Orion overnight 8/17

[BowBoy]

I was fortunate enough to fish with a private charter aboard the Orion. Dave was the chartermaster along with some of his friends. Total of 14 anglers onboard. Got to the landing around 7:30p and chilled a while. The new Seaforth landing looks awsome. Huge tackle store with everything you could ask for. Boat was due in at about 8:45p. Watched other boats unload and carts looked pretty full. Orion pulled in with their catch and looks alright. Moon is out and very bright!! Boarded around 945p waiting for couple other people. Short trip to the reciever. Bait looks alright. Moon is out and very bright!!! The boat is clean, crew is Simmon on deck, Anne in the Galley, Brian the owner and I forgot the seconds name (sorry). Brian says the boat is a single screw and gets bit really well. We gather in the galley for the run down. Brian says we got 2 options run down the beach and look for kelps (smaller dodos and yellows) or go for broke and try for the tuna. He informs us that only a couple of lucky boats got a grey bite. Grade of the tuna was good. Left the decision to us. Pretty easy call here. Lets go for broke. Tuna it is. Moon is out and very right!!! We turn in and wake up to alright seas. Brian says "if you here the engines shut off at night while offshore on this boat, get up and start fishin, theres fish under us". Tried for a gray bite where he got some albies the day before. No dice. Put the jigs in off we go. Brians in contact with other boats in the zoo and says nothing happening. We go off and blaze our own trail. Couple of troll stops on small dodos. Brian spots a patty and we drive over to check it out. Nothing on the sonar until 1/4 mile off the patty. Shuts down and we start soakin baits. I believe we are a little south of the hidden bank now. Dave is in the port corner soakin a bait. He gets picked up and hooks a good one. Not a yellow or dodo. Burnin line straight down. Brian comes down and say "good gade yellowfin, lets get busy". Simmon on the tank throwin baits and eruptions all over. Big boils. All yellowfin!!! I cast out and picked up immidiately. Frieght train meltin 25 lb line off the sx 2 speed. 15 minutes later 30lb yellowfin on the deck!! Everyone is hooked up. Their in the corner eatin good. Cast out again and BAM!! This time I got 30lb on and 15 mins later 35lb yellowfin on deck. HELL YEAH!!! Slows down and Brians thinkin of movin and another flurry puts 5 more in the box. A cool thing I saw out there was I was soakin a bait in the bow and see a fin out there racin back and forth. At first i thought marlin. Naw. Then swordfish. Naw. Simmon comes up and looks at it and says it looks like a shark. Brian gets the glasses and says fuckin huge Great White. Its about 500 yards of the starboard bow. Was hoping it would come closer so we could see it up close but never did. Just after the shark sank out I look over and see the entire ocean on the post side is brown. WTF? Then boils everywhere. Yellowfin chasin a school of squid. Big boils. The entire boats bent. Squid runnin to the boat to hide. I throw in and get picked up instantly. The 30lb on the mxl qiuckly vanishing. Already at the spectra. WTF? 20 mins later eventual jackpot yellowfin on board ( all jackpot given to the awsome crew). Looks about 40lbs. HELL YEAH!!! Everybodys runnin around retyin trying to get another before they leave. This go around i get 2. Awsome sight to see everybody bent on quality yellowfin. Just as soon as it starts its over. Another slow peroid the BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM 5 people at once hook up. Pull in all 5. All albies. About this time we wait alittle while and nothing else. We pick up and leave. From where we first see the patty till the end we drift for 7 miles in 6 1/2 hours!! Sit down to have an Anne special double cheeseburger. Awsome. Brian says don't break down as he has no trip tomorrow we'll fish late!!! YES. Lookin for pattys on the way home. Saw a couple troll by and nothing. Break down and go to bed. Arrive at seaforth at about 10:30p. Awsome trip. The moon was very bright!!! I guess they do bite on the full. Thanks Dave for puttin this trip together. Great to share a rail with this fun group.Boat totals were 51 Yellow Fin Tuna,12ALB, AND 10 DODOS. I pesonally ended up with 5 Yellow Fin Tuna and released 1 small dodo. Lots of fish.
Sorry no pics but if Kevin ever sees this post maybe he'll put um up. He took lots.


The Orion Crew
Brain,Owner (very fishy dude) A+
Second, (very friendly and helpful dude) A+
Simmon, (Awsome deck hand, unravelled plenty of basket weaving contests) A+
Anne, galley, (Awsome cook ,kept us well fed and very personable) A+

Anyone have a chance to jump on the Orion, do so, i highly recommend it. Brian works very hard and is a good fisherman. Crew is excellent. Hopefully Anne and Simmon come back for next season. I believe they said their from New Zealand. Cant say enough good things about this operation. Give em a try.

Thanks for readin.

Danny

[re8elmonk0341]

I had a great time on the trip. I caught 2 huge Yellow Fin Tuna and my buddy Mark caught a Huge female DoDo. Both got our cherries popped. Congrats on the JP. Great crew, awesome fishing, and a great bunch of dudes on board.

[DavidE]

Thanks for jumping on Danny!! Had an awesome time out there.

Rithy, glad you and Mark made it out !!

Lets all do it again and hope for a trip just as memorable ...

My count:
Yellow Fin: 2 (25-30#ers)
Albies: 1 (30-35#er)
DoDos: 2 (5-8#ers)

Way good times!!!

[Tunahead]

GREAT REPORT Danny! Yeah Brian is a 10 and Orion is a great boat to slide up
on Yellowfin and Bluefin, paddys. Great read-Thanks for posting here!

[BowBoy]

Rithy, cherry popped and both of ya ate the hearts!! You guys are bad ass. The "Tuna Karma" will get stronger in the both of you. Congrats.

David, Hell Yeah lets do it again. Brian is the man. Thanks again for setting up this trip.
1-2 1-2 calling K3VIN KIM Lets see the pics bro.

Thanks.

Danny

[Jaydog]

Brian is kicking ass on that boat.

[@-EZ]

Great report. Thanx. Congrats on the JP and giving it to the crew... I did that a couple weeks ago on the Malahini and have been rewarded by the fish gods a couple times in the interim...Good on ya.

[pineapplexpress]

howzit bowboy
it was a pleasure to meet & fish with you brah... i think everyone had a
blast on this trip. that drift was like a dream. i've only experienced a bite
like that 1 other time on the pacific voyager overnighter back on
sept 15 2001 wfo bite on #30-#50 Blue Fin Tuna... i landed 7 out of many lost &
was so burnt i put my rods in the rack cuz i was done. that drift lasted
about 4 hours. this trip was one for the record books for sure. david is one
bad a$$ charter master cuz every trip i've been on has been truely memorable...
good times with great peps. keep doing yo thang D...!!! props to the crew of
the orion...!!! love fishing on that boat.
my count 3 Yellow Fin Tuna #20-#25, 1 albie #18, & 2 doritos not so dodo
until the next outting... here are some pix.
PE

[coldpacificos]

Great report.
Like the fish count.
Good work you guy's.Out.

[mercerm]

Great Captain + great crew = good times. I think that formula is going to followed on the Orion for a long time. Gotta love fishing with Bryan. Nobody wants to put you on fish more than him. Thanks for the report.

[BowBoy]

Danny,

awsome pics!! gotta love it brah! the orion w/ brian is starting to attract some attention. cant wait till next time.

mahalo

Danny