We ran all over the pacific and did not see a fish or get a strike.

Despite this, my crew for tomorrow wants to go, so running again in the AM.

This super moon has not been super for fishing and I can't wait to see it leave.

Captain Mike

The Ilwaco charter fleet called all of their trips yesterday, but as my crew was already in town we decided to wait until today and see how the forecast shaped up.

We could have pounded it out 40+ miles into the wind and ran back early to beat the bar, but that would only leave 4.5 hours or so to fish.

I convinced most of our crew that they should save their $2,700 and come back on a better a day.

Instead we went for a no charge bottom fishing trip and loaded up (24) on rockfish and then went on to get skunked on salmon.  Burning a little fuel and bait is the least Clark and I could do for some guys who drove a long way not to fish for tuna.

We are sitting out tomorrow, but at it again on Tuesday.

Hopefully the Ilwaco Tuna Air Patrol will lock down some good numbers for us.

Captain Mike

​

The Cam Birney saga ended today.

4 years ago Cam won a trip with Shake N Bake at a charity auction.

SEVEN times it was postponed due to weather or the lousy motors on my old boat.

After getting skunked yesterday, I thought we were doomed by the Cam curse.

We tried a new spot and got a few off the bat and then it went dead.

Clark saw a log, more like a stick, and threw bait on it.

One of our crew swore he saw a fish boil, so we turned around.

The next thing you know it is fish on.

Slow, the faster, then WFO and jackpoling fish with boils all around the boat.

We left boiling fish with a plugged boat and ran home at 28 knots.

At it again with the Soleman in the morning.

Captain Mike

Fishing has been slow out of Ilwaco for pretty much everyone but us and Opportunaty, so we decided to try some new hunting grounds.

I got in touch with Mark Coleman of Allrivers out of Westport and he gave me some good intel (thanks Mark) so we decided to run north towards Westport.

53 miles later we were into the fish and put 29 on the deck.

The wind was blowing WAY harder than the forecast and it was starting to get a little sporty so we headed in early.

Shake N Bake once again surprised me with a very nice ride on a lousy ocean.

Henriques makes the best boats on earth and Shake N Bake just keeps proving it over and over.

A great crew and great fishing.

Clark and I are back at it in the AM.

Captain Mike

DirtyE is running in at 27 knots and just texted me.

With only three guys fishing, the damn near plugged the boat.

They are worn out and headed in on a nice ocean.

Captain MIke

We knew it was going to be a rough ocean when the other tuna charters turned around and were coming in when we were leaving.

I talked to a couple of the captains who left a 2 am and they said they were getting too beat up to fish.

We run a 42' Henriques for a reason, so we decided to head west and see how she would do.

It was sporty on the way out, but we ran around 17 knots out.

We got on right of the bat on the troll and then it was a desert.  

3 or 4 hours without a strike.

We were giving up hope when the Opportunaty called us in.

We ran west past the 125 line and slid into their chum slick.

Pretty soon rods started going off and the bite was on.

We did not plug the boat, but we got a bunch of BIG, fat tuna and everyone got to catch a tuna on livebait.

We ran in at 26 knots.

Nothing beats a Henriques.

Captain Mike

We went right back where we left them yesterday and were into fish right away.

Our crew were a bunch of seasoned pros who had plugged the boat before.

The fish today were the largest I had ever seen.

28 lb (weighed) average.

One went 42 Pounds.

That beat our boat record that is less than a week old.

The fish are huge right now.

To top it off, our crew busted out a bottle of Dom Perignon and toasted a recently passed fisherman.

Great crew, great fishing, and huge fish.

Captain Mike

It was a flat ocean and a Saturday, so everything that floats was headed west.

There were more boats out there today than any other day this season.

Everyone was crying on the radio that there were not fish.

We ran a little farther out to find some sea room and started trolling.

Pretty much right away we got a troll fish and converted on bait.

The crew was motivated and knew how to fish, so we had a near 100% conversion rate.

Pretty soon we had one fish box filled and then the bite died and everyone, even good charter captains, were complaining that there were no fish.

Around 11:30 we got one on the troll, and then things started to light up.

30 minutes later it was wide open and everyone was hooked up.

10 minutes later they were boiling everywhere.

We busted out the jackpole and everyone jackpoled a tuna and it was time to go home.

Great crew, great fishing.

I can't wait for tomorrow.

Captain Mike

DirtyE texted me that they caught a bunch but did not quite plug the boat, but they caught the biggest tuna he has ever seen.

It is reported to be about 40 lbs, which would definitely be a boat record.

Hopefully photos will be coming my way soon.

Captain Mike