0ffshore Venice LA Fishing Report: 07-17-2006

Ran a couple overnighters last week with two fun groups. One was the Justin group where none of them had ever been tuna fishing. We started out by making bait off a weedpatch with frenzy sabiki rids and then the first 6 baits in the water were eaten by 40-60 pound yellowfin. They were skyrocketing on my live baits as we were letting them out. All of those fish came on straight 80 mono with 6/0 frenzy circle hooks. About dark it slowed at the rig we were at. We had picked up 9 yellowfin in 2 and a half hours on live bait. We decided to make a move to the west and reset our baits. It wasnt quite the fastest action but we put one more yellowfin in the boat on a popper along with 5-6 blacks on poppers. We also chummed up two more yellows in the 50 pound class with 60 pound leader and 5/0 frenzy hooks. We called it a night with a full box of 12 yellowfin.

I went back out the next night expecting a repeat and definitly did not get it. I had Owen from Lafitte and his friends for a bachelor party on the boat We caught bait easy enough at the rig and then had to go to three different rigs before we found fish about 70 miles out. Got there around 7 and had put four 50 pound class yellows in the boat by dark and then the fun really started. Unlike the night before where there werent a lot of fish jumping these fish went insane. At some points there were 15-20 yellows and blacks flying through the air nailing poppers on almost every cast. I chummed a little while they were fighting fish and put two 60 pounders in the boat just messing around. They caught 6 yellowfin on poppers in a couple hours with most of them being 40-60 pounds. they also caught who knows how many 20 pound blackfin on spinning tackle.

Right before we left I decided to try trolling to see what would happen and on the first pass both baits went off. The first one was a blackfin the second one was an extremely mad, foul hooked yellowfin. We had this fish on a bent butt 50 wide and could not do anything with him. I think the final fight time before we lost it was about an hour and 45 minutes. When we finally got color on the fish I started leadering it as that was the only way we could finish the fight off as the fish was hooked in the back of the gill plate. It was about 140 pounds or so but since it was dark it was kinda hard to tell. I got the fish up and told the guys to gaff it which they did unfortunatly he hit it right in the butt and just ****** the fish off which caused the loss of the gaff, lure, and fish. Oh well some fish arent meant to be caught. We still ended the night with 12 yellowfin and a full box on the contender.