3/4 Day SD Charter Boats

[shawny]

Hey everybody!

So I'm one of those lurkers on BWE, hoping to invest in a Hobie "soon"... Anyway, my buddies and I are planning to celebrate my friend's 30th B-Day by going on a 3/4 day boat in SD next Saturday 4/12 to see if we can score some Yellowtail if they are around. There are 9 of us.

Any suggestions or thoughts regarding which boat we should go out on? So far we're still trying to choose amongst: the Malihini out of H&M, the Mission Belle out of Point Loma, or the San Diego out of Seaforth. I believe all three boats basically fish the same vicinity, so it will probably come down to the captain, deckhands, boat spaciousness, and overall customer service.

About half of us are more "experienced" boat anglers (primarily rockfishing). Other half have experience, but not as much. Half of us will be using yoyo and surface irons (Salas 6x Jr, 7x Jr, 7x Lite, Candy Bar, etc) and the other half will be flylining sardines.

If YT are out there, we just really want to score a few.. or at least one... so the birthday boy can go home happy. I know most of you guys probably fish the yak exclusively (so jealous..) but hopefully some of you have some insight!

Thanks in advance!

Fish On,
Shawn

[momo fish]

Been on all three and I'm picky about service by crew. San Diego all the way.

[ful-rac]

I'd go with the san diego. Easier and better parking. Bigger and more comfortable boat. Besides it's very close to OEX Mission bay!! You could pick up your new kayak on the way home!!!

[double p]

this is a no-brainer, the san diego all the way. best captain and crew, and easiest parking. capt. booger is not afraid to burn fuel to find the fish. if they're out there, he'll find them.

[Dannowar]

San Diego

[YakDout]

Little tip for your flylining:
If you want your bait to swim down, try hooking the bait toward the back on the underside.
Also a 1/2 bullet weight would help get your bait down too, especially if it is a little windy. No swivel, just a 1/2 oz sliding weight right down to the hook. Good luck, I know the Nados have been producing recently.


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[William Novotny]

What does a run on the San Diego cost?

[buddha]

Originally Posted by William Novotny

What does a run on the San Diego cost?

Here you go.

https://booking.seaforthlanding.com/sales/

[William Novotny]

Originally Posted by buddha

Here you go.

https://booking.seaforthlanding.com/sales/

Thanks just looked it up. That's a great rate considering your Mexican license and tourist visa is included in the price. I'm thinking I might go on one. Any suggestions on what setups to bring?

[buddha]

Originally Posted by William Novotny

Thanks just looked it up. That's a great rate considering your Mexican license and tourist visa is included in the price. I'm thinking I might go on one. Any suggestions on what setups to bring?

I would think three setups.

Live bait
Yo yo
Surface iron

It is a good rate for sure.

[WildernessWanker]

Been on many boats and didn't know what I was missing out on until the San Diego. Definitely the right choice for many reasons

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[momo fish]

So everyone has said the San Diego. Seems pretty easy at this point. You could always ask on BD and watch everyone fight with each other about which boat is better

[CaliShark]

Originally Posted by momo fish

So everyone has said the San Diego. Seems pretty easy at this point. You could always ask on BD and watch everyone fight with each other about which boat is better

They would all agree on the San Diego also because it's that good.

[skrilla]

Gotta shout out JD on the Fisherman 3. Funny Capt and great crew. Usually charter this boat when the bites on. Nothing like fishing with 20 of your best friends while all the other boats are busy combat fishing with full loads.

[Fishwhisperer619]

Originally Posted by skrilla

Gotta shout out JD on the Fisherman 3. Funny Capt and great crew. Usually charter this boat when the bites on. Nothing like fishing with 20 of your best friends while all the other boats are busy combat fishing with full loads.

Not to sound like I'm bad mouthing the fisherman 3 but I'm yet to be on one of their trips and the boat be successful. The san diego works hard and the mahalini *typo* out of h&m does work too. You also get about 35-45 more mins fishing on a boat coming out of sd bay because its a closer trip

[skrilla]

Originally Posted by Fishwhisperer619

Not to sound like I'm bad mouthing the fisherman 3 but I'm yet to be on one of their trips and the boat be successful. The san diego works hard and the mahalini *typo* out of h&m does work too. You also get about 35-45 more mins fishing on a boat coming out of sd bay because its a closer trip

No worries. I can't tell you how many times I've been blanked on each of the 3/4 day boats including the San Diego. But I can say the same for the many epic trips I've had on those boats as well. In my experience all the SD based 3/4 day crews work hard. But they can't control the fish.

[johnnyblaze2009]

I would agree with the above. The San Diego is my favorite 3/4 day boat in the San Diego area.


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[buddha]

There are no guarantees in life or fishing.

One thing that will be guaranteed though is service and hard work trying to get fish for you.

Every boat will have their day and out fish the others.

One day the fish are there the next day they are not to be found.

Be glad that you are healthy enough and able to fish.

Enjoy your friends company on the trip.

[momo fish]

I'm a bit surprised as well about the counts this year. I follow them in past and let's just say it's very very odd the difference in count over prior years. I would still stay with San Diego as the captain is known for yellowtail as that is his speciality per say.

[shawny]

Update: My buddies and I ended up going on the San Diego this past weekend on the Saturday. It was a blast!

Quite a lot of people on the boat - 45 passengers. The boat caught 41 yellowtail, 5 lings, and 10 rockfish. Pretty much all the fish were caught on irons. Scrambled egg yoyos were hot hot hot!!

My buddies and I (8 people total) caught 7 yellowtail, 1 ling, and 2 reds. The biggest YT of the 7 we caught was a 39 incher (forklength) that was 22lbs. There were also 3 YT that were all the same size: all 37 inches (forklength) and all around 20lbs. Fun stuff!!

My buddy Sam caught 3 of the same-sized yellowtail.. all 37 inches and ~20lbs.


I caught the smallest yellowtail.. 29 inches and 9 lbs. still plenty fun!


We had 2 girls in our group of 8. Nicki (on the left) caught the biggest YT (the 22 lb'er) and Nancy (on the right) also caught a nice-sized YT. they got featured on Capt Ryan's Instagram!


Awesome deckhands + crew!




Baked yellowtail...mmm...


Prepping for Yellowtail sashimi


yum.........


Thanks again everybody for convincing us the San Diego was the way to go! We really enjoyed the boat, the captain, crew, the service,
and THE FISHING!!

Fish On,
Shawn