Saltwater Report

Name=Jeff

Date=7/25/99

Boat=El Dorado

Area=10-15 miles west of San Clemente Island

Bait=sardines

Water_Temp=62-66

Captain=Mike

Weather=Overcast

Seas=Choppy

Report=This was pobably the most fun I have ever had on a fishing trip. I was invited to fish with the Reel Women Connect charter, mainly to help out the many first-time tuna anglers, including my wife and 9-year old daughter. Although women and children on a hot-paced albacore trip may make some people nervous, the sight of seeing these women slamming albacore onto the deck, getting all bloody and full of scales, it was undescribable, you just had to see it. The morning was pretty brutal, even I will admit to getting a little seasick, but as the day wore on it flattened out to nice, lake-like conditions on the way home. My daughter landed her first tuna, a beautifull 17.2 pounder that she caught on #20 test with a spinning outfit. My wife also got her first albie, a 20-pounder caught on the troll. I brought one up to gaff and handed-off a few to other passengers. I must say, some of the women on board were seasoned anglers with lots of experience. The total count for the boat was 48 albacore for some 25 women and a few odd-ball guys like myself, Dennis Yamamoto from Owner Hooks, and Chris from AA lures who generously donated lots of tackle for us to use. Also onboard was the filming crew for Reel Screamers Productions who took some excellent video of the whole experience, including the brutal fight between my daughter and her first albacore. The crew was great, even though we had a couple of "apprentice" deckhands with not much experience, they worked hard and did their jobs well. Much thanks to Wendy Leung for putting the whole thing together. She did a great job. If you are a woman who is interested in fishing, she is the person to talk to.

Rating=Excellent