dotnmarty
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A Comfortable boat helps catch more fish
Casey Allen/For the Times-Standard
Article Launched:12/10/2006 04:16:33 AM PST
Last Sunday dawned clear and cold as Marlene and I met Hans Gerstacker and Gene and Margaret Morris at their new boat, “Reef Madness”. The C-Dory Marine's new TomCat 255 has catamaran style twin hulls and two 150-horse Honda outboard motors. The pilot house provided plenty of room for the five of us to stay warm during our run to Cape Mendocino. The cockpit had ample room to work with Gene's nine crab pots. We were planning to set the crab pots and then go bottom fishing.
The first thing that impressed me about the craft was the way it handled the boat wakes from traffic in front of the Coast Guard Station. Gene never let off the throttle and the boat glided over the wakes like they were not there. It reminded me of a hydroplane floating above the water. The second thing I noticed is the lack of roll in a turn. The TomCat maintained a level attitude during a turn much like a car. The old “Reef Madness” V-hull would have pounded through the wakes and banked sharply during a turn. Stuff would slide off the dash and passengers would need to hang on to something. The new boat has a steady smooth ride and the trip to the Cape was comfortable and fast.
We set the crab pots in 100 feet of water off
Centerville Beach. It was fun getting a routine down of baiting the pot, letting the buoys and line out and throwing the pots overboard. We worked quickly because everyone was anxious to start bottom fishing.
Our first stop for bottom fish was a place called the Pinnacles. It is named for the rock spires that jut up from the ocean floor toward the surface. It can be a tackle grabbing bottom if you are not careful. Even then, you will lose some gear.
The sky was clear and the view of the rugged Lost Coast was incredible. It is one of the wildest coastlines in the continental United States. A fog bank off shore and to the south slowly moved in and our view did not last. With the fog engulfing us the temperature dropped. We stayed warm and busy catching fish.
The only problem was most of our catch was lingcod. Lingcod season closed two days before. Gene decided we should move to get away from the lings so he set his GPS to guide us to False Cape.
The fish finder showed the fish suspended about 30 feet above the ocean floor. I dropped my lead jig and felt it hesitate about halfway to the bottom. Jigging the lure a few feet off the bottom did not produce any strikes. I reeled a few turns and jigged my lure until I found the suspended fish. They were black rockfish but were small. I finally figured out that the hesitation I felt while dropping my jig was a strike. I felt it on my next drop and stopped the lure and started jigging. It worked but the fish were still too small.
We moved to a third spot and I realized the new boat was so comfortable we could stay out longer. The fish were right on the bottom and much bigger. Marlene caught some jumbo blacks and Hans commented that those fish could be 40 years old. Black rockfish can live to 50 years and grow to 27 inches in length. Marlene also caught two big vermilion rockfish which grow to 30 inches and can live 60 years.
Marlene and I were using a four-ounce lead jig shaped and painted like an anchovy. It dropped to the bottom and wiggled right there produced strikes. We fished until we filled Gene's fish box. Hans and I were eyeing the fillet job ahead and decided we had enough.
Now it was time to pull crab pots. Thank goodness Gene has a crab pot puller mounted on the gunwale. The battery-powered wheel assists in pulling the rope but it still takes some effort. While pulling the pots the familiar question came: “does it feel heavy?” One pot did actually feel heavy and there was good reason for that. It was full of crab.
At the end of the day we had 45 rockfish and 30 crab. The ride home was warm and comfortable and I could have dozed off. I could not get over how easy the trip was. Normally I am wiped out after a day on the ocean. The SeaCat made all the difference.
The feast that followed was impressive. The first crab was full of meat and we wondered what the commercial guys were waiting for. Someone at the table joked “The commercial guys don't like to fish in nice weather, they always wait for a gale before heading out.”
The next evening I ate a crab that was not full of meat. I did not realize that crab can grow at different rates. It seems the commercial guys know what they are doing, waiting for all the crab to fill out and be prime for market. I have great respect for the job they do bringing us this prized seafood and they deserve every penny that they are paid.
A Comfortable boat helps catch more fish
Casey Allen/For the Times-Standard
Article Launched:12/10/2006 04:16:33 AM PST
Last Sunday dawned clear and cold as Marlene and I met Hans Gerstacker and Gene and Margaret Morris at their new boat, “Reef Madness”. The C-Dory Marine's new TomCat 255 has catamaran style twin hulls and two 150-horse Honda outboard motors. The pilot house provided plenty of room for the five of us to stay warm during our run to Cape Mendocino. The cockpit had ample room to work with Gene's nine crab pots. We were planning to set the crab pots and then go bottom fishing.
The first thing that impressed me about the craft was the way it handled the boat wakes from traffic in front of the Coast Guard Station. Gene never let off the throttle and the boat glided over the wakes like they were not there. It reminded me of a hydroplane floating above the water. The second thing I noticed is the lack of roll in a turn. The TomCat maintained a level attitude during a turn much like a car. The old “Reef Madness” V-hull would have pounded through the wakes and banked sharply during a turn. Stuff would slide off the dash and passengers would need to hang on to something. The new boat has a steady smooth ride and the trip to the Cape was comfortable and fast.
We set the crab pots in 100 feet of water off
Centerville Beach. It was fun getting a routine down of baiting the pot, letting the buoys and line out and throwing the pots overboard. We worked quickly because everyone was anxious to start bottom fishing.
Our first stop for bottom fish was a place called the Pinnacles. It is named for the rock spires that jut up from the ocean floor toward the surface. It can be a tackle grabbing bottom if you are not careful. Even then, you will lose some gear.
The sky was clear and the view of the rugged Lost Coast was incredible. It is one of the wildest coastlines in the continental United States. A fog bank off shore and to the south slowly moved in and our view did not last. With the fog engulfing us the temperature dropped. We stayed warm and busy catching fish.
The only problem was most of our catch was lingcod. Lingcod season closed two days before. Gene decided we should move to get away from the lings so he set his GPS to guide us to False Cape.
The fish finder showed the fish suspended about 30 feet above the ocean floor. I dropped my lead jig and felt it hesitate about halfway to the bottom. Jigging the lure a few feet off the bottom did not produce any strikes. I reeled a few turns and jigged my lure until I found the suspended fish. They were black rockfish but were small. I finally figured out that the hesitation I felt while dropping my jig was a strike. I felt it on my next drop and stopped the lure and started jigging. It worked but the fish were still too small.
We moved to a third spot and I realized the new boat was so comfortable we could stay out longer. The fish were right on the bottom and much bigger. Marlene caught some jumbo blacks and Hans commented that those fish could be 40 years old. Black rockfish can live to 50 years and grow to 27 inches in length. Marlene also caught two big vermilion rockfish which grow to 30 inches and can live 60 years.
Marlene and I were using a four-ounce lead jig shaped and painted like an anchovy. It dropped to the bottom and wiggled right there produced strikes. We fished until we filled Gene's fish box. Hans and I were eyeing the fillet job ahead and decided we had enough.
Now it was time to pull crab pots. Thank goodness Gene has a crab pot puller mounted on the gunwale. The battery-powered wheel assists in pulling the rope but it still takes some effort. While pulling the pots the familiar question came: “does it feel heavy?” One pot did actually feel heavy and there was good reason for that. It was full of crab.
At the end of the day we had 45 rockfish and 30 crab. The ride home was warm and comfortable and I could have dozed off. I could not get over how easy the trip was. Normally I am wiped out after a day on the ocean. The SeaCat made all the difference.
The feast that followed was impressive. The first crab was full of meat and we wondered what the commercial guys were waiting for. Someone at the table joked “The commercial guys don't like to fish in nice weather, they always wait for a gale before heading out.”
The next evening I ate a crab that was not full of meat. I did not realize that crab can grow at different rates. It seems the commercial guys know what they are doing, waiting for all the crab to fill out and be prime for market. I have great respect for the job they do bringing us this prized seafood and they deserve every penny that they are paid.