Kismet sighting

[BigBull1]

Did I see the Kismet in Newport this weekend? Sure wanted to stop and say hi but you were in eating and we were going to do the same thing. Hope you guys all had fun and the boat treated you well. We will see you out on big blue one of these days.

[Sensei-san]

You mean KISMET is not a fragment of my imagination? I thought it was like Camelot, Shangri-la or Brigadoon. A wistful dream of the replacement for Pilar...

[Spoiled Daddy]

NO... NO... NO... The Kismet is not a figment of our imaginations! I saw her too. Not in the water, but north bound on Hwy 101 through Newport today.

Hope you had a great weekend!

SD

[OceanBlue]

She was and she did :grin:

Pilar had a good time fishin' Fri with Hummingbird and Hammerdown. Saturday, he took his daugher, her boyfriend and buddy Gary out. Boat limits on 'buts both days. After a trailer repair episode, Pilar & the Kismet were headed for Otis and then home by way of Silverton and a visit to Wetfly.

If I have anything to say about it, she'll be back next weekend

[San Anita]

Yep, it was spotted at he ranch Sat. getting her fair share of butts.
John,
How did you know I needed a Salty Dog hug Friday night?
Thanks,Bill

[Metal Manipulator]

Yes it is real and it is now setting in front of my shop awaiting for the soon to be finished out rigger stantions. Nice boat and a cabin with lots of head room. It's new capton has some new designs to make her a little more, shall we say fisher freindly. Tuna beware there be capt. John a comm'un. Just remember when you get two ft. 'itis you will have to coff up the bucks for the bigger fuel tank. Boy I'd like to have a bigger boat but I'd have to make more money for fuel consumption. Rod can you say a'men.

[Pilar]

Well then .. I don't have to get underway to open my patrol orders. My mate wants to go Halibut fishing? Cool ... I am all over that.

We fished 4 days in the last 2 weeks and so far it is working pretty sweet. Hopefully I can find the rest of the minor things and fix them before the hunt for TUNA! begins. Sure don't want to waste any time on repairs then.

Fridays trip was a mission for Halibut. It's been a year or so since we went last and I missed the opener this year due to road rash. I did not drop crab gear on the way out but elected instead to head right for the Chicken Ranch. Seems like the crab gear rodeo always wastes 45 minutes or so. Not to mention the other events in the Kazillathon like Dumpster diving, crab pot repair and baiting your traps.

The ride out was a little choppy at first but I got the trim figured out and ran at about 18 to 20 kts the whole way. When we got there I had to do a double take because there were only four other boats. We ran pretty fast but the boat did not pound and we must have been running pretty fast because we were one of the first boats to arrive after watching many leave port before we did. Tom and John had to dodge the stuff in the cabin that did not get tied down and the doors that did not latch shut. We slid right onto a waypoint from previous years on one of the shallower areas of the pile and got bit immediately. I figured the drift would be fast with the NW wind kicking like it was. 3 pounds of lead and back into it was the ticket. Humminbird and Hammerdown got right to it and we got a decent fish on every drift. It sure was good to see Humminbird again and that cigar, Tom was the perfect topper to the ride out to the ranch. Soon others showed up and we were done by 0900. 3 nice fish, a 44, 42 and a 38.

We went inshore and tried to find a Salmon north of the pile. The first down rigger went down to 110 feet and soon popped off. I figured the release was not set right so I left the rod and cranked it up. I looked up to see the rod dipping and jerking ..... fish on.

I should stick to driving the boat and telling jokes because I farmed it. Oh well. 2 or 3 hours later we gave up on the Salmon and I shut down the kicker to crank it all up. As my crew ran up the downriggers the mooching rig rod went off and Hammerdown was on a nice chinook.

What a great way to finish up the trip. Later Hammerdown helped me set crab gear.

Saturday I had my daughter Xanah, her guy Joel and Gary on board. We checked our crab pots and got 20 nice crabs. Then out to the ranch.

Another killer boat ride. That dang short chop was still there but I had the trim and speed figured out and we ran out about like the first day. Joel was a total virgin having never fished the ocean or any big game fish before. He stood at the rail and watched the land disappear pretty much the whole way out. My daughter really likes the ocean and crabbing in particular. It was good to have them aboard and we enjoyed some quality time together.

We went to the same area of the ranch and were the 100th or so boat to get there. Several charters were working the previous days drift so I tried a different one. Fishing was good at first we hooked a quad and landed two puny halibut not even 24 inches. So I tried bigger baits. Overall it was pretty slow. We released 6 or 7 very small fish and settled for four right at 32 inches. As we were leaving 'Puffin' was still looking for his first so that will tell you how slow it was. Gary was very patient with my kids and taught them how to deepwater Halibut fish. Gary is not on ifish despite my continuous efforts to sign him up. He was one of the first to chase TUNA! with me on 'Pilar' and he is one of us Salty Dogs even if he does not play here.

Thanks Gary for all your help, lets do it again.

We skipped the Salmon and went right in for the crab pots. The kids did well but Joel got seasick and fished anyway. Gotta love that .. he has his priorities straight. Ended the day with 35 nice crab and 4 itty bitty butts.

All in all a great time and I would do it again in a second.

Sunday we pulled the grab gear early in a driving rain squall. Then the fun began. One of the wheels on the trailer locked up and would not turn. I was determined to get on the road and beat the Sunday parade back to Portland. So Hoggemin helped me yank the wheel off and we found the brake shoes had separated from the backing. No damage yet so I backed the adjuster off all the way and put it back together. Hoggemin helped me check the other three and one sounded a little crunchy so it looks like I get to do some trailer work soon.

Hopefully the improvement projects will get done soon and we can just leave the 'Kismet' at the beach. I am commuting now because there are several projects underway and they require the boat for fitting and checking stuff as it gets built. We hope to have the fishbox modification, radar mast and the outrigger brackets done before TUNA! time.

Thank you Oceanblue for finding this boat. She's a handful but I can see the overall picture and you had it dead on when you found 'Kismet'. I'm sure no one saw what I saw in 'Pilar' when I first dragged her home. I saw in 'Kismet' a nice place to hang out and relax but could not figure out how to make it work as a fisher.

The more we use her the more I am convinced that this dog will hunt. We just have to overcome the learning curve and get the improvements done.

Maybe see ya'll next weekend on the big blue.

[Bait O' Eggs]

Kismet looked good out there, saw you a couple times after we had our radio issues worked out.

I agree Saturday was slow fishing. We kept turning them chickens loose and hoping for something bigger, there was a stretch in the middle of the day I was questioning turning the early chickens loose as we had drop after drop with nothing flat coming to the boat.

We just stayed till we had a box full even though we were the last boat at the ranch. I think I learned that trick from Puffin

All fish from 39 to 49 inches but we had to work for it.

[OceanBlue]

John, we settled for the Carver because we couldn't afford a Bertram

But she's got the best Chief Engineer and all the finest craftsmen outfitting her and she'll be the best little fishin' boat on the coast before long!

[Pilar]

Oceanblue .. I don't feel like we *settled* for anything, in any sense of the word. We bought the best boat we could afford that did all of the things we needed to do. Yes, Bertram is better and we will own one someday. But 'Kismet' is perfect for us. We can do the family thing and we can go forth and cark in style when that is the order of the day.

It sure is nice to wake up on the boat and brew up some coffee without even having to put your shoes on. And dinner in the evening after a hard day .. that's pretty darn good too.

I must admit that none of this was very important to me before now but my mate has shown me that there is more to fishing than getting all bloody and then crashing in the bed of the truck.

Thanks girl .... Even old dogs can learn new tricks.

And just so you understand this old Ch-eng is very grateful for the new boat and all the possibilities that it brings. If I am having any trouble at all making the adjustment it is because there is so much more boat than I am used to. I will figure it out. Thank you for your kind words and your patience as I make the adjustment.

Imagine what fresh made coffee will taste like 40 miles offshore as you watch the first streaks of sunrise seated in the fighting chair bolted onto a smoker TUNA! that weighs more than you do.

That's what I'm talking about.

[Jimmy Carl Black]

...as you watch the first streaks of sunrise...

I read that "..first steaks of sunrise..." SUSHI on the brain. Nice to see you in Otis yesterday John. IMHO, Boater Homes are the way to go for fishing and comfort if you can afford the fuel to run 'em. Especially in the PNW.

[Miss B Haven]

"Tom and John had to dodge the stuff in the cabin that did not get tied down and the doors that did not latch shut."

There's a couple ways to look at this John. One is, you get the furniture all rearranged without lifting a finger!

Another is...anything that flys around and breaks proly shouldn't be on board anyway! :grin:

As long as the water stays in the toilet I figure it's been a good ride!

[Hummingbird]

John,
I would like to thank you again for the opportunity of fishing on the KISMET. It was a Great Day!! I sure like that reel you have. Hammerdown's was reeely nice too. I really enjoyed the company and the good time fishing. The one I farmed right off sure suprized me. I am sorry I couldn't stick around to do the crab pots ,but ,as you know I had to meet a friend for Garibaldi Hali's on Saturday. We had a good day up there too with 6 fish .Nothing big but around the 37" size. Man ,do I ever want a Daiwa 2 speed now. They are so smooth. Anyway another pipe dream. I did forget my thermos on your boat I think . Let me know if I did. I also left that cheapo fighting belt. I guess that means I will have to go for TUNA with you to get at least my thermos. I don't really care about the belt. I am glad you liked the cigars.It was sure nice to fish with you again.wave:Have a Great time and Tight Lines Thank you Ocean Blue too for everything
P.S. just let me know if I can be of help anytime. Tom

[Pilar]

Tom,
I have the thermos and the belt You can have them back anytime. Are you at the TA meeting?

[FishGitter]

Hey John,
It was nice to see you at the dock Saturday morning just as you were shoving off. Glad you got into the fish.

We prowled around the ranch. ArimaJim managed to find a 35 just before he had to haul me back to the dock. I really hate having to work fishing and work into the same day.

The Kismet looks like a nice ride, you and Jen did well. Maybe some day I will gett the opportunity to check it out away fromt he dock. :grin:

[My Limit]

Pilar,

It was great to see you out there! You sure looked comfortable sitting up top running the show! Looks like a sweet boat!

It was fun fishing next to you!

Take Care,

My Limit