Well, the smoker is fired up and the tuna is marinating... That should be the first indicator of the success of J. E. S. Sportfishing trip 3 aboard the charter boat Relentless. For those of you that didn't show up at the dock, your loss as we had an incredible trip with spectacular results. 

Arriving at Fisherman's Landing on Thursday evening it was just a matter of minutes before I meet the first new angler joining us on this trip, Steve Smith from the Las Vegas area had brought his son out for the 2 day trip prior to his departure to college...What a Bon Voyage!

With the provisions for a deluxe meal package stowed, we departed at 9:30 PM to the bait receiver... Once there we received our brief update on conditions from our Skipper, Joel and we ourselves had a choice of where to go... The past few days had not seen great numbers for the San Diego fleet. Most of the 1 day boats were fishing a very small area @ 80 miles now known as the race track due to it's heavy traffic..... We could go there and scratch up some numbers or try the outside in the cooler edge to the West... We opted for the later and headed out on our journey. 

Awakening at 5:15AM, I found few on deck as the wind blew at 15 knots + choppy swells dumped chovy on the deck of the Relentless... I knew that this was going to be a good day.... This was the old school Albacore weather, light line, a rubber core sinker, light drag due to the swell and the infamous 8ft fast taper stick. The first group of volunteer trollers grouped at 5:30 AM and off we went! 

Bundled up and watching from aft of the galley, it wasn't long before all heard my cry........HOOK UP! It was that black on black Sevenstand feather with the metallic skirt again! This thing is old, but it keeps stopping the boat. As I wound in the fish Joel stood on the upper deck, like a sports caster announcing the game... Fresh one, there's a bait fish, Oh, Al's on...Whack'em Bill! This stop produced 28 fish, 27 on bait! What a great stop and it was only 6:30AM on day one....

As we motored on and picked a few here and there, Chef Paul made us his famous Chicago style omelets....the first of many great meals to be served on this excursion. Still moving south we saw a few boats headed in our direction...Amazing how fast people react to a call of a good stop, anyway we were having fun and trying to keep warm. 

The weather wasn't the best, for some of the 14 were forced to retired to theirs bunks in an effort to recover from motion sickness, but the fishing was great. At one point that mid morning there were only 4 anglers and myself fishing on the huge deck of this magnificent vessel. This is what limited load, all inclusive trips are all about! Yeah it might be a few dollars more, but it is worth it! 

Paul was serving Philly, cheese steaks sandwiches for lunch and as I entered the galley all I saw were smiles and laughter as the fisherman and women laughed in delight reminiscing their efforts of the morning....Two bites into my sandwich, the boat stopped again... Fish or have a cold steak sandwich, I ran to the bait tank....

Fishing for the day continued and we stopped every few minutes for a couple of fish. Joel took a radio call at about 4:30PM from the Pegasus calling us to a zone some 6-8 miles from our current location... With the news Joel fired up the motors and we brought in the jigs. We could have one more good stop before the end of the day as long as the fish stayed up for the afternoon bite. 

Arriving in the zone within minute we were bit ... fish flashing and boiling everywhere! This was a good one. As bait fish came to the rail, the deck hands worked with great precision. Anytime you would call out for a gaff you were answered by a calm voice right next to your side stating they were there for you.... There were times when skipper Joel actually beat the others to the gaff and stole the fish from their grasp at the last second in an incredible display of professionalism. We were having a great time.... 

As we all wound down and prepared ourselves for a southwestern chicken cilantro dinner including black beans, Mexican rice, Stuffed Anaheim chilies and corn. We toasted the crew of the Relentless for the efforts in the days events. Cheers! 

A good movie and some small talk later, most of the anglers were retiring to their staterooms for a well deserved rest. I stayed up a bit and sipped some wine and reflected on the day...... 

Day two started with eggs Benedict and an ocean full of sportfishers. I think everyone at the dock knew that we had found some numbers because half the fleet was headed our way. 

We had said we would fish till 10:00 AM and then head for the dock for an early return. The  stops on this day weren't the same as the day before, but we did get a few good ones with flurries of fish flashing in the water.... This was a great opportunity for some pictures. I had enough fish and I was wanting some updated material for the site... As I clicked away, anglers fished and posed with great smiles as the trip 3 ended with "2 DAY LIMITS for all" 

As we returned to the Point I announced the raffles... Congratulations to Justin Lopinsky, Jacob Bella, Steve Smith, Jerome Rokey and Jackpot winner Bill Holman for their winnings of Kicker Jigs. The deep Diver Mirror lure was taken home by Jim Goettl of Phoenix. A big smile came to Barbara Cogswell when I announced her as the winner the Pro Gear reel. Seeker blanks were awarded to Dale Cogswell, Jason Cruz and Felipe Motiong.

In closing,  I must thank all responsible for making it happen Seeker, Kicker Jigs, CTX Mortgage, BC Distributing and last but not least TunaQ, my web master! Thanks for everything. 

Next trip is scheduled for July 12-13th aboard the Conquest out of Fisherman's landing... This is another 2 day that will go out with a Max of 17 anglers on Thursday evening July 11th at @ 9:30 PM and fish Friday and Saturday returning Saturday evening the 13th @ 6 PM. The all-inclusive fare is $399. I have a lot of openings, so if you would like to join us call soon or the trip may be canceled. 

Speak with you soon, your charter master. 
Jamie Spencer / J. E. S. Sportfishing