Tony Buzolich
08-16-2007, 10:29 PM
Almost a year ago at one of the ISE shows my wife and I took in Conway Bowman's presentation about shark fishing in San Diego. "That looks fun", she says, "Not to fish but to take pics, you can fish". Geez, don't have to ask me twice.
A while later I contacted Conway's partner Dave Trimble who shared the Bluewater Adventures business. Dave suggested the dark of the moon during the warm season when most of the younger makos would be around. After several conversations with Dave we decided this weekend was prime.
After Dave warned about things being a bit bumpy and to bring rain gear, my wife elected to sit this one out until we knew better what to expect.
My good friend Jim May, and I arrived at Dana Landing market shortly
after 6:00am. After meeting Dave and getting the proper run-down, headed out to sea due west from Mission Bay approximately 8 miles.
Dave's boat is a 25' Triumph powered with a 225hp Honda with lots of room for casting and hopefully fighting some of these big fish.
As we get farther from shore more and more birds begin to appear, the water temp warms slightly, and the depth drops dramatically as we are just off the wall of an underwater canyon. "Perfect spot" Dave says, as this is where he did so well yesterday with nine hook-ups.
We drop two chum bags over the side of the boat, one with chunks of tuna and dorado carcus and the other with minced baitfish and squid. Immediately we are sending out and oily slick as the wind pushes us toward shore.
No sooner than Dave says to get your rods ready, our first mako arrives just off the transom. What an awe inspiring first sight. :shock: About five feet in length and 90lbs.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/buzolich/IMG_333020.jpg
Cruising back and forth across the rear of the boat, this ominous black eye keeps looking up at us. Hopefully he wants the chum and thats all.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/buzolich/IMG_333120.jpg
Jim's up first and quickly grabs his TFO Bluewater 14w. Dave had tied on a large chartruese crease fly with single strand wire.
The plan is to throw a fresh mackeral teaser at the mako, get him excited, pull the teaser away, and quickly throw the fly at the charging shark.
Eeeyahoooooo ???? :? Talk about an adrenaline rush! Three times Dave jerks the mackeral away just as this fish opens it's mouth. And, it's mouth is BIG, and full of very visable TEETH.
Finally, Jim gets a perfect shot. The shark turns, and the fly dissappears.
Instantly this fish goes airbourne 8 feet high off the back of the boat. Line and backing scream from Jim's reel. 100yds., 200yds., another big jump, and still going. He turns slightly after the last jump and Jim is able to gain some line back, but only slightly.
Jim was maxing out the pressure on the rod and palming the reel at the same time.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/buzolich/IMG_3334a20.jpg
With a quick as lightning slap of the knuckles, the mako takes another 100yds plus on it's second run. No warning in sight, but another big jump, and another.
Finally, after almost a solid half hour, Jim is able to start gaining some line back on his reel. Slowly the line comes in, and this dark shadow starts to rise from the depths.
As the shark gets closer to the boat, we can see that he had thrown the fly (perhaps in one of its jumps) and stuck itself again in the dorsal.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/buzolich/IMG_3339a20.jpg
At the boat, we get a few more quick pictures and release this great fish to fight again. What an incredible experience.
We continue our drift for the next several hours without another siting.
A while goes by and soon we're surrounded with a large school of mackeral picking at the chum around the boat. Dave gets out a boat rod and hands me a small (7wt) trout rod to catch some life bait for the teaser. This is great fun and I almost forget why we came.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/buzolich/IMG_334820.jpg
In a blink, every mackeral around us dissappears. Dave say's there's got to be something big around them to scare them off like that. Sure enough, here comes a small blue shark following the chum line.
Same game plan; throw him a teaser, get him excited, cast him a fly. But, this time Dave asks if I want to have some fun? Let's tie on a piece of wire to the 7 wt. :) Sure, why not? I'm up for anything?
With a lot more teasing than with the mako, the blue finally grabs my fly and fight is on. Nothing like Jim's mako but still a great fight on such a light outfit.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/buzolich/IMG_335320.jpg
Not a big numbers day, but surely a day I'll never forget.
TONY
A while later I contacted Conway's partner Dave Trimble who shared the Bluewater Adventures business. Dave suggested the dark of the moon during the warm season when most of the younger makos would be around. After several conversations with Dave we decided this weekend was prime.
After Dave warned about things being a bit bumpy and to bring rain gear, my wife elected to sit this one out until we knew better what to expect.
My good friend Jim May, and I arrived at Dana Landing market shortly
after 6:00am. After meeting Dave and getting the proper run-down, headed out to sea due west from Mission Bay approximately 8 miles.
Dave's boat is a 25' Triumph powered with a 225hp Honda with lots of room for casting and hopefully fighting some of these big fish.
As we get farther from shore more and more birds begin to appear, the water temp warms slightly, and the depth drops dramatically as we are just off the wall of an underwater canyon. "Perfect spot" Dave says, as this is where he did so well yesterday with nine hook-ups.
We drop two chum bags over the side of the boat, one with chunks of tuna and dorado carcus and the other with minced baitfish and squid. Immediately we are sending out and oily slick as the wind pushes us toward shore.
No sooner than Dave says to get your rods ready, our first mako arrives just off the transom. What an awe inspiring first sight. :shock: About five feet in length and 90lbs.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/buzolich/IMG_333020.jpg
Cruising back and forth across the rear of the boat, this ominous black eye keeps looking up at us. Hopefully he wants the chum and thats all.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/buzolich/IMG_333120.jpg
Jim's up first and quickly grabs his TFO Bluewater 14w. Dave had tied on a large chartruese crease fly with single strand wire.
The plan is to throw a fresh mackeral teaser at the mako, get him excited, pull the teaser away, and quickly throw the fly at the charging shark.
Eeeyahoooooo ???? :? Talk about an adrenaline rush! Three times Dave jerks the mackeral away just as this fish opens it's mouth. And, it's mouth is BIG, and full of very visable TEETH.
Finally, Jim gets a perfect shot. The shark turns, and the fly dissappears.
Instantly this fish goes airbourne 8 feet high off the back of the boat. Line and backing scream from Jim's reel. 100yds., 200yds., another big jump, and still going. He turns slightly after the last jump and Jim is able to gain some line back, but only slightly.
Jim was maxing out the pressure on the rod and palming the reel at the same time.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/buzolich/IMG_3334a20.jpg
With a quick as lightning slap of the knuckles, the mako takes another 100yds plus on it's second run. No warning in sight, but another big jump, and another.
Finally, after almost a solid half hour, Jim is able to start gaining some line back on his reel. Slowly the line comes in, and this dark shadow starts to rise from the depths.
As the shark gets closer to the boat, we can see that he had thrown the fly (perhaps in one of its jumps) and stuck itself again in the dorsal.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/buzolich/IMG_3339a20.jpg
At the boat, we get a few more quick pictures and release this great fish to fight again. What an incredible experience.
We continue our drift for the next several hours without another siting.
A while goes by and soon we're surrounded with a large school of mackeral picking at the chum around the boat. Dave gets out a boat rod and hands me a small (7wt) trout rod to catch some life bait for the teaser. This is great fun and I almost forget why we came.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/buzolich/IMG_334820.jpg
In a blink, every mackeral around us dissappears. Dave say's there's got to be something big around them to scare them off like that. Sure enough, here comes a small blue shark following the chum line.
Same game plan; throw him a teaser, get him excited, cast him a fly. But, this time Dave asks if I want to have some fun? Let's tie on a piece of wire to the 7 wt. :) Sure, why not? I'm up for anything?
With a lot more teasing than with the mako, the blue finally grabs my fly and fight is on. Nothing like Jim's mako but still a great fight on such a light outfit.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/buzolich/IMG_335320.jpg
Not a big numbers day, but surely a day I'll never forget.
TONY