On Thursday, September 17 2009 my brother and I boarded the Ultra out of Fisherman’s Landing in San Diego for an overnight fishing trip to the Outer Banks off of northern Baja.  Our primary target were the yellowfin tuna that had been on a tear recently, providing limit-style fishing for the one-day and day-and-half fleet that calls San Diego Bay home.  Along with the tuna, good numbers of kelp-paddy yellowtail and dorado had been on the chew as well, adding to the fun for anglers able to get on a boat to take them to the action.  As we climbed aboard and stowed our gear, it was difficult to keep our expectations in check regarding what we hoped would be epic fishing the next day.

Captain Brian Blair, owner/operator of the Ultra, quickly tried to temper our enthusiasms after he called the 8 anglers aboard into the galley for a quick safety seminar.  After the obligatory discussion of where the life-vests and rafts were located and other safety items discussed, Blair got down to the question that was foremost on everybody’s mind: how was the fishing? 

Blair explained that due to the increased wind and swell that had plagued the fishing grounds over the course of the  previous week, the easy fishing that had been occurring within one-day range had gotten tougher as the bulk of the fish had been pushed further south beyond the reach of the overnight boats.  Having said that, he went on to explain that the fishing had been changing every day, and that quite a mix of fish was still available.  From football yellowfin in the 8 to 12 pound range along with some bigger models pushing 50 pounds and more, to the yellows and dorado on the kelps, to even the possibility of some slug albacore to 40 pounds, our stoke was fueled by the chance that we still had an excellent chance of getting into some decent fishing.  With the knowledge that the weather had turned in our favor, coupled with the excellent speed of the Ultra (It’s a 55-foot Delta hull, a very fast boat for a sportfisher) that would easily get us down 70 to 75 miles with a good six to seven hours to fish, we hit our bunks feeling pretty good about our chances.

The next morning at grey light, the jigs went into the water and the hunt was on.  The overcast sky lent a slate-grey hue to the ocean’s surface as breakfast burritos were scarfed and cups of coffee quickly gulped.  The surface was smooth, with a modest westerly swell (I knew the waves would be good back home, and they were, darn) but overall conditions had the look of a good fishing day.  Before long came the cry of “hookup!” as two of the trollers tried to leave the boat with tuna attached.  These were the smaller variety of yellowfin, and it wasn’t long before we had our first fish aboard.  Out went the jigs again, and before long 2 more troll fish and our first bait fish were on the boat.  We were off to a good start, and it was about to get a lot better.

By Kevin R. Morris