2 years ago i spent 10 days on the Excell fishing the waters off Baja California, Mexico. we were chasing yellowfin tuna and dorado( mahi mahi) and saw a number of opah but they wouldn't bite. they are not really that rare in these waters anymore, although 3 in 1 day is unusual.

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:
2 years ago i spent 10 days on the Excell fishing the waters off Baja California, Mexico. we were chasing yellowfin tuna and dorado( mahi mahi) and saw a number of opah but they wouldn't bite. they are not really that rare in these waters anymore, although 3 in 1 day is unusual.

Jerry:

How was the fishing trip ? Always wanted to do one of these long range fishing trips.

Mike

most of us had our individual limits of yellowfin, yellowtail and dorado by Day 6, so we kept fishing and gave fish to unlucky/seasick guys who had space on their limits. also ended doing catch and release. the problem now is the Mex govt has placed limits on different species and once you hit the limit( no matter how long the trip) you either give fish away or cut them off. also on the longer trips( 10 days or more) you spend 1 1/2 days or more of travel in each direction to hit the prime areas( although you may stop sooner if schools/kelp paddies are spotted). i have been doing these trips off and on for 30 years,since i first moved to San Diego in 1982. once you hit the fishing grounds, you can essentially fish 24/7 until you run out of gas! i have spent as much as 20 hours straight at the rail with a few short breaks to eat. very intense if your stamina allows it- or very relaxed if you want to sun bathe on the upper deck and watch guys ruin their backs pulling on giant yellowfin for 2-4 hours standing up, bent over the rail

Jerry,

I am a top of the deck kind of guy. I caught a bluefin tuna off Chatham Mass and have the whole 1 hr plus on video. It looks like a bad S&M movie. I am now for catching smaller fish, lounging around, drinking beers, eating food and having a good time.

This trip sounds like fun. How bad was the ocean in terms of sea sickness? This is a long trip so this could be an issue.

Mike

everybody has a difference tolerance for seasickness. it has never bothered me and i have been on long range trips where you didn't walk around ANYWHERE on the boat without holding on to something. bear in mind the larger boats in the fleet are 112-120' long, 28-32' beam. some even have stabilizers. that said, it can be a long 2+ day run back uphill into head seas going home and a cabin near the bow is going to beat the hell out of you. as far as fishing pace goes, it is up to you alone. during a hot tuna bite( which can go on for 6-8 hours straight), i usually catch( or lose) 2-3, then sit up top, drink a beer, and video the hard core guys down below pulling on fish non stop. the longest time i ever spent on a fish was about 2 1/2 hours( 210# yellowfin). i was hurting so bad at gaff that the finished my day! also bear in mind this is all a stand up fight with belt and harness- no chair, dead boat and you running up and down the side rails chasing the fish as he runs. couple that with 4-10+ guys doing the same fire drill and it's a real work out. tangles occurring, lines break, tempers flare. its all part of the game. it is not a relaxing few days on the water, unless you don't want to bring a lot of fish home.....

Thanks Saeed, for posting!