The annual Harry and Roger 5-day trip on the American Angler started with high expectations as we were going to Guadalupe (after a one year absence). The results met all of our expectations as we had over one hundred large YFT from 50# to 100# and over 50 premium yellowtails from 25# to 40#. A big thank you to Lori Patella for doing all of the paperwork in time to allow our trip to be the first American Angler trip to Guadalupe this year. Great planning Lori !
The check-in at Ensenda, as well as the check-out at Ensenada went very smoothly and only took 30-45 minutes each. The problem is that going to Ensenada eliminates a fishing option if your primary fishing location does not work out. We did really well at Guadalupe so this was not a big factor for this trip but could be for other 5-day trip. Don’t be surprised if 5-day trips become 6-day trips, to preserve the ability to fish a second option.
This annual trip started many years ago as a charter but now we usually have a few openings which allows for new passengers to join us. One of these passengers was Charlie Osaki. Charlie brought his son Trevor on his first long-range trip. Trevor fished like a seasoned veteran. Here is a photo of Trevor with one of his many unassisted catches. Great job Trevor!
Whitney joined the American Angler crew at the beginning of the year. Here she is showing off her Baja Fish Gear shirt while making the salads. Our chef Paul is also new crew member of the American Angler and did an outstanding job of feeding us fantastic meals.
For those that do not know our chartermasters, here are Harry and Roger working on their respective YFTs.
Rick Endo shows off one of the many premium yellowtails we landed. These were really nice size YFT and yellowtails.
Matt Salas (Salas Lures) joined us and provided all the passengers with the latest surface jigs. Thanks Matt. Here is a photo of Matt in action showing us how to use one of his jigs on a good size yellowtail.
One of Calstar’s newest rods is a Graphiter 875H. This is a 7.5 ft long rod that works really well with either 40# or 50# fluorocarbon for the 50# to 100# YFT at Guadalupe. I used an Accurate BX2-500 spooled with 400 yds of 65# Izorline spectra and 10 ft of 50# Izorline fluorocarbon. I was able to use this same piece of fluorocarbon for 5 YFT and a yellowtail. Here is a picture of my first tuna of the trip, a 75# YFT.
Calstar provided a loaner 875H rod for this trip. I put one of my Accurate 2-speed reels on the rod and made it available for any passenger to use. Greg Young used this outfit to land a 95.5# YFT, good for 2nd place jackpot.
Jay Love took first place with a 101.5# YFT and I was able to land an 81.5# YFT onthe last day for 3rd place. Lee Ann received an honorable mention for her 83# YFT.
As with many trips to Guadalupe, we had the tax man (great white shark) visit us on the 3rd day. We were fortunate to only lose 3 fish to the tax man. Charlie Osaki’s tuna was one of the victims. Check out all that was left of Charlie’s tuna. Just the head standing up on the deck.
We took the obliga
tory group photo on the bow of the boat while waiting for US customs at 5 am in the morning. I want to thank Baja Fish Gear (Lomita, CA) for giving every passenger a store gift card, rod wrap cords, and an on-line discount card. Thank you to Salas Lures for providing every passenger with the latest surface jigs. Thank you to Calstar for providing a loaner 875H rod that was very appropriate for this type of tuna fishing. Thank you to Lori Patella and the American Angler crew for running a top-notch operation. The crew’s ability to save all the fish in multiple fish tangles is probably the best in the industry. I also have to mention the phenomenal RSW system they have developed in their fish holds but their ability to quickly remove the guts and gills of each tuna makes the sashimi grade tuna the envy of even sushi restaurants. My friends are still thanking me for fresh tuna that exceeds anything they can buy at the fish market or get at a sushi restaurant. I hope to see you all next year on this same trip.
Thanks for checking out my blog report.
Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions.
Gary Teraoka
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