#10 First Look
Saturday 5/2/26
In the last few days the water had rolled inshore with a significant drop in temperature. When this happens the conditions change drastically and will need some time to bounce back. With this information we decided to take our first look offshore. Unfortunately all it was for us was a long boat ride down south. We heard that bluefin had been moving closer to home, so we thought we would take a look. Long story short, the majority of the fish were a little further than we hoped. I think we were in the right place at the wrong time, as we heard of a couple fish caught on the troll in the zone we were in but later in the afternoon. For those who want to read more about our day here it goes:
We launched from Shelter Island at sunrise, made a nice tank of Mackerel off Point Loma and set our GPS for 50 miles south. Heading south was not so bad for us, but when the wind picked up it was choppy and cold. We started at the 425 and found good sign of fish with some bird activity, so we put the trollers out. We worked this area for a little, but then when the birds disappeared we decided to push further south. Conditions were not ideal for us in our boat. We found 65.8- 66 degree water and trolled around this zone but no bites. There were a few paddies we found, but no one home. After looking around the Upper Hidden Bank for a while we started to feel like the fish were in a different area as it felt like a desert. With no birds, and the area seeming lifeless we decided to head back towards the 425 and check the banks around there as there were some good signs earlier in the morning. Heading upswell was not enjoyable. We trolled around under any sign of birds along the banks. Around 2 pm we decided to head in as the wind was really picking up. While reeling in the trollers we found a little Yellow Warbler struggling and swimming towards our boat so we tried to rescue it. We helped the bird dry off and rest, and after about an hour it decided to fly away. We hope it makes it! As for us, we hope next time we make it to some epic fishing!
