Got the Hiccups 10/4

[jrodda]

Took Jared out this time. Picked him up aroun 0545 and we were at the ramp by 0610. Got the boat in the water and planned on installing bunk slides, along with carpet on one of the side bunks I couldn't uninstall with the boat on the trailer. Turned out the bunks are different widths (5" and 4") so my 5" slides weren't going to work. Why there is one 4" plank and 3 5" planks on the trailer is beyond me. I got the carpet on the side bunk and we hopped in the boat.

Hop in the boat. Engine turns over and it dies. Of course! I figured there was probably some air in the fuel line after I replaced it with a new one, so I was patient and kept trying. Kept stalling after a couple seconds. So I decide to make a video to send to Chris, who is a whiz. I start the video and...starts perfectly. Of course! Honestly the video trick never fails. Outboards always wanna show off on camera. I'm like 5/5 on this now.

So we get going. Really a coin flip of whether I wanna follow the coast south, north, or go out to the 14. I start driving out and then we find birds. Cast on 'em, nothing. I see some more on the horizon so we drive some more. They scatter into the ether, but the area has some life, and some scattered kelp, so I put out the trollers. Nature decided the 14 was the play.

We're going about 7-9mph not seeing much. Shimano Ledge Runner 160 (diver) and a 13" skirt in tow. Then we come up on what looks like the Freelance working something, then it leaves it. Maybe a paddy. I head in the general direction but lose sight of the original spot. End up finding a real nice barn door paddy. Look down and it's an aquarium of dinky yellowtail. Drop the 40g snipers hoping to get the skunk off and maybe find something bigger below. Nothing bigger, but snagged one of the yellows as they swarmed the jig.



We kept it moving in hopes of real gamefish.

Got all the way to the 14 and there were a dozen other boats working, maybe a couple deep dropping for rockfish, like true gentlemen. Wind from all directions was forecasted throughout the day so I left the deep drop stuff at home. Would have been perfect for it, though. Not a lick of wind.



Finally decide to bail after a few hours with nothing real to show, so I reel in the trollers and kick it up on plane. We get a couple miles and then I throw it toward WOT, and after a couple minutes, the outboard stalls. Oi! Don't like that 15 miles out. Then it's kind of like it was at the ramp. Stalling out after a few seconds. Then we get it going okay, but it stalls at most RPMs, 4500, 4000, 3500, 3000....we finally get it to be trouble free at 2400rpms, which is 6mph. Makes it a long way back! But we did it. A lot of dead water for a while, but I ended up putting out the trollers again. No trouble the rest of the way in.

Got to the ramp around 1340. Would have easily been in at noon otherwise. I've been one-and-done getting the boat run up on the trailer the first 3 trips. This one I was an absolute helmet. Got it lined up a little wrong, reversed at the last second, and could not line up and just drifted everywhere. Thank god it wasn't busy. I was trying to laugh it off and calling out to Jared, "it's gonna happen! We'll get there!" just trying to show a bit of self awareness to anyone watching. Got it on eventually...

So, I will bring the boat by mechanic buddy Chris and see what he may find. Probably something in the fuel delivery. I might also change both oil/lube this week to reset the clock on that, since I don't know when it was last done. Low oil pressure did me similarly with a 6hp Mercury once, limped in 20 miles that time.

[Latimeria]

Sounds like the Square Boma for most of my time owning her!

Well Damn, glad you got out and same thing here.  I was expecting a lot of wind and it was glassy, although the waves and swell seemed to be coming from 4 different directions.

Well, you got your yellow.  I had my fill of those suckers.  I went from having every yellowtail the past year and a half being 25-50 pounds and then they were all 8oz to 2#.  hahaha

I got Steve in the boat since I refused my buddy's invite to lobster fish this weekend.  I don't want anything to do with that mess on opening weekend.

Well, I hope you get her fixed up soon.  The season has been "Hot or Not" for a Super El Nino.  If anything, it's been the year of the Marlin!