SHARK TACKLE-TROLL/DRIFT

[jwalker]

Hey Folks,
We have a full line of Shark Trolling Lures, leaders and terminal tackle.
Everything is in the new 2007 catalog that is getting in your hands now...We know because it's going off on the Shark Tackle from Delaware to Maine right now, we are rigging up dozens of custom rigs right now and will keep it going..

490lb Thresher Wed and dozens more from 100-400lbs..ALL CAUGHT ON THE TROLL HERE IN SOUTHERN CAL IN THE PAST MONTH, ALL USING:
The Bait-O-Matics, Ballyhood Top Guns and custom rigged swimming plugs.

Check out the catalog and eveything should be up on webpage very soon...
Let's us know what you need...

JW

[Capt Josh]

You're not kidding Johnny...

That was some of the most exciting fishing i've done in California while i was up there last week...

16 shots between two boats...i finally got my thresher...not a bragger but a nice one...Mike from Pelagic got a solid one though...well over 300...

Awesome fishery...awesome fight...and duuuuuuuude...awesome meat...

[jwalker]

Just finished prepping for the night in :ANTICIPATION of the morning..
Plan is to hit the boat @ 4 AM, left Melton at 4:15 after 65 hours of non stop mayhem this week, the new catalog got into our customers hands and it WENT OFF, spent the week attempting to provide solid service to our existing and new customers, and EVERYONE wanted their stuff for the long weekend, so it was off the charts, express and overnight was the flavor of the week..
And we are not talkng about a couple lures and a 1/2 dozen Zukers in a package, The Boys wanted the real stuff this week...
Custom Marlin Magic, Black Bart, Joe Yee, Bomboy Etc Etc Marlin/Tuna Lures and our new Wahoo and Shark products went OFF...most all wanted custom rigging with upgraded wire, cable and top end hooks and leaders where being rigged all week, 2-5 guys stacked up at our riggging station from 6AM till 7 PM every day..Hope we came thru for all and if we came up short for anyone shoot me a PM and I will make good,
I was finally walking out the door at 4:00 to prep for the morning and a great customer from Arizona called....Tournament next week, leaving first thing Wed Morning can I get an order shipped RIGHT NOW to make it there Tuesday morning... AHHHHH sure what you need? Custom Marlin Magic Lava Series LARGE HENRY custom rigged and throw in a half dozen misc hard to track down rigging items...Sure will do ...boys let's get it going,,,Will starts skirting lure, Mitchel grabs some rigging material and I go in back to gather his Islanders and such...,Who's in back? FED_EX, what youy doing here? It's only 4:15...Ya..Holiday weekend came early, last call today for overnight is 4:15 not the normal 4:30...SHIT, I got 2 orders I need out..can you hang for 10 minutes,,,pissed off look,,,,and then sure.. no problem..
Fly to the front help will squeeze a 14" skirt over LARGE HENRY...did not want to go, lube and more lube get it on and pull out the new single stiff rigged Jobu 12/0 to finish the job with 450 leader...SWEET, this sucker will do some damage....stick it all in Bin rush it back, Phil racks the customer on the check out, package it up with our Big Swerve and out the door with Fed-Ex...sucker better catch after that effort...
Finally take my custom rigged Bait-O- Matics out the door, head to Turner's load up on the Frozen Mack's for back-up and cruise thru Ralphs as I have food duty for the boys///RUsh home load the Magnum with a couple 50's, tackle and such and ready for the morning,,,,Down to Sports bar to watch highlights of Yankeed getting spanked by Yankees, ...MADE THE NIGHT RIGHT THERE Couple tasty beverages and then back to rack..

OK< plan is to meet AJ, Freddie Archer and a couple new boys at the boat at 4AM.. hit the water, make bait and get on the troll, Hope the Thresher's come a knockin, check in later after the day....

almost 11 bedtime for 3 1/2 quality hours of sleep...

You're not kidding Johnny...

That was some of the most exciting fishing i've done in California while i was up there last week...

16 shots between two boats...i finally got my thresher...not a bragger but a nice one...Mike from Pelagic got a solid one though...well over 300...

Awesome fishery...awesome fight...and duuuuuuuude...awesome meat...

[Capt Josh]

That's why i love you guys...

You're as freakin nutty as we are!

Hey...it's better than a crack habit!!! At least that's what i tell my wife as i'm running out the door at odd hours of the day and night...

"Yeah..." she says... "just don't wake the kids up..."

Aye aye skipper...

VROOOOOOOOOM....

Hope ya'll knockem Johnny...

[jwalker]

Trash talking has allready begun... Fred catches the only SHARK of the day..

OK, fun day all around, nothing big and gaffable for the table but a fair amount of action and one small Mako released to GROW up big and strong.

We hit the water on AJ's new sled a 32 Blackfin (Dog House) he picked up on the East Coast and had transported to Southern Cal, he keeps her slipped in Dana Point, which is 1/2 way between LA and San Diego, great overall location to hit the islands and fish up and down the coast and striking distance to the tuna when they show...

So we are off at 4:45 AM and head North to off Newport to fish the canyon and on the Troll by 5:30... Marking some decent bait and birds are working..

Running 5 lines...
1. Downrigger with Top Gun Lure and Mack bait 75' down
2. Toad booby Trapped with Black/Purple Top Gun baited with Mack
3. Bait-O-Matic on the long rigger naked
4. Bait -O Matic down the middle mack
5. Swimming plug long rigger

Trolling the line when the downrigger rod PILES over and ..pop she comes out of the downrigger clip and nothing, we drop back the lure and bait looking for a turn and pick up and boom, the bait-o-matic on the long rigger opposite side goes bang-bang... Nothing...we drop that bait back and look for SOMETHING to stick....
No go..try some starts and stops but no takers, we crank in the boats and both mackerals are cleaned off the lures, Picked clean..

We keep the game going as the life in the area was solid, Porpoise, Whales, Mola, Bait, Birds with the Terns and Pelican's working the area hard.

About an Hour later it happens again, rod bends over, hit pretty good and we give her some gas to drive the hook home, I crank on reel keeping line tight and start to crank on her and she comes fairly easy right to the surface and blasts up, head shake and that's it, spits the bait and hook. decent size Mako AJ calls down from the tower..We drop back a couple hooked baits and wait for the pick-up, give it some solid time and no go...He's not buying..

OK, back on the troll and about 1/2 hour later we have another knock-down without a hook-up...FRUSTRATING AS you can imagine, all things working pretty good but no hook-ups.

Killing time listening to stories and info from Fred and having some good sarcasm thrown in by a couple young guys AJ brought on board when the radio chatter starts, decent action south of us, one guy we know on a good size Thresher, good bait in the water and Barracuda around, always good for the shark fishing, we give it a short time and begin to pull in lines, as Fred is pulling in naked Bait-O-Matic I hear him say oh oh got something here. apparantly Mr. Mako didnt like him tkaing his bait away and he hits it on the crank-in.. FRED IS HOOKED UP, he get's fish tight turns to me and says take this thing, he's all set with cranking on a fish these days fight is short and non eventfull clear remaining lines and crank a smaller Mako to the boat, after some fun attempting to take a 10/0 HAYS hookm perfectly set in hos jaw we decide to release a tasty little Mako and keep fishing.

Way to go Fred,

We move down off ALiso Creek, where a killer canyon runs into the beach and join the fleet, we watch one boat fight a small shark to their boat and proceed to do some stupid things such as attempt to gaff and handle fish from the swimstep on a rec boat complete with full cockpit handrails. after they get it gaffed they attempt to lift it up an over rail when sharkie says, don't think so, goes somewhat beserk, smashes their rail, somehow doesn't do any damage to the crew and comes of gaff and gone..They proceed to fix their boat...
We also witness a guy in a 19' skiff with his wife and young daughter fight a 100LB Thresher to the transom and while she's hanging over side of the boat snapping polaroids Mr. Thresher goes under the boat, he scrambles around the back and you can see the line straight up and down and pop, gone on the running gear...

One thing about So Cal Shark fishing is the proximity to land and almost perfect sea conditions put allot of boats and crews on the fish that probably should not be doing what they do..



SO we give it another couple hours and cal it a day, no more luck and fish for our crew but overall fun and good day..

[Capt Josh]

Jesus...does this mean no t-steaks next time i come up?

Thanks for the report Johnny...sounds like there's still some good numbers of fish around! Good times...good times...

[jwalker]

If I can get a day off soon will be back out there next week....

Yes, decent action still, not as good as when you where in town but it comes and goes, think the season will continue solid, good bait and the Mako's should start up soon..

[jwalker]

Just wanted to show you the difference between East Coast and West Coast Shark Fishing and some shot's of Dana Point Harbor, some pretty sweet Real Estate and cliffs surrounding the harbor

1. Proximity to land,
2. Ever pass by surfers on your way to the grounds
3. Conditions normally FAC......
4. Trol Troll Troll, name of the game out here for the Threshers...

[Seaker]

Hey thanks for sharing JW. Can't get over how close it is. Little different than the three hour run we typically make..Our background is just all blue ...if it's nice out

[Jason @ Melton Tackle]

Hey Johnny -

It's a paddleboard, not a surfboard!

Jason