Post up up your 2019/2020/2021/2022 Blackfishing Pix/Reports/Adventures/Musings

[captmike28]

Last of 2025

Last trip of the season. Headed to my favorite local reef with Capt. Mike and RobbiePav, right to the numbers where Robbie had fish yesterday. West breeze against the incoming made anchoring a bit of a problem. Clean miss on first try (first tries are usually "for practice" anyway). Second try got right on it, but swung off. Third try, dead nuts. Spent a significant amount of time on that piece for a couple of keepers and a slew of shorts to "just unders." Nice piece Robbie found, but tough to get on if the conditions aren't just right. Anyway, around 10:30 sailed over to where I've been fishing the entire season and had a few more keepers and a ton of shorts. Ended the day with five in the box, with Mike leading the way with a 4.5 and another pushing 6 pounds. Not a fan of fishing blackfish on a Moon, but we sail when we can, and make the best of it. And so, that's it for 2025. Boat comes home Monday morning and I'm already accumulating the parts I need to fix the exhaust issue and a bunch of other more minor matters. It's gonna be a busy Spring, prepping the Lep.

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And this is how I know my wife of 40 seasons still likes me. She cooked while I fished - 3-meat meatballs in white wine sauce with hot cherry peppers, onions, garlic, over imported penne rigate. Really hit the spot after a day on the cold grounds. Gonna pay the price tomorrow morning though - if you catch my drift. Oof aaah!

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Many thanks to Pete for always positioning the boat just right with traditional ground tackle to give us the best possible chance to score. Experience shows!!

 

[OVERBORED]

I find the lack of quality fish to be very depressing. This is the time of year when the DDs come out and play aggressively as fish move deeper.........

Great reporting. Hopefully the Agida doesn't last too long. That's why God made Brioschi!

 

[Leprechaun]

It wasn't agita I was concerned about. The "Italian curse" is more like it! And I wasn't wrong about it hitting me this morning, by the way. There was a time I could cover a plate of pasta with red pepper flakes. Not anymore, for sure. Uggh, TMI, amirite?

 

[OVERBORED]

Ha! Sometimes the consequences are worth it!

You guys caught better than most yesterday.

 

[Matts]

I ended the season in grand fashion. We were supposed to fish Newport today, Monday, but the captain called last week to say he had a cancellation for yesterday, Sunday, that the weather would be much better Sunday, and that we might not make it our Monday trip due to high wind.
I jumped on it.
A slow pick for most of the day, but when we did hook up, the fish were high quality; several in the 5-9 pound category and this beautiful 11# that got a trip to the surface before an easy release. No distended stomach or popped out eyes.
That wraps 2025. On to ski season.

 

[longcast]

I ended the season in grand fashion. We were supposed to fish Newport today, Monday, but the captain called last week to say he had a cancellation for yesterday, Sunday, that the weather would be much better Sunday, and that we might not make it our Monday trip due to high wind.
I jumped on it.
A slow pick for most of the day, but when we did hook up, the fish were high quality; several in the 5-9 pound category and this beautiful 11# that got a trip to the surface before an easy release. No distended stomach or popped out eyes.
That wraps 2025. On to ski season.View attachment 109275

Beautiful tog!!! Wow.

Jig? Lighter tackle?

 

[Matts]

Beautiful tog!!! Wow.

Jig? Lighter tackle?

Current was light and I fished with a jig for most of the day, caught a bunch of bergals and sea bass, but they just did not want a jig. All the tog were caught on sinker rigs. This fish was caught in about 100' with 30# braid and my conventional Al Goldberg spiral wrap.

 

[Leprechaun]

And That’s That
Got her home this morning. Time to Winterize and get the shrink wrapper over here.

 

[Leprechaun]

Last of the 2025 Fresh Fish

Teriyaki glaze (Giunta’s house version - I like it the best), toasted sesame oil, toasted seeds on Saturday’s catch. Broiled in our oversized toaster oven. Really simple, really great!