I was lucky enough to find a ride on a 36 ft high-powered fisherman’s dream named, “Fun Ticket”. The boat owner, Bob, was nice enough to allow me to fill in for an injured angler at the last minute.
We had lines in the water 10 minutes before sunrise using Mullet as bait. Having just finished putting on sunscreen, my reel started to run. FISH ON! Confused as to what do, my reaction was slow. The rest of the boat helped me figure it out by yelling loudly at me. With numb hands and aching shoulders and poor form, I manage to land one of the largest Yellowtails of the event.
The rest of the day we trolled around San Pedro Island, passing within 50 yards of the cliffs and other competing boats, trying not to tangle or snag our lines. We managed to catch 2 more large keepers before the bite fell off. We hauled ass to a new spot, closer to the finish scales and I hooked up with less than 30 minute to go in the timed tournament (4pm was the cut off for the day). With much better form and help of the skipper, the 19lbs fish was landed with minutes to spare.
Exhausted, wind whipped, and reeking of fish, I returned back to the hotel. Oh, did I mention, it was Valentine’s Day? Honey, I’m home… here, kitty, kitty, kitty…
After a fun dinner out and a stop at Dairy Queen for dessert, the next morning was tough to make the boat on time. Arriving a few minutes to 5am, I found the boat dark. I had missed a phone message from Bob telling me to be at the boat at 6am. This morning was clearer, but colder. However, now I had my fish catching groove on. Alas, no such luck, as we only managed to catch 2 fish today. Out of 17 boats, we came in 5th. Not bad, and I had fun. Fish on!
Enjoy the pictures.
Day 2 Catch
Sunrise
First Day- 2 Out of 3
Hauling Ass to the next site
