Big Swells On an Offshore Run

[Latimeria]

They called for some huge swells today, but we were making the run offshore anyway looking for pelagics.  Don had his cousin from Florida on the boat and wanted to get him some tuna. I should have known what type of day it was going to be when we got to the ramp and seen it full of surfers and their make shift boats clogging the ramp.

There was a lot of cool stuff to see offshore, including some monster swells. The Navy was doing a lot of live fire drills out there and were constantly calling people to leave certain areas as live fire was being shelled in the area.  There were more than a dozen pissed off calls from a Navy operator at some surfers fishing a live fire cove in Clemente.  I almost got on the radio to respond "Target clear for live ammunition, fire at will Captain"... I so wanted to.   



There were literally tens of thousand of Sailor's by the Wind out there.  I grabbed one for a closer look.




if you couldn't tell, the fishing was slow for us.  There were a few guys radioing in that they had 30 tuna and were tossing ones back, while we mostly saw trolling sport boats.  We didn't see many people stopped, but we did find some areas with fish that we soaked for with no luck.

it was unbelievable bait also.  They were the best sardines I've seen at the barge all year if not the past few years.  We literall only had a few roll on us all day and none of them even lost their scales.  Crazy good baits, with little to show for it. 

Trolling, paddies and soaking didn't produce for us so we found something else to try... chase dolphin.  We saw some killer fast moving pods of dolphin that just moved faster than I've ever seen. 


We did finally catch up and got on the board...


We hooked two and one pulled the hook.  We got one more shot at them, but didn't get any takers.


We started to head in and fished any paddy's we found along the way.  Don hooked up again with something nice, but the hook pulled on this one also.  We also came across a few makos with one being a really big one!  Don and I tried to catch it, but it sank out and wanted no part in our game.

We did spot something else and went to pull it on board...


Until we read the words "If found, leave in WATER!!!" 
It was some type of research probe and was pretty damn big and heavy.  We left it be and headed in with our tails between our legs.  I mean, we didn't get skunked and had a few more opportunities, but hearing those radio calls of limits of YFT on those paddy's gave me a sour taste in my mouth.

Oh well, you can't catch them sitting on your couch, so we will be back! 

Thanks for reading and until next tide!

[faster u fool]

At least you got out in the beautiful ocean and hooked onto some tunas..  I,m gonna be heading to clemente on Sat to chase some big calicos, and maybe try on some tuna on the way out and in.. never know just glad to have the opportunity...

[Gofishgobig]

We keep saying one of these trips we will limit in no time! If we keep at it .... it's bound to happen for us? Always a pleasure fishing with you Latimeria! Till the next offshore adventure!

[sasquatch]

Always better than not trying.