Aztec Overnighter 8/27-8/28/15

[Nicky]

Woooooo what a trip!  I didn't think I'd be doing anymore offshore fishing until October but when SOMEONE poked at my Papa and with the anticipation of offshore time for him he gave in.        Yes I know High school just started but my Fridays aren't too crazy.  Believe me I wasn't going to go for the better benefit and I thought I wasn't going until after all the spots sold out 2 weeks earlier...    My Papa however played a joke on me until a few days prior to the trip he goes, "why aren't you packed?" "Whuuuuuat?" "You're packing my gear right?" "I can let me know what you need" "Come on really!!! I booked your ticket!"      "you're such a dummy"      I love my dad. OK to the trip


       Got everything squared away picked up some stuff at Seaforth 2 hours early, then met up and chit-cahtted with the crew.  The open party "charter master" Mr. Reid (islandboy), Mr. Tyler (T16Mog), Mr. Ed (Relentless), my awesome Papa, and me.  We left the dock on time and off to the bait barge to pick up some awesome 4-7" dines.  They shot straight down to the bottom of the tank, giant slimer, and lost very few scales.  The crew of the Aztec did a great job taking only 5 baits at a time to not beat them up.


KOOK SQUAD (head leader on the camera    )




     After that Captain Greg gave us the scoop.  We'd be going after the mid size fish around 25-40lbs not little fish or BIG fish.  The fish had been finicky chewing 15-25lb line and #2 hooks on butt-hooked dines.  We headed straight west as we left so I expected to wake up at the 302 or 182 and be working north up the line to CBad and San Onofre... Weellllllll. WRONG! When I woke up at 5:00 sharp I was on deck with a few others.  Captain Greg was pulling anchor and had some good tuna under the boat.  My dad and I threw jigs but like Captain Greg said this stuff hasn't been going in the dark or greylight.  At Greylight I made out land. HECK is that Point Loma??? Behind me is that the Coronados??? Wait that can't be North Island it's huge!  Holy Crap! We're inbetween SCI and Catalina!!! Later confirmed by the deckies.  Well after an hour that school sure didn't want to play so we motored west to SCI.  7 minutes later there's a dipping tern.  "Guys I'm not sure if this is wake or fish because it'a so flat I'm sweeping very high and these fish aren't deep at all. AHHh I think its wake lets keep going.  OMG throw some bait! That was fish!"  One guy hooks up as we slide but Captain Greg says ok I gotta go! He keeps bumping the boat forward and says, "guys I gotta go for the steak not the potato! Throw a scoop!" Instant boils everywhere and the whole boat is bent! I land a better, close to 30lb class fish, Mr. Reid 2, Mr. Tyler 2, Mr. Ed a head, and my dad a pulled hook after 3 hours on this fish.





Mr. Ed's big YFT head. Shouldv'e been and easy 35 but the tax man decided to play.





The only pic I have of Mr. Reid. A good grade of tuna.





My fish.

       The whole time it was steadier than a plunker bite but somehow a curse struck my dad and after a lost fish he couldn't hook up.  Seeing steady boils far out I chucked a popper at that fish.  AHHHHH POPPPERRRR! I landed a 20lb fish on the popper and had one completely do a rainbow jump over it. SICK!



Popper fish!


      After 2.5 hours it was time to move. Not 10 minutes later we found smaller grade fish only to pull a handful out as the smaller fish had been very finicky.  We then motored and found bird school after bird school, foamer after foamer, puddlers after puddlers.  We passed up 20 or so schools unitl we found a biting one.  Here sooooo many guys hooked up landing some mixed 10-30lb YFT and FAT 8 lb skippies.  Mr. Tyler pulled out 3 fish on this stop, Mr. Ed I think 1, Mr. Reid 1 and another brute 28lb YFT.  Meanwhile I couldn't get bit to save my life and the same with my Papa. I finally stuck a 20lb YFT but was really frustrated watching freeswimmers chase a bait then veer off.  UHHH frustrating.

       Here's the light bulb flicking part.  As I watched everyone hookup I noticed they were fishing mono to fluro.  The guy who got 13.5 (hammerheaded) told me he was fishing straight mono.  WTH I had 20lb fluro but then I thought about the braid.  I've caught all my fish with the same 10ft fluro to braid in the past but why now?  So I quickly wound on a short 20yd piece of mono inbetween the fluro and braid for me and my papa...

        The next and last stop was Insane! 20-35lb fish boiling and coming over the rail.  I dropped a bait on the starboard side and he swim right into the boils then went 1000MPH.  FREASHONE!!!! As I settled in I look up and see my Papa bent on a fish too! Phew I hope gets one and doesn't get skunked.  I land my 25lb YFT and my Papa alike. YES!!! The mono did the trick!





Glory shot!


       I got a bait right back into the chumline and I see them start to boil.  Here we go FREASHONEEE! Again I look up and my Papa is bent!  Yeah!  Well now we have 3 hammerheads around the boat swimming into and picking up flylined baits.  At one point I had to duck my line under him so he wouldn't ram into my hooked fish!  :shock:  This fish felt good too 100yds into my spool straight down and taking 50 feet after I gained that amount. Well he just went SOLID not a hammerhead but into bulldogging mode.  Huge thumping and I could horse that 30lb fish earlier in the day, but 30 min into the fight I still just couldn't turn his head or even take a 1/2 crank.  One guy doesnt follow his line and his fish takes 9 wraps around mine... UHHHH shoot then another guy's fish goes inbetween ours. Foowee.  We we go into freespool except the last guy to get into the tangle eventhough Captain Greg told him to and he said he was... Well the enevitable happens and he burns my fish right off. DANG IT! Oh well that was the fish offshore fish I've broken off all season so it was just my turn.  On the bright side my Papa landed his fish, Mr. Tyler 2, Mr. Reid 2, and I'm pretty sure Mr. Ed 1.  Fun fishing until we ran out of bait and had to head home simultaneously.  Fun fishing! On the way back We drove straight through 11 foamers and a ton of prime kelps and some BIG ones too.  With a 6 hour ride I helped the deckies bag fish for most of the time and pull them out of the well.




Great grade of fish




Can't....lift uhh.. any higher!




Much better

I wish I could've gotten some pics of Mr. Ed, Mr. Reid, and my Papa but they went into hibernation...       I don't blame them it was 65 and airconditioned instead of 90 degrees.  I dunno why I worked in the heat.




Happy campers!


I think I ended up with 4 (dang should've seen that mono switch earlier and gotten those bites!), my Papa 2 (phew I'm glad he got some), Mr. Ed 2, Mr. Reid 6, and Mr. Tyler 7 and a nice skippy.  The whole boat ended up with 131 and probably 8 FAT skippies.  Amazing how much life was out easily 10 miles of fish from foamers, puddlers, porpoise, birdschools, hammerheads, crazy stuff.  I'd be stoked even just seeing that popper blowup!

We got back ontime to meet Kazi and the Pac Voy crew as Mr. Ron and Ms. Shari headed out on a 2 dayer  .  We got the hook up with Mario down at Sportman's Seafood all we had to do was ship the fish down 800yds... Well with our 22 fish and then 9 more from some joinees, a 6'4" Mr. Tyler and tiny me pushed and steered close to half a ton of fish down on a dock cart... Got our fish to the processer, said our goodbyes, and off to a hot shower we were. 





We had to push this... What a bad Problem 

I would definitely go back out on the Aztec again with Captain Greg and crew.  They were extremely helpful, energetic, and everything they did was for the better of the customers and catching fish.  Not to mention a very Spacious, well air conditioned, and fast cruising boat.

My Papa now has the itch and already wants redemption for not getting bit/landing fish earlier! Great times again with everyone and this a very special one with my Papa.  Love you!!!




Thanks for reading!

Nicky

[WheresMyBeer]

Yay fish

[sasquatch]

Would have loved to be on that trip. Good times with good friends.

[1morecast]

Nice job Nicky! Glad your Dad got some fish too. I see lots of tuna dinners in your future.

[Latimeria]

You are an animal, Nicky!!!   ... popper tuna also! 

Great read and great to see the EDC together and catching tuna.  I still remember when Reid ate the tuna heart and almost made me puke.  LOL

[skrilla]

Cool, surprise trip AND a half ton haul. I'd be stoked just having AC for a day.

[shoresurfer]

Great story.
I also just did a trip with my dad. We didn't do as good as you but still had a great father/son trip.

[Pinoyfisher]

Thats awesome!!!!!!!!!!! I love seeing fish crash on any artificial!! Some video would've been sick!!

[Nicky]

Thank you guys! It was a really fun trip!

Would have loved to be on that trip. Good times with good friends.

That would've been awesome to have more EDC guys on the boat! See you on the October trip Mr. Steve! 

You are an animal, Nicky!!!   ... popper tuna also! 

Great read and great to see the EDC together and catching tuna.  I still remember when Reid ate the tuna heart and almost made me puke.  LOL

Thank you Mr. Tom! That would've been awesome to see!    It was great to have  some of the EDC together fishing again!

Cool, surprise trip AND a half ton haul. I'd be stoked just having AC for a day.

Thank you Mr. Len! It was HOT! Something like 91! Heck Justin (deckie) jumped into the bait tank after we used up all the bait!  .

Great story.
I also just did a trip with my dad. We didn't do as good as you but still had a great father/son trip.

That's awesome! With the dropped counts we weren't going to jinx it by expecting too much but even if we did get skunked I would've been happy just to be offshore with my dad.

Thats awesome!!!!!!!!!!! I love seeing fish crash on any artificial!! Some video would've been sick!!

Thank you Mr. Mike! Gopro would've been awesome! Funny thing was just before the cast Johnny the chef said this,"I've never seen anything caught on that Orca popper before..."  "Yeah I just caught that one so far probably just luck in a boil." Cast, right when it hit the water that YFT did a rainbow jump right over it! All 7 of us on the bow let out the loudest scream I've ever heard!

[faster u fool]

steller trip guys..