by Dave Dolan
On September 20,a group of twenty six anglers boarded the sport boat Liberty for the first of two annual Let’s Talk Hookup / Gamakatsu sponsored fall trips. I
have done this trip the past three seasons. The trip has usually been one of my better trips of the year. And year number four did not disappoint.
If you have ever done one of these Let’s Talk Hookup trips when they team up with their sponsors, you know that all the anglers are treated to quality give away gear. The give aways this year included prizes from Gamakatsu, Aftco and Shimano.
Fishing the few days leading up to the trip had been a bit down due to off shore winds. But with a smooth, comfortable ride heading into Mexican waters, the prospects looked improved. Everyone geared up the night we left the docks. And with larger sardine we could get away with larger hooks and line size.
Having fished with Captain Taro in the past, I knew this man is very “fishy”. The first morning we were on the grounds at daylight at sixty miles. At mid morning he had us on kelp paddies that were full of dorado. Now, wide open dorado on a sport boat can at times seem like a combination of chaos and combat. But the Liberty crew was
excellent at guiding everyone thru with minimum tangles and loses. I have to hand it to the crew for their great coaching. By mid afternoon, the boat was limited out on dorado.
We did have a nice bite on school size yellow fin tuna along the way. For day two our mission was to fill out the boat limit with tuna. Somehow, we just could not get out of the dorado, a nice problem to have. The dodos all went back in to play another day. But by late morning the boat was limited out on the tuna to go with the limits of dorado. What a trip.
Besides the good fishing, one of the best features is the boat itself and the crew. The boat is a great fishing platform. At 85 feet in length, the boat has a large stern fishing area and plenty of room up both sides. I am always impressed with the cleanliness maintained. The heads and galley are always in immaculate shape. And the showers are motel quality. And I want to hand it to Sarah and Amber in the galley. Don’t call them “cooks”, they are quality “chefs”. Also, I have spent a lot of time traveling thru Texas. I never had a Texas steer burger that can compare to a Liberty Burger. They are the best.
September and October have always been my favorite months for fishing out of San Diego. The water is usually at it’s warmest and the best variety fish is out there. This two day trip aboard the Liberty is an ideal trip for the fall fishing. The boat and crew are both top rate. The rest of the year there are plenty of full day trips on the boat. You can book trips thru Fisherman’s Landing at 619-221-8500 and also on the website.
Don’t put away that gear after Labor Day.
