Captain Mike’s Blog

Hello anglers, This morning was one to remember with phenomenal yellowtail fishing starting before daylight! We started catching fish on dropper loops and 60 and 80 pound test line. After daylight the fish went to the surface and we started landing them on flyline live bait with 40 or 50 pound line and surface iron. Almost all the fish are 30 pounds or better. We don’t see bites like this very often and that is why this is so special. Most people would be happy if they had a chance to land one of this grade fish, but to have a chance at multiple fish this size doesn’t happen very often. If you haven’t landed a 30 pound yellowtail before, it’s time to jump on a trip and get down here! More later, Capt Art (note from the office: can you tell this is his FAVORITE kind of fishing?!)

Hello anglers, What a incredible day of fishing! Cedros island is at its best, with quality fish every where we stopped. We had a pause in the action, but only for a few hours while we looked around for the school fish that has been the predominant fish here the past two months. We didn’t locate it in the usual spots. We went back to an area that produced those big fish in the late afternoon yesterday for a few boats and they were there again. So we ended the day with some action, landing some of the same size fish as this morning. There something special about a yellowtail that big. They are really cool looking and you can see why they are so strong the way they are built. All the fish we landed today will easily average 30 pounds. Wow! We are back in the morning hot spot this evening and hope for a repeat of this morning. More tomorrow, Capt Art

Hello anglers, We travelled to Cedros Island and arrived at 4 pm. We found an area of good-grade yellowtail this afternoon and got a sample of what we hope will be the size fish we have a chance at for the next two days. We landed 16 of these fish and three smaller ones, and we lost a few. The average size is 35 pounds. For some people this can be a fish of a lifetime! There has been a change in the fishing here with more and more of these premium-grade fish being caught more frequently. The weather is good and so we have high hopes for tomorrow. Remarkably there is room on our next trip with only 10 people on board. It is our ultra limited load trip and is a confirmed “go.” So if you want to catch a fish of a lifetime join us on this great trip with plenty of rail space and your own cabin. More tomorrow, Capt Art

How about ceviche? Ceviche by Lambchop Ingredients: -1 large container fresh refrigerated salsa, garlic-flavored is my favorite -Fish, chopped into 3/4-inch pieces (Enough to fill a second container, about the same size as the salsa container.) Almost any kind of fish will work, though I prefer yellowtail, wahoo, dorado, or white sea bass. I do not suggest using tuna. -1 quart lemon juice -3/4 red onion, chopped -3 jalapenos, chopped -3 medium tomatoes, semi-firm, diced -1 bunch cilantro, chopped, reserve 1/4 of this for garnish Add lemon juice to the container with fish. Seal tightly and refrigerate for 24 hours. The next day, empty the salsa into a larger bowl. Add onion, jalapenos, tomatoes and cilantro (except for garnish) on top of salsa. Mix gently. Drain the lemon juice out of the fish container very lightly. Do not press the fish to squeeze out all the lemon juice. The remaining juice will bring out the taste. Add fish to the bowl of salsa and chopped veggies. Stir gently to mix. Put in a serving container and sprinkle 1/4 of chopped cilantro on top.

Hello anglers, Today we tried a few different spots around San Martin since everyone got enough yellowtail. Not much action on yellowtail, but we picked up one 25 pound halibut. We travelled north and tried a spot for some rockfish and had OK fishing for red rockcod and ling cod. Everyone had a great time and Dick Uranga did his usual give aways. The ocean is calm with no wind and very little seas so we should have a great ride north tonight. Capt Art

Hello anglers, We are on the first day of our annual Capt Potatohead charter with Dick Uranga and company. What a morning we have had! Excellent yellowtail fishing here at Isla San Martin. The fish are in the 12-30 pound class and the primary method has been flyline a live sardine. There have been a few fish landed on yo-yo iron as well. We’re having lots of fun as usual with this group, and Dick is on the receiving end of most of it. We couldn’t ask for any better fishing and so we hope this continues the rest of the day. Not sure what we can do for an encore, but I’m sure we can come up with something. More later, Capt Art

Hello anglers, The yellowtail continued to bite after lunch but tapered off around 3 pm. Wow–What a day we had! I can’t remember a day of such excellent yellowtail fishing like this here in a really long time. We are going to look for some halibut, maybe a white sea bass, and we may try for some red rock cod later today. The weather is better so it should be a nice ocean to work in today. More later, Capt Art

Capt Art took anglers to San Martin island this morning for some yellowtail action. He was reporting a few fish on deck and a few hooked up. He had to rush off the phone in mid-report when a big school of yellows appeared on his sonar screen! Full report later.

Click on photo gallery for some great shots by Steve Lamb!