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The new millenium got off to a slow start in April and May as we struggled with the weather, a hidden life raft, and a recalcitrant autopilot.
The first trip finally came together in the middle of June on a clear night bathed by a bright full moon. The ocean was unusually calm for the run out to a site between the
Butterfly Bank and San Clemente. We fished this area most of the day which started with a 90 minute stop for a school of modest
4 to 14 lb Yellowtail who thought the Seabear was a Kelp Patty and challanged the new cockpit fish hold. Fishbox
We finished with 26 Albacore and 32 Yellowtail on the day. Nice start to the season.
Albacore continued
to fill the hold for the rest of June until we tried a long and bumpy trip to the 295. We managed one albacore jig strike, and a bait fish and a
yellowtail in this area and then worked over to the 480 where we picked up several really nice yellowtail over 20 lbs.
Erich and Gary The weather got a bit grumpy during mid and late July and we lost a trip or two.
When we could get out the Albacore were hungry and we did well on trips to the banks west of San Diego. We visited the banks off
Ensenada in late July and early August and brought home a mixture of Albacore and Yellowtail. The Weather remained a problem and
most trips either to the West or South were in bumpy seas. The Firemen have become consummate Fishermen and Crew
Dennis and were responsible for one of our better
days this year on the 295 Bank west of Ensenada. This trip included a quadruple jig strike of 30 lb Albacore. Two weeks later this area
produced the 'Smorgasbord' trip of the year with limits of modest size Yellowtail, and several Yellowfin and Albacore
Pat Dorado, and a Bluefin
Pat and Russell
The fall season started with a wild trip to the 43 fathom Bank west of
Point Loma. Just below the 43 fathom spot we ran across 3 boats working a kelp Patty. This Patty eventually produced the most wide open Dorado
bite I have seen since the El Nino years. At one point there were 5 sportfishers within 25 yards of
each other with multiple hook ups to these 10 to 15 pound fish. We ended up with over 30 of these nice Dorado
(all but 2 on bait), and about 10 nice yellowfin mostly on the troll. From there the fall season went rapidly down hill.
We lost another trip to what turned out to be a bad power wire to the autopilot. Bumpy weather and modest catches of
small Yellowfin finished out a season that started very brightly with a solid Yellowtail and persistent Albacore bite.
The large Yellowfin and Bigeye of last fall were
very scarce.