San Diego Long Range Fishing Thread, Royal Star Oct 3-13 in Fishing Reports; This was my first trip of this length, & what a good one it was
10/3 – 10/5 We ran ...
This was my first trip of this length, & what a good one it was 10/3 – 10/5 We ran straight to the rocks, arrived around noon 10/5, trolled around a bit, & picked up a few hoo’s, then we got settled on the spot, just across the way from the Intrepid. ( see the Kens / Bushmans report ) We started getting some small ones, and then the larger units rolled in. It was a great “pick” bite with several fish going most of the time. I was fishing 40# & when the fish started coming over the rail, I quickly switched to 50, then to 60. It was not hard to get bit w/ a good bait once he got out to the zone. With a little dumb luck I landed the biggest fish of the trip 100.5# Yellow Fin Tuna, got him on an Accurate b2-665, matched to a 765M that I built this past summer. Using a short 15’ 60# wind on leader, tied to a 4 /0 ringed Owner gorilla hook. Next time maybe I’ll get in the jackpot, it figures the only time I didn’t get in it is the only time I caught the biggest one.
The spot we were sitting on was so good we didn’t move for 3 days, it was a pretty steady stream of “cookie cutter” 70# to 85# fish coming in, some were a bit bigger, not many were much smaller. Also the wahoo were roaming the area as well. I got one on the troll, ( before we set up shop on the spot, ) w/ a large purple marauder, & another on a circle hook straight tied to 50# floro. This one was caught on the rig I used the most, an Accurate b2-870, filled w/ 65# spectra, & a 15’ blackwater floro wind on, matched up w/ a 700H that I built. Gotta tell ya it’s an awesome feeling to catch some really nice fish on custom rods that you built yourself. We were also catching a lot of Dorado, they were actually becoming a bit of a nuisance, some were donated to the galley for lunch, most were released.
A little side note on the wahoo, I used to come to SD from Phoenix 25 years ago & fish the “overnight trips” to the Coronado’s, we’d get in late afternoon, spend the night in one of the hotels around the landing. The next AM, usually a Sunday morning, go back to the dock to see them unload the “long Range trips” Upon seeing the first wahoo I’d ever seen laying there on the dock I had wanted to catch one from that moment on. 25 years later it finally happened & let me tell you what an awesome feeling to get one. Just look at the stupid grin on my face holding that hoo the picture says it all.
10/8 After the morning bite died down we pulled the anchor & trolled around a bit for more hoo, we went out to Alijos ridge, getting a few more wahoo here and there, while trolling Capt Brian made sure that ALL of the 17 passengers on board had landed a hoo. Once everyone had at least one, most had several by this time, we went back to the rocks & started on those fat Yellow Fin Tuna again. This went on for a couple of hours & it was evident that most people had caught their fill of these bruisers. We pulled the hook again & headed for the ridge. The trip to the ridge was pretty un eventful, but a nice time to relax & re-rig up any gear.
10/9 & 10/10 We looked around a bit for the right conditions & then we found it. Capt Brian put us on a spot of Yellowtail that was ready to bite. They were hitting the dropper loop very well, also yo-yo iron welcomed a few aboard. I even got a few on the surface iron. The fish were plentiful, but not those “trophy” size that everyone was hoping for. Capt Brian decided to make the move to the islands to find the big ones. We also picked up some other species, grouper, bass etc.
10/11 We started out at Chester Rock hoping to find em but they weren’t home, we went next door to Isla Cedros, we found the ones we were looking for, the bigger models & got them to start biting. The seals got on us & started making the fishing a bit of a challenge, but lots of anglers were rewarded w/ some really nice grade fish. We spent the day at the island moving around always looking for that wide open bite that never really happened. We did pick away at those larger fish all day though & reduced their population at Cedros by a bit. By the end of the day, again all anglers had caught / or released more than enuf Yellowtail.
10/12 We moved up the line over night & got set up on the bottom dwellers @ first light. The reds were more than willing to accommodate us, also looking to join us onboard were a few nice lings. We made a few drifts across the spot, & once again everyone caught plenty. As with everything else in life, all good things must end. We broke down our gear, & headed for the barn.
Shimano was the sponsor of the trip, they did not send any rep’s, but sent out their new Talica rods & reels for use to play with. They seemed to put the screws to the fish pretty well, but I didn’t use any so really cant say first hand. Most folks using em were not complaining though, even the guy who got spooled 3 times using the smaller one ( the size 8 I think ) Shimano also sent out some nice raffle prizes, I ended up winning a new Trinidad 30, talk about a nice bonus……….
The Royal Star, well what can I say, Capt Brian, the crew, Blake, Isaac, Steve, Shaun, along w/ Jeff in the galley, w/ Tommy helping out, went above & beyond. They work GREAT as a team, very helpful, patient & fun too. The food was top notch, fresh baked bread each night, all I can say is WOW. They don’t mess around when its time to eat. The care taken by the crew to keep your catch in top shelf condition really shows, certainly the best fish handling I’ve seen. Matched up w/ the fine folks at 5 star is an unbeatable combination.
There were a few things that I really wanted to accomplish on this trip, 1.) Catch a tuna bigger than my previous best of 40# ( accomplished ) 2.) Catch a wahoo ( accomplished ) 3.) Catch a nice Yellowtail on the long rod & surface jig ( accomplished ) 4.) Have a great time ( accomplished ) 5.) Bring home some of that RSW I’ve been hearing so much about ( more than accomplished )
I want to say thanks to the following, for an awesome fishing vacation. The entire staff at the Royal Star, Shimano for the new reel, 5 star, BHP tackle & Ringedhooks.com
Thanks to the passengers as well, it was a really fun group of people, they worked well & “that Guy” didn’t show ( unless it was me ???? )
The fish in pic's dont do the fishes justice cause I'm 6'3 230# & the fish on the dock are just the ones that caught the first 2 days that went into the deep freeze, prior to the RSW tanks being ready. A big thx to Steve & Cathy for trading out my frozen ones for some of their fresh RSW'd ones
Congrats on your fish, particularly your HOO Kyle.... sounds like you killed em too! We've got a couple of spots still available for next year if you want to join us!.
I was reading the Reports while you were out three. Talk about being JEALOUS! I was salivating! I fished w/ Brian when he ran the Q105, what a great skipper, and loved the Star before he joined Tim & Randy, so a boon to all fisherman when they all partnered up.
Thanks for the report and great pics!
Last edited by SemperFishing; Oct-15-2009 at 01:50 PM.
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