Went out on the Fisherman III to see if it was possible to catch tuna in late November. I did the raffle for Shimano swag on our way out and that seemed to put people in a good mood. We drove around looking for kelps for a few hours. By the time we made out first stop, half the boat was seasick. When we finally found a kelp that was holding, our patience paid off. The bite was wide open with 10-12 lbs. yellowfin and lasted for about 20 minutes. Between me and mini-me, we hooked 7 and landed 3 yft and threw back 1 skipjack. Then more driving for hours. Another stop with no action. Then driving for hours…

The last stop was almost identical to the first, but we had to make it past the tiny, super tiny, yellowtail before we could get to the tunas (all yellowtail released). All fish were captured on: Tranx 500 HG + Terez 8’ H + 65# PowerPro + 25’ 50# Fluoro leader (Alberto knot) + Coltsniper 100g in Blue Sardine (springer knot). The ride back was much smoother than the ride out. This was my first trip aboard the Fisherman III: the crew was good, the cook was cheerful and friendly, the captain was communicative… a good boat… would ride again. All-in-all, it was a great day on the water with my son. He’s turning into a good angler and didn’t complain once about being seasick nearly the entire trip (when it was time to fish, he sucked it up and went bendo).

***LESSON LEARNED*** (again): I can say, without a doubt, that switching the treble on the Coltsniper to a single hook drastically increases the capture rate. We used an 80g Coltsniper with a treble and hooked plenty, but about half came undone. We captured every fish we hooked after switching out the treble.

Date: 11/27/15

Duration: 3/4 day

Boat: Fisherman III (H&M Landing)

Conditions: Very windy, lots of chop

Bait: Medium anchovies

Location: 20-30 miles West of Point Loma

This is a story submitted by Mike Hayes on San Diego Fish Reports Facebook Page.