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

Jul 242020

Trip #6: July 23-26 (3 day)

Good morning anglers,

We woke up to very good sign of 50-80lb bluefin around the boat. We managed to get one on the flat fall at about 5am this morning. Since then we’ve been able to scratch up some more smaller bluefin and yellowfin, as well as yellowtail on kelps. Overall, it’s been very tough to get a bite today. We’ll check back later.

Captain Mike and the boys

Doug and his 70lb bluefin tuna

Good evening anglers,

We had some scratchy fishing this afternoon on kelp patties. And we ran into these big bluefin again this afternoon and had a few opportunities. We hooked a few and only landed two. These fish are very tough to get a bite on. One of them was landed on an old Penn Baja special. Both were caught on the flat falls.

Captain Mike and the boys

This is what a large school of big bluefin looks like under the boat:  40 fathoms of fish. Quite impressive!

And when we’re lucky, we land one of them.

Captain’s Blog

Sep 192020

Trip #23: Sep 17-20 (3 day) Penn Reels

Good Afternoon Anglers,

We started our morning to the south in the dorado and yellowfin zone. The weather was a bit choppy but we did manage to locate the kelp we were looking for. Once we pulled up, dorado and yellowfin were eager to bite the fly line sardines. We picked up quite a few fish before the kelp went dry. From there we were able to find a good line of kelps that all seemed to have a little bit of fish swimming around them. We are in some beautiful warm water and our weather is steadily improving as the day goes on. Conditions are perfect for some end of summer kelp paddy fishing.

Captain Armando and Team Searcher

Cameron’s nice dorado on the first kelp

Good evening anglers,

This afternoon we continued our search for dorado and yellowfin on kelps. All throughout the day we found kelps with fish on them. It seemed that every we kelp we found had a little bit of fish on it. So we spent the afternoon picking away at the fish in search of that big kelp that was loaded up.

In the late afternoon it finally happened. We found a large kelp that was holding a huge school of dorado. Everyone had a bent rod, they were even biting the 60lb test! We had a blast and ended the trip with a great stop. It was an extremely fun trip with a great group of anglers. Many thanks to Steve Carson and Penn Fishing Reels for the great sponsorship.

We are on our way in and will be arriving in the morning ready to do it again!

Armando and the Searcher crew

Searcher Crew

Searcher Crew Profile


Captain Joe Soares Jr
Joe aka "Speedy" is back! He brings years of experience and a vast amount of knowledge deep-sea fishing and the ocean. Welcome home Captain Joe!

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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