Westport Meat Trip

[Nick Clayton]

Looks like it’s High Life with captain Nick Scafturon. Thanks for the input! I think I might just leave the fly gear at home for my first outing based on some of the other comments. It’s too late for a patch so hopefully I’m not one of those victims you’ve seen on your boats. Guess we will see

Awesome. I dont know Nick personally but I know he's a damn good fisherman. He will definitely get you on the fish!

 

[wanderingrichard]

@Fuzzytugger ; drink water, don't show up hung over. You'll enjoy it more. Good tips here on handling the motion w/o drugs. Remember, it its your first time out, so ya really don't know.

Typical bottom fishing set up from a Westport charter service is a Penn Senator on an Ugly Stick Tiger about 6 1/2 to 7 ft long, 30lb mono , a 4-6 oz banana weight on a chain swivel with a commercial snelled bait leader, either anchovies, shrimp flies, or sardines. Or something similar. A few seasoned folks bring their own bait, usually squid.

Your charter service should have given you a list of gear to bring, like sunscreen, raingear, a hat, etc. They usually tell you to pack a light lunch, but not all services mention that . Dress warm in layers. Bring a beanie as well as a billed hat. That wind can cut through you quick.

I average one trip a year to fill the freezer with rocks and lings. Maybe every 3-5 for Albacore. Cant count the number of poeple who've thrown money away by showing up drunk or severely hung over and barfing over the side the whole way. And one or two who've curled up on the deck sick or on one of the cabin tables sick. There's been a few ugly scenes with otherwise great and tolerant captains over those.

Go have fun. Double check the forecast, i think its gonna be raining that day.

 

[Cabezon]

That because I never made it to the boat because I lost two days because of the patch, even after taking off the patch I was still messed up the next day. You may not remember that but I’ll not soon forget that trip that I was on, as Steve “says it was me and Timothy Leary on a trip that day/night”

I remember that day (and the next) very clearly. We were all very concerned about you when you missed the departure time for day one - not in your DNA to miss a fishing trip. It wasn't until you made it to the boat for the next day that we could unravel the puzzle. That was a strange story that you told of your "adventures". I have often used scopolamine patches to ward off seasickness without any significant side effects (dry mouth at most). But a first-time user (or better yet, his/her friends) need to be wary that the user may be about to go on a "long, strange trip".
Steve

 

[Eastside]

even bad sea sickness is not that bad.

I humbly disagree!

 

[SteelHeadDave]

@Fuzzytugger ; drink water, don't show up hung over. You'll enjoy it more. Good tips here on handling the motion w/o drugs. Remember, it its your first time out, so ya really don't know.

Typical bottom fishing set up from a Westport charter service is a Penn Senator on an Ugly Stick Tiger about 6 1/2 to 7 ft long, 30lb mono , a 4-6 oz banana weight on a chain swivel with a commercial snelled bait leader, either anchovies, shrimp flies, or sardines. Or something similar. A few seasoned folks bring their own bait, usually squid.

Your charter service should have given you a list of gear to bring, like sunscreen, raingear, a hat, etc. They usually tell you to pack a light lunch, but not all services mention that . Dress warm in layers. Bring a beanie as well as a billed hat. That wind can cut through you quick.

I average one trip a year to fill the freezer with rocks and lings. Maybe every 3-5 for Albacore. Cant count the number of poeple who've thrown money away by showing up drunk or severely hung over and barfing over the side the whole way. And one or two who've curled up on the deck sick or on one of the cabin tables sick. There's been a few ugly scenes with otherwise great and tolerant captains over those.

Go have fun. Double check the forecast, i think its gonna be raining that day.

Thanks for the tips

 

[SurfnFish]

Have never seen the point of fly rods used deep...by the time it's rigged heavy enough to reach bottom it's just a mooching rig with a knuckle buster...conversely, can be fun fighting a few pigs with heavier bass casting rigs with lead head soft jigs...want meat, however, use meat rods

 

[Nick Clayton]

Have never seen the point of fly rods used deep...by the time it's rigged heavy enough to reach bottom it's just a mooching rig with a knuckle buster...conversely, can be fun fighting a few pigs with heavier bass casting rigs with lead head soft jigs...want meat, however, use meat rods

I don't necessarily disagree, but speaking strictly for myself the take of a fly is a thousand times more enjoyable than hooking any fish on a gear rod. Same with the fight. I also have a bit of a mild obsession with trying to catch fish as deep as possible with a fly rod and line, but that's a whole separate thing.

Still, I'll say this.....IMO rockfish on the fly in more appropriate fly depths is just about as fun as fishing gets.

 

[SurfnFish]

I don't necessarily disagree, but speaking strictly for myself the take of a fly is a thousand times more enjoyable than hooking any fish on a gear rod. Same with the fight. I also have a bit of a mild obsession with trying to catch fish as deep as possible with a fly rod and line, but that's a whole separate thing.

Still, I'll say this.....IMO rockfish on the fly in more appropriate fly depths is just about as fun as fishing gets.

sure...got my first fly rod when still running charter boats, hella fun casting (Phlueger rod, Medalist reel) a shrimp fly to inshore schools of blues and blacks boiling just under surface, the occasional ling hitchhiker bending that glass almost in half...when changed careers, a 21' Bayrunner CC was my inshore boat...flyfished for Kings, stripers, occasional halibut, when the bait schooled right outside the breakers within view of our house, never knew what was going to nail a Deceiver...whole lot different flyfishing in the salt on a private boat than on a charter with a bunch of hardened gearheads all about the poundage..

 

[SilverFly]

I don't necessarily disagree, but speaking strictly for myself the take of a fly is a thousand times more enjoyable than hooking any fish on a gear rod. Same with the fight. I also have a bit of a mild obsession with trying to catch fish as deep as possible with a fly rod and line, but that's a whole separate thing.

Still, I'll say this.....IMO rockfish on the fly in more appropriate fly depths is just about as fun as fishing gets.

Agreed. It's about the take.

To be fair, I also share Nick's obsession with the challenge of simply catching fish as deep as possible on fly gear. With the currently available fly lines the practical depth limit is dependent on sheer head weight - and therefore is a matter of scaling up to heavier outfits.

So yes you can catch rockfish in 100 FOW, or deeper, but it's not really fun even with a well-balanced 12wt throwing a 600 grain head.

That said, the feel of retrieving a fly, and the grab, is the same whether the fly is at 10' or 110'. And if you're after fish appropriately matched for heavier gear, IMO the fun factor is not diminished by depth. It boils down to the sense of connectivity that only you only get with fly gear.

On that note, dredging deep for albacore is a common tactic so we use some pretty heavy lines offshore. The thing is, these lines are well matched to the rods, and these outfits actually cast very well. It's still very much fly casting and fishing ... just scaled up in terms of energy transfer.

 

[Divad]

@SurfnFish Don't discount mooching, its the evil twin to a stubborn ocean fly fisherman. Mooching can be done for meat well, really no diff. but 1:1 knuckle doom fun.

For us "take" addicted folk, sometimes running type 8 lines, with heavy jig flies to 30-40ft is the stupidity I need on my finger. I am no salt pro, but the silvers I fight this way I remember.

 

[SilverFly]

@SurfnFish Don't discount mooching, its the evil twin to a stubborn ocean fly fisherman. Mooching can be done for meat well, really no diff. but 1:1 knuckle doom fun.

For us "take" addicted folk, sometimes running type 8 lines, with heavy jig flies to 30-40ft is the stupidity I need on my finger. I am no salt pro, but the silvers I fight this way I remember.

It's been many years since I've done any mooching but that's only due to lack of opportunity. It's almost as much evil gear fun as back bouncing eggs.

 

[SurfnFish]

@SurfnFish Don't discount mooching, its the evil twin to a stubborn ocean fly fisherman. Mooching can be done for meat well, really no diff. but 1:1 knuckle doom fun.

For us "take" addicted folk, sometimes running type 8 lines, with heavy jig flies to 30-40ft is the stupidity I need on my finger. I am no salt pro, but the silvers I fight this way I remember.

Love mooching..introduced to it at the Cambell River area in the 80's..wife and I rented a waterside cabin that came with a 15' aluminum skiff and two mooching rods. So much fun fighting a Blackmouth on a knuckle duster...and pretty damn shocking to wake up in the morning the first time to see your skiff stranded 20' from the waters edge, sure a wake-up call on those tides...bought two outfits and brought them back home with me...when the bait school came in and the pelicans were going nuts, would idle my skiff just outside the surf line and mooch with white bucktail jigs ...never knew if a king or striper was going to nail it.

40# Big Game Trilene spooled on an Okuma Raw 2 reel, 9' MH heavy mooching rod, some leadhead soft baits, drifting over a rock cod/ling infested reef in 30' to 60' of water...count me in

 

[SteelHeadDave]

Got back early afternoon. Took 1 Dramamine after breakfast, stood while the boat was running and focused on the horizon. Didn’t get sick at all but my friend did pretty quickly after passing the jetties. Limited on rocks and lings. Biggest one between four of us was pushing 20 pounds. I got a mixed bag with a cabezon, canary and quill back in the mix of black rockfish.

Glad I got my first trip under my belt. Looking forward to the next time out. Thanks again everyone for the helpful tips!

 

[wanderingrichard]

Got back early afternoon. Took 1 Dramamine after breakfast, stood while the boat was running and focused on the horizon. Didn’t get sick at all but my friend did pretty quickly after passing the jetties. Limited on rocks and lings. Biggest one between four of us was pushing 20 pounds. I got a mixed bag with a cabezon, canary and quill back in the mix of black rockfish.

Glad I got my first trip under my belt. Looking forward to the next time out. Thanks again everyone for the helpful tips!

Sounds like you had fun.

 

[SteelHeadDave]

Sounds like you had fun.

Yes it was fun for sure. I haven’t stopped thinking about the trip and can’t wait for the next outing. While I felt fine on the boat I did feel the effects afterward for the remainder of the day yesterday up until bedtime. Like I was still on the boat bobbing around. I had a good surfing session in the shower last night Any tips on the after effects? Maybe just sleep?

 

[wanderingrichard]

Yes it was fun for sure. I haven’t stopped thinking about the trip and can’t wait for the next outing. While I felt fine on the boat I did feel the effects afterward for the remainder of the day yesterday up until bedtime. Like I was still on the boat bobbing around. I had a good surfing session in the shower last night Any tips on the after effects? Maybe just sleep?

I get that too. I think just sleep helps the best.

 

[Nick Clayton]

Yes it was fun for sure. I haven’t stopped thinking about the trip and can’t wait for the next outing. While I felt fine on the boat I did feel the effects afterward for the remainder of the day yesterday up until bedtime. Like I was still on the boat bobbing around. I had a good surfing session in the shower last night Any tips on the after effects? Maybe just sleep?

Haven't heard of any remedies for the after ocean spins. I think that's just something many people deal with if they're not on the ocean regularly. I know for me I sometimes feel it a little bit after my first trip of the season. When it does happen I almost always notice it in the shower that evening. Look down to put rinse my hair and start spinning lol.

After that, since I am on the ocean regularly for the next six months I never notice it.

 

[Chucker]

Haven't heard of any remedies for the after ocean spins. I think that's just something many people deal with if they're not on the ocean regularly. I know for me I sometimes feel it a little bit after my first trip of the season. When it does happen I almost always notice it in the shower that evening. Look down to put rinse my hair and start spinning lol.

After that, since I am on the ocean regularly for the next six months I never notice it.

That was my experience too, it was only an issue after the first day or two out following a long break between trips. I think for most people who only do occasional days on the ocean, you just have to live with it.

 

[SilverFly]

I dunno, I kind of like the post trip ocean motion. Don't fight it, just roll with it. Same with being on the water. Not sure that's the answer, but knock on wood, but I have yet to get nauseous out there. Besides, people run up hefty bar tabs to feel that way!

 

[Evan B]

Since My boat is about 10' shorter than Nick's, I only go out when the ocean experience is like a lake experience. I don't get the spins or disorienting after-party.