Fish Fest IV Official Announcement

[Magic Rod]

August 10 thru 12th, 2007

Fishing Tournament to be held on August 11, 2007.

Tournament Rules & Info to follow.

Check Back Soon!!!!!

http://www.allcoastsportfishing.com/photos/data/500/106533FishFestBeerMug-med.jpg

[Damon]

Shamrock Boat Owners Club

2007 Southern California Fish Fest IV


Logistical Items

HOTEL INFORMATION:

The event will be held at "The Dana on Mission Bay" (Map and Directions (http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps2.py?Pyt=Typ&name=Dana+On+Mission+Bay&desc=(619)+222-6440&csz=San+Diego+CA+92109&country=us&cs=9&ed=e4rTqa160SyqvaE9mMwQgS9gM3evql.NW4ZkDi9ueI9mbiL 69dK50ZYiA_GAT2JF65XaqQuEnDpx)). 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 in the past 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 "Plan Your Vacation Today" 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"
* Under the "Dana on Mission Bay," follow the directions for securing the room

SLIP INFORMATION:

* Guest of the Dana on Mission Bay (hotel and marina): More information to follow.

T-SHIRTS:

* To order T-Shirts (available to anybody), click on the following link: More information to follow.


Fishing Tournament

Welcome to this year’s FF IV fishing tournament!

The event will start at 6:30 p.m. on Friday evening, August 10th, with a “Kick-Off” bash/dinner at the Firefly Restaurant (outside patio) where registration will take place. Upon registering for the event, boaters will be allowed to depart anytime thereafter (those who want to cruise out Friday night) with everybody due back in on Saturday, August 11th, at 6:00 p.m. for weigh-in time.

Boat Category
This will be based on a point system (see “Tournament Rules” below). The boats accumulating the most points will be awarded cash and prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. If any of the boats are tied for the most points, the heaviest 3 fish will determine a tie break. Each boat will be required to pay a $100 entry fee for this event, which will go into the jackpot for this category with a 50-30-20 percent split for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place respectively.

Individual Category
This category will be optional with one individual catching the heaviest fish being awarded cash and prizes. Anybody who desires to enter this category will be required to pay $25 into this jackpot with the one winner taking it all.

Tournament Rules
1). Yellowtail, Albacore, BFT, YFT, Bigeye Tuna, Dorado, White Seabass, and Halibut: For each of these species, the first fish will be worth 5 points and each additional fish will be worth 1 point; up to a maximum of 5 fish for each species per boat (i.e. 9 points maximum for each of these species).

2). All other species will be worth one point up to a maximum of 5 fish for each species per boat (i.e. 5 points maximum for each species).

3). Only finned fish will count towards the tournament (i.e. no sharks, skates, rays, marlin, swordfish, eels, squid, lizard fish, etc.).

4). Excluded fish include "bait fish" (i.e. anchovies, sardines, mackerel, etc.), Skipjack, Bonito, Barracuda, Mackerel, Sanddabs, and rock cod/fish.

5). Only fish caught by line fishing with rod and reel will count towards the tournament.

6). All fishing regulations for California and Mexican waters will be applicable to the tournament. Any violation will be grounds for disqualification for the entire boat crew.

ENJOY!!

[Scrapper]

My second child is do in August, so I'll probably have to sit this one out. Maybe my boat can make it though, if Damon wants to use it.
Can I get a t-shirt?

[hpcast]

Awesome cant wait!!!

Zach

[OffshoreGary]

Oh, man, let's do this again!!!

[Magic Rod]

My second child is do in August, so I'll probably have to sit this one out. Maybe my boat can make it though, if Damon wants to use it.
Can I get a t-shirt?

You can only get s shirt if you come down and drink beer with us! :)

Danny

[Mistress]

You can only get s shirt if you come down and drink beer with us! :)

Danny

Good answer. ;-)

[Damon]

My second child is do in August, so I'll probably have to sit this one out. Maybe my boat can make it though, if Damon wants to use it.
Can I get a t-shirt?

Let's take your new born with us as a crew member!! I'm sure your wife won't mind......

[Magic Rod]

Cheers Scrapper

http://www.allcoastsportfishing.com/photos/data/500/106533FishFestBeerBottle-med.jpg

[Kurt]

Now that's talking!!!

A one-run brew of "Shammy Beer" :p

Why, I think it would be a "collectable".

[Damon]

We should see if we can get these guys to sponsor our event:

http://www.ballastpoint.com/images/yellowtail.htm

[slopppydog]

30 day bump!

[Mistress]

It's on my calendar.

[hpcast]

Whats the deal on Fishing in Mexico, do WE need our passports?

I would really like to buddy boat out on Fri night and do an all nighter somewhere out on the water.

Cant wait!!!! Coming down on the 9th and staying until the 16th!!

Zach

[Kurt]

Zach...

Probably not a difficulty with the Mexican authorities but if the USCG or Border Patrol sees you coming back from Mexican waters, they might hassle you.

Not that I'm any expert on these matters, but on our trip to Tucson, a week ago, we went to a wildlife refuge about 5 miles North of Nogales Mex and got stopped by a couple BP guys who "strongly" suggested that if we were going to even be near the border, passports would go a long way toward limiting their inclination to search the vehicle. My wife, daughter, son-in-law (who is a US gov't employee) our granddaughter and I were in a rented Toyota Sienna van. I was concerned that they were going to take it apart right out there in the open - they really weren't at all cordial. I also have to mention that the threat level was Orange last week. Just food for thought.

[Damon]

Zach,

The only thing you'll need to fish in Mexican waters is a Mexican boating permit for your boat and Mexican fishing license for each person on your boat (regardless if they are fishing or not) as long as you don't plan to dock in Mexico. Here are the prices for a Mexican boat permit (annual permits only):

-Small (17' - 22' 11"): $32.55
-Medium (23' - 29' 11"): $65.10
-Large (30'+): $97.65

Here are the prices for fishing license:

-One week: $22.90
-One month: $32.80
-One year: $42.70

When the time gets closer, I will offer to pick up Mexican fishing license for people who plan to fish in Mexican waters. There are a few rules to keep in mind. You are required to check in at the U.S. Customs dock upon reentering U.S. waters without stopping to fish. About 90% of boaters ignore this rule and bypass Customs all together, but I would not recommend this. The good news is U.S. Customs opened a new dock in Mission Bay, which is right around the corner of the Dana Hotel on the way in. Before, boaters had to go to the Customs dock in San Diego Bay, which is way out of the way for the boaters who were returning to Mission Bay. Limits for most fish in Mexican waters is 5 per each species per person (e.g. 5 Yellowfin Tuna and 5 Albacore, or 5 Yellow tail and 5 Albacore, etc.) and no more than 10 fish total per person. The one main exception is Dorado, which is 2 per person and counts as the "5-fish" limit.

Some of us will probably head into Mexican waters again and you're more than welcome to buddy boat with us. The Tuna seiners have really hurt to tuna fishing down there in the last two years. Hopefully, they will find another area to fish this year. The best fishing has been in U.S. waters for the last two Fish Fest events. However, anything can happen.

The important thing is to make sure that your live bait tank system is operating properly. The factory built-in bait tanks on the 22 WAs are not adequate for an all day trip in Mexican waters (or any waters for that matter). The bait gets killed off in those fairly quickly. Many of us install the after-market tanks (Kodiac, Offshore, etc.) either on our swim step or in the cockpit. I would recommend nothing less than a 22-gallon system, preferrably a 30-gallon plus. Make sure you get the correct pump. Any pump too large or too small (in gallons per hour, or GPH) will kill them off as well.

[hpcast]

OOOH I have been thinking about a new bait tank..... Last yr we did kill off alot of bait in the tank.

I will have 4 on my boat and want to go out Fri all night!!


Zach

[Damon]

Zach,

I REALLY believe having good live bait can make all the difference in your fishing experience here in this area. As a rule of thumb, dead bait won't catch you fish, period! Do yourself a favor and get a Kodiak PF-22 gallon bait tank with a 500 GPH bait pump (do not run your bait tank from your washdown pump). You'll be happy you did, especially having 4 people on your boat. If you can swing a PF-32 gallon tank with a 700 GPH bait pump, go for it. But a PF-22 gallon would be the absolute minimum. Hav'nfun or Exodus can give you the scoop on installing one of these on your swim step. I installed a PF-42 gallon tank in the cockpit of my 26' pilothouse when I had it.

Here's a link to the best source online for these:

http://www.livebaitlarry.com/proflow_oblong.asp

BTW, I kind'a lied about not being able to ever catch fish with dead bait. If all of your bait happens to roll on you (i.e. dies), your only hope is to slow troll them at idle speed (between 2 and 2.5 knots). You can catch fish like this at times, but not very often. Live bait is way much better!!

Jigs (other than for open water trolling), irons, poppers, and artificial bait work too, but not near as consistently as live bait does.

[Magic Rod]

The time is near!

Have you made your reservations?

Danny

[hpcast]

I am there!! I want to buddy boat with someone Fri night to the Coronados. then either drift or Anchor up for the night and fish. then Fish the way back up to La jolla/Mission bay ??

I will be in the area until the 16th so there should be plenty of time to go fishing!!

Who wants to go??

Zach

[Mistress]

I'm trying to work up crew Zach.

[OffshoreGary]

Mistress - I could be wrong on this one, but I thought that henry & howard (from some club up there) would be with you... They were on my Shogun 13 day trip last thanksgiving and mentioned missing FFII - If they're your crew, you're in the money for sure!!

[Mistress]

I put the invite out on the list they frequent (Fullspeed). No response. Howard's expressed interest a few times since meeting you on Shogun. Maybe he missed the invite or maybe it doesn't work for him. I may send him a pm.

[Damon]

I am there!! I want to buddy boat with someone Fri night to the Coronados. then either drift or Anchor up for the night and fish. then Fish the way back up to La jolla/Mission bay ??

I will be in the area until the 16th so there should be plenty of time to go fishing!!

Who wants to go??

Zach

Zack,

We nailed the Yellowtail Friday and Saturday fishing offshore from the Coronados!! Are you still coming down on the 9th? Are you interested in doing some pre-tournament fishing on Friday? The Coronados are only 20 NM from Mission Bay and will take you about 1.5 hours to boat there. Some Bluefin and Albacore tuna are starting to be caught.

[hpcast]

I hope the fish stick around. Friday is a possibility, I think I would want to stay more local, as an early Friday departure is going to be rough after the drive down and the night out..... Last year I had a difficult time rousing the crew at 0300 tourney day. This year for sure we are going to leave Friday night after the dinner. Going to bring lots of chow and the bbq. Hopefully we can buddy out with a few other boats and have a big party on the water.

How far from the south island are the kelp beds? Whats the best way to fish them?? In Lajolla last yr I had no clue what to do near the kelp, we mostly tossed plastics and drifted dead bait.

I did mention we will be down until the 16th....

bait tank question here:

http://www.fishtheclassic.net/forums/showthread.php?p=119424#post119424


Zach

[Modrealtor]

Hey Gary its Howard. I finally found the site. Anyway, I'm planning to go with Steve North.

Since neither Steve or I have much experience fishing your waters, what do we need or recommend bringing down. I have plenty of rods, reels, irons, etc. Anyone planning on fishing the Mexican waters? Any live bait receivers close? How about extra crew member who knows the area. The last being the most important.

[Exodus]

To any of the guys coming from out of the area, we will go over techniques and locations to fish at the captains meeting. It's pretty basic stuff. The ability to carry live bait could make a big difference though. I'm only fishing Mexican waters as a last resort, as I hate having to worry about the Customs deal after a long day on the water.

Zach, slow trolling Macks is one of the most reliable ways to get the Yellowtail.

[Damon]

All,

Please send me a PM if you plan to participate in Fish Fest IV so I can make the appropriate plans to have things go as smoothly as possible. Let me know:

1. Name of Shamrock captain or FTC member
2. Number of guest
3. Trailering or Boating to the event?

If you're a FTC member who wants to participate in the event and need a boat to ride on, let me know. Additional boat slips become available when the event occurs. However, I want to make sure that those who plan to boat to the event (i.e. those not trailering) get slips.

[Mistress]

I've got 3 including me. Space for another Shamrocker or local ringer.

Let me know if someone needs a boat ride once down there.

Damon,

I'll PM you with details/requests.

[hpcast]

me plus 4 on my boat we have a slip in Marina village for the week...

We plan on going out after the party on Fri Night and anchoring off of La Jolla or somewhere then off to the fish in the early am Sat....


anybody else up for a night out on the H2o??

Zach

[Mistress]

maybe. we'll see what the crew and locals say.

[Damon]

Hey All,

Here's the list I have so far of people definitely participating:

1. Magic Rod (26 Express)
2. Exodus (219 WA)
3. HPCAST (22 WA)
4. Miisstress (26 Mackinaw) (sorry Steve, my internet filter butchers the name otherwise)
5. Damon (26 Commercial PH) (Scrapper is expecting his baby during this time, so he's loaning me his boat)
6. Offshore Gary (219 WA?)
7. Palmer1 (TBD)

Am I missing anybody? Please let me know so we can get all of the logistical items taken care of. Thanx.

The fishing has been real good so far. There's Albacore, BFT, YFT, Yellowtail, and Dorado currently being caught. I hope this is a good indication of what's in store for us on August 11th.

[Mistress]

Might make a roll call thread Damon. I know I tend to skip over what appears to be "old news" threads.