Topless, a Midnight run
It started on Tue. or was it Monday? I looked up the private fish report on Allcoast, and Bloodydecks. Thirty lb class WSB and YT! That?s it, I had to go, I mean if you are a private boater, how could you not go? It does not get any better. I do the math, it looks like $250 crap! I need to do a three way. I shoot off an Email to Mr big fishes, he is out of town. I tell him to hit me back by Wed. if he will in town by Thur. No word, I call Joe (AKA Joe the chef). He is up for the run, I tell him to call Terry.
The plan: from the reports, the fish are on (where on) the chew before first light.
We will have to run at night. We are talking a GPS, and a compass. Non problem, we can do this! We are going three days after the new moon! That?s great timing for sea bass, or I have been told. I tell Joe I will call after I check out the boat. On Thur. I check out the boat. She has not been wet but once this year. The oil was changed, the wheels and tires are new, but the main battery is crap. I pull the batter from my new project ?Lose Change? Its charged, and looks good on the load test. The only problem is the high water alarm buzzer is dead. Wrong, more reports, fog! I can find the island in the dark, maybe even the 3 Vees. It will not do any good to be setting near the island in a fog bank! Some one ran aground at SCI on thur! I call Joe, maybe we will leave in the Morning, he says that fog is more likely in the morning. I look it up, I look up the weather, the dew point is 58F. There was no fog as late as 8pm, and it burned off buy 10am. New plan, we will need to leave earlier. We want to be on the hook by midnight, before the fog sets in! I call Joe with the update, Terry doe not want to go after work. I tell Joe to be at my place by eight, he is there by before six! I get home, and replace the buzzer with a horn. We load stuff, grab a burger and hit the rode. We call the Carnage, they have a few scoops left. If seems a little sketchy.
The ride; Light traffic life is good! At Davies a in coming say?s he has been at the island for two days with no love, but it?s flat out there. We run to the bait receiver, our usual guy is dark, so the stop at the fist receiver. It?s a long wait, but worth it. They take great care of us! The ocean is magical at night and this was a great one to be out! It was flat, the moon was low and bright as hell! It?s hypnotic, you can barely tell where the sea ends, and the sky begins. We made 17 knots. We rounded the east end, there were a few lights, and no sigh of fog, hell it was too hot for fog. A little further and the light show began. There were at lest a couple of dozen boats there, big and small. The moon was so bright you would have no problem finding the thee Vees! We search around a bit and drop the hook is 78ft of water. Most boats are deep, but a few are right up near shore.
First blood: we settle in and rig lines. We have found the spot, we have the candy, life is good. We try to get some rest, after all we are looking for a 3AM wake up call. Wrong! Zing, not my line, dam wake up, wake up! Joe is bit!, Wrong kind, it?s a 4ft shark. I have the classic dropper loop, and a dual squid and jig. Joe is running two sliders. Back to sleep at least for him. Zing, dam it, it?s Joe again. This one gets a buy. Latter Joe?s rod is on aging. It?s looking good! Well until it breaks the water. It might be dark, but WSB don?t break the water! Joe does a few laps with Batman. I was ready to change my rigs too, FGBT! That?s it, not us, not anybody. By first light all of the cattle boats had left. We decided to head toward the west end around the back side. The wind was down, the seas were come life is good. We stopped on some kelp. Joe eyed a 4-6 lb calico. Same story, no love. I picked off a little guy. We move on toward the west end.
Big fishy; At the west end we find about half a dozen boats. Mainly nice sportties, 35-40 ft rigs. We settle in for a bit. We see boils in the kelp. The current is running across the end to the island. Our baits are not going to reach. I tossed out a crock a few times, right the makc attack is on is full swing. Too big for bait! We are out of here boyz.
Now it gets strange. I start the blower, then the engine, and I pull the hook. About that time a little lady from on of the big sportties shows up on a blue yak. She ask about when the tide change will be. I told her I did not know, but my GPS might. Off she goes. As I finish pulling the hook, there is a commotion a stern. Joe is saying something, she is yelling, something. I look, there is a large boil around her yak. I see a paddle, a hat, and something red. She is off the boat, sprinting for the big sporty, about 50yrds out. She is a great swimmer! I tell Joe, we are good, he can ?rescue her if he wants? Off he springs wheeling Topless around on the intercept. We approach, I head for to the wheel and advise him to tell her to go to the swim step and cut the engine. He pulls here to safety, and we head for the mother-ship. There was another small CC that picked up her yack and stuff. What did I miss? Joe was watching her. She and the yak was knocked about four feet up in the air. When she landed, a four foot tail slapped her yak. Flipping it upside down! Then she stood up on the back of the fish, and dived into the water, and swam like hell! Joe says when she stood up the water was water was half way up top here knees! OK, so we rescued the girl! We headed around the corner and fished a few more spots.
We fished the buoy near twin harbors, sandabs, crap. It was not looking good ( OK we did save the girl) The last time we saw here she was coming unglued talking about how her kids almost got to see their mom eaten by a shark! Yea a little traumatic.
We were working our way east. We stopped at a spot east of twin harbors. We have great bait, and can?t buy a bite! There were cattle boats everywhere moving around. We stopped at a spot near two of them. I told Joe we should have been further out. Strange, we started catching bass. The current was moving all over the place. Cattle boats cane and went, but we were killing some bass! Joes comment, ?are you double hooking those squid?? Hell no, I?m triple hooking them! The fish were going full speed a bait had a three sec. life span. It was tap tap zoom! Then it happens Tap tap zoom, big swing and zing. Fresh one! Well dam it, right into the kelp ( I knew we were too close) 20 lb test does not buy you much love. I back off the drag so the fish can swim free. If I can get the spec into the kelp, it can cut us free right! Wrong!, the knot between the spec and mono gave. By fishey! I reload the reel with 25lb P-line. Triple Bimniny to bimnimy this time. Buy now our tombs were chewed to hell buy all the calies! Guess what zing, I?m on again. This one is running up hill. He is mine, or actually he stuck in the salad!
I try giving slake a few times, no love. After a while no signs of life. Joe pulls the hook, and I pull the boat over. We are vertical, Joe clears some kelp, no help. That fish stuck big time. I?m pulling so had something has got to break! No, I like this stick. I hammer down the drag, grab the spool and walk. No help, I can?t pot the stuff! A few more tries and some thing gives. Crank, crank , crank gaff! A 22LB yellow hits the deck!
Yea baby, we got the girl and the fish! Good time and a smooth ride home. 44 gal of gas, a story to tell, and sashimi is on the menu!
It started on Tue. or was it Monday? I looked up the private fish report on Allcoast, and Bloodydecks. Thirty lb class WSB and YT! That?s it, I had to go, I mean if you are a private boater, how could you not go? It does not get any better. I do the math, it looks like $250 crap! I need to do a three way. I shoot off an Email to Mr big fishes, he is out of town. I tell him to hit me back by Wed. if he will in town by Thur. No word, I call Joe (AKA Joe the chef). He is up for the run, I tell him to call Terry.
The plan: from the reports, the fish are on (where on) the chew before first light.
We will have to run at night. We are talking a GPS, and a compass. Non problem, we can do this! We are going three days after the new moon! That?s great timing for sea bass, or I have been told. I tell Joe I will call after I check out the boat. On Thur. I check out the boat. She has not been wet but once this year. The oil was changed, the wheels and tires are new, but the main battery is crap. I pull the batter from my new project ?Lose Change? Its charged, and looks good on the load test. The only problem is the high water alarm buzzer is dead. Wrong, more reports, fog! I can find the island in the dark, maybe even the 3 Vees. It will not do any good to be setting near the island in a fog bank! Some one ran aground at SCI on thur! I call Joe, maybe we will leave in the Morning, he says that fog is more likely in the morning. I look it up, I look up the weather, the dew point is 58F. There was no fog as late as 8pm, and it burned off buy 10am. New plan, we will need to leave earlier. We want to be on the hook by midnight, before the fog sets in! I call Joe with the update, Terry doe not want to go after work. I tell Joe to be at my place by eight, he is there by before six! I get home, and replace the buzzer with a horn. We load stuff, grab a burger and hit the rode. We call the Carnage, they have a few scoops left. If seems a little sketchy.
The ride; Light traffic life is good! At Davies a in coming say?s he has been at the island for two days with no love, but it?s flat out there. We run to the bait receiver, our usual guy is dark, so the stop at the fist receiver. It?s a long wait, but worth it. They take great care of us! The ocean is magical at night and this was a great one to be out! It was flat, the moon was low and bright as hell! It?s hypnotic, you can barely tell where the sea ends, and the sky begins. We made 17 knots. We rounded the east end, there were a few lights, and no sigh of fog, hell it was too hot for fog. A little further and the light show began. There were at lest a couple of dozen boats there, big and small. The moon was so bright you would have no problem finding the thee Vees! We search around a bit and drop the hook is 78ft of water. Most boats are deep, but a few are right up near shore.
First blood: we settle in and rig lines. We have found the spot, we have the candy, life is good. We try to get some rest, after all we are looking for a 3AM wake up call. Wrong! Zing, not my line, dam wake up, wake up! Joe is bit!, Wrong kind, it?s a 4ft shark. I have the classic dropper loop, and a dual squid and jig. Joe is running two sliders. Back to sleep at least for him. Zing, dam it, it?s Joe again. This one gets a buy. Latter Joe?s rod is on aging. It?s looking good! Well until it breaks the water. It might be dark, but WSB don?t break the water! Joe does a few laps with Batman. I was ready to change my rigs too, FGBT! That?s it, not us, not anybody. By first light all of the cattle boats had left. We decided to head toward the west end around the back side. The wind was down, the seas were come life is good. We stopped on some kelp. Joe eyed a 4-6 lb calico. Same story, no love. I picked off a little guy. We move on toward the west end.
Big fishy; At the west end we find about half a dozen boats. Mainly nice sportties, 35-40 ft rigs. We settle in for a bit. We see boils in the kelp. The current is running across the end to the island. Our baits are not going to reach. I tossed out a crock a few times, right the makc attack is on is full swing. Too big for bait! We are out of here boyz.
Now it gets strange. I start the blower, then the engine, and I pull the hook. About that time a little lady from on of the big sportties shows up on a blue yak. She ask about when the tide change will be. I told her I did not know, but my GPS might. Off she goes. As I finish pulling the hook, there is a commotion a stern. Joe is saying something, she is yelling, something. I look, there is a large boil around her yak. I see a paddle, a hat, and something red. She is off the boat, sprinting for the big sporty, about 50yrds out. She is a great swimmer! I tell Joe, we are good, he can ?rescue her if he wants? Off he springs wheeling Topless around on the intercept. We approach, I head for to the wheel and advise him to tell her to go to the swim step and cut the engine. He pulls here to safety, and we head for the mother-ship. There was another small CC that picked up her yack and stuff. What did I miss? Joe was watching her. She and the yak was knocked about four feet up in the air. When she landed, a four foot tail slapped her yak. Flipping it upside down! Then she stood up on the back of the fish, and dived into the water, and swam like hell! Joe says when she stood up the water was water was half way up top here knees! OK, so we rescued the girl! We headed around the corner and fished a few more spots.
We fished the buoy near twin harbors, sandabs, crap. It was not looking good ( OK we did save the girl) The last time we saw here she was coming unglued talking about how her kids almost got to see their mom eaten by a shark! Yea a little traumatic.
We were working our way east. We stopped at a spot east of twin harbors. We have great bait, and can?t buy a bite! There were cattle boats everywhere moving around. We stopped at a spot near two of them. I told Joe we should have been further out. Strange, we started catching bass. The current was moving all over the place. Cattle boats cane and went, but we were killing some bass! Joes comment, ?are you double hooking those squid?? Hell no, I?m triple hooking them! The fish were going full speed a bait had a three sec. life span. It was tap tap zoom! Then it happens Tap tap zoom, big swing and zing. Fresh one! Well dam it, right into the kelp ( I knew we were too close) 20 lb test does not buy you much love. I back off the drag so the fish can swim free. If I can get the spec into the kelp, it can cut us free right! Wrong!, the knot between the spec and mono gave. By fishey! I reload the reel with 25lb P-line. Triple Bimniny to bimnimy this time. Buy now our tombs were chewed to hell buy all the calies! Guess what zing, I?m on again. This one is running up hill. He is mine, or actually he stuck in the salad!
I try giving slake a few times, no love. After a while no signs of life. Joe pulls the hook, and I pull the boat over. We are vertical, Joe clears some kelp, no help. That fish stuck big time. I?m pulling so had something has got to break! No, I like this stick. I hammer down the drag, grab the spool and walk. No help, I can?t pot the stuff! A few more tries and some thing gives. Crank, crank , crank gaff! A 22LB yellow hits the deck!
Yea baby, we got the girl and the fish! Good time and a smooth ride home. 44 gal of gas, a story to tell, and sashimi is on the menu!
