Have you ever heard that saying: "a bad day on the water is better than a great day at work"? I'm here to tell you that's a bunch of Bologna. During my recent Yellowtail drought that lasted two, very long years, I'm here to tell you otherwise. Not catching fish when you know they're around kind of sucks! Even worse, it's been brought to my attention that they're always around.
So here I am last Sunday at a get together, at the peak of my drought I might add, listening attentively when a friend brought up The Darkhorse. His reputation this and putting people on trophy fish that. I found his suggestion to hire a fishing guide a little extreme, because after all, I’m a duct tape and WD-40 do-it-yourself kind of guy. Can’t I figure it out on my own? Of course I can! Then my buddy tells me about the two guys and the maze. The first guy keeps taking the same turns, and gets nowhere. The other guy asks for guidance from the gardener who knows every nook and corner of the maze, and talks him through every last step to the way out. So he says, “Which guy do you want to be?” Having a MD and clearly stubborn this little story pushed me over the edge. What are friends for?
A few e-mails, a phone call, and short drive later I met Josh promptly at the La Jolla Shores Kayak Launch at dawn. When meeting Josh for the first time I was struck as much by his Southern hospitality as his attention to subtle details. The kind of details that only innumerous hours of on-the-water time logged can bestow. I hadn’t previously even thought about bait orientation upon water entry, yellowtail footprints, or kayak orientation in the current, much less about the fishing ramifications that might follow. It was safe to say that Josh was totally in his element. A great guide is able to determine what your skills are and knows how to build on them...in an effort to take you to the next level. Which is exactly what Josh did over the course of the day.
After some detailed instruction, gear changes and a long look around, with uncanny precision, I was told to get ready. Get ready? Get ready for what? Then a few precious moments pass and I'm almost ripped out of my seat... Hook Up! At this point it's me vs. one pissed off yellow. Keep in mind, that it had been two long years since I've pulled on one of these fish. Enter sensory overload zone. I just didn't want to lose him and my stress level rose a few notches. I'm confident that without Josh's coaching this fish in particular, was bound to be lost. All I remember: "Keep Cranking! Keep Cranking! Get ready for the Pop! She's ready... just seal the deal." Then Josh telling me to look down as the fish approached color. Oh how long it had been.
Then this...
Due to my confidentiality agreement, I can't exactly give it all away. I will say though that everything was focused on proper technique and placement of our offerings. And perfect knots, of course. Josh assured me that if we played our cards right, and I quote," I can almost guarantee a couple more". If you've read one of these before, you probably guessed, it's safe to say he was right.
They bit in the full sun...
And kept playing as the power boats watched and hours passed...
It was nothing short of amazing. Especially if you consider there was a fleet of sportfishing and private boats out there...not catching a damn thing! Before it was all said and done, I realized, that I had just caught as many yellowtail in one afternoon as I had in the last 5 years...fishing up to 45 days per year!!! Without a doubt, hiring Josh as my guide was the best decision I've ever made. Josh assured me that this was just the tip of the ice berg in terms of what patterns there are to follow. Thus, I'm already planning my next lesson. I spent twelve years in college and am excited to learn what this guy's got to offer. There's only so far the books will take you in life.
When Josh sent me this photo, he offered a free two day charter if I managed to capture a better sunset fish photo of myself. He was also nice enough to give me the rest of my life to do it.
Which was a safe bet if you asked me. You be the judge...it's not going to happen!
John Sullivan