Just thought I'd chime in and add a few more pictures and thoughts from the trip. Overall, I'd call it a "bust" for me for a couple of reasons, none of which had anything to do with the boat, the crew, or the program in general.
The boat is set up wonderfully for this type of trip, and has been mentioned many times, the crew was really great. I also really enjoyed the chance to meet everyone and learn so much about this sport that is still relatively new to me (not quite a year now). Seeing the way everyone had their yaks rigged was especially fascinating for me, and definitely got me thinking about a few new ideas.
Yea, the weather definitely could have been better, but the sun did poke out its head for a bit in the afternoon and then the wind laid down some in the late afternoon. Here's a shot of the early morning weather, just after paddling away from the boat:
And another shot looking back toward the mainland - those kelp beds were holding a lot of fish according to the marks on the FF, but they just didn't want to answer the door when I knocked for some reason...
Shot of the North Island just above the little beach where there was a panga and a fishing shack:
Yes, we did finally see a bit of sun in the late afternoon:
The "Death Zone" between the North and South Islands was breaking pretty good, which as was mentioned, prevented us from being able to paddle around the islands and fish the other side...
The process of loading and unloading the boat was amazingly easy - again, the crew really jumps all over things and helps out - heck they even carried my kayak ( nicknamed "The Incredible Hulk") all the way up the dock and onto the street practically when we got back.
For those that have not been on the Islander (this was my first boat fishing trip ever), here's a couple of things I learned that I'll keep in mind next time:
1. Don't drink 100 proof bourbon the night before on an empty stomach. :-) After driving down through miserable traffic all the way from Santa Barbara, we just made it in time to load up and spend some time relaxing on the boat before we left. This didn't leave time for a proper dinner, so I think I had a slice of pizza, A couple of Sierra Nevadas, and two stiff shots of Knob Creek. Then, because of the anticipation (and some bizarre recurring work dreams) I didn't sleep all night. I awoke the next morning with the first case of "seasickness" I've had in all my 40+ years. That made for a pretty rough morning of fishing...
2. Put on a long bow line, and be very careful how your yak gets tied alongside during lunch breaks, etc. I had a short (6'-8') bow line, and my yak ended up being tied so that the boat's bilge pump was pouring directly onto my seat and CrateMate. I tied on a longer line and moved it farther forward and eliminated the problem. We also had pretty heavy swells, and I think there were a couple of cases of slight damage to yaks from the boat coming down on them in the swells - just watch for contact points carefully if you are in a heaving sea and you are tying up along side for lunch, etc.
3. Separate your stuff into two containers/duffels - one for fishing specific stuff (including your paddle jackets, waders, etc) and another for your "clean clothes". Make sure the latter is pretty small. You'll be sharing a cabin with two or three guys and if you bring a big duffel you may end up sleeping with it because there ain't much room to store it in the cabin. A small daypack would be perfect. Sandals for the showers are a good idea, since the floors of the heads tend to get a bit gritty (sand, seawater, etc) after a day at sea. Oh, and you don't need a sleeping bag- there are linens on the bed. Just bring a towel for the shower (which felt SOOO good at the end of the day!)
4. Having all your tackle & tools ready to go in a crate or something like that separate from your yak can make the process of "gearing up" really simple. When your yak comes down off the racks, you just plop your crate onto the yak (that they have placed on an open space on deck) and secure it. Then take your rods and your paddle to the back corner of the boat and tell the crew you are ready to roll. they'll drop your yak in the water, you get in, and they had you your rods and paddle, and some bait. About as easy as it gets!
5. Tag your rods with colored tape or something else to make it easy to find them. Depending on how you fared the night before, you may have some trouble remembering where you put your stuff... :-)
Other thoughts about this particular trip:
Bottom line, Todos Santos just didn't seem very fishy while we were there - it was cold, windy, big swells, and pretty much how I remember lots of spring surfing and diving trips to the Pacific coast of northern Baja when I was a student at UCSB.
In hind sight, it would probably make sense to go later in the season when things warm up a bit (but then of course, you never really know...)
For those with the focus, patience, and expertise to get right to the business of catching halibut it seemed pretty productive, but not amazingly so, IMO. For a fisherman with ADD like me that likes to be hunting more actively (casting for calicos or throwing krocodiles/rapalas/irons into a boil), it was downright dull. In fact I didn't get a single bite until about 4:30 in the afternoon when I had a few aggressive takes and a couple of raked baits. About an hour later I landed my only fish - a 12" sculpin. (damn right I filleted it and took it home!)
I think we all worked pretty hard all day long, and for some it paid off nicely, as you can see from the previous shots of nice 'buts. After dinner time, the crowd thinned out REAL quick as I think everyone was pretty beat from paddling into and out of the wind and swells for most of the day. The OEX Schwag Raffle was really cool apparently, and somehow I managed to get first pick on the goodies, coming up with a nice CoD inflatable seat pad, which was pretty good considering that I'd already crashed into my bunk for the night.
When we arrived back at the landing on Sunday morning, again the crew was awesome about helping get everything off the Islander. I don't think it took more than about 30 minutes for me to get all my stuff off and to my truck in the parking lot a short walk away (a very reasonable $5 a day for parking). I have to say, though that it was a bit disheartening claiming my puny little Sculpin fillet on the dock surrounded by carts full of 50# yellowtail coming off the other longer range boats!
Frustrated with the lack of fishy action, but with a smile on my face nonetheless (grateful to have my appetite back), my buddy Ron and I decided to make the best of what looked like might be a nice Sunday and headed downtown for a big ol' breakfast of Lox, bagels, and eggs before heading over to Tidelands for some bay bass fishing. At LAST, I finally got into some fish and got to try out my new Seeker 706 rod, and also finally caught a flattie for my trip!
Ok, so it was a *little short*, but it brightened my spirits and put a bend (albeit a slight one) into the rod. I followed that up with a giant greenback mackerel, and about 12 or 15 spotties and sandies, putting a nice cap on the weekend.
-Brent