I went on the Islander this past weekend....
We headed over to San Clemente Island on Friday night and arrived at China Point in the morning. During our first two hours on the boat most kayak anglers were rigging up their outfits. The more experienced anglers were helping the newbies like myself with knots and what not. Actually, the trip was worth it for me just because I learned a better way to tie the San Diego Jam knot...thanks ful-rac. Right before going to bed the Captain went over the particulars for our next day of fishing. The focus was on safety and how to unload and load the kayaks on the boat. He also mentioned some areas to hit for bass and halibut. After the talk, Kerry Peeler from Bugz Custom Baits gave everyone 1-2 pieces of his custom baits - very cool dude.
I spent the later part of that evening listening to ful-rac, tman, and Ron tell fishing stories. Thanks for the beers tman.
I woke up at 5am and had some pancakes and sausages made by the cook. The morning was somewhat hectic because the kayaks were being set out on the deck and we had to load them. The faster you loaded the yak the sooner you would be on the water.
It was overcast and breezy, which made it a little cold. I got a bass on my first cast near the point, and then picked up two more in the next 30 minutes. None of the bass were big, but I was thinking to myself...it's going to be "on."
I got a lot of short bites that morning, but couldn't get another fish to the kayak. I know I need to be "one" with the kelp, but it was getting me frustrated navigating and fishing in the kelp. The swells were about 2-3 feet, and it made it tricky to get near the boilers. All in all, that morning was slow for me.
At 10am we made a move to the front side of the island near White Rock. We were not allowed to fish from China Point to Pyramid anymore because of some issues with the Navy.
We made a 1 hour move and had an early lunch. We then fished some more bass and looked for some big ole halibut. The area we were dropped off on had a very steep drop off, so we only had 100-200 yards to fish and in some areas it was a lot less.
At about 5pm, the current picked up and in about 40 -50 feet of water I get a nice big thump. I feel the head shakes and know it's a good one. I stick it with the gaff and call the skiff over to pick up the halibut (19lbs). I pin on another sardine and send it back down in the same area and thump number two comes - second halibut (12lbs). I make a second call to the skiff.
I'm fishing with Andrew, "fearnofish," and I tell him to fish this same area. It was a very small pocket of sand surrounded by kelp, so you had to drop your sardine down and bounce several times than reel up, or get hung up by the kelp. Andrew's bait tank died so we got a lively sardine from my bait tank which was low on battery as well. He tried the area as well, but it was a no-go for him.
I drifted one more time over the spot and got my third halibut (8lbs). On the last two halibut there were seals swimming straight towards me, lucky for me Andrew paddled over and did his best to distract them.
I paddled back to the Islander at 7pm. The wind had died down, the sun was setting, the island was to the right, and some dolphins could be seen breaking the surface to my left. I just sat back on my Hobie and took it all in....
The kayakers and crew made the trip a blast. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. The crew was top-notch. The loaded/unloaded the kayaks and gear. With a push of a button they were ready to pick up your fish, get more bait, drinks, snacks, etc. Great service...
I would recommend this trip to any newbie....
