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Excel 15/14 Day 1/6/10 - 1/21/10
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 01/25/2010 02:46 PM
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Offshore6
Joined: 03/22/2007
Posts: 180
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Excel 15/14 Day 1/6/10 - 1/21/10
Left San Diego with a light load of anglers (21) but a great load of bait on the big boat. Beautiful weather headed South but the reports from down below were not exciting. Hurricane, Clarion and the Lower Banks were all reporting mid size scattered fish. So Justin decides to keep the pedal down and heads for the bank off of Puerto Vallarta. We did make one stop on the Ridge for some yellowtail for the galley.
Once at our destination, we would anchor up on the Bank (600') at night but chase bird schools a couple of miles off the Bank during the day. Day one we got 23 tuna for the boat from 75-150 lbs, along with occasional sailfish and marlin. Calm sea and warm temperature.
Tube macks and small skipjacks available as bait while anchored at night. No way to keep the skipjacks alive for use during the day and no big tuna showing on top of the bank at night. We did have one BIG marlin swimming around within 15 feet of the boat one night. Crew said 400+ pounds.
Day two, we found a school that wanted to stay with us on the drift. Boat got 108 tuna for the day 50 - 150 lbs. Again, plenty of sailfish, marlin, and dorado. You could fish 60 or 80 for a little more sport.
Day three, the tuna were more spooky. We got 25 for the boat by 13:00 and then headed North West for the Lower Banks.
We had metered bait on the Finger Bank on the way down so we motored around there for a little while, with no luck so we continued the trek.
There were four other LR boats in the general area when we awoke the next morning. Two 125 lb tunas were landed early in the day but things died down so we went for a long search mission in fairly rough weather. We found nothing so, at 13:30, we wound up exactly where we were at 06:00. There was a flurry of fish at 17:00 that resulted in 3 fish on the boat. Caught a bunch of squid for bait after dark. The weather was rough enough that the anchor was dragging all day.
The next morning the weather had calmed so the anchor was holding. During the day, the boat caught 25 tuna over 75 lbs including six over 200 (up to 274). Again caught squid after dark. The bigger fish were all on heavy gear (100 or 130) with short (10'-25') floro top shots.
The next morning, they were hitting fly-lined squid early (before light). At 06:00, my turn on the helium balloon came up and I jumped at it. Just as a reminder - NEVER PASS ON YOUR OPPORTUNITY AT THE KITE/BALLOON. Because of bad experience in the past (getting spooled), I picked up my 80W spooled with 1200 yards of spectra and a 25-foot topshot. Using a double-trouble sardine bait on 8/0 Eagle Claw circle hooks. It was a long wait, but at 08:45 there was a huge boil where the baits used to be. After one and one half trips around the boat and an hour and three-quarters, I was still losing line and there was about 500 yards in the water. Justin suggested that the best hope of landing the fish was a skiff ride. Since the weather was nice and I had never been in the skiff, I jumped at the chance. Fighting a fish from the skiff is a blast. I would do it again in a heartbeat. You probably can't put as much pressure on a fish from the skiff but I was putting all that I dared with the smallish hooks - approximately 27 lbs. After an hour and a half in the skiff, we were a mile from the big boat and had the flying gaff in the fish. Back on the Excel, it weighed 345.6.
The topshot is noticeably stressed and one of the two hooks is slightly deformed. I don't want to bash the Eagle Claw hooks - I saw two Super Mutu's broken during the trip.
Just before dark another big fish was hooked on a flylined sardine and had to go to a backup and another skiff ride. It came in well after dark at 302.
At this point, Justin said that we had room for a couple more fish in RSW and about 10 more in the freezer.
We fished all of the following day (I don't have a count) and plugged the boat. That coupled with the forecast for the severe storm about to hit California, led Justin to make a break for home a day early. There were no complaints that I heard from any of the passengers.
Upon arrival in San Diego, I have put down my deposit for next year.
Member of the Excel 300 pound club
This post edited by Offshore6 01/26/2010
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01/25/2010 04:00 PM
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olddoggy
Joined: 12/23/2008
Posts: 34
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re: Excel 15/14 Day 1/6/10 - 1/21/10
Eric,
What a pleasure it was sharing the rail with you. Folks Offshore6 is the definition of understated southern gentleman. At 6'5" don't let the contrast fool you, that fish was huge and a mean SOB to boot. Let's not forget kudos for crew member extraordinaire Mike "The Man" Pritchard, your skiffmate. Seeing you two putting back with that monster tied to the side of the skiff is an image I'll never forget. Sorry my camera took a nosedive on the way to Vallarta or I would add images. Until next time Eric. Cheers. Chuck
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01/25/2010 07:29 PM
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Basil
Joined: 02/14/2007
Posts: 1719
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re: Excel 15/14 Day 1/6/10 - 1/21/10
Thanks for posting the report, sounds like a great LR trip on the EXCEL. Kudos to Captain Fleck for making the right call with the weather at hand.
Basil Pappas
BHP Tackle
201-767-9028
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01/25/2010 07:46 PM
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Steve K
Joined: 02/15/2007
Posts: 6042
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re: Excel 15/14 Day 1/6/10 - 1/21/10
Thanks for sharing your report. Congrats on you big one, looks like you need to edit you sign off line.
More trips, less tackle
Pro Staff; Five Star Fish Processing
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01/25/2010 10:07 PM
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etwizard
Joined: 04/19/2007
Posts: 322
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re: Excel 15/14 Day 1/6/10 - 1/21/10
Sounds like you made all the right preparations. Congrats on a terrific battle and a great success. When I think that most of us were fishing in December with 50s, not 80s, and we managed to not get spooled and not get in a skiff, I am amazed. These fish are sooooooooo knarly, you just don't know what you're going to have to do battle with. I especially loved your info about the hooks. I had never seen a super muto crack before December 09. It was explained to me that it happens close to the boat when the fish has leverage and turns its head sideways and shakes his head. Its not about pulling on the hook straight to the curve. It when the fish goes sideways and the point of the hook grabs a boney part of the mouth and in a second you're pulling sideways and the hook snaps.We put a 240 on the deck with the hook broken in its mouth. Incredible.
I do have a question about the skiff though. I've never been in one first off. How do you fight a beast in one? Are you using the side of the skiff like a rail? Can you get leverage like that or are you fighting from that chair? Is there a chair rest for the rod butt? Doesn't seem to be a harness, so how does it all go together?
Great report, great trip, great prep. KUDOS.
Tight Lines
Solomon
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01/26/2010 12:03 AM
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fishordie
Joined: 03/14/2007
Posts: 1361
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re: Excel 15/14 Day 1/6/10 - 1/21/10
Great Job on a great fish from a great boat. The Excel and its entire staff is just a class act. We got to watch you in the skiff as you floated by. Thank you for the write up
Jamie
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01/26/2010 05:49 AM
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Offshore6
Joined: 03/22/2007
Posts: 180
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re: Excel 15/14 Day 1/6/10 - 1/21/10
I can only speak for the skiff as used on the Excel. There is a chair up on a pedestal. The chair has a swivel gimbal mounted on it and the positioning is such that you can use your standup harness, attached to the reel. You sit forward in the chair, with your feet on the side rail of the skiff and let the fish tow you sideways through the water. When the fish starts circling, he just pulls the skiff in a circle. When you need to pump the fish up, you just lean back in your harness and slide back in the chair. The biggest problem that I encountered was with the fish circling to the left, there was constant pressure on the rod to the left. So I braced the reel against my left knee, kept my left foot firmly on the rail, and cranked. I was fishing a Calstar 660XXH so the rod would load up nicely. When it unloaded a couple of inches, I would take that up on the reel.
I would think that if you had to get in the skiff with a rail rod (longer butt and no harness), it would be much harder work.
Member of the Excel 300 pound club
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01/26/2010 12:27 PM
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Offshore6
Joined: 03/22/2007
Posts: 180
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re: Excel 15/14 Day 1/6/10 - 1/21/10
This is the first time that I have been on a trip with Mike but, like you, I was impressed.
Member of the Excel 300 pound club
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