Official Announcement: Southern California Fish Fest II

[Damon]

http://members.cox.net/dstannard1/Animated%20Fish%20Fest%20II%20Bamboo%20small%20log os.final.gif

[Damon]

Details of the Event

The West Coast members of the Shamrock Boat Owners Club are proud to announce the Southern California Fish Fest II rendezvous and fishing tournament. Pictures of the facility are provided as well in a previous post:

http://www.fishtheclassic.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4270

The event will be hosted at “The Dana on Mission Bay” (http://www.thedana.net/) on August 26th – 28th with special guest Bo Palmer of Palmer Marine and sponsored by the following:

* Palmer Marine (http://www.shamrockboats.com/), new owner of Shamrock Boats.

* Johnston Yacht Sales (http://www.johnstonyachtsales.com/), new Shamrock dealer in Southern California (Newport Beach, CA).

* Team Accurate (http://www.accuratefishing.com/index.php), makers of the Accurate “TwinDrag” system Reels.

* Boatec Marine (http://local.yahoo.com/results;_ylc=X3oDMTFlOTJlcmdtBF9TAzI3NjY2NzkEX3MDO TY2MTM3NjcEc2VjA2l5LWRkbG9jYWwEc2xrA21vcmU-?fr=dd-local-more&stx=boatec+marine&csz=Santa+Ana%2C+CA), your boat repair specialist.

* Pelagic (http://www.pelagicgear.com/), High Performance Offshore Gear.

Event Schedule

Friday, August 26th:
* 6-8 pm: Kick-Off Bash with introductions, guest speakers, and information sharing. Snacks, refreshments, and coffee will be served.

Saturday, August 27th:
* All Day Event (up to 4:30 pm): Fishing Tournament
* 4:30 pm: Weigh-in line
* 5:00 pm: Dinner
* 6:00 pm: Fishing Tournament Announcements (i.e. winners, prizes, and cash)
* 8:00 pm: Wrap Up

Sunday, August 28th:
* All Day: Whatever people want to do!!

[Damon]

Logistical Items

HOTEL INFORMATION:

The event will be held at "The Dana on Mission Bay" (Map and Directions (http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?latlongtype=internal&addtohistory=&latitude=fHHXtAs1LxE%3d&longitude=wgl2df2%2bCJ6xXXI%2fTpITvQ%3d%3d&name=Dana%20Inn%20%26%20Marina&countryid=250&country=US&address=1710%20W%20Mission%20Bay%20Dr&city=San%20Diego&state=CA&zipcode=92109&phone=619%2d222%2d6440&cat=dana%20inn&spurl=0&searchtype=GenSearch)). The address is:

The Dana on Mission Bay
1710 W Mission Bay Dr.
San Diego, CA 92109

(619) 222-6440

Members who have already booked rooms at the Dana have found the best rates by going through "GetAwayToday" with a minimum of 2 nights stay (reserving through the hotel directly is more expensive with a 3 night minimum stay). Here are instructions on booking rooms through www.GetAwayToday.com (http://www.getawaytoday.com):

* In the "Build Your Vacation" box, select San Diego for "Destination".
* Type in date under the "Check in date" box (use the calendar)
* Enter the number of nights under the "# of nights" box (minimum of 2 nights)
* Click on "Get Quotes"
* Select "Value" (without selecting any "Attraction Tickets," two Seaworld Family Fun passes are automatically included in your package free of charge. If you decide not to use them, feel free to give them away to those with kids who live in the area)
* Select "Continue"
* Under the "The Dana on Mission Bay - formerly Dana Inn & Marina" header, click on "select this hotel"
* Follow the directions for securing the room

SLIP INFORMATION:

* Guest of the Dana on Mission Bay (hotel and marina): Boat space will be provided @ $15 per day. So far, we have secured space for 7 boats, which will go to the first 7 members who have booked rooms at the Dana hotel. The dock master stated that he's confident he will be able to secure space for an additional 3 - 5 boats as we get closer to the date for the event. Therefore, we're anticipating space for a total of 10 - 12 boats at the boat docks behind the hotel (owned and operated by The Dana on Mission Bay) during the event.

* Members spending the night in their boats or somewhere other than the Dana hotel: boat slips will be provided at the Dana Marina (not owned or operated by the hotel), which is on the other side of the launch ramp and a short walk to the Dana hotel. The owner of the marina stated that he's confident he'll be able to accommodate all the space we will need for our event. A price has not been provided yet (We'll update this post once we find out the price), but it should be reasonable. Any additional boat slip needs (i.e. those hotel guest that the dock master may not be able to provide slips for) will be accommodated at this marina as well.

APPLICATION FOR THE EVENT AND FISHING TOURNAMENT:

FISH FEST II APPLICATION (http://www.envisionmyfuture.com/tournament_options.htm)

This application form will be used to determine names of participants, an idea on the number of participants to prepare logistically for the event, the number of hotel guest to secure a conference room for the first night, boat slip needs, T-shirts orders, fishing tournament prep, and other logistical issues. We do not have any registration line at this time, but this may change as we get closer to the event.

To order T-Shirts (available to anybody), click on the following link:

ORDER FORM FOR T-SHIRTS (http://www.envisionmyfuture.com/tshirt_order_form.htm)

[Damon]

Fishing Tournament

The fishing tournament will began after 8:00 pm on Friday night after the Kick-Off Bash (for those who want to cruise out Friday night and sleep on the fishing grounds until daybreak) with everybody due back in by the 4:30 pm weigh-in deadline on Saturday (anytime between 8:00 pm Friday night and 4:30 pm Saturday). The species for this tournament will be limited only to fin fish with scales (i.e. no sharks, rays, skates, whales, birds, lobster, crustaceans, people, giant squid, etc.).

The structure of the fishing tournament will be as follows:

Individual Category
Each person who wants to participate in this category will be required to enter $15 into a "Jackpot". The winners will receive cash from the Jackpot as well as prizes from the sponsors listed above, as follows:

* 1st Place for the heaviest fish - The winner will receive 50% of the jackpot plus prizes from our sponsors.

* 2nd place for the heaviest fish - The winner will receive 30% of the jackpot plus prizes from our sponsors.

* 3rd place for the heaviest fish - The winner will receive 20% of the jackpot plus other prizes from our sponsors.

Boat/Team Category
This category will be based on the heaviest combined 4 fish caught by a crew on any Shamrock Boat. Our sponsors will provide the prizes to each crewmember for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.

Junior Category
Any minor aged 15 years or younger who catches the heaviest fish will win a respectable rod and reel combo unit. (If we get significant participation in this category, we'll update this post to include 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners).

The Furthest Traveled
The boat owner who trailers/cruises his or her boat from the furthest location to participate in this event will win a special prize (TBD).

Shamrock Boats
We may include a category on the Shamrock Boats themselves (TBD).

(This post will be updated from time to time with new information)

[Damon]

Fishing Information and Regulations

FISHING PERMITS:

*For out of state Residence, California fishing permit is $10.75 per day.

*For Mexican fishing permits, they run $29 per week (daily permits are not available).

FISHING REGULATIONS IN MEXICAN WATERS

* 5 fish per species AND 10 total fish limit. For example, 5 Yellowtail, 4 Albacore, and 1 Yellow fin Tuna would be your limit. EXCEPTIONS: 2 Dorado (same goes for Halibut) will count as your one specie limit. For example, 2 Dorado, 3 Yellow tail, and 5 Albacore will be your total limit.

FISHING REGULATIONS IN CALIFORNIAN WATERS
(Information forthcoming)

FISHING LOCATIONS WITH GPS NUMBERS (I.E. LAT/LON POSITIONS)

Free fishing maps with LAT/LON postions for San Diego and Northern Baja can be viewed and printed at Jim Bixby's Home Page (http://home.san.rr.com/bix/Spots/FishingSpots.htm). I recommend printing it from the color version and having it laminated (I did mine at Kinkos). Here's what these maps look like (the red line indicates the Mexican Line):

Close-in Map:
http://members.cox.net/dstannard1/Fishing%20Map-Close%20In.JPG

Expanded Map:
http://members.cox.net/dstannard1/Fishing%20Map-Expanded.JPG

Page 1 of 2 for Lat/Lon Positions:
http://members.cox.net/dstannard1/Lat-Lon%20Positions%20pg1.JPG

Page 2 of 2 for Lat/Lon Positions:
http://members.cox.net/dstannard1/Lat-Lon%20Positions%20pg2.JPG

If you haven't done so already, I would recommend entering the following locations (above) into your GPS(s):
HOME PORT FOR EVENT
#3: Mission Bay Jetty (this is 1/4 mile out from the tip of the channel entrance)

FISHING SPOTS IN CALIFORNIA WATERS
#7: 9 Mile Bank N.
#10: 182 Spot
#11: 181 Spot
#65: 30 Mile Bank
#12: 43 Spot
#14: Pyramid Head (i.e. San Clemente Island)

FISHING SPOTS IN MEXICAN WATERS
#6: 9 Mile Bank S.
#43: North Coronado
#45: South Coronado
#9: 224/226 Spot
#8: 302 Spot
#17: 230 Spot
#18: 371 Spot
#19: 425 Spot
#54: 101 Spot
#47: Rock Piles

OFFSHORE/FAR SOUTH SPOTS
#21: Butterfly W.
#22: Butterfly E.
#39: Cortez Bank
#38: Tanner Bank
#23: 421 Spot
#66: 390 Spot
#29: 60 Mile Bank
#28: Mushroom Bank
N/A: The Cross: N32 00.00' x W118 00.00'
#30: Airplane Bank
#26: 213 Spot
#62: 1010 Trench
#31: D220
#32: 295 Spot
#33: 238 Spot

COMMUNICATIONS
(Information forthcoming)

INFORMATION ON U.S. CUSTOMS AND THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH & GAME
(Information forthcoming)


(This post will be updated from time to time with new information)

[Damon]

Tackle, Gear, and Miscellaneous

"SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA FISH FEST" T-SHIRTS AND APPAREL
(Information forthcoming)

RECOMMENDED TACKLE
(Information forthcoming)

HELPFUL LINKS

-Free Sea Surface Temperature (SST) chart: http://www.tempbreak.com




(This post will be updated from time to time with new information)

[Holty]

VERY IMPRESSIVE!!!!.....You guys are doing a great job with this out there. What are the dates for the broadcast on ESPN II ?? Will Fish Fishburne be there :wink: Seriously....good stuff.

regards Holty

[Exodus]

This is going to be one heck of a great time!

[solito]

Looks like you got it going right Damon,let's see "coffee" 6-8 Friday nite ,then all nite out to the fishing grounds, lines in at daybreak at 110nm.Lines in at 10:00 am. then check in at customs in SD and back to MB by 4:30. I might be fishing alone,is there anybody guarding the the tanks at Seaworld at 2:00am ??? Is it hard to put a 26' Mackinaw in the tanks at Seaworld ? If there is a Mexican restaurant near Seaworld would it still be required to stop at customs in SD? Just kidding you of course !!! I am really looking forward to it, and hope that there will be some action at 30-40 nm by then, if not, I might spend the day around the pool and make a quick run over to Fishermans landing before 4:30 !
Keep up the good work !! Regards, Marty ' Solito'

[Damon]

I am really looking forward to it, and hope that there will be some action at 30-40 nm by then

At that time of year, there should be plenty of action of YFT, Dorado, YT, and Mako easily within 40 NM. It's the Albacore that people may have to go long for. With this El Nino, I'm hoping the Big Eye Tuna move in near the Coronado Islands, which is only 16 NM from Point Loma. During the El Nino of 1995, we were catching YFT in the 30# range on half-day sport fishing boats around 10 miles off the beach!

They've been catching YTs at the Coronados and Albacore south of the 295\238 areas (between 65 - 85 NM off Point Loma) the entire winter, which is unusual. I think this will be an epic fishing season coming up!

[Damon]

I updated the Fishing Loctations above.

[Damon]

For those who plan to participate in the "Southern California Fish Fest II" rendezvous, please register at the following link (3rd post updated above):

FISH FEST II APPLICATION (http://www.envisionmyfuture.com/tournament_options.htm)

Anybody who is interested in ording T-Shirts for this event, please click on the following link:

ORDER FORM FOR T-SHIRTS (http://www.envisionmyfuture.com/tshirt_order_form.htm)

Also, there are Shamrock owners who will be arriving in San Diego the week leading up to the event and one that I know of who will be sticking around the week following. Some of them have never fished out of San Diego/Southern California. Anybody up for some buddy boat trips with them before or after the event? You may want to post the day(s) you plan to head out so you all can coordinate the trips.

[Hav'nfun]

I believe Damon will be fishing on my boat. However, may have room for one more. I also have a room reserved at the Dana. Anyone wanting to sleep on their boat and use my shower, facilities, are welcome.

The fishing should be great. How about some of you East Coasters coming over to show us Westerners how to fish! Its only 3,000 miles and there is boat/RV parking available at DisneyLand.


Tom

[Damon]

For members coming in from out of state, California fishing permits run $10.75 per day. Weekly Mexican permits (daily permits not available) run $29 for everybody. If you are fishing only in Mexican waters, you DO NOT need a California fishing permit when transporting fish from Mexico, as long as you don't do any fishing after crossing the international line.

I'll be more than happy to do the leg work on picking up fishing permit(s) for anybody that needs one (or both). Email me the information (i.e. Name and City of residence). For those bringing guest on their boats, please determine if you'll be fishing U.S. waters, Mexican waters, or both, what days, and either make arrangements for them to get their appropriate fishing permit(s) or give me a list of them to pick up.

Also, I updated the Mexican fishing regulations above.

[Damon]

From the FFII online tournament applications and various replies, I have compiled a list of boats/people attending the event:

1). Clyde with his 22 WA "El Bommbero", bringing one guest, not staying at the Dana, slip not requested.

2). Bob Travis with his 246 WA (no boat name), bringing 3 guests, not staying at the Dana, and slip requested.

3). Ali (i.e. AJ) with her 246 WA "Surly Mermaid", bringing 1 guest, staying at the Dana, and slip requested.

4). Mike (aka Scrapper) with his 26 Commercial Pilothouse (no boat name), bringing 1 guest (i.e. me) and 1 sponsor, staying at the Dana, and slip requested.

5). Gary with his 219 WA "Kathryn Ann", bringing 3 guests, not staying at the Dana, and slip requested.

6). Tom (i.e. Hav'nfun) with his 22 WA "Xanadu", bringing one sponsor, staying at the Dana, and slip requested.

7). Danny with his 26 Express "Magic Rod", bringing 1 sponsor, not staying at the Dana, and slip requested.

8 ). John with his 246 WA "Agent 86", bringing 1 sponsor, not staying at the Dana, and slip requested.

9). Jason with his 219 WA "Exodus", bringing 1 guest and/or sponsor, staying at the Dana, and slip requested (or may use his own slip near Seaforth Landing).

10). Jim (i.e. Gendent) with his 20 Predator (boat name unknown), number of guest unknown, staying at the Dana unknown (Jim, let me know)

If I am missing anybody, have your information wrong, or you cannot make the event, please let me know. In summary, we have approximately:

-10 Shamrock Boats participating in event
-5 boaters staying at the Dana
-5 boats will be slipped at the Dana hotel dock
-4 boats will be slipped at the Dana Marina (across the small bay of the Dana Inn)
-1 boat being launch for the event (i.e. Clyde) with no slip required
-Approximately 30-35 total people participating

Thanks,
Damon.

[Mistress]

I tried, but my boat is just not ready yet. :( Too many hours working and too many boat projects. Close, but no cigar.

I did buy a couple shirts....how should I retrieve them?

[gendent]

I am now in a minor derailment in life. I cannot attend even though I thought my plans were ironclad. I had my dental practice up for sale and was dutifully working through all the particulars of the sale when small issues began cropping up with the new doc and it wasn't until last week it when it finally hit me that I was dealing with a tire kicker. Several thousand dollars of legal fees into it and the bone head who had come to me as a highly qualified professional began to ignore my calls, requests for meetings went unanswered, and I felt like I did when I was in high school and got dumped. No communication from him, no reasons were given, no chance of negotiations, nada. So now I am in a recovery mode and my family, having moved to a new town, needs me there when I am not keeping the practice going here. I apoligize for being unable to attend and I do wish all of you the best of luck in good weather, calm seas, cold beer, and overflowing fish boxes. I'll be thinking of you on the 26th when I'm up to my elbows in root canals and fillings. I love what I do but as it is said " a bad day fishing is better than a good day at the office."

[Damon]

Jim,

I'm terribly sorry about your legal nightmare. I just got over my own legal ordeal and it flat-out SUCKED!! It affected my work, home life, and hobbies. Because of it, I almost turned this event over to somebody else. Anyways, I know where you are coming from.

Whenever you want to come down to do some fishing, we'd love to have you.....

Damon

[Damon]

We've made some changes regarding the boat slip situation. The Dana Hotel has had additional slips come available and it looks like they will be able to accommodate all of us without the need to "hog tie" any of our boats together. For the guest staying at the hotel for a minimum of 2 nights, you're looking at around $15-20 per night to slip your boat. For those NOT staying at the hotel, you may be looking at around $35 per night to slip your boat with access to the hotel amenities (i.e. pool, Jacuzzi, etc.), but I need to double check this. I'll nail down the exact details this week.

Also, if each of you could tell me how much bait (i.e. in "scoop") you want for the tournament, I may be able to work something out with the bait guys. If you are not sure, just tell me what your bait tank capacity is and I'll estimate the quantity. It's very, very important not to overfill your tank with bait, they die much faster that way.

From conversations with some of you, here's the revised list:

1). Clyde with his 22 WA "El Bommbero", bringing one guest, not staying at the Dana, slip not requested.

2). Bob Travis with his 246 WA (no boat name), bringing 3 guests, not staying at the Dana, and slip requested.

3). Ali (i.e. AJ) with her 246 WA "Surly Mermaid", bringing 1 guest, staying at the Dana, and slip requested.

4). Mike (aka Scrapper) with his 26 Commercial Pilothouse (no boat name), bringing 1 guest (i.e. me) and 1 sponsor, staying at the Dana, and slip requested.

5). Gary with his 219 WA "Kathryn Ann", bringing 3 guests, not staying at the Dana, and slip requested.

6). Tom (i.e. Hav'nfun) with his 22 WA "Xanadu", bringing one sponsor, staying at the Dana, and slip requested.

7). Danny with his 26 Express "Magic Rod", bringing 2 sponsors and 1 guest, staying at the Dana, and slip requested.

8 ). John with his 246 WA "Agent 86", bringing 2 sponsors/guests, staying at the Dana, and slip requested.

9). Jason with his 219 WA "Exodus", bringing 1 or 2 sponsors, staying at the Dana, and slip requested (or may use his own slip near Seaforth Landing).

-9 boats
-26 boaters/crews
-Estimate 15 guests not boating (i.e. family members and friends)
-Approximately 41 people participating in event

Let me know if there's anything else I need to correct here or if you have any questions.

[El Bombero]

Damon, it's not looking good for that weekend. I'll not bore you with the reasons, but I'm going to remove myself from the event. Hopefully the fishing will improve and you guys will bloody the decks.

[AJ]

Damon,

Thanks again for all your hard work putting the Fish Fest together. Looking forward to it! :D

As for bait - I've got a 45 gallon Offshore tank that I usually put 2 - 2 1/2 scoops of bait in (depending on type, size, yada yada...).

I just got back from 10 days in British Columbia, so I've been trying to get a handle on what's currently happening on the So Cal fishing scene.
From what I read, it looks like we're transitioning between the albies and the exotics with not a whole lot going on at the moment. What have you guys heard lately? Any predictions?

[Damon]

Welcome back AJ. You have not missed much at all, other than the Marlin. The fishing has not been as good as last year. John (i.e. Agent 86) probably got into the best bite this season at the 60 Mile bank as well as Danny and John (i.e. Magic Rod) at the Lower 500. I did real good on a friends boat as well, but we were 95 NM from Point Loma (i.e. Dumping Grounds). Other than that, it's been a down season.

The Albacore are basically going away and the exotics are taking over with the water temp pushing towards 70 degrees. Many boaters are coming across kelp paddies loaded with Dorado and Yellowtail, but the Dorado are "locked-jaw." The YFT are showing up stronger on the counts as well. Right now, there's a very large school of YFT south of the Lower 500 heading in our direction. I believe we'll be into the YFTs and YTs full swing with an occasional Dorado during the Fish Fest. I'll post information on the fishing between now and the event.

[Damon]

For the members going to the FFII event, I'll have more info on the boat slip situation today (early afternoon). Stay tuned.

[Damon]

Slip Assignments and Other Info:

Based on the folks who are staying at the hotel and size of their boats, here's the dock/boat slip assignment at the Dana hotel:

1. Ali (AJ) at slip D-30
2. Danny (Magic Rod) at slip E-18
3. Tom (Hav'nfun) at end of Dock "C"
4. John (Agent 86) at Dock "C" tied behind Tom
5. Mike (Scrapper) at Dock "C" tied behind John perpendicular and against the finger.

I spoke with Sundance Marine, the Shamrock dealer in San Diego, and they are going to try to provide us with 2 or 3 slips (about a 3 minute walk to the Dana hotel). Danny is working with the dock master there as well in getting us additional slips. These slips will be for:

1. Travis
2. Gary (OffshoreGary)
3. Jason (Exodus)

Our back-up plan for the three boaters above is to have Jason keep his boat in his slip at Marina Village and to "hog-tie" Gary's and Travis's boat to those tied up at the "C" dock (the dock is in a small cove area and is well protected from wind and boat traffic).

We plan to meet Friday evening @ 6:00 p.m. in the front patio area of the "Firefly" bar and grille to "break the ice" and share the latest fishing info/reports, have a few sponsors from Milton tackle give us some fishing tips as well as having some tackle available for us, and collect the money for those entering the jackpot for the fish tournament. Members can then decide if they want to team up with other boaters to fish certain locations (some of the guys plan to launch that night).

Let me know if you have any questions,

Damon
dstannard1@yahoo.com

[Damon]

Here's a map:

http://members.cox.net/dstannard1/Dana%20Map.jpg

[Damon]

Update:

We got 4 additional slips! Two at the Marina Village (35' each) and two at Sea World Marina.

The Marina Village is across the road from the Dana and down about 1/2 mile (a little out of the way). The Sea World Marina is next door to the Dana Marina, which is a short walk to the hotel. With this said, here's the following assignments:

Travis and Gary will be at the Sea World Marina (slip 410 and slip at flag pole). You will be required to show your boat registration and insurance. It's $25 per night and a very short walk to the Dana Hotel. You guys are good to go!!!

It looks like there will be additional boaters participating! A 27 Mac from Huntington Beach and another Shamrock owner from Vista, CA. (boat model unkown). If they haven't made prior arrangements for slip space, the 2 slips at the Marina Village are available for them. They run $40 per night, but at 35' each, you may be able to fit 2 boats in one slip. I plan to drive over there today to scope it out.

We are still looking into getting a couple of slips from Sundance Marine. If these materialize for us, we'll cancel the ones at Marina Village and use these instead.

The latest SST (Aug 23rd @ 11:03 P.M.) looks very promising with a nice stream of warm water running from the Lower 500 (88 NM from San Diego) to the 302 (25 NM from San Diego). If I were to fish today, I would start at the 371 and work my way south.

Also, a "one-day" sport boat (the Prowler out of H&M Landing) got into a school of Bigeye Tuna, landing 7 of them. The kelp paddies are loaded with Yellowtail and Dorado, but the Dorado are still kind'a "locked-jaw." We plan to bring a spear gun to catch some of these tasty beauties, but the speared fish do not count towards the tournament.

The offshore forecast (60 to 250 NM offshore) is calling for increased winds starting on Saturday. Hopefully, this will not greatly affect the conditions at the locations inside.

[Damon]

Update:

We got 4 additional slips! Two at the Marina Village (35' each) and two at Sea World Marina.

The Marina Village is across the road from the Dana and down about 1/2 mile (a little out of the way). The Sea World Marina is next door to the Dana Marina, which is a short walk to the hotel. With this said, here's the following assignments:

Travis and Gary will be at the Sea World Marina (slip 410 and slip at flag pole). You will be required to show your boat registration and insurance. It's $25 per night and a very short walk to the Dana Hotel. You guys are good to go!!!

It looks like there will be additional boaters participating! A 27 Mac from Huntington Beach and another Shamrock owner from Vista, CA. (boat model unkown). If they haven't made prior arrangements for slip space, the 2 slips at the Marina Village are available for them. They run $40 per night, but at 35' each, you may be able to fit 2 boats in one slip. I plan to drive over there today to scope it out.

We are still looking into getting a couple of slips from Sundance Marine. If these materialize for us, we'll cancel the ones at Marina Village and use these instead.

The latest SST (Aug 23rd @ 11:03 P.M.) looks very promising with a nice stream of warm water running from the Lower 500 (88 NM from San Diego) to the 302 (25 NM from San Diego). If I were to fish today, I would start at the 371 and work my way south. Here's the link for the SST:

http://www.tempbreak.com

Also, a "one-day" sport boat (the Prowler out of H&M Landing) got into a school of Bigeye Tuna, landing 7 of them. The kelp paddies are loaded with Yellowtail and Dorado, but the Dorado are still kind'a "locked-jaw." We plan to bring a spear gun to catch some of these tasty beauties, but the speared fish do not count towards the tournament. The YFT are scattered out pretty well now.

The offshore forecast (60 to 250 NM offshore) is calling for increased winds starting on Saturday. Hopefully, this will not greatly affect the conditions at the locations inside.

[Holty]

Hope you guys and gals out on the left coast have a great tournament this weekend. Damon seems to have put a lot of effort into it. Will be watching ESPN II on Sat and Sun morning for updates :D . Is it true only live fish returned to the dock will count :P . Take lots of pictures and lets be carefull out there.

regards Holty

ps........my money is on Ali.......

[Damon]

ps........my money is on Ali.......

I think you may be onto something here 8) ..........

[Damon]

Today's totals for the sport boats:

San Diego Dock Totals
1.5 Day Boats 50 Anglers 2 Boats 135 Yellowfin Tuna, 20 Yellowtail, 8 Dorado

1 Day Boats 119 Anglers 6 Boats 165 Yellowtail, 156 Yellowfin Tuna, 30 Skipjack Tuna, 55 Dorado

[AJ]

Holty, don't waste your money! :D These west coast guys are wicked good fishermen - I'm not sure my stars are lined up well enough in the heavens to beat them! But thanks for the ego boost. :D

Hey Damon,
What type of spear do you use? My husband bought me a Riffe 3 band (I think it's a No Kai Oi) a couple years ago for Xmas. The spear scares the heck out of me and I've never used it. I don't know if I'm even strong enough to load it. I'm thinking of bringing it down with me this weekend. Do you have a reel on your spear? Do you need a float? There's nothing that frustrates me more than a bunch of lock-jawed YT and dorado under a paddy. I love the spearing option. Must chat...

[Damon]

I've never done it myself, but I may give it a try on Saturday. Mike (i.e. Scrapper), the new owner of my boat, is the spear fishman. When I took him out last year on my boat, we came across a paddy with lock-jawed YTs. He simply jumped into the water and immediately shot one. I don't think he has a reel on his spear gun, but he does have three bands and a little red float with it. He'll be at the Dana early Friday and would be more than happy to converse with you about spear fishing. Bring you spear gun......

[Scrapper]

AJ, don't be afraid of that speargun, it's a wonderful tool for getting fish! I sometimes think about giving up stand up fishing and just doing the blue water hunting thing. Who knows you may become addicted to spearfishing! I can show you some techniques for loading the gun and how to stalk paddy fish. It's really fun!

I use a # 3 Riffe speargun with 75' of float line and a marker buoy. But a reel can work just as well, you just need to be mindful of that line in the water so you don't get tangled up. And ALWAYS carry a sharp dive knife! If your gun is three years old you most likely need to replace the bands, they hurt when the break while loading the gun! I replace mine at least once a season. Maybe we could meet up offshore and jump in on a paddy together. However Damon has told me that speared fish do not count in this saturdays tournemant, but they do put meat on the table when the fish wont bite!

See you Saturday!
Mike

What type of spear do you use? My husband bought me a Riffe 3 band (I think it's a No Kai Oi) a couple years ago for Xmas. The spear scares the heck out of me and I've never used it. I don't know if I'm even strong enough to load it. I'm thinking of bringing it down with me this weekend. Do you have a reel on your spear? Do you need a float? There's nothing that frustrates me more than a bunch of lock-jawed YT and dorado under a paddy. I love the spearing option. Must chat...[/quote]

[Scrapper]

Does anybody in the fishfest have DSC radios? I would like to exchange MMSI #s and test out the position sharing feature.

[Hugh Copeland]

Sure wish I was coming to the party. Maybe next year. My son is relocating out there in September. He will live in Carmel Canyon "I think" So next year I may be in the area during the festival. Hope everyone has fun.

[Scrapper]

I want everyone in Saturdays Fishfest to be aware of a few navicable hazards in the water that have been reported on other boards. On 8-22-05 at 1700 there was a large submerged log reported at 32 04.5 , 117 06.5. Thats about 37 miles from Point Loma and could definately ruin your day. Also there have been reports of large commercial boats towing tuna pens 1/2 mile behind them with NO lights on the tuna pens! They tow these pens at a very slow 1.5 knot speed. You dont want to pass between them, the cable (or the tuna pen) will ruin your day as well. I also read a report of large peices of rope or "howzers" in the water near the Coronado islands, mostly on thr inside of the islands though. Rumor has it that these ropes were placed there on purpose to slow boats down near the tuna pens! They are almost completely submerged and very difficult to see. And they are big enough to do damage, again this could ruin your day!

Lets all stay safe and have some fun!

Mike

[Damon]

Here's the stubborn "lock-jawed" YT that lost the battle to Mike:

http://members.cox.net/dstannard1/Mike%20Kane.JPG

[Tony]

Who owns that big fin coming towards Mike, in the background? :shock:

[jcarvour]

My friend hit that hauzer rope inside the Coronados last week in his blackman 26' he lost the prop on the srarboard side and bent the strut.











I want everyone in Saturdays Fishfest to be aware of a few navicable hazards in the water that have been reported on other boards. On 8-22-05 at 1700 there was a large submerged log reported at 32 04.5 , 117 06.5. Thats about 37 miles from Point Loma and could definately ruin your day. Also there have been reports of large commercial boats towing tuna pens 1/2 mile behind them with NO lights on the tuna pens! They tow these pens at a very slow 1.5 knot speed. You dont want to pass between them, the cable (or the tuna pen) will ruin your day as well. I also read a report of large peices of rope or "howzers" in the water near the Coronado islands, mostly on thr inside of the islands though. Rumor has it that these ropes were placed there on purpose to slow boats down near the tuna pens! They are almost completely submerged and very difficult to see. And they are big enough to do damage, again this could ruin your day!

Lets all stay safe and have some fun!

Mike

[Scrapper]

Who owns that big fin coming towards Mike, in the background? :shock:

One thing about blue water hunting is that you are a part of the food chain while you're in the water, and you are NOT on top! Always check you six! Sharks like to approach from behind & below, I keep my head on a swivel when I'm in the H2O! :shock:

[Scrapper]

[quote="jcarvour"]My friend hit that hauzer rope inside the Coronados last week in his blackman 26' he lost the prop on the srarboard side and bent the strut.



I wonder how a Shamrock would fare in that scenario? Would a keeled Shamrock be able to get over it with out damage? How about the pocket drives? With our single engines we would be dead in the water if the prop hit that thing!

[Damon]

I would like to thank ALL the participants and sponsors who participated in Fish Fest II. I'll make a new post of all the details of the event/tournament along with the photos.

Sincerely,
Damon.

[Anonymous]

I updated the Fishing Loctations above.

:lol::lol: Hahaha, cant believe it! I was going to say -Exactly- that a minute ago! :lol::lol: