MY YELLOWTAIL CHALLENGE -CHARTER SPECIALS- AND A FISH STORY 4/20/10 DAVID @ DAVEY'S LOCKER MY YELLOWTAIL CHALLENGE Now that the fishing season is really turning on, I am challenging YOU to catch the first Yellowtail of the season here at Davey's Locker. The angler to catch the first Yellowtail of the season on the Eclipse will receive a Free pass for a 1-Day Trip on the Eclipse out of Davey's Locker, and the angler to catch the first Yellowtail on the Freelance will receive a Free pass on a  ? Day Trip on the Freelance out of Davey's Locker. *Eclipse Group Booking Special* Reserve 4 or More Spots on one of the Eclipse 1-Day Open Party Fishing Trips in April and receive 1 Spot FREE!!! PRIVATE CHARTER BOOKING SPECIAL For the next 10 Days Davey's Locker is offering private charter booking specials to one and all. If you are thinking about getting a group together for a work function, family outing, or just want to fish by yourself - right now is the time to book. We are offering up to $500 OFF of Extended  ? Day Fishing Trips on the Freelance, $300 OFF on the Western Pride trips, and $200 OFF on the Eclipse 1-Day and longer trips. These Discounts are only available until April 30th, so call now!!! www.daveyslocker.com (949)673-1434 MY FISH STORY Hey everybody, I have been posting here for the past two months and I have met many of you down here at the shop. First off yes, there is a David @ Davey's Locker and I am he. Second off, no I am not the Davey of Davey's Locker, it is just a coincidence. I have looked through my posts over the past few months and noticed that they aren't exactly what I have wanted to do to get the best information out to my fellow fishermen. I have tried to keep everyone informed of every trip that we have but, have left out pretty much all of the personality that makes Davey's Locker the amazing place that I think it is. So I thought that I would take this time and tell you a little about me, my time at Davey's Locker, and the fish that made me fall in love with ocean fishing. So this is a heads up to anyone that doesn't want to read a story to just stop here; and to the forum supervisors I am sorry if I have posted this in the wrong area, I just want everyone out there that wants to catch fish to know that I want you to catch fish as well and I am not just some business minded office entity. My name is David and I moved to Southern California from Louisville, Kentucky about two years ago. I am 29 years old and have fished freshwater rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds all of my life. I grew up fishing for Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Muskie, and Catfish on the Ohio River and many of the surrounding areas. Growing up I was lucky enough to have an All-American childhood and a father that loved to take us camping and fishing, this instilled my love affair with the water. I have spent some time in Southern Florida and caught some of the Florida Strain Largemouth Bass in the Everglades and was able to catch quite a few of the transplanted Peacock Bass in many of the local canals and numerous ponds in the area. I started a little ocean fishing in Florida as well, hooking up and catching my first 3 Tarpon, WOW!!! They were the most acrobatic fish and the power behind them was very impressive as well. I also hooked and farmed my first and only Sailfish; I still need to settle that score sometime soon. However, it wasn't until I moved out here, to Southern California, until I truly fell in love with saltwater/ocean fishing. I had caught many fish out here over the first few months through March, April, and into May. You know the usual suspects, Sculpin, Calico and Sand Bass, Bonito, and a few Barracuda. I thought OK, I can handle this... that's until my first trip over to Catalina on the Freelance and my first Yellowtail. I had been working in the office at Davey's Locker for a few months and the guys had been giving me a good amount of friendly harassment, mostly over my southern drawl and the fact that I wasn't a California Boy, so I had a lot to prove. After the 2 hour drive over to Catalina Island and having eaten this thing called a "breakfast burrito", which was amazing!!! but not really a Kentucky staple for breakfast, we began fishing right at gray light. We had been fly lining small Sardines for a few minutes until 4 people around me started screaming like crazy with their rod tips bent and reels engaged when the deckhands yelled "Hookup" and Captain Goble stepped out of the wheelhouse yelling "YELLOWTAIL!!!" I watched as the people jockeyed for position and the hooked up anglers were going under and over, this was my first time witnessing this phenomenon, it was crazy. As I was watching this unfold and paying attention to my bait I noticed my bait swimming faster and faster and then it just took off. I set the hook and hung on for dear life, I thought I was fighting it pretty well and then it made another run as Yellowtail do, and then I felt nothing but tension and nothing to gain on, he went right up into the kelp, crap!!! This is when I started to feel bad, I just started to imagine the amount of trash talk I was gonna hear when I got back to the main land if I farmed my first and only Yellowtail. This is when something that I think is truly awesome happened, Captain Goble came down from the wheelhouse and said "he's still on there... and we're gonna get him", he sat with me for 10 minutes and worked him out of the kelp with me and taught me an invaluable lesson about Yellowtail fishing and fishing in general. We landed the fish and yes I got pictures with it even though I did not catch this fish 100% on my own. I have caught a dozen or so Yellows since then, most actually being larger than this 14 pounder caught that day but none have made me prouder of myself or surer of the company that I was working for than this one. This was the first time I had been on the Freelance and met this captain and crew, they treated me like anyone else, it means a world of difference when you fish on a boat where the captain and crew still like to fish and see the excitement of the catch in someone else's eyes. This is my story of how I fell in love with fishing in Southern California, some of you may be laughing at me for posting this but this is who I am. If any of you get the time, I would love to hear your stories of how your love for saltwater fishing began, just reply to this post or email me at david@daveyslocker.com. I look forward to meeting all of you and hopefully putting you on some fish that will make some memories. If you call in and or come down to Davey's Locker please ask for me and/or introduce yourself. I an think of no better way to end this than by quoting one of the final lines of one of my favorite books ever written by Norman MacLean in , A River Runs Through It. "I Am Haunted By Waters", Sincerely, David @ Davey's Locker