Bluefin Bite goes limit-style on Fortune Charter.
BY BOB SEMERAU
Western Outdoor News Staff Writer
POINT LOMA —Eddie Martinez sets up several charters as pro-angler for Okuma/Mustad/Costa, but the late season tuna run aboard Fortune is one of his favorites.
“We always have a ball with many of the same guys showing up, and a strong tuna bite, too,” says the affable Martinez.
Aboard one of Eddie’s charters for the first time Cousin “Smokey” Joe Bekeris, along with this reporter, knew we were in for a great 3-day adventure.
The 12-hour daylight run to a spot around Cherry Bank meant plenty of time to rest and get ready, and the fish stayed up late waiting for Fortune to arrive.
And good fortune it was with the first drift getting fish coming over the rail. Angler Eric Valles started things off with a 90-pound-plus BF on a knife jig dropped down 350-feet. A while later, as the clock ticked past 1:30 a.m., Mike Alanis pulled in his first fish of the trip scoring a 75-pound beast. Cousin Smokey Joe found a willing biter on a rubber band weighted ‘dine, his first ever despite trying for years, the fish looking like 50-pounds or more.
The bite broke off somewhere around 3:00 a.m. and most charter anglers hit their bunks, but the boat had already scored a dozen bluefin by then.
The next morning started slowly as Fortune ran some distance for fish. Setting up on “marks” as they came on his sonar, owner/operator, Captain Jake Kertzman, managed a steady pick bite most of the day. Cousin Joe found another willing biter, this time on a fly-lined ‘dine, a larger over 80-pound bluefin. The numbers filled in through the day, with near half-a-limit for the boat on board at sunset.
After a move to the San Clemente Island offshore zone drifts began again and the bite continued. Mike Piggee found an 80-pounder willing to eat his Tuna Bomb and Johnny “Sunshine” Pennell kept pulling on fish that came unbuttoned after a few minutes fight. A flurry of fish now and then kept anglers up most of the night with 65-fish in the hold by dawn.
The second day was a clear and warm day that brought lots of looking and not much catching. Stops gave up a few fish, including a 40-pound BF for our host Eddie M. Johhny “Sunshine” Pennell boated a couple of better grade tuna before day’s end.
By sunset Fortune rolled out into the San Clemente Island zone once again and in short order a frenzied bite broke out as a hungry school came under the 65-foot sportfisher.
Fast work by the deck crew kept tangles from becoming lost fish. The three generations of family Sanden, Grandpa Gary, Dad Tad, and 21-year-old Grandson James, all boated their share of the catch during these last stops of the trip, staying out of the tangles.
With only a half-hour remaining, I dropped down a smaller 300g Tuna Bomb on 60-pound which was quickly stopped cold at about 200-feet. The fish made a run and set up camp a long way out. Fishing lighter line rather than the recommended 100-pound rig meant more care was needed when pulling on the still green bluefin.
Deckhand help made the whole thing a lot easier, especially when, after 20-minutes into the fight, and the fish hadn’t budged, the skipper called out, “ Either bring that fish in or let it go because it’s past time to head for home.”
Working intently, with the crew always at hand with gaffs, the larger model BF came over the rail just as Fortune went into gear for the overnight run back to Fisherman’s landing.
Scoring 100 bluefin for 20-anglers on the 3-day trip was shy of a limit, yet everyone felt we’d done the job well.
Contacts:
Eddie Martinez 626-533-2506
Fisherman’s Landing 2838 Garrison St, San Diego, CA 92106 619-972-9161
