8:30 in the a.m. it was 5 to 8 going on Yellowfin and Yellows for a few hours and we made Hay while the Sun was shining. The photos of the day are the Daves with one of their many fish today... nice Yellows, the Daves have been gettin' em on the 6x Salas. We are going to run back up and fish the Offshore scene tomorrow and take it from there.
GOOD NIGHT AFTER A DAY OF GREAT FISHING, The gang Just had a cancellation on the 7 day Zuker trip departing Tues June 15 - any takers??? Call the office 619 223 5414 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
JUST WHEN YOU THINK YOU GOT IT ALL FIGURED OUT ? Yesterday when we arrived, it was for the most part an afternoon-type of a day...and so today, guess what happened. Yep you got it - Morning time. We all thought and planned on the big push that never came late in the day. Go figure. Anyway, we had a good day on Yellowfin and Yellowtail regardless of what time during the day we caught them. The photos of the day are anglers Joe with the Jackpot of the trip so far and John(hey Robin!) & Leland with beautiful Yellows. We are going to hang tuff for another day and see what surprise we get in the morning.
GOOD NIGHT, The Sport Chalet Gang PS Still room on the Sport Chalet 5 day departing Sat July 17 - the offshore scene is officially happening guys! |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
STILL FLAT CALM FOR NOW We arrived here just before lunch and things were a little on the slow side, so we made the full tour down here and by mid afternoon things began to wake up and we had some fair scratch fishing before the sun went over the horizon. The photos of the day are Richard and Bill with some of the fish their fish of the day. We are just getting this trip started so we hope things get going early in the morning.
GOOD NIGHT FROM ALL OF US, The AA gang |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
NICE WEATHER, FINALLY! We left yesterday on our annual Sport Chalet 8 day and so today we spent most of the day traveling down the line, but did manage and make some stops and catch a few Bluefin and a couple handfuls of Early season Albacore to break up the ride. Tomorrow we will arrive at the Stones and get the party started. The weather is forecasted to be nice in the near future and we hope the fishing is as well. GOOD NIGHT, The Gang Couple of spots available on the July 12th and July 17th five day trips |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
A Boat Ride The 1.5 day returned this morning empty-handed and after offering the group a return visit, the guys set out for the season's first 8 day trip. Brad Lemoine (who sponsors this annual Sport Chalet opener) along with a gang of regulars and some new guys, were ready to take a break from their cell phones, laptops and civilization for a few days. Tune in for reports and have a great time guys! American Angler The cancellations on Spring slots are filled - but we do have a couple of spots open on trip #12 departing Mon. July 12 (the nearly-famous 5 day Crystal Pier Trip) and #13 departing Sat. July 17, (an open 5 day Sport Chalet sponsored trip). For details, call Lori in the office at 619 223 5414. Come fishing on the American Angler! |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
FISHING LOCAL WITH THE BOYZ WHILE THE WIND IS A BLOWING ON THE OUTSIDE We departed Friday night with Mike Naoe and the Bob's Sporting Goods Gang, the trip was scheduled to go down the beach but the weather didn't let us go past the Coronados this weekend. The fishing was better than I thought it would be - we spent just about all day Run and Gun type fishing on spots of Yellows with no shortage of fish that was for sure. The best fishing was in the morning - sometimes you wouldn't get anything and other times we got on a spot and caught up to a half a dozen fish. There were some Log Barracuda as well to pick up the slack times which made the day a little more exciting. All in all we made a nice day of it considering the Weather for the weekend and it was a buch of fun. Total tally for the day, 28 Yellowtail and 58 Cuda. Check these guys out!
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH. Sam, Brian, Cam, Bubbles, Taro, Paul, Greg and Lori. This upcoming Friday, we have an open 1.5 day trip with a few openings if you want a day of fun out on the ocean with the American Angler guys. Or if you're up for something a little longer - just had a cancellation on the 8 day that departs Sunday, May 30 and had one cancellation on the 7 day trip that departs Tues. June 15. Call the office for details!! |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Family Fishing Trip The family fishing trip was all about taking the kids fishing and to honor some of our country's finest Military personnel and their chidren. Seeing the enthusiasm and the smiles on the little guys face's reminds us of why we love our job. The kids are our future and already asking when they are going again. This group of fisherman are long time passenger's going all the way back to when we owned the Pacific Queen. I'll let the pictures below tell the story.
Let's Do it again!! The Guy's |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The Season Is Officially Underway For The American Angler The boat departed this evening for a one day charter - with a real family atmosphere; fathers & sons, grandfathers & sons, couples and good friends - all enjoying each other's company. Check back tonight to see if they caught a few fish along the way! We've been waiting for this day and it's finally here! American Angler Brian and Sam will be on Let's Talk Hook Up Sunday morning - tune in to 1090am. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
click this link to see the video |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Great Job Corey!! click this link to see the video |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
It is with sorrow, that we pass along the news that long time passenger and dear friend to the American Angler, Chuck Constable passed away. Chuck was a passionate fisherman that spent many days on the ocean doing what he loved to do. He was also a tireless mentor to many down here on the docks - always there for guys in their time of need. He was a beloved treasure to the the sportfishing world, and he will be missed by many fishermen. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Chuck's wife, Mary Joy, and family during this time of sadness. The family has suggested in lieu of flowers at his service, anyone wanting to, could make a donation to Friends of Rollo in his name (www.friendsofrollo.com)
Update on the boat - before we start running (first official trip will be May 14). After last year's super rebuild, at this last season's end, the boat was still in excellent shape mechanically and solid cosmetically. For boatwork this past month, we did however, have to keep up with the small maintainence items to keep the American Angler in the tip top shape it always is. Most won't notice any changes, but believe it, the boat is ready to run for another season without a flaw and we're chomping at the bit to get it started! Your American Angler Crew, Brian, Sam, Ray, Taro, Jordan, Cameron, Bobby, Paul, Greg and Nate |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Kens Custom Reels Returns The boat returned this morning with a nice ride up the last few days, which was a nice way to wrap things up. They unloaded their catch of midgrade tuna, mostly 75 - 125lbers with a standout 212lber and the few other species they caught to take home for consumption and for family and friends as well. Pictured below are the jackpot winners - congrats guys! A huge thanks to Ken Corwin, of Ken's Custom Reels for all his generous giveaways and he wanted to thank Calstar for their donation. Check out jackpot winners: First place : Ron Kaufman 212lbs YFT Second place: John Metcalf 191lbs YFT Third place: Dale Puett 143lbs YFT
That's it for a while, folks. Please come see us at the Long Beach Show which will be March 3 - March 7 in our usual location. We'll have Brian, Sam, Ray, Taro, Cameron and Bobby there to answer all your tackle questions for a trip you are already on or help you find the right trip to book - or just come by and say hi! Thanks for a wonderful season! American Angler |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
HOME TOMORROW We have had a very nice ride up the line the last few days which is a great way to end the trip. A huge thanks to Ken Corwin of Kens Custom Reels for being our sponsor and we'll see you in the morning. Thank you all so much, Your Crew, Sam, Ray, Taro, Bobby, Cam, Nate and Greg ETA 10:00am |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
END OF OUT TOUR We ended up on the beach the last couple of days to finish up the trip and things aren't what they used to be. Again we did the whole Lower Banks tour - each day we were there to only find some 50 to 60lb Tuna for the effort. We are now on our way up the line in nice traveling weather and the forecast looks to be in our favor, and we like that. I'll post the ETA in a couple of days for all the family folk until then... GOOD NIGHT, The Gang |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
IT'S A LONG WAY TO THE 17TH PARALLEL We have made the Full Tour down here to the Southern Zone and now it's time to gain some Latitude. The fishing has been fair with a few bigger ones and a mix of others and we are running up to spend the last part of our trip on the beach. The photo of the day is "Rain on the windows" - we have been in this Rain Cloud for over 200 miles for the last two days? As you can see, it is nice weather to travel in and we will be on the grounds day after tomorrow.
THAT'S ALL FOR NOW, OVER AND OUT! The Gang p.s. Papa says hi to Bailey and Kiki |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Checking In Due to poor fishing conditions and choppy weather - there is a lack of anything to report other than everyone is doing fine and looking forward to catching fish soon. The weather has come down nicely now and the guys will report soon. Thank you for your patience, The American Angler |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
DANIELLE, THE BOAT IS STILL FLOATING!! Well gang, we have been doing some looking on this trip - but you know how we roll, don't stop until you find fish. We have had good scratch fishing on 80 to 100 lb plus fish with a few bigger which will at least settle the jackpots for the time being. We still have a few more days to fish and all the gang is doing well, everybody is healthy and for the most part we have had good weather. I'll try to keep y'all up to date so you can call Lori and book your trip of a lifetime.
GOOD NIGHT, The Gang |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Avet Back from 14.5 day spectacular trip Capt. Brian Kiyohara brought back this 14.5 day trip with an unusual twist - there was a crowd to see the 3 over 300lbers hooked by one man, Charlie Iwashita. Thank you to all our passengers on this trip - this is a great cohesive group that fished, played cribbage and told stories together. Special thanks to Ben Frazier for his great give aways. Ben also wanted to pass along thanks to Mario of Sportsmen Seafood, Avet, Seeker, Matt Salas and Jerry Brown. Sounds like it will be a repeat next season - see you all then if not before! Pictured below are the jackpot winners, Sam & Galen showing a little brotherly love, legendary Ralph "The Long Ranger" Mikkelsen with his 272lb cow and a group picture without a couple of guys that had to take off. Sorry we didn't get you in there, Dennis Raj and John. Photo credit on the group photo goes to Marc Monforte, thank you! Check out jackpot winners: First place : Charlie Iwashita 322lbs (also had a 319lber) YFT Second place: Robin Lemaster 273lbs YFT Third place: Pat Gallagher 243lbs YFT Honorable Mention: Bobby Gott 311lbs YFT
The boat departs on the final trip of the season, appropriately with one of our favorites, Ken Corwin of Ken's Custom Reels. Check back with us in a couple of days for a report. American Angler |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Going Home As we are enjoying a nice up the line we would like to thank Ben Frazier, our sponsor and representative from Avet Reels and Seeker Rods for all his enthusiasm and the time he dedicated towards the trip. Harry and Sarkis from Avet reels generously provided many giveaways and Joe Pfister from Seeker Rods did the same. Also thanks to Matt Salas from Salas lures who also kicked into the generous prize package. Also, it has been our pleasure to once again work with Shawn Steward of the "Aloha Spirit" as he is the perfect compliment to the AA family. Most importantly this trip is what it is because of all the regulars who have made this their annual fishing get-together.
Looking Forward To Seeing Our Loved Ones, The Guys ETA 8 to 8:30am |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Just When You Think You Have Seen It All As far as a story goes, we think that it would be near impossible to conjure up one like this much less than to see it happen right before everyone's eyes. We have watched the tackle change over the years, been to many exotic places in search of yellowfin tuna, been on some of the great big tuna trips over the last 25 years and have witnessed countless epic battles, both won and lost but yesterday proved that we will never see it all. The story pretty much starts where yesterday left off.... We have been talking about Charlie every day on deck just because of the extraordinary display of selflessness we have been witness to throughout the trip. About a week ago after boating a few nice fish Charlie hooked another fish and passed it off to another fellow angler that was down on his luck without even thinking twice about it. While this angler was fighting that particular fish Charlie proceeded to hook and land a 322lb giant. Yesterday, you already know if you have been following the story - he boated a fish over 200 in the morning and for some unknown reason inside when he hooked another fish, he knew without thinking the right thing to do would be to help the last person aboard that had not yet landed a "heavy". That all ended up with the success story of Bobby Gene Gott landing an amazing 311lb fish. Charlie was as stoked as Bobby and we struggle to think of as many examples of good deeds that we have been fortunate enough to witness. That brings us to today which was also our last day of fishing. We woke up in the morning in the right place because it was shortly after greylight when we began to see fish gather around us. Even though they showed excellent both visually and on the fish finding equipment, the fish were very hard to hook. We picked away on good grade fish between 100 and 160 lbs. Because of yesterday's big fish, we all knew the next bait could be the "one", as the chance to hook a cow was as great as ever. It was about mid afternoon when you guessed it, Charlie hooked a fish on an Avet 50, big line,and a sardine. The fish kind of shook his head made a few short runs and then decided to go. It didn't take long once the fish made up its mind to empty the reel and we attached a buoy and an eighty sized reel filled with spectra and we threw the original rig in the water. A few minutes later, we realized that the fish was not stopping and we scrambled to grab another backup rig. This time it was our backup rig that was on its way to take a bath when we attached one of our 50w to another float rig. The fish still did not stop and we rushed to make another backup rig which came together right in the nick of time when our 50w was almost at the knot when we threw that one in the water attached to another 80 sized reel. The fish was amazingly still running and the line on the third backup was disappearing at a steady rate. Decision time. Do we pull the anchor and risk everybody else's chance at a shot to hook a cow, or do we throw another thousand dollar rig in the water when already there are three rigs swimming?? The whole time we have been keeping the rest of the fleet involved in our story when another "do good" event took place. After hearing about Charlie's previous exploits, Captain Justin Fleck of the mighty Excel volunteered to come over in their skiff to take part in the drama. When he arrived Charlie got in the skiff accompanied by Justin and Shawn Steward (he was unquestionably in good hands) and the battle continued. It wasn't long before they put the second backup aboard but that's when the work started. A 50w full of spectra took awhile to reel back and when they got to the original backup unbelievably the thing was still hauling butt. After winding on a full 80 sized reel and getting Charlie's original outfit aboard, the fish was still moving and very much alive. Keeping in radio contact and getting the blow by blow Justin and Shawn both described the fish simply as" mean". They got the fish close three times only to have it rip more line off the reel. Finally after 2 hours, they got the fish and started heading back to the boat. Right away everyone wanted to know - how big? When we asked, we got the simple reply of, maybe about 180 or so. We did our best to mask our disbelief with a simple "right on and have a safe trip back". Everyone on deck and everyone listening on the radio was questioning the truth behind it all and it was answered when they got back and we put the fish aboard the big boat. It was an emotional scene of exuberance when hoisted up on the scale this great fish weighed in at 319lbs. The three backups in the water, hooking three three hundred pound fish in one trip - all of which we have never seen before was amazing. The heart that this great fish possessed was bested only by the good karma that is involved with everyone that was involved. The generosity of Justin and the Excel to the unequaled moral values that Charlie has makes this the ultimate feel good story. If anyone out there in internet fishing land doesn't get the "do good things and good things will happen" business by now, you probably never will.
Always Trying To Do The Right Thing, The Guys |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Earthy Crunchy We have been told before that sometimes our do-good stories on our reports can be a little much. Once again Charlie Iwashita hooked a fish when bites were really hard to come by. He landed a 210lb fish which has topped off an already incredible trip for him. He took a break and a few baits later hooked another one and handed it off to Bobby Gene Gott. Bobby is an accomplished fisherman but due to bad knees and choppy weather he has been staying off his feet quite a bit. He got back on them right away when the fish spooled him and the backup rig was deployed. After a long epic battle, he boated an incredible 311lb fish. Charlie who not only has the upmost respect for his elders but has the compassion to go out of his way to help those in need, has compiled an enormous amount of brownie points. The overall day was frustrating as we had fish all around us throughout the day, but had trouble hooking them and we watched some of our other boats hook steady fish. We ended up with 7 good grade fish and the opportunity to hook a fish of a lifetime was realistic all day.
You Have To Believe, The Guys |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Lazy Days With the weather and swell finally backing off, we were looking forward to good fish-spotting weather. Unfortunately we could only find small spots of fish to work with which shows how fast things can change overnight. We scratched a few fish up to 120lbs with a little action on smaller fish. As a whole, the day was pretty relaxing as we enjoyed the nice weather.
Having A Good Time, The Guys One spot on Mon. Feb 1st 14.5 day trip |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Action We fought the weather once again as the wind and huge groundswell never seems to go away. We scratched away throughout the day but things didn't get right until the afternoon. Whether or not it was time of day or in the right place at the right time we had a great stop right before dark. There was plenty of action as bites were easy and fast to come by. After scratch fishing for cows this was just what the Doctor ordered. The boys are pictured with some of the fish after they got done gill and gutting all the fish. We thought we would try something new for all the passengers and our website viewers; here is a link to a slideshow of the Tiburon Sponsored trip in December. For all the passengers that were on the trip a DVD should arrive at your home in about a week. If you can not view the slideshow you need to download the Adobe Flash Player; here is the link to download the latest Adobe Flash Player. Download Adobe Flash Player Go to 2009 Tiburon Slide Show Tight Lines Barry
Looking For A weather Break The Guys |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Elements We have heard about the weather back home so we have to keep things in perspective. We have dodged the bullet thus far as we have enjoyed decent weather up to this point.Last night on the anchor we got tossed and turned like a rag doll.After a few good fish in the dark including one giant cow that was lost close to the boat (all on Salas PL 68's) daylight arrived upon us and we new it was going to be a long day. The sea condition was in turmoil as moving around was not going to be an option. We were lucky to have good fish around us all day so we were always in the game. Bites were hard to come by and once hooked these big fish had to be landed under some of the most extreme fish fighting conditions.Robin Le master did a great job landing a 273lb beast and Kub Ito's persistence paid off with a 210lb fish. We ended up with 10 good sized fish and throughout the day the wind clocked around from the south to the northwest. For those of you that have loved one's aboard with us don't picture the perfect storm as we always realize that there is not a fish that exists that is more important then one's personal well being. We pulled the anchor and are making a move looking for action and the traveling is not bad as the sea condition is getting better all the time. We thought we would try something new for all the passengers and our website viewers; here is a link to a slideshow of the Tiburon Sponsored trip in December. For all the passengers that were on the trip a DVD should arrive at your home in about a week. Go to 2009 Tiburon Slide Show Tight Lines Barry
We Hope Everyone Is Safe At Home The Guys |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
We Believe We saw sign in our two previous day's hot spots but every time we tried it, we could not hook any fish. By midmorning the huge WNW groundswell was combined with 15-20kts of SSE wind which made it next to impossible to find breaking fish or mammals. Luckily we saw scattered fish associated with an area where we have caught them in the past so we gave it a chance.We were ready to pull the anchor and start looking around when we hooked our first fish. We were seeing meter life the whole time with a couple of boils so after we were engaged we stayed put on the anchor all afternoon. It was very tough to get a bite as we only had about 16 or 18 actual hookups. Even though we had choppy weather we still landed 10 fish. The most incredible fact was that 80% of the fish boated were 210lbs and above which made it worthwhile to keep trying. We are proud to have Charlie Iwashita as one of our AA regulars. He is a great fisherman but also he proves the point of "you do good things and good things will happen". He was fortunate enough to already have a few nice fish in the bag this trip so when he hooked his second fish of the day, he immediately handed his fish off to a less fortunate Friend even though he knew the chances of it being a cow was 4 out of 5. After the good deed was done, it was a matter of a few baits before Charlie's life was to be changed forever. He hooked a fish and after a few minutes it was apparent that it was a good one. After about an hour his fish hit the deck and it weighed in at 322lbs. Everybody was stoked and knew of the good gesture that had been done and we all realized amongst us that Charlie's fish was well deserved. Also pictured is Tony Duprey with his good Friend Monteil Tremaine with Tony's 267lb fish. Pat Gallagher and Shawn show off their stuff with his 242lb fish.
It Is Getting Choppier, The Guys One spot on next 14.5 day trip departing Feb. 1, sponsored by Ken's Custom Reels - last chance to catch that cow this season on the American Angler. If you live in the Sacramento area - we're at the International Sportsmans Exposition, at Cal Expo which Thurs 21 and runs through Sun. Jan 24. It will be a great way to spend a rainy day....Come by and say hi! |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The Reward We started the morning on the anchor for the same results as the previous day as it was apparent right away that we were in the wrong spot. The hunt started immediately as the crew cleaned the lenses on their pipes and went to work. We saw scattered sign in the morning for just a couple of fish and in the afternoon the stuff got together and showed pretty good. We hit a couple of spots late that had some fish with it but as the old story goes, we wish that we could have hooked more fish. We had some shots at some good fish and enjoyed a pretty good show but only tagged eight fish for the day. John Vandeventer(Big John) was one of the fortunate ones with a 239 which is quite an accomplishment because the boat was really jerking around due to the giant groundswell.Ralph Mikkelson was up to his old tricks with the help from his buddy Shawn (Wingnut) Steward and bested todays largest fish which weighed a respectable 272lbs. One of the pictures shows what was left of our evening bite that has to stir a little jealousy from those at home. br>
Looking Hard For Fish, The Guys Raj would like to remind Lucas and Kyle that pops is thinking of them and wishes they were here and also Martha your two boys are having a good time and are worried about all the rain and your well being(call Lori in office at 619 223 5414). Also just had a cancellation on last 14.5 day trip of the season departing Feb. 1, sponsored by Ken's Custom Reels. And If you live in the Sacramento area - we're at the Boat Show at Cal Expo which begins tomorrow Thurs 21 and runs through Sun. Jan 24. Come by and say hi! |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Feeling Guilty Our timing for the beginning of the trip could not have been luckier. We had a nice ride home on the last trip and beat the storms as we headed south in front of them. We arrived on the grounds around daylight and found the past weeks honey hole to be dry. After giving it the first couple of hours of daylight we had to move and look for greener pastures. We saw sign of different grades of fish but couldn't really work with them. It was about lunch when we got our first batch of fish to stick with us but they were 30-80lbs and not really what we are looking for at this point in the trip. We finally found an area in the afternoon that was "right". We saw spots of cows jumping and there was decent fish in some of these spots. The thing out of our control once we get around them is getting them to bite the baits with hooks in them. We hooked about ten fish and landed six from 160-210lbs. Raj Nal got the first keeper of the trip with a 178 and Robin Lemaster boated our first cow with a 210 pound fish.
We Are Sure To Pay For The Good Weather Before This Trip Is Done, The Guys |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Accurate Home Capt. Brian Kiyohara brought back this 10.5 day trip with a lot of happy folks. The weather was beautiful, the fishing was epic and the company was enjoyable. Everyone on the boat had at least one fish over 100lbs and most everyone had at least one fish over 200lbs. The catch was in perfect shape and ready for sushimi/seared/bbque or however - it will be a treat. Once again, a special thanks to Jack Nilsen of Accurate for supplying all the loaner gear and Gary Teraoka who professionally handled all his sponsor business dockside. Thank you for the opportunity for the guys to check out the Accurate product. Pictured below are the jackpot winners and what was left of the group before everyone took off this morning to prepare their tuna feast for ....mabye tomorrow's playoff game?? Check out jackpot winners: First place : Kent Iwata 294lbs YFT Second place: Dave Boes 273lbs (also had a 255) YFT Third place: Harvey Rosen 267lbs YFT Honorable Mention#1: Seth Taylor 263lbs YFT Honorabale Mention#2: Dale Prichard 256lbs (also had a 210 & 208) YFT
The boat departed this afternoon on the Avet trip, Ben Frazier onboard sponsor. Have a great time everyone! American Angler |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Good Fortune We ended up the last morning with the fish getting on us right away. We boated a handful of 110-140lbers which topped us off and we called it a trip. Dr. Burak is pictured with one of them and in the background is a sample of the weather that we have enjoyed. With reports of choppy weather ahead, we pulled the anchor and headed for the barn. And with news of scratchy fishing on the way down, we were blessed with not only good weather but also great fishing conditions and we were lucky to be on the grounds when the fishing turned for the better. Everybody was well prepared tackle-wise and under the tutelage of our crew, we were able to make the most of it. Everybody ended up with at least a couple of the 170lb plus type grade with almost 95% of the guys landing one over two hundred pounds. The group did a great job bonding into one solid unit with many new friendships developed. A special thanks to Accurate - Jack Nilsen for providing all the loaner reels and rods for the passengers to use and try out during the trip. They had the opportunity to check out the larger ATD (Accurate Twin Drag) reels for the big tuna and the BOSS series reels for mid-grade fish. Accurate also gave away two BOSS reels and sponsor, Gary Teraoka came down day of departure and organized the trip give-aways. We'd like to thank the following donors: Izorline, Eagle Claw, Smitty Belt, Maui Jim, Baja Fish Gear, Fishing Videos and Mario of Sportmans Seafood for all their great prizes.
Headed Home, The Guys Looks like a 6am ETA on Sat., but double check with the office tomorrow at 619 223 5414. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The Captain Excuse List It seems like every wheelhouse in the fleet has an extensive excuse list about why the fish aren't biting. "Conditions for us changed from the day before so we re-positioned the boat". "We had fish get on us right away and they stayed on us all day. We could see them on machines,jumping out of the water next to the boat and also literally see them swimming underneath the water all day long". The catch was that they would not bite a bait that had a hook impaled in it. We three bites all day long and one of those came off. Fortunately the ones we did get were size large. Seth Taylor boated one that was 263 and once again Dave Boes kept his big fish train rolling with a 255. Dave's fish is today's picture that was documented as it left it's watery realm.
Flat Calm And Beautiful, The Guys |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Epic We started our day off the right way by hooking a good fish in the dark. We soon realized that we were in the right place at grey light when we had big cows crashing all around us and had six or seven hooked. We ended up with eight fish out of our morning go around and we were able to pick at them the rest of the day. We enjoyed a steady show all day with big cows blowing out all around us. The fish started biting again toward dark and we once again had five or six hooked up at once the last two hours of the day. We endured the standard heartbreaks of pulled hooks and tackle failures but we still ended up the day with 27 fish ranging in weight from 160-294lbs. Kent Iwata led the two hundred pound club with his 294 caught on an Accurate 30 and 100 pound. Also part of the parade was James Barker(2),Matt Salas, Karl Bornemann, Mark Vellekamp, Steve Bowman(2),Joe Machado(pictured), John Yarbrough and David Boes with a fine percentage of 11 out of the 27 that surpassed the mark.
What A Great Three Days, The Guys |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Good Timing We have all heard the the sayings such as "I would rather be lucky than good", but the truth of the matter is that timing is probably the most important factor. We were lucky enough to get on a spot early and right out of the gate were very busy on 30-70lb fish. We kept 3-10 going for several hours and by lunch we opted to leave them biting. We ended up with a great catch that included a half a dozen fish over 100lbs such as the one displayed by Karl Bornemann and our Nathan Madruga. We went looking for something different and finally found it before dark. We hooked a half a dozen fish and they were all size large. Dale Prichard made short work of his 208 and then we had a short run of bad luck when we lost three in a row. We boated the last two that we had hooked in the dark. Mark McClintock did a great job of representing Ventura and Santa Barbara county with one that weighed just over two and Harvey Rosen caught one on behalf of his son Burke, that was a whopping 267lbs.
Luck Is Good, The Guys We just had a cancellation on the Avet trip departing next Sat. Jan 16th - call the office for details if you can get away for 14.5 days on this limited to 18 person fishing trip. And if you live in the San Mateo area, we'll have a booth at the Expo show up there from Thurs. Jan 14 - Sunday Jan. 17th. Check it out at http://www.sportsexpos.com/ Stop by and see Capt. Sam and Capt. Cameron - book a trip, ask your tackle questions or just stop by to say hi! |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Nice Guys Do Not Always Finish Last We started out our trip today with one of the most important things on our side - weather. It has been flat calm on the ride down which enabled the entire group to lounge in comfort,rig tackle and get to know one another. This morning, everyone including the crew was chomping at the bit to get things rolling. Thankfully we saw sign of fish early and started picking at them within the first couple hours after daylight. We saw a mixed up grade of fish from 25lbs to 250lbs jump around throughout the day as we enjoyed decent fishing. Most everyone caught a nice fish with 7 or 8 fish weighing in at over 100lbs topped off by Joe Machado and his 144lber. We also had several fish that were in the 75 to 95lb range. The top story of the day was definitely Bob Henke. Bob has dedicated 38 of his 78 years towards educating over 15,000 high school students in various subjects at places like Montebello High School and has shared the last 58 years with his beloved wife. He strolled out on deck this morning with his usual good vibes and it took just a few baits to get his first bite of the day. There were a few smaller fish hooked like our first one of the day landed by Joe Gigliotti (pictured), but it was apparent right away that Bob had tied into something bigger. After an epic battle he bested a 204lb tuna and claimed that to be his fish of a lifetime. After hanging and enjoying the morning, he decided to start fishing again a few hours later - what do you think happened? After utilizing the backup, he promptly reeled in a cookie cutter 204lb tuna which would be an unbelievable accomplishment for anyone.
Do Good Things And Good Things Happen, The Guys |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Calstar trip returns The boat returned with a phenomenal catch of quality tuna ranging mostly from 70 - 100lbs. A big thanks to Glenn Kuromi, Calstar rep, for doing a fantastic job as a first time trip sponsor; everyone on the trip walked away with either a Calstar rod or blank. And thanks to everyone on the trip for coming out fishing on this after Christmas 10 day trip! Pictured below are the jackpot winners and the crew doing their thing. Check out jackpot winners: First place : Greg Lee 287.6lbs YFT Second place: Dan Federoff 175.0lbs YFT Third place: "Nacho" Camarena 144.0lbs YFT
The boat departed tonight on the annual Accurate 10.5 day trip - Gary Teraoka wasn't able to make the trip at last minute, so gave a trip's worth of giveaways and all the loaner accurate gear from the dock before the boat left. Thank you, Gary! Check back in a day or two for news on this trip... American Angler |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
FINISH IT OFF WITH A BANG It was wide open on the 50-100lb grade fish today. It took awhile for the fish to get on us, but when they did it was Game on!!! The weather is Flat Calm and we are running up the line to make a stop in the morning for a couple of hours and then be on our way home. The photo of the day is 3 generations of Berryhill's: Grandpa Charlie, Father Bill and son Dom.
GOOD NIGHT AND WHAT A DAY, The AA Gang |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The boat has been unable to send tonight's fish report, but did talk to them and the word is that the fishing was slow for them today, however the big fish of the day was 285lbs and hopefully will be able to send pictures and report tomorrow. One more day of fishing and then they'll head it for the barn. American Angler |
