Great write up Bradsky!!!
Always a blast fishing with you!
Awesome trip...
You’ve got to love Baja:
Lots of this:
Lots of that:
A couple hefty checkers:
I lost 3 big (or bigger I should say) fish...
The 1st day I lost one while I was making bait tight in the kelp. Not that I had a chance - it slammed the bait hanging on my sabiki as I was reeling it in... broke the surface right after I hooked it, 10 ft away from my yak. I had a good look at it, I'd say 20# class white.
The 2nd one kelped me hard 2 mins after that in the same spot... Pulled out drag like mad, buried me deep right away. I pulled the hook after sitting on it for a while waiting to float up (yeah right...
)
The 2nd day, as Brad and Art scored under the bait balls, I was doing the same just in a little shallower water. Big schools of smaller bait (chovies and sardines) were migrating North at rather descent speed - I'd say almost 1mph. Majority of those schools were obviously being harassed by bigger predators from underneath - biiiiig bonito, huuuuuge barracuda, sandbass, and those really big greenbacks, 2+ lbs models. A lot of fun. Apparently, some smaller whites under them as well.
It was hard to stay on the top of those schools as they were moving fast and the wind was blowing in the opposite direction. Good thing was - you didn't have to, as the school after school after school just kept coming... Providing for some great fishing casting metal...
I farmed one WSB on a crock.
Again, foamed right by my yak right after I hooked it. WSB of that size have some great energy - it shook off my treble after a couple of violent runs and lots of headshakes. It looked like 17# model I landed 5 minis later on the same bait ball on smaller flylined Spanish mack.
My bait tank AND my fish finder batteries were dead...
After about 20 hours of fishing hard, almost 18 miles of logged GPS tracks and 9 hours of sleep in 2 days, I was running out of steam. My shoulders, arms and back were hurting... I don't even need to mention problems with my sore sorry ass.
I pulled in closer to the kelp to start my final drifts, letting the wind take me back towards the launch. Art and Brad just launched after the afternoon break, but I was going to throw the towel. As Brad said - I was already content with the fact that the big models are simply not around, and that I should be happy that I got one smaller 17# model to feed the family.
I kept firing a huge heavy crock (#7)
...and then
BAM!!!! and my rod loads up.
The fish starts running hard West while my line is slicing over the surface...It violently erupts getting good 3 feet length of it's body above the water line, with the big tail raising some serious foam all around it...
Sweeeeet, a big one...
It took me for a ride...
I did a couple of more pull-up-and-reells and I got on the top of what I could now clearly see was a nice big WSB
…definitely too green to bring on the surface... It took off for another powerful yet controlled and not too wild of a run, slowly peeling my drag while towing my yak out and away from the kelp. Some strong headshakes would follow, I 'd gain some line back, just to have to let the fish get back on the stage and pull me some more while taking out the drag...
My flyline rig got tangled which I quickly solved by cutting my spectra with the knife.
3 times I had it under the surface reaching for my gaff, just to let it take off for another run. It spinned my yak a few times.
The last run it made it seemed like it was doing with more speed and determination. It made me really nervous when it started heading East towards the kelp.
We were maybe 50 yards away; I started getting ready to tighten up a drag a bit to stop that scenario from unfolding...
At that point, I was on that fish for quite some time...
Then I felt it running out of breath...
Up and out you come...
Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh... 
If I didn't catch that big one, it would have been very pleasant but quite frustrating trip for me...
Hey guys, can someone help me... I wonder what's the biggest fish caught in WCW07 so far??? lol
GAME ON TOP 10!!!!
