1 Swordfish & 6 Opah to 300 plus pounds

[Keith Poe]

Went out Saturday night out of Dana Point.

Headed for the shelf and ran along it for two miles bioluminescent hunting at 25 knots. Did not see anything and started trolling.

Trolled towards the 14 mile bank.

Saw two boats there with the gyros turned out to be gill-netters with Harpoon planks. They usually have their nets about 30' deep down to 130'.

They were inside the 14. I got a mako bite at the shelf off Dana on the auto retrieve down rigger 150'.
Trolled a break all the way out to the 14 67.5-68.5
This break has the best chlorophyll on the chart in the area.

Trolled at 2 knots with 4, ATD 80-W starting at 9:00 PM
Reached the 14 at about 2:30 PM very calm conditions.

Two of the outfits were on the ARD with blow back about 150' & 75'
Close to the two thermocline. I had the 4' hydro glow with a 15 lb salt slicer down rigger ball attached down 70' beautiful glow very much the same as a bioluminescent glow from a bait ball in the center of the two ARD at 150' & 75' The two other ATD 80-W were on the out riggers
back about 150' and 85' with LP lights on all 4 outfits with 2 lb of lead attached with rubber bands under the LP lights with the LP lights attached to the 400 lb mono leaders with long line clips.

The bait is 12"-20" squid salt water brine on ice with red dye for two days. 12/0 J hook through the mantel and then the eyes the hook is exposed in the tentacles. single strand wire attached to the mantel several times haywire twisted to the 400 lb mono so it does not slide down in the J of the hook. I set it in and see if it is trolling straight not spinning.

I decided to troll that area around the 14 the rest of the night.
Saw marks on the meter. At first light I kept with in a few miles of the drift net gill boats. Saw them boat 1 swordfish and 6 opah from what looked as best I could tell 50-300 maybe even more and heaver. It took them over 3 hours to pull the 1 mile net.
Saw a spotter show up and 5 plank boats after that and never saw them stick anything all day. After watching the haul of the gill netter I went 4 miles back up on the banks back side and set up a deep drop drift on the edge of the bank.

Sent down three rigs 1000' 1250' 1300'

All of them were destroyed by Humboldt's with perfect parrot beak bites out of them around the mantel with single strand everything else was gone all three rigs.

I set up on the other edge of the 14 mile bank Sunday night to drift.
The wind went crazy having to use 5 lb of lead to keep the squid at 75' 125' 200' & 250'

Kept them in all night and through the next day till 10:30 AM
Found mini macks & mini YT under the boat at first light.
The fog socked in late night till early morning.
Flat calm the next morning. I have noticed some nice size YT come to the boat at night with in a few feet of the hull. seems they like the green light.

Sword-fishing seems a lot like when the Threshers or Marlin are here you can catch them but they have to be here to catch.
After seeing all the commercial pressure two gill-netters 7 plank boats and spotter only seeing one swordfish caught in a gill net
there simply do not seem to be many around.

I wore out a set of batteries the best money can buy in the gyros glassed for twin fins.

2 nights and a day and a half for zip again.
Now to plan the next trip.

I believe that is 7 nights two trolling and three days.

I will not give an inch 100 trips or bust.

If you have any 411 at all I would greatly appreciate it.

The Opah seem to be a good deal guys might look on line to learn more about them there's a lot on them on line and give them a shot I can't I am hell bent on swordfishing.

I would not go after them with as Fred Archer would say squirrel gear get the bear gear out.


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Life's journey is not about what you acquire but who you become.


310-562-6205

sharktagger@roadrunner.com

[surfinsteve1]

good luck buddy keep trying you will dial it in soon enough as hard as you are working.
Not many guys on the forum from that area so you will be hard pressed for that type of info. but when you earn it keep us posted.

[Keith Poe]

Been waiting for the seas up north 205 miles to calm down to hit an area about 80-100 miles off shore but you can only get out up there about half the days a year at best. Swells over 20' are not un common.
Up welling from deep canyons with the cold California current pushing south and the warm Davidson current pushing north.

Going again locally about 20-40 out Sunday night.