Got invited to fish the Islands on a friend's boat this past Saturday for free. The kicker, cook for 26. No problem!
Left the dock a bit late. Motored over to E Bros, apparently bait was scarce that morning so finding a bin with bait was a bit of an Easter Egg hunt. Finally found some chovies and sardines, well enough to fill half the tanks anyway. At least they were quality pieces and just the right size. Left the barge a bit later maybe an hour or so behind schedule, but time flies when your burning through breakfast burritos.
Made our way down to the Islands passing a dozen or so whales. Beatiful weather which fortunately held up throughout the day. Got to the first spot at about 10am. Quickly find out the fish that were there yesterday ( yt limits worth ) have moved on. So off to find a new spot.
Found a place that looked very lively and it produced some biters right off the bat. A good mix of rockfish were first to come over the rail. Bonito then made an apperance literally chasing the chumline out of the water. Then the yellows found the boat. Dropper loops, flyline, and yoyo were the ticket. Basically get your line in the water and hold on. I wouldn't say wide open but more of a good steady bottom pick with flurries of tails and bones throughout the entire day. Got to escape from the galley for a bit to participate in the fun. Nabbed a ling, yellow, bonito, and some assorted rockfish all on the yoyo. Nothing I caught was of size ( no surprise
) but there were some huge sheephead and whitefish making it into the killbox before the drop into the rsw.
For a moment I took a step back to soak in the view. I could of snapped a picture and it would look like classic summer time fishing down at the islands. Don't think I can remember January fishing like this. Hopefully a sign of good things to come this season. Motored back to the dock late killing time in the channel to cut fish but not a complaint heard about it.
