Joe and Arthur and I went out fishing today. Joe’s stepson had intended to accompany us, but bowed out.
We got a very late start. That’s because the batteries were dead in the boat. And then, even when we charged them up, the big motor wouldn’t start. It was an electrical problem. Troubleshooting revealed that one of the connectors to the battery was so corroded it had broken through (picture).
We had to repair the electrical connectors to the battery.
We finally left the dock at 9:15. We went to Black Beach, at the north end of San Juan, and trolled for salmon. Nothing.
We went to the north end of San Ignacio and trolled southward along the eastern side. We saw my boss Wayne in another boat. Maybe he was catching a fish – it was hard to tell from the distance. But we caught nothing.
We were skunked for salmon for the day. At about 12:30 we put in for halibut on the southwest corner of San Ignacio (Cocos Point).
Joe caught one humongous halibut. About 70 pounds, 56 inches long.
It didn’t fit in the fish-holding tank at the back of the boat – its tail stuck out.
Arthur and I were satisfied to have assisted, and we headed back. The sea, that had been flat in the morning, was whipped into a frenzy by increasing wind, going home, and we were slapping 3-4 foot waves all the way until we got inside Port Saint Nicholas.
We tied up at the dock at 2:45.
Year-to-date totals:
- Coho: 15
- Kings: 0
- Halibut: 10
- Mongo Halibut (> 50lbs): 2
- Other: 3
- Too-small fish sent home to mama: 28
- Downrigger weights left on the bottom of the sea: 1
I’m sure you all could have gotten the problem fixed at sea. Nonetheless, it’s always better to discover such problems BEFORE you head out into the ocean than after. 😉