Day of Days: California Albacore

[T Race]

Let me dedicate this particular fish to Ethan, "TheKid", in that he provided me with invaluable TTP's: Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures on how to bag these bad ass fish; thanks, Brother-Man.  
This was the teenage gaffer's first time, and he did great the rest of the day (after being corrected).

We left early, got on our initial target location, searched for a temperature break, and dropped in at the best water we could find in that area.  Nothing doing there, but the radio was cracklin' with reports of "Fish On !!" about 12 miles south, so we plugged in the numbers and lit the fires. 12 minutes later   we arrived and dropped in.  Within 3 or 4 minutes it was GO TIME !  I think that first time around it was a single and Skippers Choice, so I brought it in.

If you have never fought an albacore, well, ...picture this if you will. Somewhere between light and shadow, fiction and reality, thick and thin; somewhere in the cosmos between Three's Company and Three Strikes You're Out, there lies a dimension of time and space neither here nor there, yet with elements of both... a dimension known as The Adrenalin Zone.  
OK: think of hooking $80 bucks of your best line and lure to your buddy's Kawasaki Ninja, he smokes it, and then watching him hit 2nd gear with a puff and a wave; then your attention is instantly riveted between only three points in the universe: your buddy's back tire, your rapidly diminishing spool, and the hour it is seeming to take for the fish to stop his run. A sickness sets in, then you're tettering on panic, then your fish slows and tracks across your front and you realize only 3 or 4 seconds has elapsed.  Then the work to play him in, with another spirited run or two before he is done and he is gaffed into the boat. Whew!






The rest of the morning it was ON-LIKE-DONKEY-KONG - double and triple hookups (3 of us on board running four lines), sometimes taking 30 minutes to clear lines and bring 'em all in, throwing some swim baits as the last fish was running down.  By 1130 we plugged the boat - 11 fish between 22 and 31 lbs with no more room - and said, "Let's Went".  This next photo is one of the swim bait rods and I think this was the only fish we lost, I believe I messed up the San Diego Jam Knot and it pulled the 5" Wild Eye swim bait free.





Below I am mugging it up, knocking out a few Curls for the Girls





Below is a sight of the Highly Coveted "Bloody Decks", sought and cherished by fishermen since Christ was a Corporal.





And for icing on the cake, a comfortable ride in, easily confused with a summer day north of Spanish Harbor Key. All in all, this was a great day to be an American, to be living free on the earth in this great country - with all of its imperfections - that I am so thankful for.




OK, I hope you've enjoyed a little of this fun in the sun over here, just as I have enjoyed many an adventure you guys have shared with the rest of us.

Best wishes and Makers Mark for all,  

[RickK]

Nice - looks like you had a ball.

[flounderpounder225]

T,
Dude that is awesome!! You experienced one of "those" days, where everything just comes together, fish, weather, seas, boat... It's those days that always stay in your memory... Happy for ya.
Marc

[Boatdood]

Great story telling. Nice pictures too. Thanks.

[John Jones]

Nice day T.

<envy>  ;)

[Ocho Cinco CCP]

NICE!! and the bloody deck is priceless...what kind of tuna are those? I've caught a bunch of blackfins and skipjacks down here off Florida but they don't have those large fins on the sides.

[slvrlng]

Albacore.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albacore

Oh yeah awesome catch!!!!!    

[gran398]

What a great day! Awesome pics too! Glad the boat ran well, and the weather was beautiful.

The best part was the action adventure story. Earnest Hemingway had nothing on you

Congratulations!

[icemanbryan]

That is so awesome!
Great report and killer photos.
Nice!

[Circle Hooked]

T thanks for sharing your adventure with all of us,you guys really slayed them guess Cali aint so bad after all  

[seabob4]

Suuuuwwwweeetttt!  Well done, Trace!  Try doin' that out of Port Canaveral!

Thanks for sharing, bud, and I hope that washdown works good!  Reminds me of (stupidly) dragging half eaten (cudas) Bonito over the gunnels...

[Capt. Bob]

That's a LOT of steaks and salad.

[GoneFission]

     

[seabob4]

Hey Trace, that starboard bolster needs help...

Gaff shot?

[Capt. Bill]

T,

Very nice  :!:  :!:  :!:  :!:  :!: