Blog - Fish to Fire

Featured

Bluefin Tuna on a 3 Day Trip with the Intrepid

3 Day Intrepid Trip Report

May 6, 2021

Bluefin Tuna Never Give Up

Our first long range trip out of San Diego from May 6-9 was humbling – we caught our first bluefin tuna! It was a lesson on why it’s never too late: fish and man both showed extraordinary willpower and fight. Much respect to nature and the finesse of our fellow fishermen.

We learned the importance of persistence and grit on this trip: (1) there were several 5 hour fights with 100lb+ blue fin tuna (2) incredible ingenuity was witnessed when lines were spliced and rods swapped mid-fight and (3) The captain and crew never ceased to stop searching for the bluefin tuna schools, even at 3am when we happened upon an incredible night bite that was wide open.

In the end, we netted one 51lb bluefin tuna, one 42lb bluefin tuna and one 4lb yellowtail. Though we knew we were going to be the least inexperienced fisherman on board, it became clear that jumping in the deep end with this long range trip and meeting the other seasoned fishermen highlighted just how little we really knew. This life lesson has applied to just about every other domain in life – a good reminder to always stay humble and willing to learn!

The Intrepid: A Truly Luxurious Fishing Boat

Since we had never been on a long range trip before, we considered a number of different boats and landings. My brother had been on an overnight trip before, but I had only done full day trips. I was definitely feeling a bit of anxiety on how seaworthy my legs would be on a multi-day trip, much less the sleeping arrangements on a boat that most likely would be only men. Hence, we decided to “upgrade” ourselves on a more luxury experience- The Intrepid out of Point Loma Landing. We’re so glad that we did – not only was the boat super comfortable, but the service was stellar and we met all kinds of experienced fishermen. Everyone was seemingly well versed in all types of saltwater and freshwater fishing! I took a bunch of notes on a number of destination freshwater fishing trips, in addition to fishing technique tips.

Day 1: San Diego to “The Spot”

After check-in at 8am, it took several hours to load up the boat and depart at 10:30am. It took most of the day to get to “The Spot” where bluefin had been consistently spotted – about 90 miles or so west of San Diego. In the interim, we settled into our cabin, ate a delicious gourmet Jamaican chicken lunch and napped for the rest of the afternoon. Given that we had waken up at 4am to drive down to San Diego, we happily slept and felt refreshed in time for the little bit of day time fishing.

The weather wasn’t great – super gloomy with some sizable swells. Nevertheless, a few landed some scattered bluefin tuna before dinner, which was a three course meal on par with high-end restaurants. However, before I had time to even dig into dessert, the captain spotted a school and out we rushed to the decks to try our luck!

Before long, it was time to set up our rods and reels in preparation for a night bite. This means using heavier line (100lbs braid and mono topshot) and big flat-falls (we had glow-in-the-dark jigs). This is in wide contrast to daytime fishing in which we used smaller jigs or fly-lining with j-hooks for more finessed fishing. Bluefin tuna are more finicky about what they bite when there’s more visibility. At night, they can’t see as well so it’s more likely to be wide open bite – no sense in making it hard on ourselves with lighter set ups!

We tried a couple spots during night time fishing without too much luck. Most of us retired to our bunks by 10pm – only two anglers dedicated themselves to fishing all night, one of whom was rewarded by reeling up a 60lb+ bluefin with an electric reel! Although we hadn’t done much that day, I quickly fell asleep early in the comfy top bunk of our cabin.

Intrepid private cabins with bunk beds — Our private cabin. The beds were really comfy!

Day 2: Early Morning Bluefin Tuna Night Bite!

At 3am, the captain came onto the intercom and woke us all up to get in on the night bite action – a huge school of 40-60lb bluefin were biting everything that went down 100ft or so! We rushed the back of the boat and everyone immediately got bit, after which mayhem ensued.

It’s really important to follow your line – bluefin fish are notorious fighters. They don’t go without a fight and zoom back and forth. Unfortunately, when it’s the dead of night with everyone hooked, all hell breaks loose. It’s difficult to remain calm and follow proper techniques. Both D and I got bit and lost our fish – whether it was due to get sawed off by someone else’s line (braid is strong and notorious for cutting lines) who didn’t follow their fish, or, inability to reel in with the massive number of tangles. The poor crew did their best to untangle and manage the situation but it was insanity. Even with the craziness, bluefin after bluefin were gaffed and brought on deck. I supposed this where the term “bloody decks” came from. I had never seen anything like it!

The more experienced anglers caught the bluefin one after another, but a subset of us were new to this type of fishing – with our lines cut and/or jigs chomped off, there was soon a group of us wondering if we were going to have to sit out on the action since we had run out of the appropriate gear. Captain Bill corralled us up to the top deck to help us tie new jigs that we could buy from the crew – SK jigs came highly recommended. Prior to helping us re-jig one-by-one, he also gave us a stern lecture (paraphrased):

“Playtime is over. It’s time to get serious. We’re lucky to have this two hour window in which this school is on us – tomorrow, we may go the whole day without another bite. You need to use the correct gear, follow the line and use the appropriate technique to reel them up. Good luck, and now go catch them!”
Captain Bill Cavanaugh

I was the last one to get rigged up, given that I needed to upgrade my gear. I had been using my brand new Accurate 2-speed reel and United Composite 7.5 ft rod with 100lb braid and 100lb mono. Captain Bill set me up with a rental rod and reel that was even more heavy duty for ease of fighting the fish. We chatted calmly as he helped me get rigged up. That’s one of my favorite things from these deep sea fishing trips – getting to know a wide variety of people and their life stories!

And then, it was on! He kindly walked me down and coached me through reeling up my first bluefin tuna! My prior biggest fish was the 17lb yellowtail so needless to say, fighting and reeling up this fish was a struggle. I’m super appreciative of Captain Bill and crew who helped me navigate the zooming around the boat and the last ditch efforts by the fish to fight once it was near the surface. What a thrill though!

Intrepid crew fighting 100lb bluefin tuna — Captain Bill and crew diligently fighting the bluefin tuna

Day 2: Poor Bluefin Tuna Conditions in the Daytime

The weather took a turn for the worse with huge swells so there wasn’t much action to be had. That’s fishing. You never know what you’re going to get so patience is key! Instead, we tried the best we could with what we had, enjoyed the food and caught up on sleep.

Intrepid chicken dinner — All the chicken dishes from Chef Brian were particularly on point!

Churro dessert on Intrepid — Seriously, the best churro dessert

Day 3: Morning Yellowtail Paddy Hopping

The weather likely caused the schools fish to migrate north. At 10pm, Captain Bill made the decision to change up the location. There were two options: (1) Head back towards San Diego, where there were good signs or (2) Head south towards a quadrant (31st latitude in Mexican waters) that hadn’t been fished by anyone in a good amount of time. He chose the latter as he suspected the “missing” big 100lb+ tuna schools were there and there was a good chance to paddy hop for yellowtail. It was a good 90 or so miles south, so he booked it there all night!

I woke up a few times in the early morning, shaken by the bumpy ride from the big swells. Peering out the window was a bit scary since it fully covered in water! Stepping out on the dining deck reassured me that all was well!

Intrepid cabin port hole, underwater — Deep blue water!

In the morning, we started kelp paddy hopping! Young yellowtail particularly like to be around these since it often is a thriving ecosystem, including bait fish. With every stop, we started picking off yellowtail, but for some, it was disappointing since the fish were sub 5 lbs.

I managed to quickly get myself out of bed once the captain came on the intercom that there was a promising paddy. I was surprised that D was still chilling in bed, when he’s usually the one who doesn’t need a second reminder to get to fishing!

Early bed gets the worm though! On one promising paddy with young 4lb yellowtail, I got my fly line into the water, only to hear the captain said that we’re going to keep searching… Two others had also just similarly got into the water as well with our bait fish swimming towards the paddy. Just in the nick of time, all three of us got bit!

Excited to be hooked and concerned that the boat was already starting to move away, I yanked and landed the fish overboard… only to slightly hit someone in the head! So sorry! Don’t be me, be calm. The guys joked that I was famous again, after being prominently featured by the boat and landing’s social media from the night bite!

Nevertheless, this 4lb yellowtail was the one who gave me the advantage in our friendly sibling contest. Too bad for him for sleeping in!

4lb yellowtail caught on Intrepid — The smiley eyes of a winner. No shame, I love yellowtail!

Day 3: 100+ lb Bluefin Fights

Late morning, the captain started finding bluefin marks on the radar. After a few tries, we ended up having a school of 100lb bluefins underneath our boat. At the time, we didn’t know how big they were though. People were getting bites on fly-line and on jigs.

I myself had a momentary excitement when my fly line bait got bit! I was using my fly line set up though, which only had 30lb top shot. Turns out it was no match for the tuna that I hooked… within a few seconds, it zoomed off and bit through the line.

In total, there were eight bites from this school, but only three lucky fisherman had ensuing fights with good enough gear.

Bluefin Tuna 1: The bluefin tuna caught by the first guy was more “normal” sized – another 40-50lb fish, but it took him 3 hours to reel up with a lot of help from the deckhands. He used only 30lb test, which made it very difficult to get leverage on the fish. The fish just didn’t give up – swimming around the boat multiple times.

Fighting 100lb bluefin tuna on Intrepid — The fish was smart enough to fight at the bow of the boat, which is tricky for man to maneuver

2. Big Bluefin Tuna 2: The second bluefin tuna was caught by the eventual jackpot winner, Ken! This following is so insane that is impossible to believe unless you saw it with your own eyes.

Slow but steady fight – For over 2 hours, Ken calmly fought the fish with a zen-like demeanor, displaying perfect technique: (1) use the natural up and down rocking of the boat to your advantage by reeling in slack when the boat goes towards the bottom of the swell (2) hold proper posture calming with one foot back and a straight back (3) follow the fish up and down the rail when it zooms and pulls drag so that tension is not lost and lines are not crossed (4) once the fish starts to move in an up and down motion, push in on the second speed to make it easier to reel up (5) let the rod and rail do the work so that your own physical exertion is not wasted!

Perfect technique displayed in calmly fighting 100lb+ bluefin tuna

Fish broke off Ken’s line – Despite all the expertise, somehow the fish broke off! Since it was daytime fishing and the bluefin are more finicky about their bite, he had been using 40-50lb test, which was not ideal for these 100lb+ bluefin. You win some, you lose some!
Mysterious fish is caught by Dave – Dave is hooked on something big, but something doesn’t feel right. There is no head shake, but it’s super heavy. For over an hour, Dave is next to me trying his best to make progress – however, with every couple inches he gains, he then loses it later. Pro tip from the experienced fisherman: make marks on your line for every 50 ft or so for more precise fishing rather than guestimates. Also, it makes it easy to visually see if you’re making any progress on the fight as the line goes up (and back down). Finally enough he reeled up a surprising amount of fishing line. The crew figured out that it’s actually Ken’s line, meaning the mysterious fish on Dave’s line is Ken’s bluefin still hooked on his broken line! Once they figured it out, they quickly found Ken’s distinctive purple pole (Ken was busy fishing with a different pole) and spliced together the broken line back onto the original pole!

Splicing broken line onto original rod during bluefin tuna fight on Intrepid — Crew figured out what happened and brings over Ken’s distinctive purple-wrapped pole

Bluefin Tuna is landed – At hour 4, Ken resumed the fight! Thanks to Dave’s unwitting help, the fish is more tired. Slowly, but surely this fish was brought in! It almost found freedom, but unluckily got wound up in the broken line with Dave’s line. Kudos to the crew for their expertise in figuring out the situation and even putting the fish back on it’s original line and pole, to Ken’s great surprise!

Jackpot winner with 115lb bluefun tuna on the Intrepid — 114.8lb bluefin tuna was the jackpot winner

3. Big Bluefin Tuna 3: The third bluefin tuna was also caught on a non-ideal rod and reel set up that was severely underpowered, but just enough to have a man vs fish fight for 5 hours. After the rest of us had dinner at 6:30pm, the captain and crew decided to intervene and help the guy out. There was no time to waste – we were stuck in the spot and had a long way to get back home (not to mention have time for another night bite!). Unfortunately, the reel’s drag was not set properly and the reel started failing. The crew decided to splice the line onto a new rod and reel. Captain Bill took over the helm in bringing the fish in. The tuna fought hard every time it seemed the end was near when he was visible on the surface (“seeing color”). Sadly, after another long fight, the line broke and the fish earned its freedom! It was heartbreaking to lose the fish after so much effort (and also to have cost us any additional fishing time), but the tenacity of this bluefin tuna demonstrated why you should never give up. Anything is possible.

Incredible splicing of line onto new rod during ongoing bluefin tuna fight — The crew demonstrated remarkable skill in splicing the line with the fish still fighting at the end!

Captain fighting the fish with 4 crew members ready to gaffe

Day 4: Return to Land and Bluefin Tuna Processing

With the loss of the last bluefin tuna, we had to jet back all night to San Diego. We didn’t wake up until 15 minutes to port, after which we very quickly packed up all of our belongings. By 7am, we reached port, unloaded all of the fish and said goodbye!

Intrepid sportfishing boat unloading bluefin tuna — Crew weighing and unloading each of the 60 bluefin tuna caught on this trip!

Last step was getting our fish professionally processed! On the boat, we opted into fish processing with 5 Star, which was chosen by the majority of the passengers. Even though we did not make a reservation months in advance, due to the special relationship with Intrepid, 5 Star agreed to process all fish from the trip, if desired.

D and I usually process our own fish – the yellowtails from our last San Diego trip took us a good half day: from filleting to drying and vacuum sealing and storing in our mini fish freezer. However, there was no way we could process our 42lb and 51lb tunas ourselves!

In the end, 5 Star took only 3 hours from unloading to ready for pickup! It cost $1.25 per pound (pre-processed), which came out to about $120. Our time was definitely worth that!

5 Star fish processing of 90lb+ bluefin tuna — Unloading two crates of our vacuum sealed tuna into our enormous cooler

Recap: Long Range Trips and Catching Bluefin are a Whole Different Beast

In sum, our first long-range fishing trip was a success! Fishing with the Intrepid beat our expectations – the stellar service, private cabins and luxe dining made the $1200 price tag worth it! We not only accomplished our goals to catch a single bluefin tuna each, but we also learned a huge amount. In other words, we learned how little we knew – reeling in a 40lb+ fish is no joke! Island fishing in our old stomping grounds, like Catalina, is going to feel easy now.

I’ll never forget the epic 100lb+ bluefin tuna fights – we should all aspire to have the same kind of grit and moxie as these fish have beat the odds, swimming from continent to continent every year to survive. There has not been a more eye-opening experience to demonstrate how all life is precious and we should respectfully eat what we catch, with as minimal waste as possible.

We’d love to do another long range trip, perhaps the same one next year, once we’ve upped our game. Hopefully, next year, we’ll see just how much we’ve improved our technique!

Featured

Yellowtail at Coronado Islands

Coronado Islands Trip Report

March 31, 2021

Patience is Key for Yellowtail

Our season opener to the Coronado Islands off of Baja California on March 31, 2021 proved to be unexpectedly successful, but the yellowtail catch didn’t come easy!

We learned the importance of patience on this trip: (1) patience in booking a boat on the best weather day (2) patience for the captain to find the yellowtail schools (3) patience in not getting discouraged when the bite is slow and (4) patience in slowly and smoothly reeling up the yellowtail. In the end, we netted 3 yellowtail, 2 lingcod and 1 sculpin on a spectacular trip! Hopefully, it’s a good sign for an amazing season to come.

Yellowtail and lingcod caught on full day trip with Pacific Voyager, Seaforth Landing — Tied for most yellowtails on trip and caught my personal best to boot!

Coronado Islands, Mexico

For our first 2021 trip, we went with the full day trip with Seaforth Landing‘s Pacific Voyager to Coronado Islands. The Coronado Islands are located south of San Diego and Tijuana on Baja California. Leaving dock just before 6am, it took about 2 hours to arrive at the Coronado Islands at 8am.

Mexican waters are famous for world class deep sea fishing thanks to its warmer waters and huge variety of game fish. In particular, Coronado Islands are a hotspot for yellowtail, which are often spotted year-round! We were very excited to have the opportunity to book the best day out of that week – when it was the warmest, with favorable current and right after a full moon. Plus, the Pacific Voyager typically only does charter trips, but likely joined the San Diego as an overflow boat due to the high demand by yellowtail seeking fishermen!

Since March is still early in the season and the bite likely to be finicky as the schools move into the islands on their journey north, our expectations were measured but we were just excited to finally get back on the water again.

8am – Noon: Patience Wearing Thin

Quite frankly, the morning was surprisingly slow. With so much anticipation to fish the Coronado Islands for the first time, I was half expecting for us to immediately start slaying those yellowtail! Instead, we headed for the middle spot in between the two islands and crisscrossed the waters of the Coronado Islands searching for those elusive big schools of yellowtail. Admittedly, the islands were at least beautiful to look at – with spring here (although one can argue, it feels like summer!), some of the islands were actually green.

Springtime in North Island, Coronado Islands, Mexico

The captain finally spotted a school of yellowtail after what felt like an eternity. Two fishermen caught yellowtail, but the bite was slow. The window closed quickly since the school moved on. We were once again in search of the next school.

Discouraged after several more fruitless stops, I asked my brother whether there was a reason for the disappointing morning bite when the weather was seemingly optimal. He replied, “That’s how fishing is. The vast majority of yellowtail are caught on only one or two spots, when a good school is found!” Until then, it’s trial and error.

A good captain not only finds the schools on the sonar but also needs to predict where the school is heading and to position the boat in the optimal position without running them over or scaring them off. Luckily, we were in good hands! Captain Mark even reported the depths in which the yellowtail were at (and whether they would come up to the top to feed) and what the suggested set ups would be.

As the fish were cruising on the bottom, the vast majority of fisherman were using yo-yos – hitting the bottom with the jigs and then quickly reeling up to mimic a fish to get a reaction bite. However, I decided to go with live bait dropper loop set up by hooking the sardine through the nose. Thanks to a deckhand on my last trip on the Dana Pride, I had a sweet swivel dropper loop. Note: all jigs should be removed after every trip and re-tied. Oftentimes, the line is frayed and weak, increasing the risk for the line to break. I was admittedly too lazy though and was very lucky to not have lost any fish later!

Noon – 1pm: Yellowtail Hour!

I don’t know how else to put this, but I definitely won the yellowtail lottery on this trip! I unexpectedly found myself huffing and puffing to reel up three large yellowtail within the hour – it was such an adrenaline rush, accompanied by many joyful exclamations!

12:05pm: First yellowtail caught (9lbs)

After dropping down the 100 or so feet, I immediately felt the familiar strong tug of a getting fish hooked! I used a size 1 circle hook which is offset so that the yellowtail hooked itself without me having to pull up. When fishing circle hooks, let the fish nibble on the bait for a few seconds to allow the circle hooks to set in the corner of their mouths. Once the fish was properly hooked, the fight began!
- I followed the fish down the rail to the back of the boat, weaving the pole up and down through the other fisherman. It was a credit to the collegiality of the experienced fishermen on the boat that they quickly and smoothly allowed me to go either over or under depending on the positions of the line so that I could maintain tension with my yellowtail. On a lesser boat, pandemonium often ensues with everyone focused on their own fishing, causing many more tangles and fish to be lost.
- It was a probably 8 min fight. As it had been over 5 months since our last party boat trip, I was rusty. Eventually, I got the hang of alternately pulling up to keep tension on the fish (especially while it pulls drag) and quickly reeling up the slack while pointing the rod back down. Thanks to the deckhand for adjusting my drag so that I could get it up to the surface and gaffed!

9lb yellowtail — Size 1 circle hook is firmly lodged in the mouth of the yellowtail

12:15pm: Second yellowtail caught (16lb)

Exhausted from the first yellowtail, my maximizer side refused to let me take a breather! With a good school still feeding around our boat, I quickly picked a lively bait and dropped down again. To my surprise, I immediately hooked another yellowtail. And, this time, it was clearly a bigger and stronger fish!
- This time, the yellowtail went on several runs and I followed the fish fully around the boat. Thanks again to the deckhand who was right there with me coaching and directing traffic! Most importantly, he was really encouraging – “you got it!”
- There was a moment or two that I wasn’t sure if I was going to have the strength to fight the fish and reel him up! It was good reminder to do strength training regularly, which I’ve admittedly been slacking in the last month or so.
- To my relief, I eventually saw color after a solid 15 minutes or so of fighting. Out came the gaff, and the fight was finally was over. I really couldn’t believe my luck! It was so exhilarating and also so exhausting. Seeing me catch two yellowtails in quick succession, others decided to ditch the yo-yos and switch to live bait.

16lb yellowtail — My personal best! Previously I had only caught a sub-10lb yellowtail

1:05pm: Third yellowtail caught (9lb)

Luckily for me, I had some recovery time when the boat moved on in search of a fresh school of yellowtail that hadn’t yet been beaten up. A few stops later, we hit another perfect school that weren’t completely bite-shy. I continued using the swivel dropper loop and found myself once again hooked!
- This yellowtail, while smaller than the second one, was a fighter! Once again, I was traveling down the rail and around the boat.
- Of note, the deckhands showed considerable knowledge. When two of us hooked onto yellowtails that crisscrossed during the fights, they skillfully untangled the lines so that we could continue reeling them up. The deckhands safely gaffed both yellowtail!

9lb yellowtail caught with Penn Squall Level Wind — 3rd yellowtail with my heavy duty Penn Squall level wind reel – overpowered, but appreciated the extra strength!

One of the least experienced fishermen on the boat (and the only lady fisherman!), I believe I succeeded because I had the best bait presentation:

Swivel dropper loop – The three-way swivel on the dropper loop enables a more natural presentation of bait since the fish can more easily swim around with a long leader. The swivel also mitigates the risk of line twisting up while the fish rotates around in circles while getting reeled up. However, by having extra connections, you increase the risk of having a knot failure. Some anglers prefer to forgo swivels when fishing deep and stick with tying a simple double dropper loop on their leader.
Carefully selecting bait – While there’s always a mad dash to the bait tanks once the boat slides to a stop, bait selection is critical. You always want to pick a lively bait and carefully scoop it up, whether by hand or a small handheld net. By wetting your hands and softly cupping with care rather than gripping tightly, the bait fish will be more likely to remain lively and actively swim around, thus enticing the yellowtail. Patience is key, rather than just rushing to be the first slinging bait off the boat.

3pm – 4pm: Hello Lingcod!

After a nice lunch break resting and eating cheeseburgers during the yellowtail madness, we were off again in search of the afternoon bite which was probably more on the surface with the sun warming the waters. There were a few instances where the school was a prime target but zoomed off too quickly.

After sticking to his guns on only using artificial bait, D finally decided that no skill would overcome the yellowtail clear preference for live bait today. At his first drop, caught his first fish – and to his surprise, it came up as a lingcod! After several shorts from jetties, he finally caught his first legal one. Ironically, it happened on our yellowtail trip as opposed to our planned upcoming Channel Islands trip that’s specifically targeting lingcod! Soon after, he also caught a sculpin.
Similarly, I surprisingly hooked onto a fish at the bottom that clearly didn’t have the same zooming back and forth fight as a yellowtail. Expecting a big vermillion red, I was delighted to find that I too had caught my first lingcod!

Lingcod caught at Coronado Islands Mexico

Final Word on Why the Pacific Voyager is Fantastic

Pacific Voyager, it’s been a pleasure! Thanks for helping me catch my first 15lb+ Yellowtail!

Kudos to the amazing crew on the Pacific Voyager! The captain tried his hardest to find the finicky, elusive, and quick moving yellowtail schools and the awesome deckhands provided the best service we’ve ever had so far. Many of the fishermen abroad were clearly familiar with the crew and vise versa – and, no wonder, great service means repeat trips and the reputation to be fully booked out on charters.

4 reasons why we recommend the Pacific Voyager:

1. Awesome Captain

The most important factor in whether a party boat trip will be successful or not is how good the captain is. Captain Mark Oronoz was energetic and very communicative about how he was angling for the right position for the Yellowtail schools to come by.
- He tried his hardest to find them, going back and forth in the waters around Coronado Islands. And when the bite wasn’t happening (whether it’s due the schools zooming by too quickly or not reacting due to those annoying fish-stealing seals), there was no rest for the weary – with exclamations of disappointment, off we went again!
- After having gone on many lesser party boats that stalled at the same old spots for way overlong periods of time, we admired and appreciated this dedication to finding us the best fishing opportunities, however dynamic they were.

2. Knowledgeable Deckhands

Deckhands in general have a tough customer service job – always out on the waters helping with tangles, gaffing & bagging fish, and chumming the waters with baitfish. And let’s be honest, there’s a wide range of us on the boats – from newbies to old hands, and we aren’t always so polite and respectful! The service was truly stellar.
- A deckhand quickly assisted me all three times when I was hooked onto a yellowtail. It was invaluable to have someone coaching me, helping me adjust the drag as needed, and, most importantly, directing traffic with the other fishermen as the fish pulled drag up and down the boat.
- All the deckhands on the boat were friendly and supportive, celebrating everyone’s success! And they truly all got along as well, ribbing each other during the down periods.

3. Experienced Clients

Those old hands who are in the know clearly flocked to this full day trip with Pacific Voyager when it opened up. I met many interesting fellow fisherman on this trip, which always enhances a party boat trip. They also are the best people to learn from as they are generous with sharing tips and tricks (although tales tend to get bigger with every retelling!):
- Top Mac shared his life story from serving for our nation (and hurt 3 times while deployed) to how he retired twenty years ago and took up fishing despite being allergic to seafood.
- Another gentleman shared that he jumped on the Pacific Voyager for this full day trip, but typically only does charters. He also shared tips on which outfitters to go with closer to LA.

4. Vessel with Premium Fishing Equipment

This boat is outfitted with a RSW (Refrigerated Saltwater System) to keep any fish caught fresh. They work by spraying 30 degree chilled water on and around your fish. RSWs rarely exist on 1-day party boats so it was huge plus that the Pacific Voyager boasted such a system (required for its more typical multi-day fishing charters).

We highly recommend this boat, and can’t wait to be back for more Mexican water adventures (perhaps on a charter one day!).

Seaforth Marina San Diego — Beautiful sunset as we got back to dock. Until next time, Seaforth Landing!

Featured

Surf Fishing: Surf Perch 101

Surf Fishing 101: Surf Perch

Learn the basics of surf fishing – starting first with Surf Perch!

Introduction to Surf Fishing

Surf fishing may seem uncomplicated since you’re seemingly just casting off the beach, but it actually is pretty complex and nuanced to do well. You need to learn how to read the surf – where there might be structure underneath and troughs where fish congregate, and whether conditions are ideal for fishing (i.e. wave height, water clarity, tides, temperature and wind).

The easiest way to learn how to surf fish is to go for surf perch. Our favorite, most accessible area in the LA area to go for surf perch is at Emma Woods State Beach. Not only is it a beautiful beach with limited people, but it’s also a hot spot for surf perch!

Target Species – Barred Surf Perch (BSPs)

BSPs can be caught from San Diego all the way up to the Pacific North West and can get up to 16+ inches. They are the most commonly caught specifies of surf perch up and down the Pacific coast and prefer to inhabit beaches with long rolling waves. Once you hook into one, odds are there are a lot more around as they tend to travel is large schools.

Barred Surf Perch caught with Gulp Sandworm — Surf perch caught with Gulp sandworm

Base Supplies Needed for Surf Fishing

Long lightweight rod – A lighter rod is ideal since surf perch are relatively small. The lighter the rod, the more sensitive it is to any bites and also the more fun it is to reel in. The longer the rod, the farther you cast. You want your bait as far away as possible so you cover the most amount of water.
Spinner reel – I recommend spooling it with braid so that it’s more sensitive to to the light fish bites. However, make sure to add a mono top shot so that you don’t waste the precious (i.e. more expensive) braid in case you get stuck on a rock.
Terminal Tackle
- Egg sinkers 1/2 to 1 oz
- Red bead
- Barrel swivel
- 12 to 24 inches of 6-8lb fluorocarbon (low visibility abrasion resistant fishing line)
- Size 6 hooks (I use Owner mosquito)
Bait
- Gulp Sandworms are the most reliable bait to catch surf perch. These plastic baits mimic sandworms and are known to surf anglers as “fish crack”. They are best for specifically targeting surf perch.
- Sand crabs can be found in soft sand along the coast. These are our preferred bait as many surf species love to chomp on this abundant fish food source.
- Bloodworms or lugworms can be found at most tackle stores in little bait fridges. They have great scent and are a fish favorite, the downside is that they’re a bit delicate on the hook. Similar to sand crabs, they can also catch a wide variety of species.

Nice To Have Supplies for Surf Fishing

Sand Crab rake – The most irresistible bait to surf perch, as well as other kinds of surf fish is the sand crab. A juicy sand crab is what all surf fish are on the lookout for since sand crabs in the sand wash out naturally with each wave. You can dig for sand crabs with your hands, but a rake designed to filter out the sand easily is most efficient.
Waders – Depending on how you feel about the cold Pacific waters, waders may make surf fishing much more pleasant. The further out you get into the surf, the less distance you need to get with your casting. I personally am naturally less sensitive to the cold and do not yet own waders. I’ve survived surf fishing even in the winter by wearing a fishing skirt and surfing booties. On the other hand, my brother swears by the waders I gifted him one Christmas. And even then, he still complains about how cold it is!

Surf Fishing with Waders — Bro caught a small surf perch while wearing waders

When and Where to Surf Fish for Surf Perch

There are many factors that go into ideal surf fishing conditions. It definitely takes time to learn how to read the surf!

Surf height – Surf fishing is best when the water is relatively flat and there are low currents. Low surf means it’s easier to get out there to cast out and feel the line.
Wind speed – If it’s super windy, forget it! Not only is it miserable out of the water, but it will be impossible to feel your line for the few fish that decide to be out feeding.
Temperature – Warmer waters relative to prior days tend to bring fish out to feed. That being said, recent rain is no good because the runoff makes the water murky. Clarity of water is ideal since it makes your bait more visible.
Structure – Quite simply, structure refers to underwater rocks and reefs that create a concentrated ecosystem for fish to thrive. Fish like to hang out and feed in areas with structure since that’s naturally where there’s more happening in terms of food. It often is an area where the water is deeper, making it a safer spot for fish to hang as well as ambush prey.
Tide – Changing tides are better conditions since the change brings in new feeding conditions and new fish as well as natural bait that they feed on. High tide allows you to cast to structures that you previously spotted at low tide.
Seaweed – This is hard to predict until you get there and cast out. Nothing is more annoying than casting out and hauling in a bunch of seaweed. The solution is to simply walk further down the beach until seaweed no longer becomes an issue.
Time of Day – Sunrise and sunset are the best times to fish, but the other factors override in terms of importance.

Surf Fishing at Emma Woods State Park — Surf fishing at Emma Woods State Beach

6 Steps to Surf Fish for Surf Perch

Rig Up
- Carolina rig – We recommend rigging up a Carolina rig for the most presentable bait. An ideal Carolina rig for surf perch is an 1/2 oz to 1 oz egg sinker and bead before a swivel, attached to a 12-24 inch fluorocarbon leader with a size 6 hook. Use a longer leader and lighter sinkers if waters are calm, whereas use a shorter leader and heavier sinkers (not too heavy, you want the bait to look natural in the wash of the surf) if the current is stronger to reduce tangles and keep your rig in contact with the bottom and the angler.
- Fish finder rig – When the current is very strong, we recommend using a fish finder rig with a 1-2 oz pyramid sinker. This is rig which uses a small plastic tubular piece, which helps prevents tangles and keeps the bait presentable.
Add Bait
- Gulp sandworms – This is the most reliable bait, ready to have on hand. For small surf perch, we recommend splitting it in half. Hook it through the thicker end so that the worm is straight and the hook just protrudes slightly from the middle.
- Live sandcrabs – If you see Vs in the sand when the water retreats, there’s a good chance that there are live sandcrabs! Use your hands or a rake to dig them up. To hook the sandcrab, hook it through the back exoskeleton so that the sandcrab is still alive and wriggles.
Cast Out
- First, try to get as far into the surf as much as you can bear the cold! This is where wearing the waders helps.
- To cast out, let the line down 2 ft or so and swing the rod back behind you.
- Wait for the leader to swing further back with momentum before catapulting the rod and leader forward.
- Once it lands in the water, wait a couple seconds for the bait to fall to the bottom before reeling in a bit to keep the line taught. Don’t worry if you don’t cast very far, it just takes practice. Also, anglers are often surprised at how close in surf perch are – if you cast too far you can outcast your targeted fish!
- Protip: Since I don’t have waders, I then step back a couple steps to keep the line taut and hop onto a rock to avoid the cold!
Hook the Fish and Reel It In
- When surf fish bite, it feels like a sudden tap. Yank up the pole a bit to hook it before reeling it in! It takes a little bit practice to distinguish between the current and tapping on the ground so don’t give up if you don’t get it at first.
- Make sure that you keep the pole up and bent to keep the tension on the line so that the fish remained hooked.
- One nuance of landing the fish in the surf is to be mindful of the waves crashing on the beach in while keeping the tension. Use the momentum of the waves to help you bring the fish in, don’t try to winch in the fish until right before next wave pushes your fish towards you. At the beginning, it can be easy (and frustrating) to lose the fish after you’ve already seen its white belly jumping in the surf!
Rinse and Repeat
- If you don’t get any bites after several minutes, just reel up and walk down the beach to cast out!
- Surf fishing is an active sport and you can’t just keep casting in the same area. Some trips, you might not catch anything. Other trips, the bite is hot!
- Once you cast into a honey hole and catch a fish, oftentimes there are many more fish to be caught in the same area so just keep aiming for the same spot!

Surf Perch caught with a fish finder rig

Surf Fishing Recap

While surf fishing is more complex than it looks, it’s one of the most accessible and relaxing ways to fish. Just get your rod and head on out to the beach and give it a try!

Ps. If you’re looking for double the fun, we actually like to go surf fishing in the late afternoon through dusk and then set up for some crabbing after a pit stop at In N’ Out!

Dungeness Crabbing in Oregon

Dungeness Crabbing in Oregon

Learn how to Dungeness crab for the first time.. at least in Newport, Oregon!

Female Dungeness Crab and Red Rock Crab — Large female Dungeness crab and small Red crab, caught with chicken legs!

I recently went on my first solo road trip – from LA to Oregon! I’ve never really explored Oregon before and was excited to immerse myself in all the stunning nature – hiking, camping, fishing and, for the first time, crabbing!

Thanks to my friend, Grace, I was particularly excited about trying my hand at Dungeness Crabbing. She said it was her favorite memory of Portland, which inspired me to revamp my itinerary to check out the Oregon coast.

Supplies Needed for Dungeness Crabbing

Crabbing ring – I ordered this online and brought it with me, but you can easily rent. There are varying kinds of crabbing rings – the basic collapsible one worked just fine! However, if you’re ready to invest in multiple crabbing and/or lobstering adventures, the Promar Ambush Hoop Nets that have some structure like a basket are more effective.
Crab gauge (i.e. ruler) – I ordered this online and brought it with me, but it’s likely provided by any outfitter that you go with. Note that regulations for Dungeness on minimum length varies by state.
Bait bag – While I also ordered this online and brought it with me, you can easily rent. Note that in some areas, like in Southern California, seals will be looking for a free lunch so it’s worth considering a seal –proof canister.
Bait – I bought close-to-expiration chicken drumsticks from the local Grocery Outlet. For optimal results, recommend fresh smelly and/or oily fish, like Bonito. Bonus if you catch them yourself – they tend to give a good fight!
Ice chest – I recommend coming ready with ice so that you can optimize how long the crabs will live after you catch them! Ice slows down their metabolism. Make sure that that the melted water doesn’t drown them though! Dead crabs should not be eaten as the bacteria attacks the meat rather quickly.
Optional: At night, bringing a headlamp and lantern makes crabbing so much easier. Also, if you’re queasy about grabbing the crabs from the back (like me!), I brought a pair of tongs.

Where to Crab?

No shame in googling for the best local spots! Crabbing is typically done simply on the pier or can also be set up via a boat.

When to Crab?

Look up the tides. Slack tide (i.e. around the height of high tide or low tide) is the best time to go crabbing since they’re most active then, scavenging for food.
Pro tip: it’s best to go crabbing at night! Less competition from other crabbers, and also you can escape the heat of the sun.

7 Steps to Dungeness Crabbing Off the Pier

Prepare the bait: Put 5 or so chicken drumsticks into the bait bag. Tie both ends to the bottom of the crab ring.
Secure the crab ring to the pier: Before the initial throw, do a simple loose knot on the pier with plenty of rope. It’s hard to estimate just how much rope is needed, and you can adjust the knot as needed.
Hold up the crab ring properly: Grab the crab ring like a frisbee. Make sure you grab the netting next to the the bottom of the crab ring so that it’s taut and the bait is horizontally balanced as much as possible.
Throw out the crab ring: Twist and throw, like a frisbee! The first time will feel strange and scary. You’ll know if you threw a good one if it seems to fling out horizontally and land with the bait bag still firmly in the middle, right side up. You want to put a good amount distance from the pier, if possible, for more optimal chances (and away from competitive crabbing traps!).
Pull up the crab ring: Pull up steadily after 15-20 minutes – make sure that you don’t tip the net and cause crabs to escape. Readjust the timing, depending on how many are caught (that is, if you’d rather not get a workout hauling up pounds and pounds of crabs to sort through!).
Sort the crabs for keepers: Yay! You did it. Now it’s time to sort the crabs. Depending on the appropriate state regulations for Dungeness crabs, you’ll need to sort the males and females, and/or measure the size. For example, in Oregon, 12 males per day are keepable – and they need to be a minimum of 5 3/4″ across the crab’s back. All female crabs need to be released in Oregon, unlike California. To tell the gender of the crab, look at the back butt area. Male crabs have a long thin shape, whereas female crabs have a rounded shape.
Keep or release: Use the tongs (or grab them from the back to avoid their pinchers) to place the keepers into the ice chest. Throw back the crabs so that they can live another day (not forcefully from a tall height though so that they the impact doesn’t break them!)

Crabbing is relatively easy, relaxing and fun! It’s pretty immediate gratification, versus fishing which is much more nuanced. I had such a blast crabbing solo that I went back for slack tides the next day, in the daytime and at night.

Newport Oregon Crabbing with Chicken Drumsticks — Spoiler alert: I caught 10-15x more crabs per throw at night, than in the daytime!

Deep Sea Fishing: Bottom Fishing

Deep Sea Fishing:

Bottom Fishing for Rockfish

Learn why the easiest way to start deep sea fishing is by bottom fishing for rockfish

Rockfishing — Double Reds while fishing near Cape San Martin

Deep sea fishing may sound intimidating, between the early morning call times (i.e. 5 or 6am) and heavy duty rods/gear.

However, the easiest way to try out (and fall in love with) deep sea fishing is to go bottom fishing for rockfish.

Bottom fishing off of Dana Point for sculpin was the entry point fo us to discover deep sea fishing in California – we were hooked after just one Scuplin trip!

Why? Let me step back first to explain the main three deep sea fishing techniques.

Types of “Deep Sea Fishing” or fishing trips through landings

Bottom Fishing for Rockfish – Bottom fishing is exactly what it sounds. You drop your line all the way to the bottom – it can be as shallow as 150ft, but more likely 250-350ft. Typically, the captain of the boat will look for structure (meaning rocks where fish will likely congregate, hide and feed) and fish activity. Once the anchor goes down, he’ll announce how many feet down it is, and what type of bait to use. Usually it’s cut up squid. Depending on the fish that you’re going for, you may also end up using jigs (i.e. artificial baits) to attract certain species.
Fly-Lining – I consider Fly-Lining to be much more difficult. A party boat typically stops at the bait barge in the harbor to load up on live bait, such as small sardines or mackerel. Fly-lining is the technique of hooking this live bait in a way that the fish bait is still alive and freely swims once you drop or cast it out. You want the liveliest bait that happens to swim away from the boat
Surface-Jigging – Surface jigging is probably the most difficult and technical of all. Essentially you are casting out artificial irons on the surface of the water and reeling it back in a way that mimics live bait. It requires a considerable amount of research in understanding what types of fish like what kind of looking bait, whether color, size, depth of water, etc. It also requires a huge amount of investment in terms of buying all different types of surface irons, including different colors for different times of day! However once you master the finesse of surface jigging, you can essentially fish anything in any condition.

As you can see, this is why bottom fishing is the easiest! You hook up some bait. Drop it all the way to the bottom. And then wait for the fish to bite! Of course, it will take practice to truly “feel” what would be a hookable bite vs a nibble vs even just the current.

Bottom Fishing for Rockfish 101

Rockfish refers broadly to the types of fish that lives among rocks at the bottom of the ocean. There are many different types – some are better eating than others!

Most common types of rockfish caught:

Vermillion Rockfish – In Southern California, the most commonly targeted rockfish is also one of the tastiest – Vermillion Reds. Those caught range from baby to rather large. They get to be humongous when caught in Central California, where waters contain a lot more structure and can be more protected and less overfished. These fish are commonly found at the supermarket. When caught, they typically do not fight and can be rather easily reeled up.
Brown Rockfish – In Southern California, the Brown Rockfish caught typically doesn’t get very big. However, I’m always excited when I reel these up because they are my favorite to eat! The smaller the fish, the more tender and delicate. Other similar rockfish include Canary Rockfish, Starry Rockfish and Copper Rockfish, but they are less common in SoCal waters than Vermillion and Brown.

Boccacio Rockfish – These fish are fun to reel up because they are comparatively huge in Southern California waters, and give you a chance at jackpot. However, they are the least delicious out of all of the fish. They typically can be found 3 to 15 cranks or so above the bottom.

Scuplin – Be careful reeling these up! The fins are poisonous and extremely painful for hours. These fish are rather ugly, but are perfect in fish tacos. They live in the rocks and often will try to run back into their rock home. This can cause some momentary confusion as to whether you actually hooked a fish, or if you in fact got stuck on some rock. Just keep reeling it in! If you don’t, and the line goes slack, the fish can end up unhooking itself. I still think about this ginormous mystery rockfish that I lost due to doubting myself.
Lingcod – This is now one of my favorite fish to catch and eat, since the meat is so delicate, tender and tasty. They have a vicious bite and are perhaps the most prized sportfish out of the rockfishing category! Often known as “Lings.” Some perceive them as ugly, but others see the beauty in their multi-colored variants.

Ocean Whitefish – This fish is often found in the same structures as vermillions, and are often in schools. We often cook this fish in fish soup as it has a flaky white texture that holds together well but isn’t quite as tasty as vermillions or brown rockfish.
Sheepshead – Sheepshead are really delicious, and often prefer shrimp as bait but may also get caught on squid. They are particularly desirable sportfish and are fun to reel up as well! Black and red, they often are rather large fish in deep SoCal waters.

Best bets for bait:

Squid – Strips of squid are hardy and effective! Scuplin like squid heads more, whereas Vermillion, brown, canary and copper rockfish do just fine on squid strips.
Plastic swimbaits – If you don’t have squid, a good alternative would be to try a variety of plastic swimbaits for sculpin. Even better if you add a little scent with a piece of squid on the hook!
Live sardines – While squid are preferred by vermillion reds and other similar rockfish, sardines are preferred by fish like bocaccio. At the end of the day, fish mostly prefer to eat bait fish that swims, smells and tastes like food!

Please always check the latest regulations as to how many fish, and of which variety, may be kept! In our opinion, bottom fishing for rockfish on a party boat is the most fun and easiest way to get into deep sea fishing. It’s a relatively small learning curve since it’s just dropping to the bottom, the fish are eager to bite once the captain finds the structure, and the fish are delicious to eat!