Last Thursday evening I joined my good friends Jeff Marsilio and Nick Gowing aboard the Old #7 for a day of yellowtail, seabass, and calico bass fishing at Catalina. Joining me were Matthew ("Movie Matt") and Steve ("Red"), both of whom had signed up for this one of several popular open party trips Jeff runs every year. We left Pierpoint Landing around 10 p.m. and set on a course to round the east end of Catalina on our way to the squid grounds on the backside of the island. Jeff was not aware of any light boats at the island that night, so we were prepared with some leftover live squid along with a big load of fresh frozen squid. When we arrived at the island we were pleasantly surprised to find the Pacific Carnage on the grounds with plenty of squirts, so we topped off the tank and moved a few hundred yards north to anchor up and wait for the morning yellowtail bite.
Morning broke, and we awoke around 6 a.m. to overcast skies and greasy seas, with a moderate west swell. Nick gave us a briefing on rigging and techniques, and described the action as "clicker fishing." The yellows were moving through in flurries, so the easiest method was to rig up a dropper loop or sliding sinker rig, back off the drag, turn on the clicker, set the rod in the rod holder, and sit back and relax. We rigged up our 30 and 40 lb. gear, baited up with both live and dead squid, and waited. It didn't take long before both Matt and Red were bit. Red's fish broke off within seconds of taking the bait, but Matt's fish stuck, and by 6:30 we were on the board with an 18 lb. forkie!
True to form, the bite slowed for us for about an hour after that first quick flurry. We watched as the Tracer to the south and the Aztec to the north hooked one or two fish at a time, hoping that the school was moving in our direction. At 7:30 the fish cruised by again, and it was Red's turn this time. He put the wood to the fish, and Nick sunk a gaff into the head of the 22 lb. yellow. Shortly thereafter my 40 lb. rod doubled over, and I was on! This fish took off for Ben Weston Point, and didn't stop until I was well into the spectra under my 100 yard top shot. The fish was pretty well spent after that blazing initial run, and I pumped it back to the boat fairly quickly. A few more minutes and Nick again made a nice head shot with the gaff, and I was now in the lead with a fat 27 pounder! This fish had some serious shoulders to it. A half hour later Red and Matt proceeded to hook two more fish, and while Red's fish broke off after a run to the bow, Matt again boated a quality yellow, the same length as mine but not quite as thick. It ran 25 lbs.
After Matt's second fish the bite slowed, so we took off to the west to look for calicos and maybe a seabass or two. We took a brief look in Little Harbor, then ended up at one of Jeff's favorite beaches just to the north. The bite was instant for nice calicos on both plastics and squid. 4 inch Big Hammers with yellow or green cast right to the edge of the kelp worked the best. Low tide was at 11 a.m., so we headed back to Shark Harbor (the cove just south of Little Harbor) and I jumped in the water to look for the anchor that Jeff had lost a few weeks back. Unfortunately the visibility was about 5 feet, and the anchor was in 15-20 feet of water, so I would have needed my scuba gear and wet suit to have enough time to find it. The water still felt great though, and it was a very enjoyable swim. Why do they call it Shark Harbor? Fortunately I didn't find out!
We then headed for the west end of the island to explore the beaches for seabass and calicos. We made a stop at Whistler's for more good calico action before turning the corner and anchoring up at Johnson's Rock in hopes of stumbling across an afternoon seabass bite. Conditions looked great, and we immediately got into a good bite on calicos and yellowfin croaker. I stuck to fishing live squid on a white football leadhead, and finally got picked up and taken for a ride out to sea. After pulling the fish through the kelp it took me back to the stern, and on the way it came up near the surface and I got a glimpse at it. Mud marlin! It was supposed to be a seabass, but no, it had to be a bat ray. It was still a great fight though, and got all of our hearts pumping fast for a few minutes at least. We gave it a few more minutes, then had to call it a day. Our totals: 4 yellowtail from 18 to 27 lbs. out of 6 hookups, 37 calico bass (30 released), a few yellowfin croaker, released, and one bat ray.
If you haven't fished the Old # 7 yet, you really should book a charter or hop on an open party trip this year. If you have fished with them, you are familiar with the outstanding service Jeff and Nick provide. Jeff has quickly grown into one of the top seabass fishermen in Southern California and knows Catalina Island like the back of his hand. He is also quite adept at chasing down tuna offshore, and consistently scores near the top of the charter fleet. Nick's attention to customer service and skills with a fishing rod, gaff, and fillet knife are second to none, and combine with Jeff's experience and service to create a dynamic, professional team that functions like a well-oiled fish catching machine. Oh yeah, the boat's pretty nice too - 31' Innovator, cruises at 20 knots, sleeps 4/fishes up to 6, 6 scoop bait tank, GPS, color sonar, radar, 2 VHF radios, autopilot, tuna tower with full controls, full size bathroom with shower, and sit-down dinette with stove, microwave, refrigerator, sink, and coffee maker. It's small enough to tuck into the tight coves where the seabass live at Catalina, yet large and stable enough to run offshore for tuna in marginal weather. Whatever the season, whatever the target, the Old #7 is the boat for your charter needs!
