I thought I'd go out for a putt-putt in my boat this morning. So.......... I get up before sunrise, hook up my Panga to the back of my 4Runner and head down I-15 to the Harbor Island boat ramp. I push my boat into the water, tie off to the dock, then run to go park the Toyota and trailer someplace where it won't be stripped down to the axles when I return.
The parking lot was unusually full, loaded with massively manly pickups attached to two and three-axle boat trailers. I lucked out, found a handicapped spot locked up and jogged back to the boat.
Off to Everingham Brothers Bait Barge quick as a flash and I realize I'm fourth or fifth in line. Time for a quick shot of coffee as I make sure my bait tank is filled and the new pump is still working. All is fine as I inch forward in idle, tie up to the barge and pull out $17 that I've set aside for a half scoop of fresh wiggly sardines. The transaction takes seconds, and I make sure the deckhand knows there's a deuce (a two-dollar bill) in the folded money for him. four passes for a half scoop is a great deal in my book, so I warp my boat away from the barge, slowly idle away, then shove the throttle forward until my outboard is humming along at about 3,200 rpm. I"m out on the Pacific with minutes, my coffee is warm, the waves are only two feet high and 10 seconds apart and the wind is a calm 7 knots out of the west.
I trim the boat up, it surges forward on plane and I look at my watch. At about 18-20 knots, it's going to be a 55 minute run SSW from the harbor and pretty soon Point Loma is behind my back and I can see the tip of North Coronado Island in the distance.
I make North Coronado right on the hour, throttle down and notice that everyone and their fishing partner brother-in-law is playing hooky today and chasing the 62 degree thermocline, which has now reached San Diego. The arrival of the warm water is big news down here at the southwest tip of America, since it brings with it the annual schools of yellowtail, and farther out for people with bigger boats, albacore.
Since moving down here I've become hooked on thunnoid fishing. Having a 20-30-pound yellowtail hit your bait is about the most fun you can have with your pants on. And even better than that when the water gets even warmer, is hooking an appropriately named fish called a "Wahoo." but none of that compares to fighting a cow 100-plus pound yellowfin tuna, schools of which are still hundreds of miles away, down off the Baja California coast.
But everyone and their brother was down here at the Coronado Islands today. I mean the ocean looked like a boaters parking lot. Alas, i didn't ;and a yellowtail, although I did have two hookups. the boats besides me were landing 15-20-pounders so I'm encouraged that this could be the big season for me. I did land a nice legal barracuda, which is being Barbecued as I write this.
And that's the big news in my life right now: the yellowtail are here in San Diego waters, my boat is running and I'm ready with the correct tackle, a working bait tank and sharp hooks. Honestly, it doesn't get a lot better por un viejo y su perrito ( literally an old male "character" and his small male dog. Jim Forbes from Escondido, CA on 05/16/2007
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