By Capt. Chuck Newberry, Seadawg Sportfishing
AVALON — Every year, I get asked the same question: “When are you finally going fishing?” Most of our buddies are chasing bluefin the minute the reports start lighting up. Meanwhile, our 37-foot Freeman, Wahooson, usually sits tied to the dock while everyone reminds me how many fish I’m supposedly missing.
I hear it every season.
“You’re late.”
“The bite’s on.”
“You’re blowing it.”
And usually, they’re right. But we like to remain patient and time our strikes methodically. For our first trip of the year, 16-year-old Tristan Fife—the son of a good friend of mine—took it upon himself to organize everything, with a little funding from his dad. He also convinced his buddies, Harrison Callies and Easton Stewart along with Scott Smathers and Andrew Ta, that it was time to leave SEC country behind and come experience California’s giant Pacific bluefin. The three proud Georgia Bulldogs fans traded Athens for Avalon. We joked that when the SEC shows up in California, the fish that are “built different” show up, too.
It turns out we were right.
Thanks to DJ Jovanovic, our Pelagic-content trip departed aboard the 37-foot Freeman, Wahooson. I was joined by Pelagic Pro/Capt. Joseph Ta and Capt. Pat Wade (Wahooson owner), who rounded out the crew for the boys that day.
Anyone who has fished with me knows there are two things that rarely change: I’m usually reaching for a G-Fly frozen flying fish to put under the kite, and I’m probably wearing my Nike Dunks instead of what most people would consider “proper” fishing boots. They’ve become my lucky shoes over the years, and judging by this trip, I don’t see myself retiring them anytime soon.
This time, though, we made one small change. Instead of my usual G-Fly, we clipped on our close friend Capt. Jazz Moorhead’s California Flyer Delta Flyer 350. The artificial flying fish was rigged with a BKK Hooks Viper-61 6X 7/0 treble hook. It didn’t take long before the Delta Flyer 350 was chased down and finally swallowed by a behemoth. Joseph grabbed the reel, and we were quickly in danger of being spooled. After a few adjustments, we finally stopped the fish, and the boys went to work.
Watching Easton battle that giant tuna reminded me why I wait to start my season every year. When the dust settled—with some help from a few drifted G-Fly baits—all three boys had landed personal-best bluefin. But the fish of the trip belonged to Easton, with Joseph stepping in to help finish the fight.
By day’s end, the deck looked almost unreal: 330 pounds, 210 pounds, 150 pounds and 110 pounds The 330-pound bluefin established a new Wahooson boat record, and every angler aboard landed the largest tuna of his life.
As incredible as the fishing was, my favorite part of the trip came afterward. Normally, we’re racing daylight and searching for one more opportunity. But the boys put the fish on the deck so quickly that, for only the second time in nearly 10 years of running these trips, we actually had time to point the bow toward Avalon. The last time that happened, Tristan and his crew were with us, too. Coincidence? I’m beginning to think not.
We tied up and took our pictures at the legendary green scales in Avalon Harbor as a crowd gathered and smiles spread all around. Bringing my best friend’s boys across the country, watching Tristan organize another unforgettable adventure, seeing Easton battle a 330-pound giant, celebrating Harrison’s personal-best tuna—and his new title as “The People’s Champ” for his eating adventures—and sharing it all with Capt. Pat Wade and Capt. Joseph Ta made this a trip none of us will ever forget. In the end, the SEC rolled into Southern California and left with four giant bluefin, a new boat record and proof that Dawgs are built for more than college football Saturdays in the South.
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