Through April, Kids Fish Free on Premier 1/2 Day trips when accompanied by a paid adult.
November 19th
November 19, 2015The Fisherman III 3/4 day and Old Glory 1.5 day trips are BOTH fishing offshore for TUNA!
November 14
November 14, 2015Good weather & good fishing for our 1/2 day trips today!
November 13
November 13, 2015Limits of Rock Cod & Yellowtail on the Old Glory’s Coronado Islands trip today!
November 13
November 13, 2015Great weather on tap in the coming days. Excellent fishing at the Coronados as well as offshore. Reserve your trip today!
Old Glory 3/4 Day Islands, Premier 1/2 Day Am and Pm, Lobster daily and 1.5 Offshore!
November 11th, 2015
November 11, 2015The Vendetta caught 2 Wahoo and 19 Yellowtail as well as a mixed bag of several other species of fish today!
November 11
November 11, 2015Great weather is on the horizon. Trips depart daily. Get yours today!
November 9, 2015
November 8, 2015Trips Scheduled to Depart Daily! Check the Trip Calendar & Book Yours Today!
November 7, 2016
November 7, 2015The Old Glory is returning tomorrow morning with 59 Yellowfin Tuna, 122 yellowtail, 32 bonito, 51 skipjack & 1 dorado!
The Malihini captured 38 yellowtail, 29 bonito, 23 rockfish, 12 skipjack, 12 calico bass & a sheephead!
November 6, 2015
November 6, 201532 yellowtail caught at the Coronado Islands today on the Old Glory!
Passports required!
November 6th, 2015
November 6, 2015The weekend weather looks great. Check out our complete schedule of trips!
The Wheelhouse Scoop, Legends of fall
November 4, 2015[fullwidth background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”0″ padding_right=”0″ hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]In the fall fishing is hot like our weather usually is and yet angler demand drops, just as folks erroneously think our temps should be. Despite the best and most exotic opportunities of the year, angler’s focus seems to shift. Some are busy with family, getting kids off to school. Others are thinking about big game and waterfowl and wing shooting.
Whatever the reasons are, the boat crews are left with open days and awesome fishing. In years past, some charter boats would make the pilgrimage northward to the Central Coast, following the fish and fishing to fill the hold with albacore for market.
Others, might run a crew trip here and there. The boat’s crew, and a few good friends from other boats get together and go. Perhaps a few calls go out to the good guys that helped them prepare for and make it through the season; the electronics guy that came down at 8 P.M. to fix the radar, investors and silent partners, the mechanic who in-framed the gen-set between trips, the window guy who got them the good-guy deal on new glass, or the carpenter who rebuilt the galley countertops.
Sometimes it’s fishing unsuitable for a boatful of weekend warriors, ops that had to be passed on such as a shot at bill-fish or big-eye. Perhaps it’s a new school of yellowfin, so vast and so hungry they bite anything thrown. Usually there is a story, because this is when the crazy stuff happens.
A few of the best will endure the years, attaining the quality of legend. The most extraordinary become sublime. Gaining grandeur and loosing detail in the many retellings, the tale attains a mythical aura. But most simply fade with time, as stories do.
This is a story not likely to fade.
Capt. Chuck Taft has been fishing, captaining charter boats since 1959. He is the brother of Bobby Taft of the Top Gun 80, and they are the sons of Capt. Spike Taft, who built and ran the speedy triple-screw charter boat Patrician, before becoming one of the most well respected marine surveyors in the industry.
Chuck has a son, Steven, a licensed captain too now. Chuck owns a small fleet of charter boats, the Legend, Sea Adventure II, Alicia, Jig Strike and Seeker, all of which run from H&M Landing in San Diego. But in all his years, he had never had the opportunity to catch a wahoo. Although extensive, his vast time at sea was almost exclusively inside of 4-day range. Son Steve hadn’t had a shot at one yet either.
This fall wahoo showed in numbers locally, first time he’s ever seen it. Although last fall brought the first few wahoo to the area, this season’s abundance is unprecedented. With the Legend having an open day, Chuck decided to take a shot at putting his son on his first ‘hoo, and perhaps get his first ever too.
October 15th, the plan was to head south to the Coronado Islands, he, son Steve, and a few good guys and crew, a total of 10 aboard, would go. The hope was to put a couple or three skinnies on deck for the day.
What they encountered was unbelievable. The story Chuck told sounded like Alijos Rocks in bite-mode, much more than ¾-day at The Islands. At 6:30 there were fish on the sonar. Turning on them and throwing bait brought the skinnies up charging through the wake. They got one on the wahoo bomb and one on a Raider jig. It got better from there. Taft said they had a couple of stops where they had 8 or 9 going at once. That’s everybody, but the man on the tank!
Oh, by the way, usually if you call for a gaff on a crew trip during full-speed fishing, nobodies coming; somebody’s handing you a gaff with their free hand. But in this case, no one’s one-handing a wahoo. Perhaps it was a good thing that half of all wahoo bites end up quickly escaping. They grab the iron hard with teeth so sharp they sink into metal. A ‘hoo will “dog-bone” a jig, and a few seconds and 30 yards of line later, simply let go.
One stop they started with 4 fish and only one stuck. Dragging the “Cow Bell” (Ballyhood’s 32-ounce Banchee A-Salt Weapon) and marauders they had 3 triple-jig-strikes, trolling into sonar marks, and a total of 9 stops for the morning. The fish came rocketing out of the wake and charging the corner. At one point Steve Taft had a fish eat the bomb just 5 feet from the boat.
By the end of the bite, the ten of them had boated 29 WAHOO from 40 to 75 pounds, AT THE CORONADOS! Many more had escaped, perhaps half, said Capt. Chuck. “There hasn’t been anything like this on a 1-day boat in all the years” he said. With an estimated 55-pound average weight, that’s better quality than most of the best of long-range razor-lip bites.
Most of the fish were caught on just 30- and 40-pound gear said Chuck. Live sardines fly-lined on wire, wahoo bombs and Raider jigs accounted for the bulk of them. Not only did Steve and Chuck Taft each catch their first wahoo ever, but Steve got his first full limit of ‘hoos.
That evening they were back out on a lobster hooping twilight trip and got 14 legal bugs, not bad day of local fishing!
Merit McCrea is saltwater editor for Western Outdoor News. A veteran Southern California partyboat captain, he also works as a marine research scientist with the Love Lab at the University of California at Santa Barbara’s Marine Science Institute. He can be reached at: [email protected].
CAPTIANS Rick Scott, (Ocean Odyssey) Chuck Taft and Steve Taft (Legend, Sea Adventure Sportfishing) with local wahoo, on a Legend ¾-day goof-off that hauled in 29 skinnies for 10 aboard.
LOCAL ‘hoo heros show what happens when anglers stay home and leave boat crews to go ¾-day fishing on their own.[/fusion_text][/fullwidth]
Oct 30th 2015
November 2, 2015IT’S NOT OVER!
- 95 YELLOWTAIL AND MORE CAUGHT ON THE MALIHINI!
- WE ARE FISHING 3/4 DAY AT THE CORONADO ISLANDS! DAILY DEPARTURES. PASSPORT REQUIRED.
- 1/2 DAY, 3/4 DAY, FULL DAY AND LOBSTER HOOPING TRIPS ARE SCHEDULED TO DEPART DAILY!
- SEE THE INDIVIDUAL REPORTS ON OUR FISH COUNT PAGE!
Nature Cruise March 26, Saturday and March 27, Sunday
March 27, 2015Passengers enjoyed the antics of a large pod of common dolphins as they headed
southwest Saturday morning. Almost immediately after the dolphin extravaganza,
passengers viewed the courtship behavior of two or three Eastern Pacific gray
whales. As always, passengers enjoyed seeing the hundreds of sea lions, many
harbor seals and a few remaining elephant seals on The Coronados Islands. As
the tide was low, many black oyster catchers were spotted feeding on the mussels
– their favorite food. After a tour of the Islands, four more gray whales were
spotted on their northern trek. Several of the passengers expressed interest in
the upcoming blue whale trips and overnight trips to Los Coronados this summer.
Whalers Judy and Diane were happy to be on board for this terrific cruise to
the Islands.
Light rain showers Sunday morning did not dampen the passengers’ enthusiasm for
seeing at least 10 to 12 fin whales feeding; three of which ventured very close
to the vessel, allowing all to see just how large these animals truly are.
Several of these whales traveled together in a line on their search for food.
Whalers Terry and Diane had not seen so many fin whales in one location this
season and were thrilled with the sighting. A few bottlenose dolphin were seen
as we left San Diego and upon the return trip from the Islands. Sea lions,
harbor seals, elephant seals and the sea birds delighted passengers as always.
Sunny skies and a very glassy sea made for a pleasant return to San Diego, with
spouts of gray whales seen in the distance.
Submitted by Whaler Diane
Nature Cruise March 19, Saturday
March 19, 2015Light rain showers cleared early, making for an enjoyable Nature Cruise for
passengers joining San Diego Natural History Museum Whalers Laurie and Uli on
Saturday. Everyone on board got a good look at a northbound pod of five Eastern
Pacific Gray Whales, followed by a pod of dolphin. Harbor seals, elephant seals
and great numbers of sea lions were observed in their natural habitat….as well
as many of the sea birds found on Los Coronados. Passengers, as always, also
enjoyed Captain Ben’s narration of the colorful history of the islands.
Submitted by Whaler Diane
Nature Cruise March 17, Thursday
March 17, 2015The “Luck of the Irish” was with passengers on board today’s Nature
Cruise…..good sightings of 12 gray whales, including a young whale that
breached six times! Additionally, spouts of 20 different gray whales were seen
as we transited to Los Coronados Islands. A small pod of Pacific white-sided
dolphins swam by the vessel; soon a megapod of hundreds, if not thousands, of
common dolphins were observed jumping, tail slapping, and generally having a
great time, as were the passengers. A few elephant seals remain at Sunset Cove,
and many harbor seals and their young were spotted. One brown booby chick was
spotted in a nest with its parents, and a few pelican chicks were seen in the
many nests on Dead Man’s Island. Entering San Diego Harbor, we were briefly
escorted by a few bottlenose dolphins, ending a day with terrific sightings of
marine mammals and birds. One couple exclaimed to me, “This was the trip of a
lifetime.”
Submitted by Whaler Diane
Nature Cruise March 12 and 13, Saturday and Sunday
March 13, 2015Passengers on Saturday‘s Nature Cruise were thrilled when they came upon
approximately 2,000 common dolphins frolicking in the water, tail slapping and
high jumping, as well as surfing the wake of the vessel. The elephant seals,
harbor seals with their pups and hundreds of sea lions were enthusiastically
observed. Many brown pelicans were seen on their nests, and in one nest three
chicks were observed feeding. Passengers also got to watch part of the northern
migration of three Eastern Pacific gray whales. Perhaps due to the recent
earthquake/tsunami, the swells were higher than on most Nature Cruises.
Nonetheless, passengers, along with Museum Whalers Sheri and Diane, enjoyed the
day.
Sunday the ocean had calmed and passengers enjoyed seeing three of the four
local species of dolphins, including Pacific white-sided, common and offshore
bottlenose. In the morning three northbound gray whales were observed, one
showing its flukes several times. A very young brown boobie chick was seen in
its nest high on Bird Rock. Several black oyster catchers were seen as well as
a hybrid black/American oyster catcher. The highlight of the day was watching a
pod of five gray whales exhibiting mating behavior, closely followed by some
offshore bottlenose dolphins. A group of “birders” from Indiana were thrilled
to see so many birds they had never before observed. Whalers Gaynell and Diane,
along with all the passengers, thoroughly enjoyed the day on the water.
Submitted by Whaler Diane
Nature Cruise March 5 and 6, Saturday and Sunday
March 5, 2015Passengers joining whalers Judy and Diane had a great day on the water on
Saturday–warm day, calm seas. Everyone enjoyed seeing hundreds of dolphins
feeding, followed by a good sighting of four Eastern Pacific Gray Whales on
their northern migration. Several black oyster catchers were spotted, and all
enjoyed the graceful flight of the brown boobies. Once again, the Nature Cruise
was a very enjoyable experience for all on board.
Saturday the weather was a little less welcoming, with a cool breeze and
somewhat choppy seas due to a storm headed our way. In spite of somewhat
uncomfortable conditions, passengers and whalers Terry and Diane were thrilled
by the antics of a megapod of common dolphins–probably more than 1,000. A
minke whale was spotted, but it seemed a day of “disappearing whales.” After
enjoying the elephant seals, sea lions and harbor seals, and many sea birds, a
couple more spouts were sighted–but once again we were “given the slip” by the
sneaky whales. Right before entering San Diego Bay the blows of another whale
were observed…and once again the whale got away before we got a good look –
unusual day, but passengers had a good time and many expressed interest in
returning for one of the summer’s blue whale cruises.
Submitted by Whaler Diane
Nature Cruise February 27, Sunday
February 27, 2015After a stormy couple days, passengers, along with Whaler Ida, enjoyed a great
Nature Cruise. A couple northbound gray whales were sighted on the way to the
Islands, but they were somewhat elusive. Several hundred common dolphins were
spread out over quite a large area, apparently feeding. Close to the small
island, passengers were treated to a sight rarely seen on cruises–mating gray
whales! Of course all were delighted with the islands’ bounty of harbor seals,
elephant seals and many species of birds. All on board had a wonderful time!
Submitted by Whaler Diane