I Went Fishing With Mojomizer... And Have A Tale To Tell

[IN2DEEP]

Got an invite from Mark (Mojomizer) to fish on his 2325 WA Pacificskiff.
We decided to hit up Catalina Island as there had been reports of BIG Yellowtail jacks being caught early in the week and a chance to catch a White Sea Bass.
We met up at 12:30am at Huntington Harbor, greet each other for the first time and shortly after his wife Carol (Trademizer) shows up.
Launch the boat and get under way, clear the harbor and notice it's kind of breezy and snotty, washing machine conditions.
We make our way across the channel, zigzagging at times to make it through the wind waves (I later learned that Mark considered turning around and fish the coast)
Once we got in the lee of the island, conditions improved considerably and outside of Avalon Harbor we could see the lights of the bait boat, where we were going to get our live squid.

$60.00 later and a small tip we had our ammo.


From there we made our way around the East end and head towards the fleet which was set up a little West of the "V's"






Well, we sat there 'till around 10:00 and saw two good size WSB get caught on both sides of us but except for some pacific mackerel and sanddabs, the big fish eluded us.
We pulled anchor and started up the backside of the island but decided to return to the front side due to a building wind.

We anchored up on a drop-off ledge tight to the island that had good marks on it and started chumming with chunked up squid to get things going.
At first we started catching small Calico Bass and as the bite built, so did the size of the fish.

Carol with a "keeper" Calico (12" and bigger)


Double hook up!


Squid rigged on a leadhead


Carol took a nap and Mark and I are having a good time hooking up on these bass when... Mark goes to make a cast and.........



I tell him "I have to get a picture of this!!!"..... and he say's "Oh man, I owe you a guide!" :x
"The weld must have been defective!"



...and, no Nurse Carol, a band-aid won't fix this boo boo :shock:


Don't worry about it, I can fix it. This just gives me an excuse to show my alloy rod wrapping machine.

The squid have been busy in our bait tank


We decided to pull anchor and look around for some bottom fish, but as soon as we got out away from the island, we realized how windy it was so we decided to call it a day.
Very windy crossing the channel with short interval, steep wind waves, E-ticket ride for sure.
I'm very impressed with the stability of the Pacific hull in rough conditions, a little wet at times but very little pounding.

After a wet, challenging ride home we finally get back to our harbor and were soaring like a... seagull? :?


Mojomizer's Pacific


And of course... The Mojo Pose


Thank you Mark and Carol for a fun day!
...and stop saying "I'm sorry" :roll:

Scott

[S L Dave]

Looks like a great outing with the Mizers!
Thanks for posting the report.

Dave

ps I think that must have been a defective weld! :lol:

[BMac]

Great stuff, nice fish and love the live squidlys for bait!

[AlloyToy]

Nice pics all!!!! Awesome boat!!!

I like here way of thinking with the bandaid's :lol:

[JETTYWOLF]

how the hell (if you did) do you ever get wet in one of these boats?
I'd love to drive one slap thru a wave and come out the other side, just fer fun!

Excellent story, and to Mark I say, "finally"

Some of that rough seas conditions would have been great to see, but we'll take yer word fer it.

Mojo, Trade...mizer's? I'm still highly in the dark about those nick-names, but can also just go with it. Trademizer to me would be a great nickname for some who's a day trader????

That boat is soooooooo kick azz. If for one minute the weather was ever cold enough to warrent one, thats what I would have bought in a 26' version. Just something about having that nice cubby hole to go sit in thats dry and warm.

I see Mojo didn't break out a jig and start butterflying/freestyling, or did he?

This one post has now about made it;
Left Coasters "even" with the New Englanders :D

Can't wait to see all the boats and hopefully giant white(?) seabass (those fish that look like monster east coast SeaTrout) after the west coast get-together. I hope someone catches one, and takes a good pic.

Live squid, getting busy in the well? Holy crap!

Thanks for the great story.

[CarolMizer]

Whats in a name? Mark started it with his screen name having mizer in it. (He is not a "Mizer" per se, just a moniker) He added Maggiemizer and I had to follow suit. Trader was meant to do just as you say, make people think I am a day trader as everyone does not need to know my real profession... Now, I don't mind most of the time, but spammers love it.... NocERnurse.
About Saturday. Have to say, that was quite a great day we had. Have been bugging my Mojo dude to get the cobwebs off the truck and hook her up to the trailer and get OFF terra firma. (Yes, the truck DOES have cob webs from sitting around for months at a time. Eats gallons of gas just starting it!) Really spent my whole life around water, never lived farther than 7 miles from the Pacific coast. I would get claustrophobic if I did.
So glad that Scott was there to share the day with us. Having the two of them on board helped with my feeble attempts to do some serious fishing. Between them, there is so much fishing knowledge that I will never be able to learn but am honored to observe. Scotts great tale and photo album narration is awesome. He did leave out the pics of the wild ride out and back. I am proud of our boat, she took the choppy whitecaps and left them in the "dust" as she plowed through, over and sometimes felt like UNDER it all. Wheelhouse did stay dry, but the rooster tail coupled with the wind washed down the deck.
Which reminds me, THANKS SCOTT for all the diligent attention to details when it came to cleaning her all up... Those squidly's were inking up everything, but left no trace behind. Which reminds me, I owe you a few squid facials as it seems to me you kept pointing them at me! :roll: I forgive ya.
My naptime was perfect timing for the guys to do some goofing off and serious fishing, but after a couple of long shifts at work the nights before, I was DEAD tired!!! Curled up on a beanbag, covered my eyes and was snoozing in no time to the comforting rock and roll of the boat.
It was a long day, tiring, FUN, and I am ready for a repeat. Can't wait for the 28th and get the chance to meet more friends and share the Ribeyes that I have until now kept confined to the mizer household. (There are some things that I have a hard time sharing!!)
Enjoy the day...It will never be repeated and you could miss something good.
Carol #1 MIZER :lol:

[JETTYWOLF]

"Trader was meant to do just as you say, make people think I am a day trader as everyone does not need to know my real profession... Now, I don't mind most of the time, but spammers love it.... NocERnurse."

Not to be a "bullshibber".....but now I'm really confuzzed.
Maybe I just don't get it. But what the heck, I just fish.

We'd enjoy any pics that depict Alloy doing what it does best, wave punching.

[IN2DEEP]

how the hell (if you did) do you ever get wet in one of these boats?

Some of that rough seas conditions would have been great to see, but we'll take yer word fer it.


I see Mojo didn't break out a jig and start butterflying/freestyling, or did he?

Hey JETTYWOLF,

You ask and you shall receive. Just like pictures, you had to be there to really feel what it was like. :shock: :shock: :shock:
The reason we were taking so much spray is because we were quartering it off our port bow and the wind would catch any spray and throw it up and over.

22 miles of this:


Did Mojo do any Butterfly jigging???
Yes he did... for about ten minutes :roll:

[Sculpin]

Awesome report folks! Love those pictures. Nice to see dockside and trailer photos too. That's a great clip mojomizer gotta love the Pacific Ocean. You have a very nice boat and one you can stay dry in on the way out :D .

[JETTYWOLF]

West Coasters are up about 10 points on the Jettywolf photo/video scale, RIGHT NOW!

Awesome..... *&^*&%^$(+)()*&@!#!!* Awesome! Just wish it was longer.

Yeah, ya'll had it gooood. How bout center console, no windshield wiper??
That could even make Tred Barta happy (when he was younger of course), it's sometimes that manly.

I forgot to get a windshield wiper since I ordered my boat in July when we're usually in deep droughts. Plus, I'm sweaty, hot, and stand outside the console so as I can get a cool off bath, when it's like that.

Man, if I get any older doing my gig, I'll wish I had those creature comforts. Mark looks to be so comfy at the wheel. The trader-nurse-mizer, sitting there all secure and dry. She might not be as happy fishing with me.
We stand, or sit on a livewell in the stern 90% of the time, and just take it for the sake of Ball Room dancing space while fishing.

Okay, the New Englanders had an edge, and ya'll came thru and edged up and over them, now with video and some sporty seas, and the back of Marks head. The West Coast contingent has a significant lead.

I LOVE IT.

Thanks for all your efforts.

Thats what this board is all about to me. What we do with our boats, and showing our boats in action.

[Ironwoodtuna]

Mojomizer,

Cool trip, whats with the broken guide. A casting mishap??? Tell us Easties more about how you fish and rig your setups, pound test line, leader, hooks, etc???

More running video, more!

The Modifier!

[mojomizer]

Marty ya I made a mental note to avoid whiffing the rods in the wheelhouse holders. The fun I was having catching The Calico Bass got the better of me. There was a shelf running cross wise to the boat that the fish were on......... I think that cast is going to haunt me for years.

I will post fishing techniques on a later date....... I need to get some visual props for Jetty :lol:

Poor Scott so innocent didn't know what he was getting into:



Weather was wind chop washing machine going out at 1 am. Kind of strange going out of a semi-unfamiliar port in pitch black. It took around 4 hours to reach Catalina Island. I had hoped to reach the fishing grounds around 3 am to set up in the Dark collect bait under the boat and fish grey light....... when the White Sea bass are most actively feeding. No such luck. Missed the grey bite.

Squid out here is called candy bait...... everything eats it.



Loved the way my tank performed..... the squid got a little too comfortable and spawned in the tank. (check Scotts pictures)

Fishing White Seabass is all about boat positioning 20 feet can make all the difference in the world. On the squid grounds I metered a pretty good spawning bed of squid and set up accordingly................. So I thought. Fish bit to the left of me......... fish bit to the right of me. Finally we were bit but just as quickly the fish spit the bait. That was the only "Sea bass" bite we had.

When fishing squid small perch and other critters nibble at the bait and like a dog with a bone the bigger preditors notice and steals the bait away.
Carol was getting frustrated with all the nibbles. So I tied a bait maker rig to her line. She was pulling up San Dabs in multiples. Honestly I was hoping for some Mackeral fin bait.

The smile on her face was priceless....... Sometimes us fishermen get too jaded on the fish we catch and we forget the fun.



Later I wanted to head to the famed Farnsworth Bank Made famous by Dr. Charles Frederick Holder of the Tuna club of Avalon. This is important to all of us fishermen. This is the birthplace of "Big Game Fishing"
Http://www.tunaclub.com/pubhistory.htm

The wind was starting to kicking up again and I decided to turn tail and fish the frontside. It was a good time to let Carol get some turns of the prop and get a handle on throttle control.



Was showing her how to read the fish finder and we pass some good structure holding fish. She spun the boat around went up current and we dropped anchor.......The boat swung into perfect position. Scott chummed cut squid and soon small perch and small calico bass began showing. The bite built up and legal Calico bass showed up. We realeased the majority of the fish.

Scott with a keeper. They are a really neat fish and it does take some skill to hook them as they have a tendency to mouth the bait and run. Sometimes you have to wait for three or four good runs before they eat the bait.



I was talking to Scott about how I would like to have a Sheephead. It is a hermaphroditic wrasse. I wish they were blue and wieghed 22 kg like Western Australia.

Lo and behold Scott catches two........ Bass Turd



After Many bass the wind on the outside was really kicking up. White caps and washing machine seas. Some were around 5 feet with very short intervals. I know we were safe just slow and a pain. Perfect for training Co Captain Carol for just a little while.



How choppy was it.......... another boater in a ping pong boat really got beat up. here is some pics of his cooler. This is no lie!!!!!!





Well on to the meet and greet hope this entertained you well being in Utah.


Mark

[JETTYWOLF]

I don't think I could fish there, if I have to be a Vampire. I love sleep. And am liking my 6:30am - 7am departures.

I can imagine telling a customer whop called at 7PM, "okay, I'll see ya at the boat ramp around 12 midnight......" They'd _ _ _ _ thier pants!

The trout fishing here at night is really good in the summer around lit docks because it's not 100 degrees. And I've done it twice in my life.

Back when I was young and dumb, we used to run 50 miles offshore in the dark. Leaving behind summer thunderstorms at 11-12pm. But we don't do that any more. I guess we're all grown up now :roll: hahaha..

Grey light, huh?

Is that sounder saying 400 feet? Damn, 140 feet here is deep! And is about 60 miles out.

Were you fishing and anchoring in 400 feet????

[Daddy'O]

Dave -

They're in the shallows. :lol:

I remember the first time I was there with Welder & saw a reading of 1200ft and we weren't a half mile from the beach! I told him his brand new Furuno was bad. :shock: He just laughed at me.

Heck, I didn't know, I was brand new to the area. :oops:

Wayne

[IN2DEEP]

Mojomizer,

It's about time you added something to this thread...it didn't take you all week to add the music to the video now did it??? :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: ...J/K!!!

Nice pictures Mark, smiles all around.
I can't imagine what kind of ride could smash aluminum cans and break bottles.
The video shows the wind and seas pretty accurately.

I am no longer incognito, Scott :P :P :P

[mojomizer]

Scott you did such a fantastic job reporting........ it took some thought on how to keep it kind of interesting.

To add to the story .......... When in the parking lot, this character comes up and asks me is it stainless steel. He lets me politely answer his question.........................................................................................
.....................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................
Damn if it isn't the irrepressible Super Dave. You know the S L stands for Super Lucky.


Mark

[JETTYWOLF]

Scott......there was music??

my sound hasn't worked on the 'puter for a year now. so I miss out on alot.

Unless it was Mojo singing :lol:

ya'll make me want to get the film crew out and start video'ing again.

I've made two. Avalible from Net Flix, even.

Bottom two on this page: http://www.bennettmarine.com/fishing_sportfishing.html



"IF", we can ever get a real contest going
here on AAB.COM, I'll give away a few for prizes...
ya'll can have a good laugh. 8)

[mojomizer]

Dang Jetty How about a few for the Meet and Greet :lol: please.

Heh heh

Mark

[JETTYWOLF]

For chuckles?

Because there's not a single thing that has to do with any west coast fishing, thats for sure.

I'm not in alloy either, but I am in a ping-pong Carolina skiff Bay boat.

These are old.

[mojomizer]

Nah not for chuckles Jetty..... I am fishing mid October and would like a heads up on your techniques. Fishing is a learning experience I apply what I learn, and apply it into other fishing applications. What you do there may have some applications here.

Hey you have fans here some people would be joyed to add it to their collection.

Mark

[IN2DEEP]

Scott......there was music??

my sound hasn't worked on the 'puter for a year now. so I miss out on alot.

Unless it was Mojo singing :lol:

ya'll make me want to get the film crew out and start video'ing again.

I've made two. Avalible from Net Flix, even.

Bottom two on this page: http://www.bennettmarine.com/fishing_sportfishing.html



"IF", we can ever get a real contest going
here on AAB.COM, I'll give away a few for prizes...
ya'll can have a good laugh. 8)

WOW!!! We have a celebrity amongst us???

Jetty, you might be able to get sound out of the puter with some powered external speakers if you haven't already tried that. You can get them for dirt cheap

[IN2DEEP]

...Build a rod wrapping machine, let it sit for two years, then use it once again to repair a broken guide.
I'll let the pics do the explaining























OK Mark, I checked the weld really carefully... :D :D :D

[skfmj]

Mark,

Great stuff. Love the video!! The sister-ship was out that weekend too. It was snotty even along the coast south of Newport. I when down to the Domes. On the way back I was crashing them over the pilot house. What fun! I need to update the folks on my boat at some point, because the boat she is great! My current problem has been being a victim of the Navnet3D fiasco. So I am currently running with only a radio, compass, and a hand held GPS (I carry a lot of AA batteries). It was tough last Sunday with the fog that hit the cost. Ran down to Dana Point and it was socked in. I was .1 miles from the Dana Point buoy and couldn't see it. Kind of spooky with no other electronics other than my hand held GPS, especially when the silly thing occasionally loses satellite reception being in the pilot house. Oh how we rely on modern technology. Actually I don't mind dead reckoning to Catalina it just not having a fish-finder that is killing me. The worst part is I have a the transducer installed (Aimar SS164 1KW tilted element and the DFF1) but no head unit for a picture.

Speaking of fish-finders. On another note while I was out in the fog I listened with great interest to some guy down in the Coronado Islands who had drained his battery (he was getting a low battery alarm from his fish finder). He could not start his boat. He called Vessel Assist for a jump as he was a member. Unfortunately he did not realize he only had a basic membership and it was going to cost him ~$500 for VA to come and give him a jump. The guy was rather bummed cause he did not have that kind of $$ and was on 16 calling for anyone to give him a jump. Just a reminder, get the VA Unlimited Gold Card Towing package! It is cheap insurance at $150/yr.

Richard

[IN2DEEP]

Richard,

Standard membership doesn't cover the Coronados? :shock:

Thanks for the heads up!

I'm going to have to look into that and I hope you clear up your electronics woes soon.

Scott

[mojomizer]

Richard geeze sorry to hear about your Furuno waiting list...... but when you get your system, you will be styling. If you need a temporary I have a Simrad fishfinder and Gps on my Bayrunner That woud be a snap to hook up if you want. The system is old but bullet proof and accurate.

What is your new WOT now that you raised your motor a bit?

Vessle Assist Gold card is the way to go for sure........ I bring a portable power source also.

Good to hear from my twin sister ship.


Mark