The last couple days have been fairly slow so we weren’t quite sure what to expect as we left the dock last night. To make things more challenging the previous day’s weather was a bit unruly. Fortunately our ride out to the grounds was fairly mild as were conditions at first light. We started out about 60 miles from San Diego in excellent water. It didn’t take all that long for the first strike, and we worked through our trolling rotations managing at least a jig strike each hour. In the afteroon signs of life improved and we actually began to see legitimate groups of fish and the sonar and fathomter. While it was never ‘wide open’, we did have several stops where the fish came to the corner. At one point every bait in the water got bit and Albacore boiled around behind the point. We ran into a slow period mid-afternoon but managed a couple four-way jig strikes just before sundown.
By days end we had 45 Albacore and a Bluefin for our efforts including a couple fish pushing 30 pounds. Hopefully the signal we saw today develops and improves and fishing gets steady.
Filed under: Captains report> sportfishing Tags: Tags: Add new tag, albacore by admin Date 30 June, 2009
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Day two proved to be a slow one for the fleet as well. Our morning was very slow with only a few single jig strikes for our efforts. Fortunately, in the afternoon we strung together a few stops including one for 11 which got everyone’s blood pumping. By days end we had 19 Albacore and a few more Yellowtail.
We’ll be out Sunday night on a 1.5 day trip - stay tuned for more reports…
Filed under: Captains report> sportfishing Tags: Tags: albacore, Yellowtail by admin Date 28 June, 2009
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We began our day about 80 miles from San Diego and continued working to the south most of the morning. The AM hours were fairly slow with a couple Albacore jig strikes and some kelp Yellowtail to keep us on our toes. By lunch time we were approaching 100 miles and more than ready for some action. In the early afternoon we strung together a few short stops followed by some stops for 4-6 fish around 3pm. Just before dark we had a couple decent stops as well which left us with 35 Albacore along with some Yellowtail and a Bluefin for our efforts. All in all, fishing was a bit slow today for the fleet - we hope for improvement tomorrow. We’ll have pictures from this trip posted shortly…
Filed under: Captains report> sportfishing Tags: Tags: Add new tag, albacore, bluefin, Yellowtail by admin Date 28 June, 2009
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We caught very little in terms of squid last night, due in large part to the sea lions. Based on the excellent fishing we had yesterday morning, we decided to spend the morning near China Point. We got the anchor down at first light and had the boats in the water in short order. Again, fishing was pretty good for bass. One lucky angler also picked up a Halibut near the boat. During lunch we moved to the frontside where we were greeted by flat calm conditions and warmer water. We started out at Mesquite Point and worked our way toward Pyramid head for the rest of the day. Bass fishing was fairly good close to shore and we did manage to catch another White Seabass as well. The fish, caught by Dan Eastman bit a yo-yo jig with a live squid and weighed in around 30 pounds. Needless to say, he took the jackpot. We also hooked and lost four five Thresher Sharks.
We’ll be back out tomorrow and will have more reports shortly. We still have room on upcoming offshore trips and encourage you to sign up with Christine at 619-224-4388.
Filed under: Captains report> sportfishing Tags: Tags: Add new tag, china point, halibut, offshore trips, white seabass by admin Date 17 June, 2009
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Mention kayak fishing to the average angler and the response you get is fairly predictable: “Why don’t you fork out the extra bucks and get a motor,” or “why would I leave the comfort and safety of a perfectly good 85 footer to sit in a wet seat all day.” True, these are all valid questions. There’s a good chance that after dropping the 18th kayak in the water at 6am on any given trip either myself or one of the crew asked themselves that very same question.
The reality is, there are good answers to both questions. The reality also is that after five years of running these spring time trips, the very same people that used to ask those questions are showing up with a kayak of their own. The flip side is that those who used to answer those questions are now showing up in July ready to give offshore fishing a try. The long and short of it is that fishing, in the end is just that. The staunch kayak angler may never know the intensity of a full speed, on the corner Albacore bite. Likewise, the hardcore sportboat angler may never experience a 30 fish morning on Calico Bass (3 pound average) in six feet of water at San Clemente Island while the closest sportboat struggles to catch 30 fish all day. At the end of the day its all about diversity and the many angles of enjoyment that our sport provides. Granted, standup style fishing, and all the intensity and excitment that come with it are at the heart of our business. It’s what we look forward to every year and what we look back on as we near the winter months. But each year we glean a little more insight and little more understanding about the value of diversity when it comes to being well-rounded fishermen. We may take different paths, but in the end (hopefully) we’re all smiling with a fish at our feet and a rod in our hands.
That being said, our first day of two at San Clemente Island was decent. Most kayakers had excellent Calico fishing in the am hours, espescially near China Point which produced fish up to 5.5 pounds. These big fish were in shallow water and were eager to eat big slug baits as well as the surface iron. The afternoon was slow as the wind increased, though we did catch a 25 pound White Seabass from the boat at the end of the day. We’ll be on the anchor in the cove all night trying to make squid.
Filed under: Captains report> sportfishing Tags: Tags: Calico Bass, kayak fishing, San Clemente Island, white seabass by admin Date 17 June, 2009
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Day two was slow like day one. We covered a ton of water around our local banks for only a couple Yellowtail. Eventually we made it up to the Coronado Islands where we finished of with a few bass as well as some bottom dwellers. The highlight of the day was the massive school of Yellowtail that erupted around the bow as we sat on anchor in the middle grounds. We were fortunate to land one fish before the entire local sea lion population arrived on scene. Needless to say, after two days of challenging fishing their company was not appreciated. We pulled the anchor and caught a few more bass before heading for home.
Though conditions were tough this group was up for the task. You don’t find fish without looking for fish and we definitely did some looking. I predict that one day these bold adventurers will be part of an early season trip that connects and the memories of that trip will surpass all others.
Special thanks to Steve and Sharon from 976-Tuna for helping to put on another fine trip.
Filed under: Captains report> sportfishing Tags: Tags: 976-tuna, Add new tag, coronado islands, Yellowtail by admin Date 17 June, 2009
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Eearly season Albacore trips are unique in that the potential for glory is at a maximum. With scant sightings of fish and small catches being made here or there it’s every angler’s (and captain’s) dream that their trip will be the one that connects. That was definitely the case on this trip as we left the dock bound for an area 120 miles south of San Diego. The last boat in the area vacated nearly a week before and with no other boats departing we truly had our work cut out for us. We began our day at sunrise still proceeding south at full cruise. With the jigs out and the sonar running we closely monitored the water on our way down. Around 10am we encountered our first sonar school - four fish to be exact - which didn’t bit for us. We boxed around the area for a short time but so no more signal. We kept working south and finally arrived at our destination before lunch.
We spent the better part of the afternoon working east, north, south and west and were finally rewarded with a stop for four Albacore around 4pm. Needless to say, anything at this point was something. After our stop we encountered a small spot of jumpers and a couple single marks which did not bite. We also managed a couple Yellowtail off of kelps.
All in all, a very slow day of fishing offshore but not out of the realm of possibility for this type of trip. Every year anglers put in their time at the rail in the early season in an effort to make a catch that gets the ball rolling. As we speak there are schools of Albacore lurking within striking distance off of our coast - probably have been for a while now. The only thing missing is a steady stream of fisherman to locate them and keep tabs on them. As we move toward July the counts will definitely rise as the amount of boats on the grounds increases on a daily basis. Hopefully it’s just a matter of days…
Filed under: Captains report> sportfishing Tags: Tags: Add new tag, albacore, offshore, Yellowtail by admin Date 17 June, 2009
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This year, with the help of Fred Morioka (aka Rice Bowl) Islander Charters was the proud host of a group of children from the San Diego Braille Institute. Various groups came together to provide these children with the opportunity to experience a sportfishing trip replete with all the sounds, movements and sensory experiences common to any trip at sea.
We spent some of our time at the Imperial Beach kelp and then ended the trip off of Point Loma. Each angler had the chance to land a fish making this a truly memorable event for all.
To view the Union Tribune article please follow this link: http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jun/08/1m8fish23176-theres-no-limit-fun-kids/?sports/outdoors&zIndex=112678
Filed under: Captains report> sportfishing Tags: Tags: Add new tag, fishing by admin Date 15 June, 2009
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For our last day, we looked around the island for any sign of Yellowtail but came up empty handed. We made one last anchor job for some Calico Bass and then began the trek toward home. Our weather was a bit choppy for the first part of the stretch but gradually subsided and made for decent travelling. We’ll be at the dock tomorrow morning.
Filed under: Captains report> sportfishing Tags: Tags: Add new tag, Calico Bass, Yellowtail by admin Date 15 June, 2009
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After making a fair amount of squid at the island we motored down below the breakers for some arly morning rock cod fishing. This is a productive area that allows for some very long drifts. On each drift we picked away at Reds, Lingcod and other assorted rockfish. We devoted a bit of time to drifting but by mid morning we had all the rockfish we needed for the trip. That being the case we made a move up to Breakers to try for some Yellowtail. We got the anchor down with decent conditions and hooked our first Yellow in short order. Unfortunately the subsequent fish came slowly. We ended up catching six fish in the 12-15 pound class before we decided to work up toward the island.
We made a few drifts on the 15 for some Ling Cod and then got the anchor down again at the Six for only one Yellowtail. After a couple more non-productive anchor jobs we ended up back at the island for the night.
Filed under: Captains report> sportfishing Tags: Tags: Add new tag, Breakers, Island, Yellowtail by admin Date 15 June, 2009
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