Back from the tuna/sqiud trip.....

[Team Buddhahead]

Got back from San Diego and the two and a half day trip. Fishing was slow but the time on the water was great. Got to see some cool stuff.....The first day was a little bumpy. 5-7 foot swells with a combined 15-20 knot winds made the the day interesting :o :o. No troll fish at all. We would get some small sonar marks and run a chum circle and see if the Albe's would come up and boil. If they did you better get your bait in the water fast. As fast as they would come up, they would go back down. Got one Albacore on the first day. The count for first day was 10 for 20 passengers.
The first night it started to lay down and became very comfortable. With the sea anchor out and my stomach filled with a pork roast dinner I hit the bunk. I woke up(1:30am) as one of the passengers came down to tell me that the squid have come into the light and are thick. It was cool watching the squid(20-50)come up into the lights. I grabbed my Cal-Star 6480 stick with a white Tady 45 casting iron and let it sink. It wouldn't get 20 feet before a squid would grab it and the fun was on.... :D :D .
I ended up with 7 giant squid anywhere from 25-40lbs...They can pull!!!!
The secound day started with flat, glass conditions... We started to look for tuna on the surface and they were there. They just would sink out right as the boat slid to them. One of the bigger schools(40 yard dia.) was busy tearing up a huge meatball of Sardines. As we got closer we could see a whale slamming right through the middle of the bait. It was an sight.......Watching tuna clear the surface and then a huge whale doing the same....
Here are some pictures....

The Grande Sportfisher
http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/9899/vacation057qe5.jpg
Getting bait at the receivers
http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/480/grande2007006qo2.jpg
http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/126/grande2007008xm8.jpg
Sunrise of the first morning
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/4854/grande2007011nr7.jpg
First of the trip
http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/2926/grande2007014qr6.jpg
The heart of an Albacore
http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/1295/grande2007015cu9.jpg
The angler eating the heart!!!Her first Albacore!!
http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/8748/grande2007016uw9.jpg
On a squid
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/5817/grande2007023mg3.jpg
http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/360/grande2007024ez3.jpg
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/1030/grande2007020hu2.jpg
http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/8003/grande2007021jf4.jpg
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/5972/grande2007045zc7.jpg
Squid steak
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/5845/grande2007046gd4.jpg
The sardines in the bait wells
http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/9513/grande2007033xx9.jpg
Fish On...
http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/7229/grande2007035ep7.jpg
Sunset of the secound day
http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/450/grande2007043im2.jpg
My secound Albe....
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/5971/grande2007047ci6.jpg

[emanuel]

Nice report and pictures! Those squid really look tasty.

[Team Buddhahead]

Nice report and pictures! Those squid really look tasty.

I have over 100lbs to try different styles of cooking.....

[TreednNC]

Awesome report as usual!

[lipyanker]

great report and pics thanks!

[Jesse Lockowitz]

mmmmm 100lb of fried calamari...

all you need is some lemon juice and cocktail sauce and you are set


MmMMmM fried squid..Mmmmm





Jesse

[justinfisch01]

If you don't mind me asking what is the price for a trip like that?

[Team Buddhahead]

$630.00
We left at 9:30pm pn Friday and returned at 5:00am Monday. Food is included.

[R3d]

Long range fishing is a blast and very addictive, my dad fly to San Diego every year for 5 days fishing, he always book the Top Gun, he like Captain Bob Taft, the captain very professional and never disappoints his clients, he always get fishes for them. It's very expensive for him fly from east to west coast, but well worth of it. :)

[Desperado]

Excellent report & pics. Thanks. :) I always wanted to fish for albacore, & those squid look very cool too. I will be flying out to California in a few weeks to visit family. Hopefully will get in plenty of fishing too!

[Team Buddhahead]

Excellent report & pics. Thanks. :) I always wanted to fish for albacore, & those squid look very cool too. I will be flying out to California in a few weeks to visit family. Hopefully will get in plenty of fishing too!

What part of Cali?

[Desperado]

What part of Cali?

Fresno, in the central San Joaquin valley. When I go salt water fishing, it's usually over to the central coast, San Luis Obispo/Morro Bay for some rock cod. Occasionally up to Monterey. If I can find a day trip or overnight trip for albacore and/or giant squid, I might try that.

[RuddeDogg]

great report. congrats on the catch.

[AirDown]

Sweet report...Sounds like a great time had by all