“After the local fleet's tough weekend," read the American Angler report June 30, "we were encouraged when we left the dock by a few decent reports. A couple of boats managed a few decent scores on albacore which seemed to mean that things were on the upswing. We were on the grounds at daylight and got an immediate jigstrike. There were several short stops for most of the fleet but right about the time we were getting a few, things changed. Where there were once scattered meter marks within minutes the fish were down and there was no sign. The fleet split up in search of and unfortunately the only thing found was increasing wind. “We covered quite a bit of ground for not very much but on the other hand, we saw scattered sign over a big area which leads us to believe that there is more around. We ended the day with a stop for 8 albacore - such as the one caught by Brianna Lees - which sure helped the cause. Our total of 15 albacore and seven bluefin was not from lack of effort by crew or passengers but hopefully can by written off as a down day. The tough day for the fleet should not discourage interest in any way for many reasons.
“The old saying, ‘you should have been here yesterday,’ does not apply for tomorrow and the chance to be here when things bust open is very realistic.”
50’s Biting On 40“We had another good day of fishing out here with 59 tuna and 63 yellowtail hitting the deck,” wrote Excel skipper Justin Fleck June 30. “The average size of the tuna was a little bigger today. Most were in the 50 pounds or better class.
“The key to getting bit today was dropping down one notch in your tackle. Our boat outfits are set up like this: 6' to 7' medium action Seeker rods, Penn 4/0 reels, 65-pound Power Pro spectra backing, 50 ft. of 40-pound Berkley Trilene, and 2 ft. of 40-pound Berkley 100-pound fluorocarbon tied to a 6/0 Eagle claw circle hook.
“This seems to get bit pretty steady. Fishing has been good here so we are staying another day. Depending on how tomorrow goes will decide whether we will finish our trip here or move up the line.”
Fishing Spreads Out"Good morning folks," Red Rooster III skipper Andy Cates reported June 30, "yesterday was not near the action that we had the day before. It was a decent scratch, with some bigger fish mixed in. there were a couple of fish around the 100-pound mark and a dozen others from 70 to 90 pounds. We caught 31 tuna for the day, just one or two at a time, for most of the day.
“With three boats here things seem to have spread out a bit, and it sounds like the scores are similar. We plan to stay here until after lunch and then head in to finish the trip fishing yellows.”
Star Is On Pace“With a steady pace established on day one," Royal Star owner skipper Tim Ekstrom reported June 30, "we kept with the program today remaining in the same location while keeping one to five fish hooked and riding out the occasional lulls. Between the 15 to 35-pound yellowtail that were marauding below and the fantastic grade of yellowfin tuna picking off the surface baits, it was another memorable day of long range style fishing that perfectly fit the description of what this fishery is about.
“A handful of standouts today broke the century mark, and a couple of handfuls were close behind in the seventy five to ninety five pound range, but the vast majority of our tuna landed were in the fifty to sixty-pound class. All day fishing for good quality tuna and yellowtail on the anchor; yes, we are all very pleased and grateful for good timing. We could not ask for a better scenario.
“The only downside was the good working weather we enjoyed yesterday made way for sloppier conditions by mid day that came on with a freshening afternoon breeze. A steady downhill current kept our bow into the wind and swell, making for a pleasant ride and easy fishing conditions. It's all good.”
See The Light: Sportfishing LampA fresh offering from Pelagic looks like it could be a good deal.
Three lamps are being offered for $89, marked down from $199. The one I liked best was called Tuna, Mahi, Ahi.
The other sculptured lamps feature billfish in a patina or colored finish. Here’s where you can see more about their offer!
Yellowtail Fishing At It's Best
This NEW Standup Fishing with Bill Roecker DVD has exciting action on the iron, and great tips and how-to’s from Matt Salas of Salas Lures and long rod expert Captain Bruce Smith of the Shogun and BigFishHappen.com:Jig Fishing Mossbacks!
Cedros Island Yellowtail Aboard Shogun
You know fishing’s good when you have to leave ‘em biting! Join Bill Roecker and Matt Salas as they fish with skipper Bruce Smith aboard the 90-foot sportfisher Shogun, on a four-day summer trip that visits the Benitos Islands and Cedros Island. Whopper homeguard yellowtail load up rods and snap any line not up to the task. They’re biting on surface iron, yoyo iron, and live sardines. See ‘em bite right next to the boat! Top off two days of fantastic fishing at Cedros/Benitos with a morning of angling like it used to be, at Sacramento Reef, near Jeronimo Island. Bass, bonito, rockfish, lingcod and yellowtail jump on jigs as fast as the guys can chuck ‘em! Rapid-fire fishing, good food and long rod demonstrations from skipper Smith and jig maker Salas make this DVD special for all anglers who love to fish for hard-slugging yellowtail.
In this clip, Captain Bruce Smith explains to Bill Roecker how a bait ball attracts birds and fish.
Available to ORDER at FishingVideos.com
