Wow what a season. The last time I saw this much Marlin locally was either '89 or '90.
  We caught 49 fish in 23 days of fishing this year. 30 of these Marlin were in 7 tournament days.When you consider all of the factors it is not inconceivable that a good team could have had a 100 fish season, easily. Several of our fishing "days" were 3-4 hours long or less. We would leave at the crack of 10 go catch a couple for some kids( It was pretty cool, many of these were their first Marlin) lose a couple more and be back for lunch on the Pacific Provider. We were right on the edge of the largest school around. Pre-fishing, as soon as we located the fish we would catch one and leave. Hoping no one saw us catch it. What would have happened if we stayed and caught as many as we could? What kind of numbers? 
We started seeing the volume of fish around the middle of August on the backside of Catalina. We were picking away steady on the ledge on the back of the Island. Off  in the distance, in the green cool water, we would see these huge bird schools with Pelicans crashing in them. Not typically associating Pelicans with Marlin it took me a couple days to go check the area out. When I did we were headed home from the Viking Round Up. I was short on time and crew. It was a broker from Crows Nest and another brokers wife and 3 daughters. We probably saw 20 spots of feeders and a Swordfish in 2 hours. Sick.
 We kept an eye on these fish through quick drive by's and listening to the radio when guys would get on them briefly.Shano on the "Wait N Sea" had their number as well. The guy's a good fisherman. He got it. Every day.
 It was pretty easy to stay on the main body of fish and it was apparent they were moving 2 to 8 miles per day. All we would do when we wanted to relocate the school was get ahead of where we thought they were going and tack down into them until we found em . Catch one and leave.
That was great except the last day of the Zane Grey the fished crossed the line and we couldn't follow. As the school moved on a few got left behind in several areas. I had no back up plan. Everything beyond this school was just a scrap in my opinion. 3 weeks of pre fishing and I'm starting over.
 I spent the entire Pesky tournament looking for an area. You have no idea how hard it was to concentrate. Weather was ugly, 20 -25 knots, 3-6 foot at 3-5 seconds. One day we went from North of Santa Barbara Island, down the ridge to the West End of Catalina, out to the bottom of the 499, to West of Clemente, down the front of Clemente over to the Mackeral Bank, to Church Rock and was going to slide down the ridge to the 152. Then we hooked a Sword........so much for the rest of the plans. Chuck ( Hugh) did a great job. Had the right gear and the right crew. Looking down from the bridge it looked like a midevil movie, 2 flying gaffs, 2 fixed heads and 2 meat hooks ready. Fish was done, we owned it. Then the lugs on the bottom of the reel snapped and the feet of the reel plate pulled out of the reel seat. Bent 90 degrees. It all happened in seconds and the fish was gone. Game over. That fish would have won the Tournament. No golden bagel this year. 
I started getting info about some fish in an area I didn't know about. Was it the fish we lost on the 14 Mile bank? I think so. Also, the day we did the 150 mile loop I had found 1 tailer going 30 knots, in the slop, between Cat Harbor and the 499. I was thinking finding one there in that condition, maybe there would be quite a bit more.
Blasting off the first day of the Classic I was trying to come up with how this was going to play out. We looked at several areas at high speed and finally hooked the first fish of the Tournament, a sleeper we ran over, on the ridge above the West End. Then the radio came alive and it appeareaed the school we were looking for got found. It took us way too long to catch the fish and we got into the area late but still wound up with 3 for the day. The Srambler caught 5 on the back off Cat Harbor.
Second day we knew where we were going. What we didn't know was that 2 schools were going to come together on that day. The one on the back of the Island came together with the school on the end of the Island. THE PERFECT SCHOOL.
A couple scattered bites on the back, Billy on the Gambler was baiting fish back there for nothin. ( Great Team, they always do well in the Classic and all the other tourneys). We kept seein all the Sauries jumping and Birds. I kept tacking around trying to get my day thought out. Looking at the breaks, the life........still no fish, do you make a move? Just about the time my head was spinning out of control they started showing. The Volume was unbelievable. I think for several hours we never went more than a few minutes without seein feeders. Hundreds of fish. People running everywhere. TOTAL CHAOS. It was as good as Marlin fishing can get locally. The most memorable of the day was, Jimmy and Andy start yelling they have a good one a long way off. One with a bird on it. It is so far I had to slow down  twice so I could understand them in my headset. We are going like 35 knots through a good portion of the fleet to get to these fish. More than a mile inside everyone I shut down on the spot. We cast 4 baits and  immediatly hang 3 and the 4th/ is chasing the bait.  It keeps dog boning the bait but just won't choke it down. I have Marlin jumping everywhere and feeders going down the starboard side. Full Mexico flashbacks.
Tommy from the "LEGEND" comes sliding in and hangs a tanker. It looks like just him and his crew on board. I think it is his 3rd/ or so for the day.(Tommy is one of those low profile Capt.,, he just always gets em. One of the top 5 or so Capt. on this coast, great fisherman) Our fish almost get balled up together. I can't do much with 3 hanging and totally stretched on 2, Tommy puts some good moves on the fish and keeps them apart. (His fish comes up 95"). We get 2 out of 3 , the hook broke on the other one. We have 6 for the day. 
 The fishing was much better than the 6 we released as we went 0 for 5 on bait after our 6th/ fish. I have never been able to break that 6th/ fish in a local tournament, I have been hung up on it 7 times now.
 All I can say is, if you missed it, you missed a good one.
Cogratulations "La Dulce Vida" Nice job






CHASER--54 Viking BCE at shot gun start. 



Surly Mermaid on a Double