Back from San Diego

[Tunachaser]

Went out to San Diego for a wedding and gave the Swordys a go SFL style on the night drift. Set up on a really nice spot of Macs and we're bit before the second float is 30 yards from the boat and then the first float goes off - We think we're into an instant double header the only problem is that it was a double header of Giant Squid Damn Get them both in, move a couple of miles north to get away from them and set up again. Fish on again NOPE, another damn Squid. This continued throughout the night (even with two more moves). We finally got away from them, but didn't have any other action and packed it in at 4 AM. I even sent one of the Giant Squids down to 600' with a double hook rig, but nothin' doin'. I'm going to be heading back out there towards the end of December and we're going to give it another go in a different spot. The Stick Boats get quite a few out there, so I know that they're there. . . . just have to figure them out with the rod-n-reel. Here's a pic of one of the Squid (sorry about the quality of the pics, forgot the camera and only had the cell camera).

[islandshark633]

you really want to catch a swordfish big enough to eat that????????????

[Tunachaser]

Yes Sir, I do I realize that we wouldn't have been able to stop it with the little 80W, but we would have tried like hell

[Cutler]

that could catch a fcking monster

[Fishalways]

Talk about calimari!

How do they fight though?
Maybe there is a market for squid fishing trips

[islandshark633]

I guess deep down we would all like to see an 80W melt off all its line in 30 seconds, even if its just once.

[Disco Lady]

COÑO!!!!!!!!!!! Nice squidie bro! I like to put that baby on a 130 and GET-ER-DONE!

[ContenderWays]

i had a big one get stuck on a runner here in south fl.. but it wasnt near that big.

Nice try buddy

[SteveMras]

Tunachaser, there's no swords down at 600' at night off Socal. Everything is above the thermocline, 100' on up, with the feed. They be eating those Humboldt squid, so leaving them was leaving your quarry. All I can say is troll, troll, troll. It's a different ecosystem out here than in SE Florida. The list of Florida anglers who've come out here thinking they'd show us how to catch swords and failed is a mile long.

[Tunachaser]

Originally Posted by SteveMras

Tunachaser, there's no swords down at 600' at night off Socal. Everything is above the thermocline, 100' on up, with the feed. They be eating those Humboldt squid, so leaving them was leaving your quarry. All I can say is troll, troll, troll. It's a different ecosystem out here than in SE Florida. The list of Florida anglers who've come out here thinking they'd show us how to catch swords and failed is a mile long.

WOW, thanks for the kind words Speaking with you via IM, you seem to be a very knowledgable guy and I appreciate the advice. How many swords have you caught out there again

[SteveMras]

Just a bigeye thresher in six nights of trolling since 2001. So not a lot of effort.

I'm just saying that guys have been coming out to SoCal since the first era of SE Florida swordfishing (late '70s) thinking they'll show us how it's done. Inevitably, they drift fish. We do not have a 3 to 5 knot current to push you along. We have tons of sharks and as you found out, tons of giant squid. I know of 2 caught at night off SoCal, both were incidental while fishing sharks. I know of another caught last fall right at dusk trolling at 80' off the downrigger for threshers. Just about all other SoCal swords are incidental (while looking for marlin or tuna) daytime fish and in a typical year there are usually 6 to 12 daytime swordfish landed by rec anglers off SoCal. I do know of one person who has hooked up (mystery fish) deep trying the daytime thing this year. Lot's of others have tried the daytime thing for naught.

I spoke to the head of pelagic tagging at PIER in Carlsbad and he said if there is one thing that they can say for certain about swords off SoCal, that daytime/nightime depth pattern in the chart I posted here previously is pretty regular across all the fish they've tagged.

P.S. You have extremely thin skin.

[Tunachaser]

No worries, I knew that we were taking a shot in the dark and trying something 'out of the norm' We will keep trying and will probably do some trolling as well. I grew up in San Diego, so I do have some "local knowledge" but obviously not to the extent that you have.

P.S. I was yankin' yer chain about how many you've caught

[Another Grand]

Kris,

Sick squidley!

Did any make the trip home?

[Tunachaser]

Originally Posted by Another Grand

Kris,

Sick squidley!

Did any make the trip home?

Your IM is full and won't take any new messages

[PURPLE FEVER]

I guess I'm part of that mile. I tried the night drift off San Clemente and could'nt get a bait past the sharks. (3 yrs. ago)

My next West Coast efforts will be the daytime deep drop.

[Bill Fisher]

Taht's a big squid Bro! I'm sure there are some monsters out there that feed on those big boys. Troll that sucker on a 130s and if you tag something hang on for your life..

GIT R DONE

[SteveMras]

Originally Posted by Tunachaser

No worries, I knew that we were taking a shot in the dark and trying something 'out of the norm' We will keep trying and will probably do some trolling as well. I grew up in San Diego, so I do have some "local knowledge" but obviously not to the extent that you have.

P.S. I was yankin' yer chain about how many you've caught

I'm always looking for people to go. I need someone to go this weekend, but all my fishing buddies have families, young kids, etc. If the fish were chewing the paint off the boat out here, some would go. I've had one guy beg me to take him and I put him on a 204 lb bigeye thresher within the first 30 minutes of trolling the same area we fished marlin during the day (his 7 year old son lost a marlin 30' from the boat when he didn't stay tight to the fish and we got mako bit all day trolling the jigs at 7 knots). My earlier trips were spent methodically working up from a depth of 225' in 25' increments to eliminate parts of the water column. This was based on advice from a prominent captain in NZ who trolled lines at 200' and 100', though he admitted that 90% of their fish came at 100'. I started to run into makos at 50' and regularly form 40' on up. There really was nothing on the meter below 100'. I also trolled surface lures/baits like they do off Kenya and I know some are doing off SE Florida. Those got ruined by makos, so that eliminated that part of the water column. Also, the NZ guys were getting the bigeye threshers while trolling the swords. I know of two bigeye threshers caught on rod and reel off SoCal and the one I got my buddy is one of those two. The other was caught a couple years earlier trollling off the downrigger at 80' during daylight, but in the low light conditions of mid-December. I think I have really narrowed down the water column. Now I just need experienced guys to go.

Right now is probably the best time of the year to do this. Our water temps are dropping and the makos are starting to thin out while the swords are still here. A boat reported sighting 10 swords last Friday during the day 1 to 3 miles off Avalon. You're from SD and should know that is in the lee of Catalina and makes for very easy fishing in terms of sea conditions. We call that area the kid's pond. I called a regular of mine and he was already committed to do lobster hooping. That's what guys do this time of year here. When given the choice, they fish for meat as opposed to experimental fishing for swords. I cover all the costs of the trip, but I just want experienced crew as my wife prefers that I not do this alone.

[snooknreds2]

Kris what would ever make you think, and inspire you to put that squid on a double hook set up and actually send it back down.....who ever told you to, or inspired you to do that, must have been three ways from straight in there rocker

wish I could have made it out with you, but oh well maybe next time