When we arrived at the docks a couple boats were arriving from a 3-day trip. The Bluefin and Albacore were stacked up all around the unloading area. It was quite an impressive sight, and really got us enthused for our trip. Unfortunately the Wednesday results were not nearly as impressive as the counts had really dropped. Always optimistic, we set off ready for whatever was waiting.
We stopped in the gray, picking up a few Albacore, before the trolling started. The first standard trolling rotation resulted in a triple on the Albacore, which also resulted in a few bait fish. There was a buildup starting under the Gallilean, so Harlan told us to keep on fishing. None of the other boats were getting much of anything, so there was no reason to leave fish to look for fish. It was also a good time to have a breakfast of hotcakes, sausage and eggs to order. Steve Owens got a nice Bluefin to start the bite. It continued for a few hours with a very slow pick on the Albacore and Bluefin. The fish finally left the boat so we started our trolling again. Between trolling rotations we had lunch of Chicken Florentine with Eggplant Parmasan. Gary Jantzen had come over from Arizona to join out group, and was rewarded with his first albacore. He was awarded the "Bloody Hand" as a momento. The majority of the Albacore were troll fish, but Ron Klinger picked up a nice Yellowtail off one of the kelp paddies we stopped on. While the kelp held very few tuna, there were huge numbers of sunfish rolling around, with one jumping out of the water! It was impressive to see one do that, since they usually seen barely able to move.
The first day resulted on 40 Albacore, 9 Bluefin Tuna and 1 Yellowtail. After dark we stopped trolling and congregated in the galley. Dinner consisted of salad, with a main course of Prime Rib, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and grilled Summer Squashes. It was followed by hot fresh baked Apple Pie A La Mode. Quite a fantastic dinner. Of course we had a few bottles of excellant wines, ranging from a Chiant Classico Reserva, through two great Cabs and a Chard. Most of us hit the bunks, while a few hearty individuals caught a few giant squid.
The second day started with a gray bite on the fish that had built up during the night. Breakfast this day was Eggs Benedict with fresh fruit. The slow pick continued, so I decided to try for an Albacore. With 20# line, a small chrome sinker providing the link with a FC leader and a #4 hook with an anchovy I tried for one of the smaller variety. I hooked up, and the first run went well past what an Alby would do. After close to an hour of up and down fighting, the fish came to the surface and started slowly orbitting the boat from 60 feet out. After three laps I was able to keep him in the bow, and got a nice Bluefin on board. Tim Knott also got a Bluefin on 20#, with the same setup, and also spent over an hour working his fish close to the boat. When he finally got it on board it turned out to be the jackpot winner! A nice 55# Bluefin Tuna. We headed back around noon with an additional 40 Albacore and 10 Bluefin, just hitting the 100 fish count. We lunched on Philly Cheese Steaks, and started breaking down our equipment. After napping, and eating snacks which included Calamari from the previous night, we arrived back at the docks. Another good charter onboard the Gallilean!
