Jun 2
2007
May 30
2007
SEARCHER’s Memorial Day Kickoff Provides "Tales of Tailî" (Yellowtail, That Is)
By Dick Uranga, AKA Capt. Potatohead
Fishing tackle has been bought, reels have been filled, reports have been spread: Memorial Day weekend has actually arrived. All of us have been ready to board our favorite sportfisher to pursue the early season’s gamefish. What will it be this year?
This year started with a real surprise, the first hookup came when Capt. Potatohead arrived to find all passengers and crew members wearing specially adorned Searcher tee shirts celebrating the 10th annual Capt. Potatohead Memorial Day Charter aboard the luxury sportfisher "Searcher." This of course set the mood for kudos and an appropriate roasting of the "Ol’ Captaín Spud!"
Our 3-day hunt started with a galley meeting conducted by owner/operator Art Taylor briefing 26 expectant fishermen about safety, weather conditions and our game plan. Our destination would be 200 miles S.E. from Point Loma; a bit of a stretch for a 3 day, but not untypical for a motivated Art Taylor. He informed us that we could expect catches of Yellowtail and possibly Bluefin Tuna. It was his intent to spend our 1st day fishing the paddies in this area targeting
Yellowtail, with the possibility of encountering Bluefin Tuna. For the 2nd day, his plan was to explore an area to the west, having perfect Terrafin temperature conditions that might hold early arrivals of Albacore. He then turned the meeting over to 2nd Capt. Aaron Remy for informative tackle tips and proper boat etiquette while fishing the decks of the Searcher. To get the fun going, Capt. Potatohead and staff members Terry Onishi and Mike Wicen proceeded to fill reels with fresh Izorline"Blue" to all interested fishermen. Capt. Spud and his team provided tips and techniques on the use of trolling feathers by Zuker, fishing Kicker and Ironman jigs and the use of hi-tech Owner hooks. In order to spice the trip up, Capt Potatohead offered chances to play "at the Dealer" to win tackle generously donated by the above mentioned sponsors. Anglers were also awarded tackle prizes for special catches; i.e. most fish caught in a day, 1st and second fish caught on a stop, etc.
Our first day started at day break to the sound of engines slowing down and Artís voice calling out the first trolling team. Although still enroute to our destination, we stopped on several paddies to yield catches of Yellowtail in the 7# to 10# class. Jig strikes throughout the day added to our action providing catches of Yellowtail and Bonita ranging up to13#. This combination of live paddies and jigs being hit provided hook-ups and high spirits throughout the day.
Our tally for this dayís fishing yielded 66 Yellowtail and 14 Bonita with many fish released less than 28î in length; not to mention pranks on Capt. Potatohead to include the reversal of his reel on his "go- to" rods, and lines being pulled through the head window and attached to the showerhead. Oh yes, let us not forget the timely pulling down of his pants during a hook-up! All in the name of fun, and that it was!
We now have traveled and fished to a point of being 217 miles from Point Loma. Art then informed us that we would head in a Westerly direction during the night to explore an area having ideal temperature indications provided on Terrafin maps. As we all know, it is this type of exploration that yields the first catches of Albacore every year.
Upon arrival, we found conditions to be as predicted. We, as on the previous day, stopped on several paddies and experienced jig strikes to put an additional 2 Yellowtail and 20 Bonita on the decks, but unfortunately, no Tuna. Not as productive as day # 1, but certainly worth the try during this time of transition that can potentially payoff bigtime!
Our crew was outstanding, and the cuisine superb. Our special thanks to Aaron, Joe, Jordan and Galley master Randy and assistant William. Thank you again Art, for a fun filled "Searcher" adventure!
Congratulations to Jack Pot winners:
1st Place Mike Mayes 13.0# Bonita
2nd Place Mike Mayes 10.4# Yellowtail
3rd Place Mark Seals 10.2# Yellowtail
1st Place Mike Mayes 13.0# Bonita
2nd Place Mike Mayes 10.4# Yellowtail
3rd Place Mark Seals 10.2# Yellowtail
May 29
2007
New 1.5 day trips in June!
We’ve added a few 1.5 day trips to our schedule at the end of June. Join the tuna hunt! Check our schedule and call the landing to book.
May 28
2007
Memorial Day Special
This 3-day trip had 25 anglers and they caught 70 yellowtail and 20 bonito. Photo by Jonathan Jones. The jackpot winners are: (right to left)
- Mike Mayes, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA — 13# yellowtail
- Mike Mayes, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA — 10.4# yellowtail
- Mark Seals, Cambria, CA– 10.2# yellowtail
May 26
2007
Hey anglers, Our day was spent looking for yellowtail on kelps. We had to work hard for the ones we caught, but we ended the day with about three fish per rod. The size was from 8 to 12 pounds. The weather was great and the water temp was 62 to 63.5 and mostly blue in color. There were a couple of bluefin tuna caught in the fleet today so it is good to see a sign of those fish this early. We are headed west tonight to try a different area tomorrow to check out a good-looking pocket of warmer water. More tomorrow, Capt Art
May 26
2007
Hey anglers, We decided to do some prospecting today by going out 100 miles to the west last night. There is a pocket of warmer water on the water chart that looked promising. We found the warmer water (62.5) and lots of good size kelps, but unfortunatley there wasn’t any fish on the kelps. We covered a lot of territory on this trip to scout things out for the future. We didn’t come up with very much but there are signs of life with blue whales and bait, so it looks good. The good thing is that the water is on the cool side which could be good for us in the future. There are signs of bluefin tuna in several spots so that is encouraging as well. It looks like we need a little more time for things to develop. We’ll run again on the June 1 trip to continue our tuna search. Capt Art
May 25
2007
Memorial Day Special
Hey anglers, The 2007 season is finally here! The crew and I have been anxiously waiting for the season to start. We departed on our 10th annual “Captain Potatohead” trip with a great group of 25 passengers and a good load of bait. We headed southeast to a pocket of water that looked good. We hope to get some action on kelps for yellowtail. Maybe we’ll get lucky and see some sort of tuna. The weather is great and so we are looking forward to tomorrow. Capt Art
May 21
2007
Need a passport?
No, not for our fishing trips into Mexican waters. As usual, we will ask to see your photo id (driver’s license, military ID) upon boarding the boat, but a passport is NOT required. There is one minor change: We are asked to supply Mexico with a list of our passengers’ name, address, phone number AND citizenship and birthdate. So we’ll be asking for a bit more information at check-in time. Call if you have any questions or concerns!
May 3
2007
Gettin’ ready to fish
Hello anglers! We just launched the boat back into the water today after a 10-day maintenance period in drydock. We got all our annual inspections and bottom work completed with a lot of hard work. The boat will be at Fisherman’s Landing for some dockside work until we head out for its 37th year of fishing. We still have some spaces open on the first trip over Memorial Day weekend. We always have a good time on that trip and usually get into some early yellowtail and albacore. Hope to see you aboard in 2007, Capt Art
Apr 26
2007
PRICE SLASHED!! Offshore Delights: Searcher Recipe Book
We sat Chef Randy Fickes down long enough to compile recipes so you can make our great Searcher meals at home. This photo-illustrated cookbook is a great memory of your Searcher Adventure. Email Celia to get a copy reservations@searchersportfishing.com. Cost is now $10!