Boat Searcher Sportfishing Boat Big Yellowtail Sunset Crew and Wahoo Crew and sunset Fish off the boat
San Diego Long Range Fishing | Searcher Sportfishing

Searcher Sportfishing | San Diego Long Range Fishing

Searcher Sportfishing BoatSearcher 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 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.

Trip Report

May 292021

May 29 (3 day trip)

Good afternoon anglers,
We had a very exciting morning on the bluefin tuna. Right before the sun began to rise we found a very cooperative school of mixed grade fish everywhere from 40 to 200 pound fish. Of course with bluefin there were some heartbreaks. The key seemed to be fishing the deep jig, like the flatfall and the sinker rigged sardine on 60 to 80 pound test. Throughout the morning we have been seeing nice schools and hooking a few every stop. We are on the hunt for a few more this afternoon!

Armando and the Searcher crew

Check out these tackle suggestions: Tackle for Offshore Trips

  Gabe landed his personal best this morning on a flat fall. It weighed in at 181 pounds!

Captain’s Blog

Feb 62021

Catching up with Anglers

Welcome to a segment we are calling “Catching up with Anglers!”

We love to stay in touch with our Searcher family to share 🎣fish stories, recreate the excitement, swap tackle tips, reunite with old friends and maybe make new ones. We thought it would be fun to see how our anglers are holding up and share some of their stories. Hopefully they can give you ideas of things we can be doing with your time or help you feel better. Let’s catch up with an angler.⁠

Today we have a special, long-time Searcher family member, Dave Roti! We invite you to get to know Dave and the other volunteers with CCA-San Diego’s chapter here: San Diego Chapter of CCA

Name: Dave Roti
From: Poway, California
Job Title: Marketing / Mentoring Manager, G2 National Engineered Wood Mfg.

  • What’s your typical day like?: Up early, seek out something informative/educational/inspirational to read. Address the construction industry work issues, keep that on track. Reward myself with a few hours outdoors; continual home projects, maintain our mini fruit orchard, exercise. Volunteer/support California Conservation Association & other fishing interests.

  • Share your best tackle tip: Familiarize yourself with your gear, practice with it. Include casting and knot tying. There are many benefits; it lessens fish fighting mistakes/failures, takes you into fishing mode even when not on the water!

  • Who or what got you into fishing? My uncle Doug would take me fishing often and pay me to dig worms for us to use as bait. A highlight was catching a sturgeon at Big Bend Dam on the Missouri River.
  • A “must have” in your tackle box is: A wide assortment of quality hooks. It’s an inexpensive way to increase your odds of enticing fish to bite, when all they want is bait and the bite is picky.
  • Favorite fish dish? Grilled yellowtail, Fish Pros seasonings, Temecula Olive Oils/Balsamic Vinegars, lemon/lime juice from our trees. Different ingredient combos each time, great results every time!
  • What kind of fish is inside your fish taco? Dorado. The sweet/moist/mild flavor has wide appeal, is our go-to for BBQ parties & guests!
  • Favorite hobby other than fishing: Woodworking/building projects. Love the creative process, renovating something from old to new.
  • What Searcher trip are you most excited about? Steve Carson’s Penn University. He’s a wealth of knowledge, and I’ve made some great friends on those trips.
  • Favorite fishing memory: On one of those Searcher trips, I caught a personal grand slam in one day: yellowfin tuna, yellowtail, dorado, and wahoo. On another trip, while dropper loop fishing in the dark, I saw a huge white shadow swim alongside the boat. It startled me, so I sheepishly asked Art to confirm what it was. He laughed, informed me that it was a 30’ whale shark!
  • Fish you are looking forward to catching: Roosterfish
  • What motivates you? Blessing others…blesses me!
  • Favorite thing to do in your spare time? Reading. Also the design process involved in construction projects, a part of my job description that I love.
  • Bucketlist fish/fish you haven’t caught but want to? Two: big eye tuna or an opah

Searcher Crew

Searcher Crew Profile


Captain Kaden Hile
Captain Kaden, also known as "Cheeto" recently earned his 100-ton captain's license in 2025. He has great knowledge about San Diego sportfishing and is valued member is the Searcher family.

more profiles

Did You Know?

Searcher Offers 12-Day Whale Watching Cruises & Guided Tours!

Whale tail

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.

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