Almost a "Tuna to Turd Roller" Type of Day (9/13)

[Latimeria]

My boat was covered with ash, dust and spider webs and needed to be cleaned off.  I haven't really tried taking the Curmudgeon offshore all year and I really haven't gone out on a weekend in a very long time so hitched up the boat with a Plan A and Plan B.

Plan A was to head and troll the 9-mile bank and see if there is anything around.  I started heading out and tried to make bait, but there was nothing at my usual bait making spots, so I just headed west.

Here was the problem... 2-3' South swell... 2-3' West swell at 5 seconds and 2' wind waves growing to 3' from the NW.  Every direction I headed I was getting pounded.  I made it a few miles short of the 9-mile and couldn't take it anymore as it kept getting more intense the closer I got to it.  Not a skiffs boat sort of day.

The water was super clean and warm though, so time to look for a paddy!



I trolled a bunch for nothing and found 2 paddies that were so dry that I didn't even see s single "eyes with wiggles" on it or so much as a pixel on the FF.  I finally saw a big fin of a mako and cruised up to it.  Big one!  7-1/2 to 8 feet maybe?  I second guessed if I should try and catch it, but I had a tray of bigger squid and decided to float one in front of its face....  Turned everytime.  Not a single sniff!  He sunk out and I was back to trolling.

Heard the yellowfin were further south and north then the previous day as per the radio sh!t show.  I heard of a few marlin and even a guy releasing two shortbilled spearfish.  I then spot another fin and grab the shark rod which is all ready.  I noticed the fin looked different and it had a weird gait to its swim.  I cruised up to it and it was a friggand hammerhead!  I dropped the squid in front of it, but it did not want it either!  WTF!?!?
I tried several times before it sunk out and I started trolling the area as the last time I saw a hammerhead, there were tuna all over!  30 minutes later and I comes across a pod of dolphin and troll all around them, but nothing happening.

4-5 hours of trolling and I decided I burnt too much gas to come home empty handed and hit some of the deeper rockfish grounds to give it a stab.  First drop was a decent red.



I then spent the next (almost) hour getting my limit of bottom critters.  Dropping 275-290' is friggand tiring!
I caught a few worms that were happy to see me...



Some nice widows in the mix.  (I think Dave calls them Bank Perch)



Bigger model Tilefish!  Damn thing was thick and the picture doesn't do it justice.



I also got a new species for my life list.  Greenstriped Rockfish



I also got a couple of half banded and misc little flea cod.

Damn Salmon Grouper



But did end it with some tasty reds.



I got my 10 and released a few fleas.

I headed in and it was a rough go in the inlet.  You couldn't have told me this wasn't the fourth of july weekend.  Boats everywhere.  Pontoons full of crazy drunk kids.  Paddle boarders.  Boat rental tubs between every single bridge piling that there was almost no way to get through and they acted all mad when you finally chose which one to go through.  Until things get settled down, I'm back to weekday fishing.

Got home to clean the boat and fish and passed out soon after while watching some football.

That was it.  No tuna for me, and I chalk up the Boccaccio to be the equivalent of Turd Rollers, thus the title.  This title was given to Dave for one of his birthday trips.  He was supposed to go out for tuna, but something happened and they turd roller fished instead.  Sad yet funny all the same. 

Thanks for reading!

[BenCantrell]

Nice haul of rockfish, and damn, sounds like if you had a fresh bloody mack ready you would have hooked up with one or both of those sharks.

Pretty sure that one rockfish is a speckled.

[Latimeria]

Pretty sure that one rockfish is a speckled.

You are correct!  I thought it was just a big/brighter widow at first but I think you're right.  That would be a two new species day then!

[sasquatch]

Decent day for me to be visiting mom.

Too bad you struck out on the pelagics. Sounds close to victory at sea for your boat.

[Tim524]

Bumpy seas and a Bay full of morons    I had a few encounters with the Moron crowd, not fun Glad you got to contribute to the freezer cache

[skrilla]

Way to knock it out of the park on plan B!