posted 05-29-2012 04:58 AM ET (US)        

If you care for the read, there is some material. Otherwise, lots of pictures of the boat and fishing.

Video of the days events:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXCgBfKKlgI& list=UUtTn1O3BypKDZBmy4ObajoA&index=1&feature=plcp

Long Summary:

Like a sleepy bear, SSII came back from winter hibernation on Sunday. It’s been a LOOOOOONG 6 months without harvesting anything from the sea and it’s really been killing me not being able to fish with the killer reports the last few weeks.

The plan started to take shape last weekend after Mike 415 limited out at Pt. Reyes and donated me a fish. The omega 3’s woke something up something inside me, had to go chase the pink. The weather was definitely a crap shoot all week, but as luck would have it, a break was in store for Sunday.

The weekend began with a Whaler work day. If I hadn’t mentioned it before, I’m pretty sure my neighbors hate me Here is Whaler number 2 owner and Whaler fixer helper. Apparently we like to eat more than work.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/Triton_38/ 5-27-12-Mike-Salmon_1564.jpg

Two nice’uns. (Mike G. is not allowed to make any comments pertaining to Whalers on this thread! Hehe)

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/Triton_38/ 5-27-12-Mike-Salmon_1563.jpg

I worked on installing this for the summer, I think I might need it.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/Triton_38/photo3.jpg

Met Mike415 at just about 6am and ran to the city to pick up some live bait. Most didn’t stay alive too long as I had some complication with the pump, but oh well. Our third party decided not to fish with us, sidelined by some dehydration.

Happy 75th to the GGB

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/Triton_38/ 5-27-12-Mike-Salmon_1542.jpg

The plan was to motor up to Pt. Reyes. Slogged up in short wind chop in the am and about 5 miles short we heard the radio call that everyone else heard from Mike on the Jackie Blue. Fish in the box, W buoy.
Jeff on the Pupule II was fishing at Pt. Reyes already, gave him a call but he sad nothing was happening. Damn, back track 13+ miles, what waste of fuel! Oh well, gotta pay to play.

Run to the fleet and put in. We’re seeing nets flying, people are hooking up on the radio, sounds goooood! We put in and a short while later my rod get absolutely hammered! The rod is pinned down and the reel is screeming, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz! Before I can get to it, it pops off. Darn!

No worries, action is hot, we’ll have our fish in no time. Well, we spend the next 4-5 hours hearing nothing my the purr of my T8 kicker…and everyone else hooking up. Getting desperate, I throw everything out there. Krill bite, so I’m putting on every color of Brads I have…nothing. Here we are, looking and looking.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/Triton_38/DSC01101.jpg

Remember though, the SSII has had a long nap. I whisper to her to wake up, soft though so Mike415 doesn’t hear me and think I’m crazy. Oh, I’m typing this out…I’m not crazy, really.

Just around 1pm, around the time a lot of folks have finished or looking for their final fish. We get serious. I ask Jr. Captain Tristan on the Pupule for some help, he tells me to fish 55ft, so I do. Back to straight bait as well.

First Mike gets a shaker. Put back in and tack around, my rod is the outside rod on a left hand turn, as it speeds up in mid turn it gets hit. Thump, thump, thump, zzzzz, zzzz, zzzz. Fish on!!!

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/Triton_38/SnapShot11-1.jpg

Finally on the hook! The fish is hot, does a few runs and jumps, a little tail walk before it’s finally ready for the net.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/Triton_38/SnapShot-11.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/Triton_38/SnapShot0-8.jpg

1st fish in the boat, no skunk, high five!

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/Triton_38/SnapShot1-7.jpg

Beautiful, beautiful fish!

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/Triton_38/photo4.jpg

Get our lines back in the water and not too long after, while I’m cleaning my first fish my rod pops again. Fish on! Mike gets the camera rolling.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/Triton_38/DSC011142.jpg

Not as big as the first, but another peppy one.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/Triton_38/DSC01127.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/Triton_38/SnapShot3-6.jpg

Mike goes in for the scoop and in the net it goes.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/Triton_38/SnapShot2-6.jpg

Wooohooo! Two in the box now, we can start holding our heads a little higher.

Put back in, and then Mike gets hit. Fish on!

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/Triton_38/SnapShot4-6.jpg

This fish give a little air show and hunkers down. Look at Mike, having a ball.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/Triton_38/DSC01170.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/Triton_38/SnapShot6-4.jpg

Tuna?

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/Triton_38/DSC01169.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/Triton_38/SnapShot5-6.jpg

No matter, the fish is ours! Not 3 in the box and looking for our go home.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/Triton_38/DSC01173.jpg

Now we have a little lull. Jackie Blue has wrapped up and so has Jeff. I’m just finishing my sandwich when bam, my rod gets smacked again! This one is the hardest fighter of the day.

If you watch the video you can hear the reel peeling for the first 10 seconds, and remember this is after we get the camera rolling. He they charges me really hard for a bit before running again for another 20 seconds or so. What fun!

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/Triton_38/SnapShot7-5.jpg

He gets close and I tell Mike, but as soon as he sees the boat he wants nothing to do with it and tares off another run.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/Triton_38/SnapShot8-5.jpg

But, with this guy netting his fate is sealed.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/Triton_38/SnapShot9-3.jpg

And with that, we have our limits!

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/Triton_38/SnapShot10-1.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/Triton_38/photo1.jpg

What a day, from zero to hero!

And we still had time to try a few drifts for Halibut, though that turned out to
be uneventful. I guess we’ll “have to do” with only the pink.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/Triton_38/ 5-27-12-Mike-Salmon_1561.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/Triton_38/ 5-27-12-Mike-Salmon_1559.jpg

Then clean the boat, fuel up the boat, clean and put away the gear, clean the fish, take a shower, eat this

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/Triton_38/photo-1.jpg

And off to bed. I might have been asleep before my head touched the pillow. Great feeling!

posted 05-29-2012 05:07 AM ET (US)            

Side note. How come you guys are dressed for winter? It's mid 80's and humid at all get out here.

posted 05-29-2012 03:16 PM ET (US)            

Thanks for sharing!

posted 05-29-2012 07:10 PM ET (US)            

http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz55/martyn1075/IMG_0848.jpg

http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz55/martyn1075/IMG_0867.jpg

posted 05-30-2012 04:50 AM ET (US)            

I'd like it to blow like hell for a little while longer, get more of that up-welling action, give us good water conditions later into the year and on. Of course, it can let up on the weekends :)

I absolutely love my Outrage. Two things I'd like to improve on are a little bit of shelter from the wind and fuel economy some day. We covered 100 miles that day and burned 31 gallons of fuel. All troll time done on the kicker, which saves a ton.

posted 05-30-2012 11:29 PM ET (US)            

We are looking for our chinook opener up here on the Washington coast June 9. I just finished two weekends of yard work.... now some Whaler prep time this weekend, then on to lookin' for chinook the next weekend.

Thanks again for getting me primed for action.

posted 05-30-2012 11:37 PM ET (US)            

We are looking for our chinook opener up here on the Washington coast June 9. I just finished two weekends of yard work.... now some Whaler prep time this weekend, then on to lookin' for chinook the next weekend.

Thanks again for getting me primed for action.

posted 06-05-2012 12:09 PM ET (US)            

Great images and story. Your 22 looks awesome man!

I saw this image and thought I would share a trick we use for netting. Instead of holding the net with your finger we use Goody Hair ties that are doubled around the pole of the net. Then we pull the net through the hair band so it stays put. Once you dip the net and the fish is in, the weight of the fish pulls the net out of the tie and captures the fish. This allows you another hand and a greater reach when going for that fish.

Image:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/jeff_rohlfing/Netting. jpg?t=1338912499

Here are the hair ties:
http:/ / www. goody. com/ Products/ Hair%20Accessories/ Ouchless%20Elast ics%20-%20Little%20Black%20Dress?colId=3f1096ad-ff15-40eb-9d85-98156ac6c 5e6& c_id=1a7ea079-c44c-481e-8d02-db7cd0b32277

posted 06-06-2012 12:53 AM ET (US)            

I don't know how necessary it is with a dedicated net man who is used to the process, HOWEVER, I think that would be very useful when netting solo. I'm going to have to give that a shot.