Ollie checing in from HM Landing as the 1/2 day trips picked away at the perch, sculpin and bass. The Top gun 80 still fishing and so far have 39 yellowtail on the boat with 25 fat lings, and 75 rockfish. Great whale watching on the Sea Adventure 80 and HM has plenty of trips lined up for you.

 

Ollie has all the info for you. Listen in then call 619-222-1144 for reservations.

 

Drew checking in for the Pacific Queen out of Fishemans Landing with just 14 anglers out today with 34 yellowtail, and 116 rockfish. 

 

They have trips going Sunday night and all wee long. Call now for info and reservations at 619-221-8550.

John checking in from the Pursuit out of 22nd Street Landing as they are back in action leaving daily at 6 am.

 

No one does it better than the Pursuit. Call for tri information and reservations at 310-832-8304.

Marina Del Rey Sportfishing checking in as the Spitfire didn't hit on the yellows today. They had 2 dculpin, 3 sandbass, and 15 perch. They will be back at it and on the hunt for the tail leaving at 6:30 every morning.

 

The 1/2 day on the New Del Mar picked up 2 yellows, 1 sandbass, and 27 perch.

 

Trips go daily. Call for reservations at 310*822-3625.

Mark checking in from Seaforth Landing as they heard fromthe Pacific Voyager finishing up a nice trip with 144 yellowtail and limits of rockfish. 

 

Just a reminder the rockfish opens back up tomorrow and Seaforth Landing has plenty of trips lined up for you. Call 619-224-3383 for all trip information and reservations.

 

Ray checking in from the Toronado out of Pierpoint Landing with a reminder of their 1.5 day rockfish opener leaving Saturday night February 28. 

 

They also have overnight trips leaving Tuesday night March 3 and Thursday night March 5.

 

Ray has all the info for you below. Call 562-983-9300 for more info and reservations.

 

The Oceanside 95 has trips going all week. They have a 3/4 day run for rockfish opener Sunday morning with 1/2 day and whale whatch trips going all week.

 

They also have overnight trips going on the weekend. Rick has all the info for you below. Listen in then call Helgrens for reservations at 760-722-2133.

 

 Booking will be through Long Beach Sport Fishing at [link]

 Or call 619-432-8993 for reservations. 

 

 

For charter info, call Captain Mark directly at 619-518-8701.We are excited to be part of the Long Beach Sport Fishing team and are looking forward to this upcoming season in Long Beach!

 

The boat checked in so far with some bonito and yellowtail, they just got down to the Cortez from the Tanner and Jake said they have seen some boomer schools of Bluefin and have had some boils. Weather was choppy this morning, but now is nice, not even a whitecap and should remain that way for the afternoon, we will check back in later.

 

The Tribute is on the books for a Baja Freelance 1.5 day trip fishing Friday March 6th

 

Call the Seaforth Sportfishing at 619-224-3383 or Tribute office at 619-246-3114 for charter information and book the best dates today.

One spot just became available for the Triton's limited load open party Rockfish Opener. This trip is sponsored by Promar with a nice goodie bag for everyone aboard.

 

 

Boat departs Pierpoint Landing tomorrow morning at 5am and returns around 5pm. Only $100 per persons.

 

Book online at Tritonsportfishing.com or call Ryan at (310) 844-3814

 

 

By JIM MATTHEWS [link]

 

     The final 2014 numbers are in and the number of hunters and fishermen in California dropped to their lowest level in history last year. I think the Department of Fish and Wildlife can pat itself on the back for its monumental effort to drive sportsmen away from hunting and fishing in an unprecedented way.

 

     These are the numbers: In 2014, there were 990,447 annual resident sportfishing licenses sold in this state. This is only the second time the number has dropped below 1 million (the last time in 2011, when it missed the mark by 32 licenses). Throughout the 1970s and into the mid-1980s, annual fishing license sales exceeded 2 million each year, and the peak sales year was in 1981 when just under 2.3 million were sold. As an interesting note, during that time, fishing license sales were almost exactly 10 percent of the state's growing population. License sales continued to grow on pace with the population until the mid-1980s when the sales numbers began to steadily decline.

 

     While there might still be a few more hunting licenses sold between now and the end of the license year the end of June, the numbers for the 2014-15 year look like they will drop below 245,000 for the first time, setting a new, all-time low mark. While DFW on-line data doesn't go back before 1970, I have read that hunting license sales peaked in the late 1960s at about 700,000 (there were just under 691 thousand sold in 1970). Numbers have declined steadily ever since. Numbers hovered around 500,000 per year in the 1970s and then declined into the 1980s. They dropped below 400,000 for the first time in 1988 and below 300,000 in 1997. There has been a downward trend of 4,000 to 5,000 per year since then.

 

      Amazingly, the agency's revenue from sportsmen has continued to grow even as our numbers dwindle. They gouge us with increased license and tags fees, permits or stamps also have annual increases, and there are new individual fees each year for just about anything we might want to hunt or catch. With the money the same or increasing, do you think the state agency cares our numbers are declining? Do they care enough to do something about it?

 

     Absolutely not.

 

     The DFW is in charge of selling a great 'product,' and if the staff wanted to refocus its management, reduce the regulatory burden on hunters and fisherman, and initiate a private-sector type marketing program (like the state has done for Covered California, the health care debacle), they could increase license sales by a minimum of 50 percent in three years. I happen to believe the reality is that they don't want to increase our numbers again, and they are certainly not investing any of its funding to do so. They don't want more people looking over their shoulders. They don't want more accountability.

 

     When fishermen represented 10 percent of the population and hunters were four or five percent of the state's population, we were a significant 'constituency' group that mattered to Sacramento legislators, so we also mattered to the DFW and Fish and Game Commission's political appointees. A phone call or letter to a representative about declining trout plants or changes in a hunting season meant the DFW and FGC would be called out and there was accountability. 

 

     Today, no so much.

 

     There are legislators today who probably don't know the state plants trout for anglers. Why should they? Anglers are now just 2 1/2-percent of the population, and hunters represent barely a half-percent of the people in the state.

 

     To the rest of the state's population the DFW is supposed to represent when it comes to non-game and endangered or threatened species, most can't tell you who or what the DFW does. They don't know its Fish and Wildlife that are supposed to be the watch dogs that protect wildlife and habitat. If they did know that, they would gasp in horror and the incompetent job the agency is doing. Why? Because there is no accountability.

 

     Just the condor program is a prime example. The state is supposed to be the coordinator of a broad-based coalition of scientists and researchers from private, state and federal agencies working with this critically endangered bird. After 35 years of supposedly intensive study, we still really have no idea of where or what condors eat in the wild. With all of the birds wearing markers and most with radio telemetry gear so we can track their movements and location, we still only have anecdotal information on where and how they feed in the wild. There has never been a food study done on condors.

 

     This is a critical omission when you have been telling everyone for two decades that lead poisoning from the condor's food is their biggest threat to recovery. And that lead poisoning -- they have and continue to say -- is caused by lead ammunition remnants left in game gut piles and carcasses discarded by hunters. But then we banned lead ammunition for hunting in condor country, there was a real shocker. It didn't help. The ban worked for other scavenging birds. Golden eagles and vultures saw their background lead levels decline or disappear. Condors? The after-ban data shows the condors are still getting lead in the same amounts. Now, the so-called experts are scrambling trying to make the data fit the disproven theory. They are grasping at straws: 'Hunters must not be complying.' 'Poachers are still using lead.' But all the excuses beg the simple question. It's working for eagles and vultures, why isn't it for condors? Well, it appears the simple answer is that the assumption about condor lead coming from ammunition was at least partially wrong, mostly wrong.

 

     Has the DFW said, 'Whoa, we need to finally, once-and-for-all, do a condor food study and see where this lead is coming from'?

 

     No, they are mismanaging endangered species like they have the resources -- the hunted and fished species -- that could make them a mint in license sales if those populations of game and fish were optimized.

 

     I won't name names here, but there was once a do-nothing biologist I knew in the 1980s (an anomaly back then, because the biologists with the DFG then were mostly hard-working, dedicated troops) that became the butt of a joke. I used to say, 'Put him in charge of desert tortoise if you want to assure they go extinct.' He pretty much represents how the entire agency functions today. There are a lot of biologists (excuse me, they are all now 'environmental scientists') who would love to get back in the field and do good things for wildlife, but they are handcuffed today by bureaucrats and supervisors who don't want to fight the good fight. They are handcuffed by decades of regulations and rules that no one questioned when they were implements. They are handcuffed and lack of funding (read that 'lack of funding' line to mean, 'misappropriated funding spent elsewhere on something that doesn't really benefit anyone or anything in the state').

 

     In a recent press release, the DFW director hailed one of the top accomplishments of the agency: Wildlife nanny. He didn't use that term, but he was proud of the time his biologists and wardens wasted on problem wildlife calls. Mountain lions, bears, and other potentially dangerous critters would enter urban California and need 100s of man-hours of time to be tranquilized, caged, and relocated. For many animals, they would end up in the same situation a week or two later. That is an accomplishment? Wildlife nannies: That's what the DFW has become, a feel-good agency all fuzzy and warm and politically correct.

 

     The wildlife nannies (aka DFW) don't have the gumption to tell the public that those critters should get a load of 00-buckshot and a necropsy. Potentially dangerous wildlife coming into urban California is a problem we don't want to give another opportunity to hurt someone. They come because they are looking for food; because the population is saturated, and they can't find food or a home range outside of urban California. They come because we've mismanaged the lion, bear, and other wildlife populations beyond all recognition. They keep coming because we want to do the feel-good thing instead of the right thing. But it's one of the agency's key accomplishments?

 

    They have lost their way. And only a handful of us remember or care what the agency should be doing or why. Hunting and fishing license sales are the big picture they refuse to see or address.

Thanks Hot Dog, for coming down and teaching us kids how to do it!! 

Contact Jodie for details about charter and trips: 858-220-1593 E-mail

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Welcome Aboard The Constitution

 

It's been 110 days since this project started, but we are finally complete and very proud of our work.

The Constitution is ready to go.

 

Every crewman between the Ranger 85 and Coral Sea has poured tremendous effort into this, and it shows.

2015, here we come. 

 

Stop by and see us at the Fred Hall Show in Long Beach this coming week, and reserve your trips for the season.

 

We look forward to seeing you onboard,

Frank

 

Marina Del Rey Sportfishing checking in with more good action today. The 3/4 day Spitfire came home with 18 yellowtail. The New Del Mar 1/2 day trip picked up 22 yellowtail, 2 sand bass, 8 sculpin, and 44 perch.

 

Trips go daily. Call 310-822-3625 for info and reservations.

 

Some of the yellow tail caught this morning on a chartered trip. We lost more than we could count. It's late February and the yellow tail are still around. 

 

We are back on our winter schedule starting tomorrow.

John is live from the Spitfire as they finished up today going 18 for 25 on the yellowtail to 33 pounds.

 

They go again in the morning and every morning leaving at 6:30. John has all the info and tackle tips for you below. Call 310-822-3625 for reservations.

 

The Gail Force has 2 spots available for tomorrow nights twilight harbor lobster hoop netting trip. Boat departs at 6pm and returns around 11pm. Limited to 10 passengers at $75 per person.

 

 

Also there are 3 spots left for a Full Day Catalina Island Cod/Lobster trip departing on Monday March 2nd at 1pm and will return around 1am. Cost is $160 per person limited to only 10 passengers.

 

Book online at Gailforcesportfishing.com or call Ryan at (310) 844-3814 and may the Gail Force be with you.

 

The Spitfire 3/4 day run out of Marina Del Rey Sportfishing on the Yellows again this morning. 

 

They lost a few but have 18 nice fish on the boat so far and still fishing. Jeremy will give us an update later today.

 

Trips go daily leaving at 6:30 Call for reservations at 310-822-3625 and ask for the Spitfire.

 

Sea Adventure 80 Sportfishing Co Where Fishing is Legendary

With the 2015 season fast approaching it's time to start thinking about your groups charter. The Legend will fish anywhere from the Channel Islands, Guadalupe, San Benito's, Cedro's 
Islands. She features a huge live bait capacity comparable to the biggest sportfishing  vessels. 

 

The Legend is ideal for outings of 8 to 36 people. The Legend has a full galley preparing hot delicious food to enjoy while out  on the water. Our 6-ton freezer will store your fish until we get to the dock.

 

Two 50 Inch flat screen TV with satellite hooked up.

 

This popular option is for small to Large groups and is often booked well in advance. 

Call the Legend office at 760-753-8394 for charter information and book the best dates today.

 

Sea Adventure II has a knowledgeable staff to provide you quality service. The friendly and experienced crew has a desire to make your fishing experience a memorable and fun filled trip to remember. The modern galley seats up to 24 and offers the all creature comforts of home including two flat panel TVs with Satellite Television and Sat Phone, Ice Maker and Soda Fountain. The boat sleeps 42 passengers in an air conditioned bunk room. There are two heads with hot showers. The vessel is U.S.C.G. inspected and is a equipped with all of the most up to date safety equipment and electronics . For exciting fishing adventures from San Diego to Baja, book your next charter or open party trip onboard the Sea Adventure II.

 

Then call 760-753-8394 to book before the best dates are gone.

 

https://booking.seaforthlanding.com/sales/?boat_id=15

Pacific Queen has an open party 1.5 day leaving tonight at 7pm. Fishing Colonet for yellows and rockfish. Cost is $260pp (includes permits). Call Fisherman's Landing at (619) 221-8500 for reservations or purchase your tickets online at: [link]

 

 

Going to be a great trip! Fishing continues to be excellent. We're now booking charters for this season. Call (714) 720-6973.

 

Good morning anglers, just a reminder that the Grande is a definite go for tonight's 1.5 day Colnett yellowtail/rockfish trip! 

 

 TRIP IS A GO

 

I'm sure many are wondering about this weekends weather so here is a photo of the wind forecast for Saturday morning at 10am which has been bite time on the yellows. Looks like 5 knots of wind. While there might be a few showers, the weather actually looks great and we are going fishing! 

 

Plenty of room still available, please call 619-223-1627 to join the fun! Remember it's not Big It's Grande.

 

A difficult fishing week for the anglers and crews that reflected three red flag days of rough and bumpy weather conditions that caused the port to be closed on Thursday, Friday & Saturday. However, by Sunday, all was back to regular fishing and the weather had settled considerably and the fish were biting once again. According to our local, Puerto Morelos Reporter, Ms. Jessica Ortega, there were partly cloudy to cloudy days with some scattered showers Thursday thru Sunday and varying from A.M. to P.M. The overall fish counts were reduced due to the shorter fishing week but still included a 24 fish mixed bag catch. The landings reflected 1 sailfish, 15 dorado, 27 bonito, 4 giant barracuda, 2 blackfin tuna, 2 Spanish mackerel, 1 wahoo, 1 needlefish, 10 cane, 1 remora, 1 grouper, 1 mojarra, 9 cochinas, 2 pipefish, 2 jack crevalle, 11 soapfish, 1 coronado, 15 banana fish, 20 snappers, 7 triggerfish, 13 cuchas, 5 chack-chi and 22 rubias for a total of 23 days fished. 

 

PM Climate: Temperatures that varied from 70 nights to 85 daytime highs and an average of 75% humidity level for the week with partly cloudy to mostly cloudy days and scattered showers from Thursday thru Sunday at varying times from A.M. to P.M. 

 

Sea Conditions: Re-settled and fishable with surface breezes flowing in from the easterly directions at an average of 12 mph. Water temps stable at 80 degrees throughout the area.

 

 Best Bait: The seemingly always available ballyhoo continues to be the bait of choice for this area and the availability continues to be more than sufficient on a daily fresh caught basis.

Our local, on the spot, reporter for the Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo area, Captain Temo Verboonen, reports some changes for the area with the fishing this past week. He let us know that the sailfish seemed to have moved to warmer waters as that action had slowed down. On the other-hand, he said the yellowfin tuna have swung in closer to the shoreline at the 22 mile mark, and have been eager to bite. The bigger tuna have been solitary biters and seem to like the rigged trolling baits we prepare for the billfish. There have been some quality sized fish in the 130 lb. ranges, (60 kg) along with an occasional blue marlin in the mix. So, the trade from sailfish to yellowfin tuna is a welcome change for the anglers and the crews and we look forward to a continued bite. The inshore fishing is really good for the big jack crevalle and some bonito but the roosterfish have gone into hiding. All in all, it's been a good and successful fishing week from Zihuatanejo.

 

 IZ Climate: Air temps varied from 66 nights to 90 daytime highs and an average humidity level at 61%. We've had a bright, sunny and warm week with clear days and perfect evenings. Sea Conditions: Tropical surface breezes flowing in from the westerly direction and averaging about 9 mph. Sea temps fairly stable at 81 degrees from inshore to offshore. Water is green inshore and cleaning up offshore at about the 15 mile mark. 

 

Best Fishing Area: Just past the 20 mile mark out front of the Bay for the yellowfin tuna and a shot at the blue marlin, in the deep blue waters. 

 

Best Bait/Lure: Live bait has been best for the inshore fishing for the big jack crevalle. The offshore tuna catches are being made on the rigged trolling baits and artificials, especially the bigger tuna feathers. 

 

Bait Supply: Excellent for both, fresh baits for rigging and live bait at $5.00 per dozen.

Our up-to-the-minute reporter for The Aries Sportfishing Fleet, Ms. Kitcia Cejas, forwarded another great fishing report for the Mazatlan area for the offshore and inshore fishing results for the past week. Her report for the offshore waters reflected a total of 28 days fished that produced 7 stripers, (2 released) 6 sailfish, (2 released) and 14 dorado, amounting to a 46% average for billfish landings. The inshore super pangas reporting in for a total of 11 days fished reflected 2 dorado, 52 permit, 54 rock perch, 4 skipjack tuna, limits of snappers and limits of triggerfish. It was another week of fast action for the inshore super pangas and limit style fishing was the "order of the day" for the anglers. 

 

Mazatlan Climate: Air temps varied between 54 nights to 80 degrees for daytime highs and an average of 57% humidity level. It was mostly sunny and warm days with cooler evenings and mornings. 

 

Sea Conditions: Water temps ranged from 78-79 degrees from inshore to offshore. Surface breezes were flowing in mostly from the westerly directions at about a 10 mph average fishing day with light swell conditions. 

 

Best Fishing Area: The billfish were scattered about in the offshore waters and ranged from about 15 miles to 25 miles. There was no real concentration of billfish in any area.

 

 Best Bait, Lure: Rigged baits were working well on both, the billfish and dorado with an occasional dorado taken on an artificial. 

 

Bait Supply: The local bait supply continues to be readily available for fresh rigging baits and for live baits. Rigging baits are provided with the charter and live baits are $1.00 per bait and paid direct to the bait vendor at time of receipt.

Unfortunately, it was another week of difficult fishing from Cabo

San Lucas and the billfish action was almost non-existent for most of the boats

throughout the area.  Catching a billfish this past week was which angler, boat

or crew, had the biggest horse shoe tucked away in their tackle locker.  The

overall fish counts for a total of 18 days reflected 1 striper, (released) 2

wahoo, 3 skipjack tuna, 3 Sierra and 35 mackerel.  "Fish Cabo", skippered by

Captain Gil Marquez, landed the only striper and added a dozen dorado to his 2

days of fishing. 

 

It's that time of year when the water temps start to

change, typically getting cooler with lots of changing currents in the land's

end area and while we are seeing some of this change develop, the water temps

are still above normal for late February.  What w have yet to see this year is

the accumulation of schools of greenback mackerel on the Golden Gate and at the

Cabo Falso Drop Off and we can only hope they are still going to arrive.  The

prime bait fish are normally on location by mid-January but not yet being seen. 

The billfish typically show up in "force" with the mackerel bait schools so we

are still hoping to see that flurry develop.

 

Cabo Climate:  It was mostly

sunny and warm days with cooler mornings and evenings.  Air temps varied from 55

nights to 81 daytime highs and a 55% humidity level.

 

Sea Conditions:  Surface

breezes were flowing mostly from the westerly directions at an average of 13.6

mph rate for the week.  Temperatures on the Pacific side, from the Finger Bank

to Jaime Bank, was all at 72-73 degrees.  Outside the line from the Finger Bank

to Jaime Bank and close to the 1000 curve line, the temps rose to 75-76.  Cabo

Falso to Gorda Banks almost all at 74 and Gorda Banks to Los Frailes at

74-75.

 

Best Fishing Area:  There were none reported.  The boats fished far

and wide and on both sides of the peninsula for very little.

 

Best Bait/Lure: 

The crews were trying a bit of everything, live baits slow trolled, dead baits

from the outriggers, artificials and nothing was attracting the fish into the

patterns.

 

Live Bait Supply: A very good supply of caballitos at the $3.00per baitrate.

Now is the time to plan your Fathers day and or grad trip. 

 

The Commader headed up to Long Beach Sportfishing for a few months on a crew trip and a few happy anglers. The guys heading up had good yellowtail fishing and more.

 

The Commander has plenty of trips lined up for you with great fishing going on and lite loads. Call 562-432-5993 for all trip information and reservations.

 

Seaforth Landing checking in this evening with more great fishing on the 3/4 day run. The San Diego decked 64 yellowtail for the 25 anglers with 44 rockfish, and more to go with it. 

 

Good bass fishing on the 1/2 day trips with 125 bass, 5 sculpin, 1 bonito and 1 big halibut.

 

Trips go daily. Call for all trip information and reservations at 619-224-3383.

Jeremy checking in from the Spitfire out of Marina Del Rey Sportfishing with a little snap on the yellowtail today. They put 6 fish on the boat to 30 pounds and lost a few so come ready for action.

 

Trips go daily leaving at 6:30. Call for reservations at 310-822-3625 and hook up on the Spitfire. 

 

Aaron is checking in live from the Native Sun 1/2 day out of 22nd Street Landing with good fishin today and Aaron has all the info for you below.

 

Trips go daily and they will be back on 3/4 day runs next week. Call 310-832-8304 for trip information and reservations.

 

The Redondo Special  1/2 day run checking in as they were on the hunt for the yellowtail today with no luck. They did end up with 8 sculpin, 4 perch, and 10 calicos.

 

They will be back on the hunt for the tail tomorrow and are on line every day for 1/2 day runs. Call 310-372-2111 for trip info and reservations.

 

Hey gang Captain Chris Randel will be manning the H&M landing booth all 5 days at the huge Fred Hall show in Long Beach next week running from March 4th thru the 9th. Chris has some great early season trip specials offering a 20% discount on all open party trips from April thru June 30th 2015. Stop by the booth for details and booking information as our super discount is good for all spots on the boat with no limit till the boat is sold out! The Mighty Chief now has boat shirts and Tank Tops and we are blowing out the first round at the super low show price of only $15.00 and size or color while supply's last. Regular price on boat is $20.00. The Chief only has limited spots left for charters this season but our 2015 schedule is up and you can check it out at [link] for prices and details. Compare and save!