Day 1 04/25/07
Departure day, today I arrived at the landing around 7:00am all the other passengers were already there with their carts full of gear. Some of us had loaded our gear the day before so it was nice to just show up and get on the boat. The loading went smooth and we are underway around 09:00 and off to the receivers. We take on a full load of beautiful sardines and cleared the point at 11:00. After our safety seminar I passed out or giveaway items.
Every passenger received an SDLongRange.com T-Shirts, Momoi leader coil, BloodyDecks.com coozie cup, and a Blackwater visor.
With slow reports from the bank it looks like our destination will be Alijos Rocks.
Day 2 04/26/07
We have great weather for traveling. After breakfast we had our tackle seminar on fishing the rocks, looks like 40-50# gear and double trouble for the kite. We had our raffle after the seminar which had 1 prize for every angler which included Salas 7x Jigs, Burns Bombs, Jerry Brown luggage straps, Momoi leader material, Eagle Claw Hooks, Cedar Plugs, and Blackwater visors.
During the trip we will be having daily fishing derbies for more prizes including Royal Polaris Jackets, Bulk spools of Momoi Diamond line, Burns Bombs, and Blackwater apparel.
Day 3 04/27/07
With the rocks in the distance and the humpback whales putting on a show, anticipation is high as our anglers eagerly await our 08:00 arrival to the rocks. Once we arrived and got the anchor down it didn’t take long before we where hooked up to some 20-40 pound Yellow fin tuna along with some nice Yellow tail up to 30 pounds. Those fishing the dropper loop where rewarded with some nice yellows and a few nice Sheephead as well. This was a nice day to break up the travel and fun was had by all pulling a few nice fish but is time to continue south so after lunch we are off the Hurricane bank.
Rocky with a nice Sheephead on the dropper loop
Steve and Jason with a nice Yellow tail
Day 4 04/28/07
Today is a travel day and we have cloudy skies and calm seas. After breakfast we have another seminar on fishing hurricane bank and what leaders we will need for the kite. We have a very seasoned group aboard and everyone pitched in to help everyone get ready for our fishing. There is a lot to be learned on these trips and so many years of fishing experienced among our passengers and crew that even the most seasoned angler will learn something. As the day winds down the topic of conversation is all about fishing Hurricane bank. We arrive in the morning.
Day 5 04/29/07
We arrived at the bank around 1:00 pm and trolling team one put the jigs in, within minutes we had our first stop with a few coming on the iron. This was a nice grade of Wahoo and everyone is smiling. We trolled around with a few more stops over the next couple of hours. Roy decides to put down the anchor and Wahoo mania continues. Anglers were getting them on bait and on the iron. After I landed a few on iron I started fishing for tuna. We have some sign but as the sun was setting, still no biters on the sardine. Sharks are plaguing the kite and the big baits. By the end of the day we have over 50 Wahoo aboard.
Today’s derby prize is a Royal Polaris Jacket for the first Wahoo onboard caught on Iron while anchored: This was won by Dennis only minutes after the anchor went over.
Vince on a nice wahoo
Dennis and his son Clayton
Clayton with a nice tuna on the kite
Day 6 04/30/07
The morning started with many fishing the PL68 in the dark but no takers. The kite started to produce a few tuna in the morning with Don Burnside landing a nice one over 200 pounds. Don would later get another 200 pound Yellow fin on a puffer fish later in the morning. That was about it for the tuna but the Wahoo continued to bite on the anchor. I landed a few more on the iron today. The sharks are still out in force here at the bank.
Today’s derby prize is a Royal Polaris Jacket for the first 200 pounder: This was won by Don Burnside for his 200 plus pound kite fish which as stated above was backed up with a nice one on bait.
Don with another nice fish winning a jacket
Don is on again
Day 7 05/01/07
We started our day with great weather and a few more tuna starting to show on the kite, the sharks seem to be gone for now but the Wahoo are still here. Those fishing the light wire and bait can have as many as they like. I continue to pick them off on the iron when they come through and concentrate my efforts on bait fishing for tuna. The kite for me has just been sharks.
As things slowed down in the afternoon our derby was for the first fish over 10 pounds as nothing was being caught but little Skip Jack. Shauna landed a giant skip jack which was good enough to win a Burns Bomb.
Terri with a nice one
Rocky with another kite fish
Day 8 05/02/07
The Wahoo continue to bite and the kite still produces a few fish in the morning and a few in the evening. We have had no problem making flyers despite the full moon and still have a good sign of fish. We are just waiting for them to start biting. The good thing is, while we are waiting the Wahoo action is very good. I tagged 3 more on the iron today. After dinner a few of us decided to try the jig in the dark. Don hooked qa nice one and as he was fighting it we had a free swimmer in the lights. The fish looked to be around 150. As my jig approached the surface we watched him turn and eat the jig. He took me to the bow in a hurry and after only a few minutes came un buttoned. The sight of the fish flaring its mouth and taking the jig was quite a sight.
We had another bomb available for the first wahoo taken in the slow period of the day. This was won by Rocky. Steve had hooked one at the same time on really light gear. I told Steve don’t risk the fish to win the prize so he took his time and landed a nice 50 pound Wahoo and received a Momoi leader and a Bloodydecks.com coozie for his efforts.
wind
wind
Day 9 05/03/07
Today continues much like our previous days with some tuna showing in the morning on the kite and maybe one biter on bait. In the middle of the afternoon we had a great sign of larger fish. We looked up swell and these groups of 10 to 12 giant tuna just surfing along in the swell. You could watch them for well over an hour but no biters, I even through the surface jig at them and they wouldn’t even look, just kept cruising by. Roy fired the jig at them and caught a Wahoo by the tail. I had landed a few more skinny’s on the iron in the morning so started handing them off to those that only had a few. After last night’s efforts on the PL68 we tried again, I got bit on the sink but came un buttoned right away. Roy drops one down and gets a Wahoo in the dark. Nothing surprises me when it comes to Roy. We have enough sign to give it one more day, everyone is happy with the decision even with the lack of biters
Terri with one on my rig
Day 10 05/04/07
Today started with overcast skies and windy conditions, I lost 3 jigs to the Wahoo this morning which wasn’t bad considering I landed the previous 10 on the same straight tied jig. As good as the tuna sign was yesterday the sign was lacking today. We drug anchor and reset 5 times last night finally in the morning we decided to put on a different anchor as we were changing the anchor the Wahoo gathered under us and we made a few drifts for 23 more Wahoo. The other boat took our anchor spot as we were drifting and got 6, kind of funny when you think about it.
With lack of sign and all the Wahoo we need we are off to Clarion to fish offshore.
Day 11 05/05/07
We arrived at Clarion in the morning and started looking around for birds. While we where looking the RSW tank was down to a nice 32 degrees so it was time to induct some new members into the Royal Polaris Polar Bear Club. I have been unable to do this for the last 4 or 5 trips due to someone catching a Wahoo before we could get in the tank. I quick dunk into the 32 degree water doesn’t seem like much but let me tell you it is cold.
Jason looking
Polar bear Plunge
Just after lunch we came up on a floating drainage pipe and this would turn into 24 nice Yellow fin Tuna with a 150 pound average. The action would continue for 4 or 5 hours and was some really good offshore fishing. We did have a shark problem but if you could get past them you would be assured a nice tuna. After my 5th shark things where really getting hectic so I started helping on deck with the tagging, roping and running the kite in and out. On one stop the tuna charged the boat and JP couldn’t resist and fired my long rod at them, the 7x was exploded on immediately by a 150 or so and it quickly turned my anti reverse dog to dust. We also had one Marauder break and another person spooled on a 50W. It was pretty intense for awhile, when the dust cleared we had 24 beautiful tuna onboard.
Alan with a nice one
Eddie pulling on a shark
Day 12 05/06/07
Today started out with beautiful weather. We were called in for our routine inspection at the camp at Clarion along with the Qualifier 105. We were told we must fish outside the 12 nm zone. Our paper work shows 6nm but once again there is some different information passing around so 12 nautical miles it is. We ended up with 3 nice tuna and a Wahoo for our efforts at the 12 nautical mile ring. We will fish the morning and probably head for the rocks.
Shana with a nice one
Day 13 05/07
We decided to stay one more day at Clarion to wait on some information and take a look outside of the 12 nautical mile zone. We did end up with 3 more nice fish. Shauna got a nice one on the slider balloon. Steve is the only one left without a bigger tuna and I spent the day fishing hard trying to hook one for him. At 4:00pm we pointed the boat for Alijos Rocks in hopes to grab a few more tuna for the RSW tank.
Day 14 05/08/07
Our weather for traveling to the rocks is just perfect. We did stop on a few meter marks but no takers. We should arrive around 8:00 am.
Day 15 05/09/07
It didn’t take long once we arrived for the fish to start biting, we had some nice Yellowtail action. I hook a nice one and the anti reverse dog starts to skip again so I back off the drag and land the fish. I run up top and throw in a new side plate and get back to the fishing. I know if I fish with less drag the reel will hold up fine but fishing the long rod when bigger fish in the area I got in the habit of fishing with the drag locked down to try to keep them coming to the boat, I might need to change my thinking. The surface iron action has been great today and I handed a few fish off. People started staying away when I was casting out of fear of the 10 footer. The fish start to boil way back so I fling it way back off the corner and just get ripped after a long run the reel just starts skipping and final expires. Everyone is laughing but I don’t give up and start hand lining the line around the reel and pulling withal my might to stop from being rocked. I was able to stop him and get a wind around the reel every now and then. After 20 minutes and a lot of “ he will never get it” in the background I landed another nice Yellowtail. After the dust clears I see my long rod is toast and there are no boat reels on board as all th 533’s are being fixed, I felt like a little kid with a flat tire on his bike unable to ride with his friends. I ended up setting up one of the boat rods with Shanas Trinidad 20 it worked fine but didn’t have enough line as we could past well past the connection. After a few hook and hands on this rig I decided to make one more check for something to put on my Ulua. I find a 338 but I needed to remove the tuna cord from my handle to make it fit after 20 minutes we are back in business. We had great action today on the Yellow tail and few tuna. We will fish until 10:00 tomorrow and call it a trip
Albatross rescue
Check out the reel
Jack with a 49 Pounder
Tropic Bird
Day 16 05/10/07
Today started with a few fishing and they where rewarded with some nice Tuna. As the morning progressed we were starting to see the yellowtail show again. Jack and Gomer both got one around 40 pounds on the bait and I landed a few more on the 7x
Gomer with a 49 pounder
After 3rd rebuild
10:05 we call it a trip and head for home.
Before dinner we raffle off some 1000 yard spools of Momoi, some Royal Polaris coffee cups and award a Royal Polaris jacket for the sportsman of the trip. This was a hard one to pick as we have an awesome group of passengers that seemed to get along really well. One angler stood out though and this was Rocky. He always had a great attitude and a smile and always seemed just as pleased with other angler’s achievements and catches as his own. Rocky is a true pleasure to fish with.
Day 17 05/11/07
Weather is up a bit but not too bad for the travels home. It looks like we will arrive at the landing at 07:00. After typing the previous sentence the weather is taking a turn for the worse. We are now off of Colonet and just getting tossed. My laptop just went airborne, not a slide, lifted up off the table while I type this. Maybe I will save and finish this when I get home.
Day 18 05/12/07
Home
All in all a great trip with great people and a great operation I look forward to fishing with them in the future. I will be sponsoring this trip next year. This trip is a great value with many options to fish so if you have any questions or are interested in going please contact myself of the Royal Polaris office.
Once again I would like to thank those that donated prizes for the trip.
SDLongRange.com
Jerry Brown Industries
BHP Tackle
Blackwater International
Bloodydecks.com
Royal Polaris Sportfishing
Brandon
Great report , Always EnJoy Reading about your trip.
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