Islander Report. 6/7/08
 

Lunch: Flatbread grilled chicken tacos with secret sauce, guacamole, and killer salsa and a layer of griddled cheese stuck to the outside of the flatbread, served with blackbeans and a dollop of sour cream, snack was a fresh baked crumbly top coffee cake.

Dinner: Started off with freshbaked football sized loaf of bread and butter, zesty creamed corn soup and then a big helping of pork tenderloin topped with mango chutney and steamed asparagus and wild rice on the side. Dessert was a fresh baked carrot cake with cream cheese frosting topped with sliced almonds.

And, they had Sierra Nevada.

Thank you Rachel Rey:D:D:D

NF@TS? Got any tackle recommendations for the trip next week?

alright, I think you are leaving out the most important detail----did they have milk to go with the cake?????:)

NFITS. Just wasn't very fishy. Water was turned over from all the wind and swell, no bait around, was able to make one lone spanish mac, but the sardines on the boat were healthy.

The gap between north and south island provided some shelter from the wind and kicked out about 7 halibut for the group.

I mostly stayed out deep around 100ft looking for marks to yo yo on, and trolling and fishing deep sardines. nada.

My only fish was a calico on the sabiki. Lots of skunks and plenty of one calico fisherman.

Big fat gill net was set up near the southern end of the island near the tuna pens which was really a bummer to discover after fishing there all day...

Crew was good and took good care of us.

How 'bout that weather...
 

Weather was up, swell from the north mixed with wind from the south. Boiler rocks with breaking sets. The washing machine in the gap was exciting. Weather layed down in the PM so it can be nice there. Tried a few things and the best game in town ended up being flatties. Bring the usual gear, bass, halibut, YT, an appetite and a thirst. It was fun fishing with everyone, I had a good time.

You can't beat the Islander crew -- #1 in service. Lunch, cerveza, bait just a radio call away.

Despite the wind & swell, it was business as usual for the Islander crew, Top notch service all the way from loading & unloading the kayaks to the gourmet food to beer & bait delivery service.

http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwegall...0/P1010102.JPG

Due to the wind we were limited in range and forced to stay tucked in on the w/nw side of south island. After a few hours of unproductive fishing in 40-90' of water, I decided to follow the captain, Jason's tip of trying the area between the islands for halibut. After pulling the hook on what felt like a really nice one, I managed a 15#er on my 2nd drift in 18' on a sardine on the bottom. After radioing the guys to let them know, I managed a 7#, which was followed over the course of the day by 5 others, caught by the rest of the group, ranging from 5#- 27#. Also several calicos & a few lings were caught.

I wish I had taken more pics, but between fishing & repositioning against the wind, I only got a few:

The tip of S. Island w/ Punta Banda in the background
http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwegall...0/P1010104.JPG

Moyer & Rhyno w/ north island in the background
http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwegall...0/P1010103.JPG

The islands are not too big& I really think if it had been less windy, we could have covered the entire circumference of the islands if we were so inclined & probably found a better variety, but we worked with what we were given & made the best of it.

Hopefully others took some more pics & can post 'em up.

All in all it was a really fun trip & most everybody stuck it out throughout the day despite the wind & swell. Thanks again to the Islander crew for goin the extra mile as usual.

I only caught one fish but still had a great time, despite the conditions, due to the Islander crew and my fellow anglers. Tough conditions and tough fishing rarely prove fatal. Congrats to all who got some nice halibut, and thanks to OEX which provided some outstanding raffle prizes. Islander + OEX = first rate trips.

Thanks for the report all, and the pix Corey.

My one excitement was hooking something big in the kelp on a plastic on the bass rod. Big fish, swam lazily under me, then felt me tugging and took off. On my way to getting spooled so I thumbed it it and broke it off. Probably a WSB, maybe a black.

Great group and the usual excellent service and food from the boat. Conditions were mediocre, otherwise we could have done a bit more I suspect.

Not much to add. Thanks again to the Islander, crew and cook. They were awesome again. Also thanks to the great group on board, makes the trip that much better. Some good fish caught with a few lost. Let's see the pics Josh :cheers1: . It sounds like a few yt, wsb, or bsb were hooked but none made it aborad. Like everyone else said if the wind is down we could cover a lot more ground. The 8-12' :eek: swells just added some extra excitement.

Toni and I found a couple of boni up at the north end. He farmed one at the boat and I released mine. We left because the wind pushing us out to sea and the swell bufffeting us around was just too exhausting. When we found that the fishing was slow everywhere, Scott and I paddled back up there after lunch por nada. Still, it was a great trip. The crew was AWESOME and the food OUTSTANDING! :cheers1:

Thanks for the report. Sorry the weather didn't cooperate for you. Looks like a totally fishy place and the Islander crew and outfit look first class. I'm on one of these trips for sure next year!:the_finger:

I recognize those conditions.
Thanks

Thanks again to the Islander crew. That was a great trip.

I tried heading outside early, there were a lot of scattered birds working out there, and I got picked up on a weighted sardine, felt like the right kind, but the hook didn't stick, could of just been a big bonie though, I worked the same area for a half hour or so, for nothing else, saw a sealion tearing up a small mola. Anyways, the wind was so bad I deciced to join everyone else in the sheltered area between the two islands. Seemed like a place that could be really good under better conditions, I would go back, especially with the Islander crew. The sport fleet out of Ensenada was set up between south island and punta banda, I'm sure that's where the yellows were, we just couldn't get there. At least it was a good group of guys on the boat and the beers were cold. :cheers:

Doesn't sound too shabby!

Glad to hear you guys had a good time. :cheers1:

Todos Santos...
 

Yes the wind was on us early, yes we tucked in and made a day of it. Very nice to finally fish with many of you. Another fun trip, even if it was slow. So nice to get away and have a whole day to fish the yak in a remote location. Get onto one of the Islanders trips! If you have never experienced one you are in for a treat! Thanks to OEX and the crew, cant wait to go back! TL Rhyno

OEX stepped up with some nice raffle swag, thanks guys :luxhello:. I would go back to Todos again. I would be interested in going just about anywhere the Islander is willing to take a kayak. Now if we could just get great weather or great fishing on one of these adventures :doh:.

I didn't take many pics, too busy paddling. Here are a few that almost came out in focus:

Just a little swell
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r...9/IMG_3713.jpg

The same rocks from a distance
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r...9/IMG_3712.jpg

In the gap between the islands
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r...9/IMG_3710.jpg



http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r...9/IMG_3716.jpg

The kayak fleet with the Islander
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r...9/IMG_3718.jpg

Another top notch adventure from the Islander crew...
these guys really know how to do the mothership thing...
great food, great service, great locations, great fishing...
I cannot wait for the next outing...
loading at the the Fisherman's...
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t...9/P6060034.jpg
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t...9/P6060035.jpg
we woke to a little bit of
wind and some very large swells...not real choppy, just big swells...
I actually got really dizzy bending over looking down while
rigging my yak for launch...I caught one calico and one rock fish throwing a swim bait on the boat while waiting to launch...
the fishing was actually pretty slow all morning...couldn't even buy a bite...
guys were fishin the kelp, reefs, out deep lookin' fer yellers...nobody
was gettin' chit...I think one or two guys had a good fish on the line,
but nothing stuck...finally around 9:30 or so I managed one 2 lb calico around a boiler rock...then around 10 or so we hear Cory say on the radio,
"I got a halibut, you guys should come over here"...it wasn't untill his second butt that some of us listened and decided joined him over in the butt hole... :shock:
oh...wait a minute...that didn't come out right...oh well...
right around noon, after only one calico and absolutely no other bites of any kind...I finally got bit...
just as I got my butt secured, Moyer gets one, too...
mine was right at 23",
and Matts was probably 29" or 30" or so...
here's me 'n' Matt holding our butts... :lol:
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t...9/P6070038.jpg
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t...9/P6070039.jpg
here's brother Rhino and Matt enjoying the day...
this is the south end of the north island...
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t...9/P6070043.jpg
here's the south island...
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t...9/P6070047.jpg
around lunch time, the captain was asking us if we wanted to keep
fishing there or make the move to Punta Banda, he informed us
that with the wind a swell the way it was that there was the
probability that it would be un-fishable...we took quick vote
and even though the fishing had
been painfully slow most of the day, the vote was unanimous to stay...
little did I know that...(for me)...it was to be a great decision...
headed back to the mothership for lunch...
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t...9/P6070045.jpg
we had a really delicious lunch consisting of these yummy cheesy gordita,
chiken filled, guacamole oozin', black bean works of art...
un-real...
right after lunch, I paddled back over towards "the butt hole" where Matt and I had hooked our butts...
I retied a new 15 lb flouro leader as it was
a bit tattered from the first butt...
about 100 feet from the marked spot...
I sent down the mother of all sardines...this thing was 8 " long...
like a small trout...he was down ther for about 5 minutes...
doing his little sardine thing that they do down there...
a halibut call of sorts I reckon...
so I just a creepin' a long draggin' da dine and al of the sudden...
THUNK...I think to myself..."now that was a bite"...I stopped...
put the rod tip down to the water so's not to move the bait...wait...wait....nuthin'...wait...wait some more...
c'mon fishy...bite dat mo fo...I figured this...
she's either swallowed it or she's gone...
so I slooowwwwly start to reel up the slack...slooowwwwly...
feels heavy...
REEEELLLL...FAST...REEEEELLLL....FISH ON...
the fish had picked it up and was swimming towards me...
she ate that big ol' dine in one breath...
this slow day was picking up to say the least...
say hello to my new personal best...
she was 40.5'" and 27 lbs...hello
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t...9/P6070051.jpg
what a day...not a whole lotta fish but some darn good ones...
brother Jeff managed to get in on the butt action, too...
Jeff, holding his butt...
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t...9/P6070053.jpg
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t...9/P6070057.jpg
we all fished hard for the rest of the day for more of the
same slowness and no more fish...I managed one sculpin
for about four more hours of fishing...right around 6:15
or so I figured maybe it's time to call it a day...
just for kicks...I thought I would tie on a #2 flyliner hook
with a 1/2 oz egg sinker and drag a dine back while chuckin' a blue and white yo yo iron out ahead for the remote chance of
Mr yeller showin' up...
Mr yeller never showed...
but Mr Bonehead did...he hammered the yo yo
on the fast retrieve about 10-15 feet from the surface...7.5 ber...
my first bone from the yak...woohooo....
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t...9/P6070063.jpg
that was fun so I kept at it for another half hour or so,
chuckin' da iron and draggin' da dine and all of the sudden...ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ....the dine gets whacked...
my second yak bone...8 lbs even...
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t...9/P6070067.jpg
after a long hard day of fishin'and a hot shower...
the Islander provided us with antother fine meal
with a corn chowder soup warm up, fresh home
baked cheese bread, pork loin with mango salsa, veggies and rice, and
home made carrot cake for dessert...another fine trip...
I'd like to throw out a special thanks to Cory for putting us on
the butts...Thanks Cory!!!:cheers1: :notworthy:
and to OEX for all the great raffle stuff...you guys rock...:you_rock:
and I'll leave you with this "holy crap" shot of me and my new PB...
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t...9/P6070073.jpg