California Cowboys |
| Written by Bill Depriest | |||
The fumes, the passengers, the countless tuna, wahoo and yellowtail being carted off the docks all etched a memory that has lasted a lifetime. I vividly recall the excitement in the air – Tales were told as passengers made their way off of the boats, some of weather and some of grueling battles. Some boats nailed them and others came up short, but an action packed adventure was had by all!
As the boat left the harbor that night, it was tough getting to sleep. I remember being suddenly awakened sometime the next morning by the sound of everyone screaming. In one swift motion I jumped out of my bunk and ran out on deck where one after another bloody tuna were beating their tails on the deck. My dad instructed me to grab my rig and toss out a bait. I was instantly hit and quickly got worked. Throughout the day every time the captain stopped the boat more and more fish would come over the rails. Full limits were had by all! You can see why that first experience back in the early ‘80s hooked me on fishing the San Diego long-range fleet. To this day, I still make a point every year to fish a few overnighters and an occasional long-range run. Last year, I hopped aboard an extended 16-day excursion aboard the Red Rooster, and came home elated with more wahoo than I knew what to do with and a personal best 236-pound ‘cow’ yellowfin tuna, not to mention the ‘average’ 135- to 190-pound monsters that also wore my number. If you’re ever considered a Pacific Coast long-range trip, stop procrastinating and do it now. You’ll need to plan your trip way in advance. Book during July through October for one to three day trips, and October through May will put you well in the mix for the extended excursions.
San Diego Harbor: Home to the largest fleet of sportboats in the world It all started back in the 1930s. The meager commercial fleet moored in San Diego Harbor started catching tuna below the California/Mexico border, with the majority of the yellowfin, bluefin and albacore tuna destined for the cannery. More than 70 years later, the same harbor is now home to the largest sportboat fleet in the world with over 80 boats running multiple day trips. Accommodating up to 35 passengers each for up to three weeks at a time, this is also where you’ll find the finest outfitted recreational fishing boats anywhere in the world.
For those considering visiting this sportfishing Mecca, there are two ways to fish these boats, open party or chartering the entire vessel for your own group of comrades. San Diego’s extensive fleet can accommodate as few as six passengers (called 6-packs) to as many as 45 passengers. Keep in mind a number of these mega-machines are more than 120’ in length with wide beams of more than 30’, so there’s always plenty of elbow room at the rail for all. Daily fares range around $200 per person, so extended trips can set you back as much as a few grand. Getting started; one, two, & three day trips.
During years with exceptionally warm water (El Nino), you’re likely to spend time fishing for yellowfin tuna on the troll as well as under kelp paddies and around porpoise schools. The kelps also yield the yellowtail and dorado. This is somewhat similar to the floating debris you pull fish from off Florida’s coast. With the warm water, you may even see an influx of bigeye tuna, with whoppers weighing upwards of 150 pounds even taken on single day trips. During cooler water seasons, the staple of the fishing consists of chasing beloved albacore, known on the east coast as longfin tuna. This fishing consists of trolling feathers in search of albacore schools roaming the offshore waters. Today’s modern sportboats are well equipped with side-scanning sonar to help pinpoint activity in a 360 degree axes around the boat. When strikes are encountered on the trolling jigs, the boat glides to a stop and the crew begins chumming live anchovies or sardines. With any luck, you’ll find yourself in a wide-open albacore bite that could last for hours. One to three day trips often see high quantities of fish, but definitely not the biggest.
The next step; five, six, & seven day mid-range excursions One popular destination for trips of this duration is Isla Guadalupe. Guadalupe is known for enormous yellowtail, some tipping the scales at over 80 pounds! The other highlight (or lowlight) of a trip to Guadalupe may be an encounter with the resident great white sharks that also call the area home. These impressive animals are extremely exciting to watch but can be a nuisance when you’re wrestling a 100-pound yellowfin tuna for an hour only to have a truck size great white devour it right in front of you. All you can do is laugh though, as this is a part of Guadalupe’ mystique that will always be there.
Other top yellowtail haunts during these mid-range trips include San Benitos, Cedros and San Martin. The action here can be spectacular as the yellowtail will often feed right on the surface. Although the yellowtail inhabiting these islands may not be as large as those in Guadalupe, they’re usually extremely plentiful. It’s not uncommon here to sit on a wide-open bite for days – yes, days! If conditions permit, you may spend a day or two looking for bluefin tuna which sometimes roll through. It’s a thrill witnessing these hundred pound fish crashing baits on the surface. On these five to seven day trips, you need to be prepared for just about anything with an arsenal of tackle from 20-pound all the way through 80-pound.
Eight to ten days; the ticket to variety One species you can count on making a solid showing as you enter this length trip are wahoo. To fool these malicious marauders, you typically start by trolling a handful of diving plugs until someone gets what we calll, a stop. Once an initial fish strikes, the remaining anglers throw wahoo bombs and iron jigs to entice other members of the school to bite. You may have stops that produce 30 fish or more on a good day. Wahoo will also readily attack sardine and mackerel baits. Wire both hooks and lures to have the best chance at landing them, as you already know these guys have serious dentures.
Along with the exciting wahoo action, the areas you’ll be visiting will primarily be fished on the anchor, fly-lining live baits for mid-size yellowfin. You can also count on productive bottom dropping for big grouper, some of which will exceed the triple digit mark, that is if you can manage to horse ‘em off the bottom. Scattered yellowtail and dorado will fill in the gaps.Under the right conditions, a few giant yellowfin tuna may show up outside Mag Bay – these ‘cows’ are a great way to top off the trip. Tackle for an extended eight to ten day trip will consist of 20- to 130-pound gear. On a variety filled trip with this much potential, every outfit will have its place. Thirteen to twenty days; monster madness!
The fish you’ll be targeting are once-in-a-lifetime trophies. Highlighting the action will be plenty of wahoo, though there really isn’t much else in the way of variety. These long-range trips are designed exclusively for the angler looking to land huge yellowfin tuna in exotic locales. Hurricane Bank, where you’ll probably be spending the majority of your time, is way out in the Pacific more than 500 miles from Cabo San Lucas. The Bank is a full day’s travel from the Revelliledos Island chain which used to be the ‘go-to’ spot for giant yellowfin tuna until the area was closed for recreational angling by the Mexican Government. The only downside to this destination is that if the weather takes a turn for the worst, there’s no place to hide and you may have to make the long run in unprotected waters. Not to worry, San Diego’s state-of-the-art long range fleet all receive regular onboard weather updates and your safety is their first consideration. Clipperton Atoll, an exotic destination owned by the French, is a small sandy atoll that can either produce a wonderful trip or not much at all. If the crew doesn’t find what they’re looking for at Clipperton, they’ll usually head toward Hurricane Bank to save the trip. One problem with Clipperton is the lack of up-to-date info as the area is only fished by a few sportboats. Cleophis Bank is also known for producing large yellowfin tuna. It lies outside of Puerto Vallarta. Unique to the area are cabbillitos (little horses). These hardy baits are easily caught on scene and the big tuna find them irresistible. Cleophis is another on or off spot. If the bank has clear blue water, it usually produces. If the water is green, the area can be a real dud. You won’t see a lot of wahoo at Cleophis but you may get a chance at prized dogtooth snapper and pargo.
From leisurely overnighters to elaborate multi-week excursions, any of these long-range trips are a real blast and usually provide outstanding results. With so many days on the water during the extended trips there’s a solid chance you’ll experience at least one wide-open bite. Head out to San Diego, jump on a sportboat and make your long-range fishing dreams a reality. San Diego is a great destination. From the moment you arrive you’ll be anxious to board a boat and go fishing. All of the operations offer tackle rental so you don’t even have to bring your own gear. Daily flights are available to San Diego International Airport from all of Florida’s major hubs and all of the landings are just minutes away. Long-range fishing is an adventure all anglers should experience at least once. The worst that can happen is you’ll land the fish of a lifetime and make some new friends along the way. See you at the Hurricane!
Fish San Diego: Fisherman’s Landing Point Loma Sportfishing H&M Landing Seaforth Sportfishing Islandia Sportfishing
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