Yellowtail amberjack

Free spool fly lining for yellowtail. Amazing fight with 30 pounder YT. So much fun. Sashimi later. Tight lines.

Family and Friends joined me on a fishing trip, we chose Ocean Odyssey 1.5 day trip. Leaving Wednesday, returning Friday morning. Got to the landing at 2:30pm, walked the shops to check for any last minute wants on tackle. Had a friend (Chanz) from South Dakota come out for the first time Stopped at Miguels and had early dinner, I had the Camaron Jalisco, good but still doesn't beat Camaron al Diablo. Afterwards we walked to the Gelato spot and grabbed a coffee to go. Boarded at 5pm, had all of 27 of 29 anglers aboard at 5:15pm. Had to wait for 2 anglers before heading out. 7pm comes around and we are finally ready to go. Bait availability was going to determine where we were going. Sardines meant Cortez Bank and Anchovy meant Tuna pens down south. Captain Rick Scott gives us the run down. If we attempt the Bluefin bite up near Nicolas Island, we would take all night getting there to have about 1-2 hrs of BFT fishing (which was not worth it, because they were already heading north and not present to make it worth it. If we get Sardines we can hit Cortez bank to go after yellowtail. With Anchovy we would head south and fish the Tuna pens for small Yellowfin Tuna (YFT) Luckily we were able to get Sardines, not a lot but enough for some good fishing half the day. So with Sardines loaded, we were off and going to Cortez Bank. Arrived at the Bank at 5:30am, we started to troll for a bit before getting to a spot where we would anchor up to. 7am we are anchored and ready to fish. Several YT were hooked and brought in, roughly 24-30 lbers. Some people were attempting to fish bottom for Sheephead, White fish, Sculpin and potential YT. Flyline was getting YT. We pretty much moved periodically from time to time but anchored up for the same routine, Rock fish or YT flylining. Overall, great group of anglers, met several from out of state and some that were on for the adventure. We managed 30 YT, several over 20 lbs, a few in the 30's. A halibut was caught on the dropper loop rig, and a YT toad was also caught on the bottom. Majority of the YT were caught on the flyline. Bonito were everywhere, just out of casting distance but breezers were everywhere, with temptation of the boils here and there. Once we ran out of Sardines, we focused on bottom fishing with Anchovies and Squid. Overall, fun trip and great experience. Once I had my Yellowtail, I hooked and passed to my friends and family to put them on fish. Some hook ups resulted in break offs with (20-30 lb) line some were biting through and getting us cut off. Fun Times, on our ride back, we had Tri-Tip, Amazing food. I ate my fill, showered then crashed for the night ride back. Glad Captain Rick went with the YT, because the YFT stopped biting and the BFT were actually migrated further north. We would have had less success if we went with anything other than YT at Cortez Bank. Sometimes, the Captains make the right call. Here's the YouTube video https://youtu.be/3WgGA5URq_g?is=s4aUeYXhByaWggwb

Good Kingfish

Nice Little Kingfish on Strip Baits

Fresh off an experience of a lifetime to Cedros Island off Baja California’s coast slaying pacific yellowtail. So grateful for the invite from my West Coast fishing friend I met on Instagram. He & his friends were so welcoming #newfriendsthroughfishing #memoriesmade #hamachifordays