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SEARCHER/PFU 6 DAY LONG RANGE TRIP
By Steve Carson
![Searcher’s Captain Art Taylor [L] and angler Aren Rooney of Garden Grove and big tuna.](images/47631e16a342e405881e2dd60321897d.jpg "Searcher’s Captain Art Taylor [L] and angler Aren Rooney of Garden Grove and big tuna.")
Searcher’s Captain Art Taylor [L] and angler Aren Rooney of Garden Grove are very happy about the big Guadalupe Island tuna that Rooney brought aboard the boat.
The 24 Penn Fishing University anglers aboard the Searcher during late September’s 6-day long rang excursion out of Fisherman’s Landing in San Diego with Captain Art Taylor at the helm found excellent action on a variety of species, including yellowfin tuna, yellowtail, and dorado.
![Ryan Bussell [L] and Curtis Stewart with a beautiful pair of dorado. pair of dor](images/fcb83f93f7c51c157cece9bcc2dd965c_epkh.png "Ryan Bussell [L] and Curtis Stewart with a beautiful pair of dorado. pair of dor")
Ryan Bussell of Lake Tahoe [L] and Curtis Stewart of Desert Hot Springs with a beautiful pair of dorado caught under a kelp paddy, during the 6-day Penn Fishing University trip aboard the Searcher.
OFFSHORE GROUNDS
After departing San Diego and checking in at Ensenada, the Searcher moved out to the area about 140 miles south of San Diego. Standard albacore-style run-n-gun trolling and live bait fishing was extremely productive for 15-25 pound class yellowfin tuna. The tuna charged the boat time after time, boiling all around.
Besides live sardines, the tuna aggressively bit on metal jigs like a blue mackerel-color 3-ounce Williamson Herring Jig, and this writer even got a few on sardine-color Williamson Jet Poppers.
The fish were eager enough that fluorocarbon leaders were not necessary. Most anglers rigged up with a size 2/0 Owner Ringed Gorilla hook tied to 30-pound mono. A Penn Fathom 25N reel on a Penn Bluewater Carnage CARBW700ML rod was sporting, but delivered plenty of power when needed.
Author Steve Carson with a 75-pound Guadalupe Island yellowfin caught aboard the Searcher while field-testing an upcoming 2013 year model Penn reel.
CEDROS ISLAND
Next up on the itinerary was Cedros Island. After looking around for just a few scattered yellowtail, Captain Taylor’s experience paid off, and we hit an absolutely ravenous school of yellowtail that were mostly in the 12 to 25-pound range.
Many lures worked, but the dependable blue/white Sumo JR jig fished yo-yo style is usually impossible to beat during a good yellowtail bite. Another good yo-yo jig choice was a Tady 4/0 in the new Mexican flag color. Long rod aficionados throwing surface iron did best with a sardine-color Sumo 7X or blue/white Tady 45. Live sardines flylined on a size 4/0 Owner Ringed Gorilla hook caught their fair share as well.
Ideal tackle for this work is the Penn Baja Special reel filled with 40-pound mono, and a 7-foot Penn Bluewater Carnage CARBW700M rod for yo-yo jigs and live sardines.
GUADALUPE ISLAND
The legendary island lived up to its reputation as the home of oversize game fish and great white sharks. We actually saw only a single 15-foot great white that was busy feeding on a sea lion, and appeared uninterested in our fish.
Most of the morning and early afternoon at Guadalupe was spent checking out various yellowtail haunts on both the lee and weather side of the island. Although it was only a slow “pick” of 2 or 3 yellowtail per spot, the average size was impressive at 25 to 36 pounds.
Each afternoon at about 4:00 PM, the first tuna boils were seen. When the sun dipped behind the island at about 5:00 PM, the bite on quality-grade 70 to 90-pound yellowfin tuna began in earnest.
Absolutely essential to getting a bite was selecting a perfect lively sardine, pinning it across the nose and coaxing it as much as 100 yards away from the boat. A circle hook was needed to keep the fish from chewing through the line, with most anglers opting for Owner Ringed Mutus in size 1/0 or 2/0.
Perfectly-rigged tackle was also a must, as the brutally strong tuna exploited any weakness in the system. The most popular braid-to-fluoro connection was a 12-turn Worm Knot with 4-turn Uni-Knot lock. For those anglers connecting fluoro-to-mono, the 4-turn Surgeon’s Knot was tops, and the single San Diego Jam Knot was the nearly unanimous choice for hook attachment.
Standard line system was an extra-short 6-foot topshot of 50-pound Berkley Big Game Fluorocarbon, over a minimum of 400 yards of 65-pound Berkley Big Game Braid. A 2-speed lever-drag reel like a Penn International 12VSX is a must, on a 7-foot rod like a Penn Bluewater Carnage CARBW700H.
The crew of the Searcher was extremely active on deck, performing minor miracles constantly. Several tuna got away due to pulled hooks, and one fish even straightened the hook completely, but no tuna were lost at Guadalupe due to tangles or on the anchor rope. Considering the fights raged well into the dark, that is quite a display of skill. When the smoke cleared, we had landed 17 of the better-grade tuna.
Rick Vallese of Reno shows off a 33-pound iron-eating yellowtail that he caught at Guadalupe Island aboard the Searcher’s 6-day excursion.
GREAT EXPERIENCES
Curtis Howard of Diamond Bar was a long-range rookie, but has fished extensively around Catalina Island. “I caught 8 yellowfin tuna up to 84 pounds, and got my limit of yellowtail [15] up to 25 pounds. The highlight was definitely the big tuna, he really kicked me around and got me third place in the jackpot. I learned the Surgeon’s Knot and San Diego Jam knot, the ‘rail technique’ and also how to fish the yo-yo iron.”
Howard added, “The crew of the Searcher was ‘par excellence’; when I hooked the big one, I had two guys by my side the whole time.”
Jackpot winner Gary Chung of San Jose was on his fifth long-range trip. “I caught 4 yellowfin tuna including the big one that went 87.6 pounds, 9 yellowtail up to 25 pounds, and a bunch of miscellaneous calico bass, whitefish, and other species. The highlight of the trip was the experience of catching the big fish on a rod that I made myself, and a reel that I maintained myself for 11 years [Penn 16S]. I learned to use the rail and conserve my energy when fighting a big tuna, along with knots like the Bimini Twist and San Diego Jam.”
Chung added, “The crew of the Searcher has a lot of patience!”
Rick Vallese of Reno is an experienced saltwater angler, but was on only his third long-range trip. “I got my limit; 15 yellowfin tuna up to 75 pounds, and 15 yellowtail up to 33 pounds. The highlight of the trip was definitely landing the big tuna, and I learned the Surgeon’s Knot. The crew of the Searcher is excellent, they were always ‘Johnny on the Spot’ whenever I was hooked up.”
Brian Dilley of Bakersfield was also a long-range rookie. “I caught 15 yellowtail [including the largest at 36.5 pounds], and 10 yellowfin tuna, but did not manage to land one of the big ones. The highlight for me was the wide-open bites on yellowfin tuna and yellowtail. I learned the San Diego Jam knot and the Surgeon’s Knot, and how to yo-yo with jigs.”
Dilley summed up with, “The crew of the Searcher was top notch; we’re definitely going next year!”
![Matt Kirkpatrick [L] and Leon Walraven strain to lift their brace of big tuna](images/4474475df38aaecdf694808cd8227653_raoy.png "Matt Kirkpatrick [L] and Leon Walraven strain to lift their brace of big tuna")
Matt Kirkpatrick of Bakersfield [L] and Leon Walraven of Whittier strain to lift their brace of big tuna, caught during the Penn Fishing University 6-day trip at Guadalupe Island aboard the Searcher.
CAPTAINS VIEW
In all the boat totaled just over 200 yellowfin tuna, nearly 300 yellowtail, a half-dozen dorado, and numerous miscellaneous species. Captain Taylor observed, “We found 69-degree water the first day in the offshore area where the 1.5 day boats have been working, and did very well. The second day at Cedros Island the water was 69.5 degrees, and we finally found biting fish in a traditional afternoon area at the south end.
“When we got out to Guadalupe it was 70.5 degrees, but there was no current. We got lucky in the zone between Battleship and Boxing Glove at a spot sometimes called “The Mistake.”
Taylor continued, “This year so far there has not been a huge volume of the 70 to 85-pound tuna, but we are looking forward to October being very good out at Guadalupe.”
FIELD TESTING
The group had several “demo sets” with brand new Penn models to try out, and even a few 2013-year model prototypes to put through their paces. Extremely well-liked were the brand new aluminum-framed Penn Fathom-series conventional reels, and the model FTH25N in particular should be a favorite choice for both local and mid-length long-range anglers.
Also among the demos were the “Bluewater Carnage” series of rods, which will offer all of the specialized west-coast actions, along with several larger versions of the Squall series of conventional reels. The Squall reels are graphite-framed, and are incredibly light and easy to cast.
A couple of “top secret” upcoming Penn models were also in use, but you had to be aboard to to see them!
ENSENADA
Fishing at Guadalupe Island requires that the Searcher also Check-In and Check-Out at the Port of Ensenada. All passengers are required to have a US Passport, and the process is handled smoothly and efficiently.
JACKPOT WINNERS
Overall jackpot winner Gary Chung of San Jose topped the field with his 87.6 pound yellowfin tuna, taking home a Penn 12VSX 2-speed reel and a nice commemorative plaque. Second place went to Matt Kirkpatrick of Bakersfield for his 86.4 pound tuna, third place was a tie with identical 84.8 pounders for Leon Walraven of Whittier and Curtis Howard of Diamond Bar.
The yellowtail category was lead by Brian Dilley of Bakersfield with his impressive 36-pounder from Guadalupe, which also happened to take the Flying Fisherman “Master Jig Caster” prize for the largest fish on a casting lure.
The Owner Hooks “First Yellowtail” was caught by Curtis Howard; “First Offshore Tuna” by Leo Balmes of Oxnard; and “First Guadalupe Tuna” by Eric VanDeVoort of Irvine. The “Flambeau Hero Fish” award went to Don Bussell of Sacramento, for his valiant battle with a huge yellowfin tuna that straightened out his hook, and the coveted “Flambeau True Sportsman” award as voted by the crew went to Aren Rooney of Garden Grove.
Next year’s Penn Fishing University 6-day excursion aboard the Searcher will run from September 15-21, 2012. Call 619-226-2403 for more information.
