July 19, 2023. After setting a record with Dan in the Upwelling day before yesterday landing 93 fish in one day. I was anxious to get back out if another calm day came up. I was eager to return to break that record if another calm day presented itself. Whether it was wishful thinking or unreliable wind predictions, we didn’t have a repeat experience today. I had high hopes of surpassing 100 landed fish with Vaughn, but upon reaching the lake, we noticed the yellow light was on, contrary to what all the wind apps had indicated.
The day started off on a sour note right from the beginning. Typically, when I take someone fishing, we meet on the east side of the Tractor Supply Company in Gilroy. Maneuvering a 20 ft. boat through a crowded parking lot is never enjoyable. Meeting people at the ramp is much more convenient. However, today, the parking lot was closed for resurfacing, and the only entrance was through the Sonic Burger parking lot. I ended up hitting three curbs while attempting to navigate around the parking lot. Never again.
We launched at 9:00 from Dinosaur Point, but it was too windy to make the journey over to the racks. Instead, I decided to fish the trees in the coves around Dino. Someone had suggested that there might be larger fish there. Despite diligently searching the trees and shoreline using the Livescope, we didn’t find any bait or larger fish. We managed to catch a dozen fish blind casting the shoreline, but none were keepers.
By 11:00, the wind had died down to around 10 mph, so we made our way to the trash racks and began fishing in the wind shadow, hoping for a calm moment and another chance at an upwelling session. Unfortunately, the winds never subsided, and despite our efforts to locate schools in front of the racks, the pumps remained inactive.
Deciding to try our luck at the Bay of Pigs, we found plenty of small fish there. I remained optimistic that if we caught enough of them, a couple would be keepers. By 2:00, Vaughn and I had caught 38 fish when suddenly the wind direction shifted. Two-foot waves began rocking the boat as the wind blew directly into the Bay of Pigs. The surf conditions worsened, and despite our valiant efforts to reach the 40-fish mark for about an hour, we eventually had to give up. The winds were intensifying, and I knew the ride back would be bumpy. It’s ironic how I never thought I would be disappointed with a 40-fish day, but having experienced how great it can be, I wanted to show Vaughn an exceptional day after being forced off the lake with him a week ago.
I’m hoping for a calm day with the pumps operating this Friday, but after today’s experience, I’m realizing how fortunate Dan and I were to have a freakishly perfect day when all those elements aligned. Pumps on, a calm day—can’t lose.
