La Jolla on the Solo Skiff 10 26 2023 

Yep! I used to try some on a little stainless screen ball at the weight. Just more work that didn't increase the result that much. I use Pro Cure squid gel, shrip gel or Anchovy oil. It just how weird things are. All the Kayak fishermen or guys like Mikey (sd fish and sips) have been having similar results on bait or even how many Calicos. That was never a problem since 2913 till about 2018 when we started to see changes in the Kelp forest in LJ and now scientists say they've been studying this problem on the whole pacific coast.

The fuel used varies from a normal La Jolla trip around 17 nautical miles covered equals about 0.7 gal. A Tuna search trip from 38-66 nautical miles will use 1.5 - 2.5 gallons. The Solo Skiff with the 4 stroke 6 HP Tohatsu (same as Mercury) gets 24-25 nautical miles per gallon.

Yeah it's been crazy for a while now. Some days you go out and have no problem making bait in 30 minutes, many other days you can waste several hour even though you are on top of large bait balls.