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PFU EXCEL 7-DAY TRIP
By Steve Carson
It takes both Excel crewman Rene Sanchez [L] and angler Brad Merritt to hold up Merritts jackpot-winning
49.8 pound bluefin tuna caught during the Penn Fishing University 7-day trip.
Some 25 Penn Fishing University anglers headed south in early July for a 7-day long-range fishing adventure aboard the magnificent Excel out of Fisherman’s Landing in San Diego, with veteran Captain Mike Ramirez at the helm.
Included were Northern California anglers Norma and Steve Manabe of Pacifica, Erik Johnson of Benicia, Tommy Holtzman of Carmichael, John Derek of West Sacramento, Luis Velasquez of Redding, Henrietta Baldzo of Concord, Bep Doorten and Ty Kerns of Fairfield, and Peter Lang of Santa Rosa.
The Ridge; yellowtail central
The first two days of fishing saw modest action, with only a handful of albacore and a few dozen yellowtail tallied as we headed south the “The Ridge” outside of Magdalena Bay.
Upon arrival, Captain Ramirez prospected around a bit before locating a big school of yellowtail near the “23 Fathom Spot”. Ravenous hordes of yellows ranging from 15 to 30 pounds eagerly attacked yo-yo iron, live sardines, and surface iron.
Daily limits of yellowtail were achieved during the 2 fishing days in this area. As good as the bite was, proper presentation made a big difference. Long-Range fishing still requires the best technique you can muster. Live sardines fished best on with a Penn Fathom 30 reel with a 25-yard topshot of 40-pound Pro-Spec mono and 3 feet of 40-pound Big Game Fluorocarbon on a Penn Bluewater Carnage 800M rod. Belly-hook the liveliest possible ‘dine on a size 2/0 Owner Ringed Gorilla hook.
Yo-Yo jigging was very productive with blue/white or dorado-color Sumo JR Jigs or 5-ounce blue mackerel-color Williamson Herring Jigs, dropped to the bottom and cranked back as fast as possible with a Penn Baja Special 113HN reel with a 100-yard topshot of 40-pound Big Game mono.
Tossing the “surface iron” like sardine-color Tady 45 or Sumo 7X jigs with a Penn Fathom 25N reel on a 10-foot jigstick is the pinnacle of yellowtail techniques, and was extremely productive. Watching a big yellow inhale a surface jig provides an extra thrill.
Henrietta Baldazo [L] and Luis Velasquez of Huntington Beach
show off a brace of typical yellowtail take at The Ridge aboard the
Excel during the Penn Fishing University 7-day excursion.
Bluefin zone
Moving north from The Ridge though the zone about 250 miles from San Diego, the group encountered a wide area of breezing schools of bluefin tuna. Captain Ramirez expertly maneuvered the Excel into the path of several of those schools.
As is usually the case with bluefin, selecting the liveliest possible bait was critical. Most anglers stayed with 40-pound tackle, but 30-pound gear yielded more bites. I managed to hook 9 of the wily shortfins, mostly using one of the new Penn Torque TRQ15 reel, filled with 300 yards of 50-pound Big Game Braid, and a short 25-foot topshot of 30-pound Berkley Pro-Spec mono. Also key was 3 feet of 30-pound Big Game Fluorocarbon, tipped by a size 1/0 Owner Ringed Mutu circle hook.
Excel crewman Joel Fleck [L] lends a gaffing assist
to John Haugland of Huntington Beach with a 33-pound
iron-eating yellowtail that was good for the Flying
Fisherman “Master Jig Caster Award” as the largest
fish caught on a casting lure.
Rockfish break
The oftentimes long final day of travel was broken up with what amounted to a half-day of absolutely wide-open rockfish and lingcod action just south of San Quintin. In almost dead calm conditions; dropping jigs or bait down to about 250 feet resulted in instant hookups with quality reds, coppers, and other assorted rockfish, along with a good number of lingcod from sub-legal to 15 pounds.
Excel crewman Rene Sanchez and angler Jeanne Merritt are
all smiles over the quality bluefin tuna Merritt landed on a Penn
Baja Special reel.
Great experiences
Second-place jackpot winner Tommy Holtzman of Carmichael was aboard his first long-range trip. “This trip was great; I’ll definitely be aboard next year”, said Holtzman. “I caught 11 yellowtail up to 30 pounds, about 10 miscellaneous fish, and 2 bluefin tuna, including a 36.1 pounder that I landed on one of the demo outfits with a Penn Torque TRQ12 reel. I also learned to tie the Bimini Twist and Dropper Loop knots.”
A member of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary and a regular angler aboard the California Dawn out of Berkeley, Holtzman observed, “The crew was excellent, and were always by your side if you were hooked up. This is clearly the most luxurious vessel ever built to be a fishing boat.”
Veteran long-ranger Peter Lang of Santa Rosa has been on over 20 long-range excursions. “I just love these trips”, said Lang. “This time I learned the Surgeon’s Knot for tying on fluorocarbon leaders, and of course lots of patience. I caught an albacore, my limit of yellowtail [15], and 2 bluefin tuna, along with a bunch of lingcod and rockfish.
Steve and Norma Manabe of Pacifica were also aboard their first long-range trip. “This was great, we would do it again in a heartbeat”, said Steve. “I caught an albacore, a bluefin tuna, 11 yellowtail, and the ‘Mrs.’ got 15 yellowtail. The Excel crew is great, and took very good care of my wife. The highlight of the trip was my wife catching her first tuna.”
Field testing
The group had the opportunity to try out some of Penn’s upcoming 2012 products, including a set of the new “Bluewater Carnage” rods, which are especially designed for west-coast style fishing. Also in the demo assortment were the upcoming non-levelwind versions of the Penn Fathom reel series, along with the brand-new Penn Torque reels.
This writer also had a “top-secret” prototype Penn reel destined for introduction in 2013, which should turn into a favorite of long-range and tuna anglers everywhere. However, you had to be on the boat to get to see it!
The crew
In addition to Captain Ramirez, the deck crew of Derek Waldman, Brandon Wilske, Rene Sanchez, Joel Fleck, and Jeff Bunde were a well-oiled machine, gaffing fish, preventing tangles, and even choosing primo baits for bluefin.
The galley team of Jason Fleck and Vince Otani kept everyone well-fed with 3 unbelievable [and large!] meals a day, along with both morning and afternoon snacks, and even fresh-cut fruit with breakfast.
Variety action
Species caught included: Albacore, yellowtail, bluefin tuna, calico bass, barracuda, bonito, sheephead, sculpin, red rockfish, copper rockfish, yellowtail rockfish, bocaccio, lingcod, whitefish, brown cat shark, and even one lonesome rose threadfin bass. The final tally was just over 300 yellowtail, 60 bluefin tuna, 5 albacore, and more than 200 miscellaneous fish.
Jackpot winners
Jackpot honors went to Brad Merritt of Utah for his 49.8 pound bluefin tuna, with a dead heat for second place between Tommy Holtzman of Carmichael and John Haugland of Huntington Beach with matching 36.1 pound bluefin. Brad Warren of Canyon Lake had a non-eligible 54.1 pound bluefin.
The coveted Flambeau “True Sportsman Award” as voted by the crew went to Brad Merritt, and the Flambeau “Hero Fish Award” went to Peter Lang. The Owner Hooks “First Fish” awards went to: Albacore- Brad Merritt; Yellowtail- Luis Velazquez; Tuna- John Haugland. The Flying Fisherman “Master Jig Caster” award went to John Haugland for a 33.3 pound yellowtail.
Excel crewman Rene Sanchez and angler Jeanne Merritt are all smiles
over the quality bluefin tuna Merritt landed on a Penn Baja Special reel.
“News Flash; the Excel acquired a new ownership team in late July, as Ingrid Poole announced the vessel and been purchased by a consortium consisting of longtime skipper Justin Fleck, Al Gross, David Geis, and Al Downing, with Jason Gross working on the support team. No doubt this group of veteran professionals will maintain the Excels’ status as one of the world’s premiere sportfishing boats.”
