helena Fishing Report 2024

Aug. 24

Good evening from the Polaris Supreme. We're just starting off with our two week span of 1 1/2 trips. The first bait loading didn't go too swell. It looked like a rave party in the crowder when we loaded it. All sorts of fun colors with the silver shiny glitter(scales) being the dominate color with red coming in a close second. It is what it is. Hopefully we find something to use it on early tomorrow because I'm not so sure they will be swimming come lunch time. After that they'll just have to bite the dead bait which I have seen the yellowfin do countless times before. So here we go, Prime Ribbing it now, some z's in the future and then fishing it tomorrow.

 

Aug. 10
    Well, I can't say we caught very much today.  I can say we saw plenty of schools, we just couldn't get more then one of them to bite and on that school we caught one 70 pounder.  I'm thinking we saw about a dozen schools of tuna today but like I said, it was the wrong day for biting fish in these grounds.  The weather though today, man o man is it nice out here so at least we got to look at non biting fish in good weather.

    In other fishing news we got the word from the higher ups that Mexico has lifted the ban on recreational bluefin tuna catching and keeping so with that news we're going to roll on down into some traditional Mexican bluefin tuna grounds and give that a go tomorrow.  We'll be looking for yellowfin tuna as well tomorrow.  We've heard they"re in the area too.  Wish us luck.
                            

 

One day trip 21 yellowtail, 11 dorado, 4 bluefin tuna, 2 yellowfin tuna. Fun day, back out tonight !

Thursday, September 8th, 2011

Hi friends. We arrived in this morning from our annual Blue-White 5-day and said goodbye to Robin Gledhill and the gang. We can't say enough about the boys, they are one cool group of guys and they just flat out get it. Having a good time on the boat is a given, provide some good entertainment, a family atmosphere, and some of the best wine you can find on the west coast. Mix that with the added bonus of stellar fishing and you have the 2011 Blue-White trip. Phenomenal fishing for the guys and they went home stoked. We say thanks to the gang and we'll see you again next year.

We'll be at the docks for a few hours and then we'll be departing for a 1.5 day trip. Fishing is getting good in the old area so we'll be racing down there this evening. Wish us luck and we'll chat with you tomorrow.

-Team Supreme-

Wednesday, September 7th, 2011

Hi friends. Plain and simple, the dynamics of the water conditions where we've been having great days on this tuna for the past couple of weeks has changed. The schools that were so abundant not twenty-four hours ago were nowhere to be found and we drove around all day for not a whole lot. Amazing how things can change so quickly around here and it's going to be interesting where these fish pop up next. Anyhow, with our limited time frame to try and locate something, we looked at a couple areas that looked good as far as water temperature but we never saw any life and struck out today. At 1030 hours, we made the call to break down the gear, serve lunch, and prepare for the journey home.

So that is all. The 2011 Blue-White trip is in the books and what a great trip it turned out to be. We thank Mr. Robin Gledhill for putting together quite the cast of characters and just creating a fun-loving atmosphere that is truly one-of-a-kind. An excellent charter for us to have on-board the Polaris Supreme and we look forward to seeing everyone next year. With that, our weather is great and we'll be arriving to the docks sometime around 0730 tomorrow morning. We'll be departing the same evening for a 1.5 day trip so look for reports to resume on Friday. Take care.

-Team Supreme-

Tuesday, September 6th, 2011

Hello everybody. Top to bottom, a fine day of Yellowtail fishing for us on the Supreme today. Our hunt for some premium grade 'tails in the very early morning was unsuccessful but we managed to get a few once the sun was above the horizon. There was a good amount of fish but not enough action to keep us there so made a quick tour around to a different area and in the afternoon time, the Yellows got with the program and bit very well for us. Sonar schools and meter marks were what we located and once the bait/jigs hit the water, it was game on for 18-25 lbers. Just an awesome grade of fish to pull on. Surface iron fishing was hot today as the "Big Banana" was tossed around and handed off to many individuals who were willing to take their chances at wrestling a Yellowtail on a 9'3" Ulua. The weather? Excellent bronzing conditions, just how we like it.

So with all the fun in the sun we were having, we had to bail from the Yellowtail grounds at 1700 hours to make it back up to the tuna grounds. We'll be there at first light tomorrow morning and our traveling weather is calm and clear. We're hoping to finish off with some tuna for the couple of hours of fishing we have tomorrow. Wish us luck and we'll chat with you tomorrow.

-Team Supreme-

Monday, September 5th, 2011

Hi friends. Another fine day of offshore fishing today for Yellowfin tuna with a sprinkling of Bluefin and Dorado for a little added color to the wells. We never had a long stop where we plunked away for hours but the fish charged the boat with reckless abandon when we did get a school located and we enjoyed ourselves a very nice day of fishing. They weren't quite eating the trolling rigs on the corner but they were biting the Sardines just fine. What made today a little bit better was the wind that has been hammering the fleet for the better part of a week started to subside and it was a pretty enjoyable day on the weather front as well. Needless to say, we have plenty of tuna for two days of fishing and in-turn, we have plenty for the galley to make all the sashimi goodies that they so expertly prepare. To say the Blue-White group, along with the crew, are stoked is an understatement. Hopefully, we can keep the good times rollin'.

At around 1500 hours, we pointed the Supreme on a southerly course to go try our hand at some Yellowtail fishing. The area we'll be trying will be exclusively for "bigguns" and we'll be there in the dark of the morning to drop some dropper loops on them. The gang is downstairs enjoying wine, cocktails, and most importantly, fillet mignon and lobster tails. We'll chat with you tomorrow and have a fine evening.

-Team Supreme-

Sunday, September 4th, 2011

Hi friends. First day of the 2011 Blue-White 5-day trip was a great success. Our morning was a couple of blind jig strikes for a handful of Yellowfin and for the most part, it was a slow morning. Then, just before lunch, we got on a nice school that bit nails to start out and slowly backed off to one every now and then. When the dust had settled and ordered was restored from the chaos that had ensued, the fish settled into us and we started "plunking" away at a steady pace until Chef Schooler kicked out the carne asada tacos and we went dry for awhile. After lunch, for whatever reason, we hooked one. Then two. Then three. Then four and so on. This is how fishing would be for another few hours on the drift, we would keep one or two hooked and then we would keep four to five going for a bit and back to ones and twos. Just classic plunker fishing for Yellowfin, Bluefin, and Dorado.

The stop was the perfect pace for the gang and by the time we left our glory school and went to go find something fresh, we had a lack of rail participation as the group was either napping, showering, or enjoying cocktails in the galley. These guys know what good times are all about. Catch some fish - relax, enjoy the company of one another and enjoy a key lime margarita. Although we were bummed that we couldn't locate another school, the gang couldn't have cared less. They had a great time today and along with the ibuprofen, the wine was a flowing for the prime rib feast. Sniff-sniff. Sip-sip as they say.

So that's it. We're on the "sack" and we'll be giving the area a try tomorrow for a bit before we bail out to do some Yellowtail fishing. Our weather is still a bit windy but is forecasted to come down. We'll see. Wish us luck, have a happy Labor Day, and we'll report back to you tomorrow.

-Team Supreme-

Saturday, September 3rd, 2011

Good evening everyone. The galley has been cleaned up, the Sinatra has been turned off, and the wine glasses have been washed and put away until tomorrow night. The Blue/White gang are tucked away in bed in anticipation to do battle with some Bluefin and Yellowfin tomorrow for our first day of fishing. Things are looking good as reports sound encouraging so Robin and company are itching to get after it and kick off the 2011 Blue and White 5-day trip. Before all of the festivities began today, we said good-bye to Mr. Garry Roberts and the gang from our 9-day trip.

We arrived this morning at 0700 and unloaded our colorful catch of various species. Big fish winners go as followed: Dave "Knucklehead" Rouse - 47.4 lb. Wahoo, Steve "Curls" Pistone - 43.4 lb. 'hoo, Mike Grella - 43.2 lb. 'hoo. Congrats gang. Special mention goes to Garry Roberts' Gold Spotted Sand Bass, which apparently weighed in .2 lbs. of tying the world record, word on the dock says. Good going, Garry. It truly was eye-opening seeing all the carts of fish wheeled up to the top of the docks. What variety of fish we had and that's what this 9-day is all about. Our target is big tuna and wahoo but there are plenty of other species that we target and catch on this trip as well. Our species list this year included Yellowfin tuna, Bluefin tuna, Wahoo, Dorado, Pargo, Yellowtail, Gold Spotted Sand Bass, Sheephead, Grouper, Amberjack, and we even released a Black Sea Bass. All types of species to catch and what table fare they will be for the gang. We say thank you to Garry and the entire group for being a pleasure to spend nine days on a ninety foot boat with, quite the mix of people to share the rail with. So once again, thank you and we'll see everyone next year.

So that is all. Our bait is looking good, the weather rolling down is fine, and we're hoping to get on some tuna schools tomorrow. Wish us luck and have a happy Labor Day weekend. Stay alive, don't drink and drive.

-Team Supreme-

Today we caught 2 yellowfin tuna and did not like what we saw offshore. We are going back to the islands starting tomorrow. Bring a 25 or 30 lb flyline setup and a 40 or 50 lb yoyo setup. Passports required !

Friday, September 16th, 2011

Hello friends. Our day didn't set the world on fire by any means but it was an interesting day of tuna fishing out here. Our weather was calm throughout the day with only a mild groundswell and although the stops were few and far between, we did manage one of the better scores for the area. In the morning, we had some jig strikes to wake us up, shortly after, we had a whack on some Bluefin, and then our day was pieced together by a few Albacore stops. We had a few jig strikes that turned into us hooking a couple of bait fish each stop but like I said, they were hard to come by. We just didn't see a large volume of fish and we consider ourselves very fortunate and are thankful for our day. We finished the day with 11 gorgeous, fatso Albacore in the 28-38 lb. class and 13 Bluefin in the 15 lb. range.

Who knows, maybe this Albacore area will develop into something later in the season. Be sure to check the website for some more of these 1.5-day trips and 2 -day trips we've put on the schedule. There's still a lot of fish in a couple different areas and they show no sign of bailing just yet and with the success of these past short trips, we've put a few more on the schedule to target Albacore, Bluefin, and Yellowfin tuna along with some Yellowtail and Dorado. Give Susan a call in the office at 619 390 7890 to book these short-range trips on-board the long-range vessel Polaris Supreme.

So that is all. We're scheduled to arrive to the docks at 0600 hours tomorrow and will immediately turn-around for an 8-day adventure. Look for reports from Jed starting tomorrow. Good night and have a great weekend.

-Team Supreme-

Thursday, September 15th, 2011

Hi friends. We departed the docks this evening at 1800 hours for a 1.5 day trip, loaded up on some beautiful Sardines, and began motoring out to our fishing destination for tomorrow. It's a new area of fish that includes Bluefin tuna that range from the school grade of a 15 lb. average, all the way up to fish in the 40-60 lb. range, the area also includes a few Albacore in the 25 lb. category, and some school-sized Yellowfin tuna as well. Fishing two days ago was decent enough to garner our attention and gathering reports from the boats who were in the area today was that there is no shortage of fish out there, they just weren't in the biting mood today. Let's hope that tomorrow the fish get frisky and we'll see if we can't get lucky and find ourselves a school of willing biters. We felt that motoring out this way would give us the best chance of fish along with having more fishing time to spend out here. We'll be there first thing in the morning to see what's up and cross your fingers that we get something located.

So that is all. Our weather is a little choppy but we'll take it. The forecast calls for decent weather and we're praying that the weatherman is correct. Bottom line, this report pretty much sums up fishing in a nut-shell. We hope that we find some fish, we hope that we catch some fish, and we hope that the weather is nice. Wish us lots of luck and we'll report with you tomorrow.

-Team Supreme-

Captain Ryan Bostian checked in from the San Diego out of Seaforth Sportfishing in San Diego, CA. We fished at the Coronado Islands yesterday. It was our first trip at the Islands for a months. We had 13 anglers and we had full limits of Yellowtail on our first stop of the day. We had excellent fishing for Yellowtail, Bonito and Calico Bass. They were biting on surface iron and fly-lined baits.

The loads are light. We had two reservations for tomorrow so we should have plenty of room on the boat.

Monday, August 15th, 2011

Hi friends. Cherry on top of the Sundae action today. Pretty much a repeat of Friday with steady action on 12-20 lb. Bluefin tuna with a little bit more of that 12-25 lb. Yellowfin tuna to go along with it. Integrated schools for the most part and our score was a 75/25 mix of Blues to Yellows and when we left the area around 1330 hours, the boats still in the area had some steady stops on a little bite more of the Yellowfin with a sprinkling of Bluefin as well. Multiple spots of breaking fish, jig strikes, and machine fish were plentiful and we really didn't have a long break in the action today, we stayed pretty steady. The true cherry on the sundae today was our weather - flat calm and sunny. With our Bluefin limit topped off, we called it a trip and with two scoops of bait to spare in case something cool comes up in our travels to home. We'll see.

So that is all. We put a bow the Ron Heil five day trip and we're motoring up the line in fantastic seas with a little bit of sunshine and the ice cream is being passed about the vessel. Can't say much more about this trip other than it was simply awesome and Ryan and the gang from Let's Talk Hook-Up have some big shoes to fill as we'll be turning around for a four day trip tomorrow. We'll be arriving to Fisherman's Landing tomorrow morning at 0530 as there will be three other long-range boats from the landing getting in and we're in the early slot. We'll report with you tomorrow and take care.

-Team Supreme-

P.S. Ana, the little monster is coming home safe and sound.

Sunday, August 14th, 2011

Hi friends. Our early morning bite was brief but we managed a handful of dropper-looped Yellowtail and a 30 lb. Halibut before we pulled the pick and began looking around for trophies. The hunt was short-lived as we saw very little sign of fish and with that, a new game-plan was drawn up and we started looking around different areas for sign of fish. It didn't take us long before we pulled up on a sonar school of Yellows that bit fast and furious. The fish were the school-sized grade but we welcomed them with open arms and open hatches. The bite was short and sweet and after a couple hours of action, we found ourselves back in search mode with little success. Not much going on in the different areas we looked at and before we knew it, the deadline was up and we had to make our way up the line to be in position tomorrow morning to finish out our trip with a half-day of tuna fishing. The reports sound pretty solid and we're hoping that we can find us a morning school and top off on tuna and put a lid on the 2011 Ron Heil five day adventure.

The Yellowtail zone was productive enough for us to call our stay here a success so we're traveling up the line in OK weather to wrap this trip up with some of those better grade Bluefins. It sounds like there are some hits to be had and we'll be there to find out for ourselves. Wish us luck and we'll chat with you tomorrow. And yes, Ana, the fish-catching machine formerly known as Brendan is locked up with Dad and will be released for the morning bite. Take care.

-Team Supreme-

Saturday, August 13th, 2011

Hi folks. A much deserved sleep-in for the boys was a fitting reward for yesterday's performance and we switched from tuna mode to Yellowtail mode. We arrived at our destination a little bit later than we would've liked and we found out why we would've liked to be there earlier. The bite was over with everywhere we looked but we still managed to put together a score on 15-22 lb. Yellows with a couple handfuls of those 30-40 lb. cows. We saw a really nice spot of those cows come up in the late afternoon and we're excited about the potential for tomorrow.

So that is what we'll be up to tomorrow, start off fishing for cows in the morning time and from that point forward, it'll be a toss up whether we stay coastal or we head back up to do some offshore prospecting and finish off on some offshore tuna/kelp paddy 'tails and mahi-mahi. The ideal scenario would be us loaded up with some cows and bail offshore but we'll see. Things could change at the snap of a finger, this water could roll over, and we'll have to re-evaluate things. We'll see. Wish us luck and have a good weekend.

-Team Supreme-

P.S. Ana, the little monster is safe and sound once again. He started off this morning by doing some push-ups to get physically ready to do battle with the mighty Yellowtail and it paid off. He had a very good day. We'll be releasing the beast here in an hour or so (0530 hours). The boys miss you and say HI.

Friday, August 12th, 2011

Hi friends. Stellar day on the Bluefin grounds today. In actuality, I should say we had a stellar morning and a stellar evening on the Bluefins. We found our desired water conditions first thing this morning and after a few jig strikes for a handful of fish, we had a single jig fish that turned into the real deal school. Every bait that was tossed in the water was eaten, every angler hooked up, on-the-corner style Bluefin tuna fishing and once one stop dried up, we motored around for a short while until another single jig fish started the melee all over again. It was truly awesome fishing. The afternoon was a whole different story as all we could muster up was a few Yellowfin jig strikes and not very consistently at that. Happy with our morning hits, we decided to steer the Supreme in a southerly direction to arrive to the Yellowtail grounds first thing tomorrow morning. That was until a hunch that an evening float was mere minutes from beginning steered us back one-hundred and eighty degrees back up to the tuna grounds. After going hours without much action, like a light-switch the ocean came alive and we ended the day with sheer pandemonium stops on the school-sized Bluefin and we also had a whack on some 30-50 lb. Bluefins as well. This fishing was as good as it gets for Bluefin tuna and we continued hooking fish all the way until the darkness set upon us and at that time we actually did leave to go to some Yellowtail fishing.

The ocean is a funny place. After "character building" type days where boats would catch absolutely nothing for weeks and weeks, Mother Ocean has decided that we've paid our dues and she is giving up a bounty that is truly gold in our book. Today was a day for the personal log book and the gang enjoyed every second of it. How could you not? It was one of those days that everyone has been waiting for and it just goes to show you that you can't sit around at home and go with the mindset that "I'll book a trip when they start biting". If one was to go through our log books for the past five years, you would see that every year has been different with different time-frames of the best fishing. We are at the mercy of the ocean both fishing and weather-wise (which by the way, was flat calm and gorgeous today). These fish have been M.I.A. for the better part of the 2011 season and all of a sudden, they bite. If we could've predicted that today was going to be a banner day, I assure you, we'd all be living in houses on the hill and driving Ferrari's. What I'm getting at is book a trip to go fishing, not to go catching. Enjoy fishing for what it is, getting away from the stress that land-life might bring, enjoy good food, good people, and just go out to have a good time and experience for yourselves what the ocean is all about. Don't sit around and wait for it to start biting because as is the case with this fish, it might not be here tomorrow. Any trip that you book on a boat, you have the chance to have banner days like today or you have might have a slow trip; that is fishing and it has been since the beginning of time. A lot of people have paid their dues with slow trips and days like today is the most rewarding feeling to those who have had those slow days. Today was a classic reminder that every year is different and when you book a trip, expect the unexpected. Come out to take a fishing vacation and enjoy the ocean for what is, a mystery.

All words aside, we had a terrific day. We're going to enjoy some ice cream and hit the racks. We'll be on the hunt for 'tails and seabass tomorrow. Wish us luck.

-Team Supreme-

P.S. Ana - We kept the little monster locked up safe and sound last night and when we unleashed the beast this morning, he had an awesome time and captured his daily limit (5) of Bluefin tuna. Brendan and Scott are having a fantastic time, they say hello, they love you, and it's all good.

Thursday, August 11th, 2011

Good evening friends. Standard operating procedures for a turn-around day on the Polaris Supreme. We offloaded Mr. Eric Rogger and company along with their gear and fish, said farewell, and began the many task that we must complete before loading an entirely new group for another trip. Big fish honors go as follows: Mary Lukas, 46.4 lb. Yellowtail. Chad Snyder, 42.2 Yellowtail. John Warner, 40.8 lb. Yellowtail. Congratulations to the winners and we'll see everyone next year. A big thanks goes out to Eric for consistently putting together a fine group of people to enjoy the rail with and thanks to Eric for being one of those charter-masters who just plain gets it. He knows how a group of people should co-exist both at the rail and as people living on a boat. With that, bring on Mr. Ron Heil and his friends for another five day adventure.

A standard travel day was expected today as we loaded bait, ate lunch, did some light rigging, and some heavy napping. But as they say, expect the unexpected. Right around the time we were getting setup for our tackle seminar, we spotted a bird school with some breaking Bluefin below. We hit the school numerous times and only Bob Hagan could coax one into eating a bait. On a side note, if there's one thing that you should know about the crew on-board the Polaris Supreme it's one thing - we love ice cream. Nestle Company's number one driver, Bob, outfitted us with the goods from Haugen-Daas. All natural fruit bars, vanilla-chocolate almond ice cream bars (bomb), caramel cone (double bomb), strawberry ice cream, coffee ice cream, and Dulce De leche. Bob brought on the goods: the sugar, the calories, and the saturated fat, and for that, the fish god's thanked him by giving him a Bluefin tuna to start things off. The area where we caught Bob's fish was loaded with life and it was very close to home, so we'll see if something materializes in that zone. To the overnight fleet and private boaters alike, go get 'em. Tomorrow, we'll a bit further from home to do some Bluefin tuna fishing. Boats in the area had scores from good to excellent and we want some of that, so we'll be arriving there first thing tomorrow morning.

In closing, the weather is double A+ and we'll be fishing first thing in the morning. Wish us luck and we'll chat with you tomorrow evening. Take care.

-Team Supreme-

One last thing. We have one spot available on our Andersen/Lund 8-day trip that just opened up departing October 1st. If you'd like to come out and join the dynamic duo of Dan and Howard or join any trip for that matter, give Susan a call at (619) 390-7890.