The SFR charter aboard the PACIFIC QUEEN out of PATRIOT SPORTFISHING on the central coast was going to be my only chance at catching a tuna this year. To say I was looking forward to this trip is an understatement, originally planned as an overnight trip it soon changed to a 1.5 day trip so we could maximum time on the water. I arrived at the landing and checked in and was one of the last to arrive and I was 3 hours early. We started boarding around 9:30pm and were greeted by Capt Bill and his crew assisting everyone aboard, and getting the bunks assigned. We met on the bow for our safety brief and plans for tomorrow, we were headed way North to a spot of water that looked very promising.

The ride North was a comfortable and lot smoother ride than I had expected, I heard some horror stories about the weather, but I guess thats all it was a story. We arrived in the area around 6:30am and got the troll rods out, not much happened for the morning. We spotted a commercial jig boat in the area and he was having the same luck as us, no fish around. We stayed persistent and rotated the trollers every 45 minutes until around 2pm and then the cry of Hook Up was finally heard. From that point on we had a very consistant jig bite going an we would manage 1 or 2 bait fish per stop. Our final tally for the day was 28 Albacore ranging from 15 lbs to 42 lbs, a very good day considering the conditions. I ended the day with 2 Albacore, one on the troll and one on bait, not a bad day for me. We fished until dark and then started the ride home, after an excellent dinner and then everyone headed for their racks.

To get in on the Albacore action call Patriot Sportfishing at 805-595-7200 to reserve your spots, Capt Bill and his crew will be there until mid November. After which he will be headed south to VENTURA SPORTFISHING for the remainder of the winter and spring, you can call the landing at 805-676-3474 for their schedule.

If you would like any of these pictures you can email me at [email protected] and I will be more than glad to send them to you.