Searcher Sportfishing | San Diego Long Range Fishing
Searcher Sportfishing offers premier San Diego Long Range fishing trips departing from Fisherman’s Landing in San Diego, California. Join Captain Mike, Chef Josh, and the Searcher Crew on our 95-foot double-planked mahogany wood sportfishing boat for 2-day to 8-day long-range trip to offshore fishing locations in Southern California and Baja California, Mexico, targeting tuna, yellowtail, wahoo, dorado, and more.
View Searcher’s 2026 & Partial 2027 Schedule
Searcher is docked at Fisherman’s Landing, 2838 Garrison Street San Diego, CA 92106.
Interested in chartering a trip, send an email, office@searchersportfishing.com or call the office, 619-226-2403.
For the latest Southern California fishing reports check out Fisherman’s Landing YouTube Page. If you have tackle questions, give Fisherman’s Landing Tackle Shop a call, 619-221-8500.
Captain’s Blog
Marine biologist shares an insider view on tuna
One of our Team Searcher naturalists, Rob Nawojchik, has long been fascinated by tuna. We asked him to share why:
“Tuna, as fishermen and ichthyologists know, are the high-performance sports cars of the fish world. They possess many anatomical and physiological adaptations that allow them to swim fast (45-60 MPH) for long periods of time. In fact, tuna are the fastest fish in the ocean. Some of their adaptations can be seen externally: fusiform body shape, smooth skin made up of tiny cycloid scales, caudal fin with a high aspect ratio (functionally similar to airplane wings), body depressions for tucking in their pectoral fins, finlets on the dorsal and ventral peduncle to help maintain laminar flow, and many others. Physiologically, they have a muscle layer of slow-twitch muscles for cruising, a large deep core of fast-twitch muscles for fast swimming (good for catching prey and avoiding predators), counter-current heat exchangers for maintaining a high body temperature, and many other adaptations. Behaviorally, they use thunniform locomotion (in which the body is held rigid and only the peduncle and tail move) and ram ventilation. Associated with their locomotion is an interesting adaptation of the caudal spine. At the base of the tail, the spine has lateral projections (the “lateral keel”) that extend to the sides. The keel is quite obvious externally, but even more amazing when seen without the soft tissues.
The keel has at least two functions: 1. like the finlets, it helps to maintain laminar flow in that region of the body; and 2. it provides a greater “angle of attack” for the ligaments that connect the huge muscle mass to the tail fin. This greater angle of attack facilitates the thunniform locomotion, the rapid tail beat, and the incredible speeds of tuna.
On my recent visit to San Diego, Sean Sebring at Fisherman’s Processing was very generous in giving me the tail section of a processed yellowfin tuna. I took the tail section with me on a 12-day Baja Whalewatching trip aboard Searcher recently and prepared the skeleton along the way. Thank you to Sean, Captain Art and the crew of Searcher for being patient with me. I think the final product was worth the effort! (See attached photos of his prepared skeleton.)”
Searcher Crew
Searcher Crew Profile
Captain Sean Allen
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Did You Know?
Searcher Offers 12-Day Whale Watching Cruises & Guided Tours!
As you’ve experienced and enjoyed being aboard the Searcher, fishing and spending time with our crew, we’d like to introduce you to another type of trip we offer, Whale Watching through Baja.
We have a 12-day cruise and guided tour from Fisherman’s Landing in San Diego to Cabo San Lucas, B.C.S., Mexico, scheduled for February 6 – 17, 2027. We would be thrilled to share one of the most exciting wildlife destinations with you, guided by our expert leadership team.
This is the perfect opportunity to not only spot gray, blue, fin, humpback, sperm, Bryde’s, and pilot whales but also sharpen your photography skills!
For more details, view Baja Whale’s website www.bajawhale.com
Review the detailed itinerary and additional trip information: Baja Whale Tour Itinerary
If you have any questions, please feel free to email searcher.tours@bajawhale.com or call 619-226-2403.
Tackle Tip Thursday
What Our Anglers Say
Cancellation Policy
If you cancel and we are able to rebook your spot, or if we receive your cancellation more than 120 days prior to departure, your deposit is refundable less a 10% cancellation fee based on the trip price.
If you cancel less than 120 days prior to departure, the trip is non-refundable unless the spot is rebooked. If the spot is rebooked, a refund will be issued less the 10% cancellation fee based on the trip price.
No refunds will be issued after the trip departs.
We recommend purchasing trip insurance to help protect your vacation investment in the event you need to cancel your trip. For pricing, benefits, and assistance from an agent, please visit Safari Global Travel. https://safariglobaltravel.com/
All trips require a valid passport book or passport card. Cancellation due to not having a valid passport book or passport card is still considered a cancellation and is subject to the same cancellation policy outlined above. Passport books or passport cards must be valid for the duration of the trip and will not expire during the duration of the trip and must meet the Mexican immigration requirements. Please verify your passport expiration date and ensure it meets all travel requirements before making your deposit.
All passengers are required to carry a valid passport (Passport Book or Passport Card) for all trips. Trip itineraries and fishing locations are subject to change based on weather, fishing conditions, and operational needs. Failure to possess a valid passport does not exempt a passenger from the cancellation policy.
Passengers are responsible for ensuring their passport is valid at the time of travel and meets all applicable U.S. and Mexican entry requirements. No refunds will be issued due to a passenger’s failure to provide the required travel documentation.
If a trip requires Mexican immigration documents (such as an FMM or similar visitor authorization), a valid passport or passport card is required.