Jim Day speaks the truth

[Kevin]

Before I left for a 2 day tuna trip last week I read Jim's post about how kayak fishing and more specifically kayak fishing in La Jolla makes you a better fisherman overall. I used to kayak fish La Jolla all the time. I've since sold my kayak, but what I've learned over those years, I use all the time offshore or at the islands.

So last week on my two day trip we had some weak half dead bait. Given the bait situation and my confidence in using Irons (a mega bait in this case) I primarily fished with a megabait. I ended up with my two day limit and the jackpot fish of the trip. My second straight jackpot (both on iron).

A Yellowfin Tuna that pegged a 60 pound spring scale.




Time on the water

[Iceman]

stout! nice Kev.

[Fiskadoro]

Originally Posted by Kevin

A Yellowfin Tuna that pegged a 60 pound spring scale.

Gotta love that fish. That's a big local YFT!!! All my local tuna over fifty have been bigeye, it's good to see some quality Yellowfin in the mix this year. Hopefully some of those will stick around through October.

Congats on a great trip!!

... and great title by the way...

Jim

[GHOSTHUNTR]

Sure that one isn't a bigeye? Never know till you check the liver.

[Fiskadoro]

Originally Posted by bellyuptim

Sure that one isn't a bigeye? Never know till you check the liver.

I thought about that. My gut feeling is that's a Yellowfin. It's too long...

Actually.... I'd say that there are so many being caught in that size range that they are probably all Yellowfin. You can occasionally get small bigeye like that but they are very rare and almost always in schools of much larger 100lbs+ fish.

I got my last bigeye trolling the ridge at SBI and it was about that size, about 60lbs but the fish that came out of the water and missed the jig right before it was closer to 200 pounds. That day between SBI and the back side of Catalina over twenty bigeye were hooked but I only heard of three landed, as the rest trashed the gear.

Mine was small but the other two were both over 130lbs.

If there were enough Bigeye around to produce all these fifty and sixty pound fish we'd be seeing lot of people loosing their gear to huge fish and others with 100 pound plus fish on the decks.

All that said it would not surprise me to see some bigeye caught soon as they are due, but I have yet to hear a classic "destroyed my gear" Bigeye story this year.

Jim

[Kevin]

All the fish caught on this trip were good sized, no footballs. The school we found were 25-40 lbs with some 50 plus mixed in. It was a yellowfin.

Also, I did have a fish that pinned me to the rail for a half an hour and would not budge. It had me deep into the spectra backing (I was fishing 20#) and eventually broke off. I didn't feel like I had much of a chance with this fish the entire fight and never got even an inch of line back.

[Fiskadoro]

Originally Posted by Kevin

I did have a fish that pinned me to the rail for a half an hour and would not budge. It had me deep into the spectra backing (I was fishing 20#) and eventually broke off. I didn't feel like I had much of a chance with this fish the entire fight and never got even an inch of line back.

Been there. Had a similar experience in a Albacore bite off Avila. My first cast I baited a fish on twenty and just could not move the fish. I was on it for maybe thirty minutes and my buddy Norm decked four fish all over thirty five pounds in that time on thirty. I finally broke off my fish went to thirty and decked more then half a dozen fish between 35 and 46 pounds. It was a tough call to break off that fish but if I had not I would of missed the best bait bite on albacore I have ever seen.

Some of tuna over fifty are just almost impossible to land on twenty pound. My buddy Mike hooked one at the east cape he fought for an hour and half on twenty, he got it but it was the same size as yours sixty pounds. He said that fish just killed him.

If you got that sixty pound fish on 20 pound that is one hell of a catch. A tuna over fifty on twenty it's one hell of an accomplishment.

Sounds like you were on an Epic bite.... I'm envious

Jim

[Corey]

Nice fish Kevin! Long time no see, bro. Glad to see you're doing well!

I'm hoping for one of those this weekend!

[Kevin]

They are out there Corey. I hope you get one! And bring an extra cooler. The fish we encountered were all solid, no footballs.

Be prepared to fish the slide and work the iron. That bait is mostly anchovies with beat to hell deans. From what I understand its been that way most of the season.

[Slay Rider]

Originally Posted by Corey

Nice fish Kevin! Long time no see, bro. Glad to see you're doing well!

Kevin - A couple of us are are going to paddle and fish bay to bay on the 19th & there will always be room for you.

[Kevin]

The Bay to bay is probably the best paddle and fish route. Its also the original isn't it?

I'd love to go, but I'd need to borrow a kayak and check the family calendar to see what is happening that weekend. I think you still have my email. Email me the details if you don't mind.

[kurt]

Nice fish, Kevin. Buy another kayak!

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by kurt

Nice fish, Kevin. Buy another kayak!

I'll buy another kayak when my boys get older and no longer want to surf with dad . I've got to enjoy this time as best as I can. It'll be over before I know it.