Once again I was invited on a long standing 3 day charter on the Pacific Voyager organized by my friend Tommy. It's a popular trip and I don't always make the list but it's a must go when I do.
Lots of anticipation as the date drew near. Didn't know what was in store fishing wise but knew it would be a fun trip.
Started off with the traditional potluck.
Lots of great food.
Captain arrived and gave us our options. Things were hampered by the weather early in the week. It came down to Tanner Bank for big bluefin where the high boat the day before had 9 fish, or head south for yellowfin to a new group of fish that had been spotted with good fishing.
We opted for south. Way south it turns out.
Motored all night in smooth seas for the best first nights sleep I've ever had on a sportboat. Motored until late the next morning to reach the zone and began trolling for tuna.
It was beautiful weather and the hours of trolling were interrupted by occasional skipjack strikes that never turned into a bite. One strike resulted in 3 dorado on bait. Finally near sundown we had two stops for 2 nice yellowfin on the jigs.
That night, after a beautiful sunset and great dinner, we were invited to release some paper lanterns in memory of one of the passengers brother who passed recently. It was a new experience for me to see these and a nice tribute to his memory.
The second day of the trip was much different with jig strikes turning into bait stops and pandemonium. The key was chasing down porpoise and the tuna bit as we trolled through them. When the fish movede on we would chase down the porpoise again and catch fish again. All day long. It was a great day.
When I say way south, I mean we were about 10 miles or less north of Isla San Martin which is around 160 miles from SD.
The refreshing jello shots provided a nice break between bites. Thanks Shari.
Lots of things land on the boat,but this is a first for me.
After dinner we began the long uphill run towards home and an area that had some paddies with YT and maybe dorado left on them. It was a bumpy ride and all day as the weather turned on us.
We trolled and looked for paddies in lumpy seas until about 1 when we had to run for home. One paddy of the few we found was holding and we made 3 drifts for about 30 rat yellows. That was pretty much it for the day. A fre jumping marlin on the way in provided soe entertainment as it cleared the water 6-7 times as we passed.
We had a couple slow days, but Charlie and the crew worked their asses off to find us fish and they did. I don't think anyone has any complaints.
Some random shots.
Thanks Tommy, the crew of the PV, and my fellow passengers for a great trip.
