mckenzie Fishing Report 2025

Mike Pritchard called in with this report for the Tribute. "We're out here on another 1 Day trip. So far good tuna fishing here this morning. We have 10 Yellowfin tuna to 40 lbs.+, 11 Bluefin. They are all a nice grade fish. Plus we have some Yellowtail & Dorado to go with it for our morning. It looks like those fish from the lower zone are trickling up here.

"We'll be out on a 1.5 Day trip tonight, there is still room available. If you are interested, give Seaforth Sportfishing a call at 619-224-3383."

FANTASTIC 1.5 TRIP WITH CAPT. J.J.!!!! APOLLO just came back in with 24 anglers brought in 26 Yellowtail(ranging 22 lbs to 30 lbs), 78 Lings, & limits of Rockfish. Next available trips will be Feb 2nd & 16th. Book now before it's too late. Call Fisherman's Landing @ (619)221-8500 to get your reservation.

~~Oct. 4
 Last night I was planning my next move way too early.  I thought by 11:00 this morning we would be fixed up on both dorado and tuna so I was worrying about what I would do for the rest of the day.  The old counting your chickens before the eggs hatch scenario.  That never works out.  By 11:00 this morning we had 2 dorado on board and hadn't even seen a tuna fish yet.  It was an afternoon thing today.  I prefer morning things.  I like getting the sweat off early.  It doesn't always work that way though and have I ever let you all down?  No need to answer that.

 Anyways, before lunch we found our first dorado kelp and it was good for a round.  After lunch we found a school of those little tunas and did well while they were there but short lived.  A couple hours of looking later we bumped into that same school 5 miles away from where we originally saw it and maybe we got on the meat better that time because it didn't go away.  We left them biting.  The best way to leave a school.  Those things were chewing and coming on fast.  They were biting as good as is possible.

 After that we found a couple more kelps for a dozen more dorado and then poof, it was dark.  So we're headed home and we'll be spending Sunday night with our loved ones and coming back out Monday for 1 1/2 days.  Go Chargers!
       

60+ yellowtail on the boat by noon. Good sign so far this morning. Stay tuned.

Hooked 10, but they are mean and like to destroy your gear. Ended with 4 Bluefin all around #70 pounds for our 5 anglers. 

Captain Ryan Bostian checked in tonight with an update from the San Diego out of Seaforth Sportfishing in Mission Bay. We had 36 passengers today catch 180 Yellowfin Tuna (LIMITS), 7 Dorado, 50 Yellowtail and 50 Skipjack. We had a long run to get these fish but we had great. It was a one done deal!

Tom Rothery brought his Polaris Supreme home to Fisherman's Landing January 11 after a 16-day trip to the Hurricane Bank and the Southern Banks of Baja. There were seven anglers on the annual George Davis expedition, and they produced ten more cows for the record.

In his report from the boat on Friday January 2, Tom reported a good day of fishing.

"Yes, now this is what I'm talking about," he wrote. "We finally got a break in the weather. It is beautiful and we have left Hurricane Bank. We are now heading to the upper banks. We will be there tomorrow night. Yesterday was an ok day of fishing. George kept a 219 and released a 185. Jeremy released a 140.

"Craig kept a 205 and by the way that was a mistake yesterday. Craig kept a 210 pounder. Al kept a 100 for his buddies that are going to Ennis hunting. They are going to open pit barbeque it on a spit like a pig. Now, that sounds interesting. ‚Д®

"Charlie released a 125 and Scott released a 140. Each day we also had five to 12 fish that we caught that were under 100 pounds and were not mentioned. These all were released.

"Yesterday we also had good wahoo fishing. Jeremy and Craig both caught 4 and Gunnar and Al got 3. Everybody else had a couple a piece. Overall the trip to Hurricane Bank has been very good with eight tuna over 200 pounds, and excellent wahoo fishing."

Chartermaster George Davis of San Dimas won the jackpot while catching four cows. His tuna weighed 241.8, 219.8, 213.6 and 208 pounds. The big one came on squid on the kite, he said.

George fished with 7/0 Mustad 7691 hooks, 130-pound Momoi line and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 70 VSW reel and a Calstar 655 XXH rod. He said the big one came to gaff in just 20 minutes.

Allen Tokunaga of North Hollywood won second place for a 224.6-pounder.

"These Hurricane Bank fish seemed a little tougher than the ones on the inside," he remarked. "This one took me 40 minutes. He went around the boat a couple of times, and then came up on the port side of the stern."

Al fished a sardine on an 8/0 Eagle Claw hook, on 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon leader, 100-pound P-Line and 130-pound Izorline Spectra. He used a Penn 50 reel modified by Cal Sheets and a Calstar 6465 XXH rod.

Scott Brown of Costa mesa won third place for his 213.2-pounder. He also got a 202.6-pounder. He fished a small jack under the kite on a 9/0 Mustad 7691 hook. He used 130-pound Momoi line and 130-pound Izorline Spectra on a Penn 70 VSW reel and a Calstar 655 XXH rod.

"The big one was a 20-minute fish," he remarked. "He came to the boat pretty good."

One big tuna was eaten by the passengers and crew while the boat was still fishing. It was a 215-pounder caught by Craig Johnston of Costa Mesa, who also got a 204-pounder. Craig said he got them on the kite, on double sardine baits pinned to 7/0 Mustad 7691 hooks. He fished with a 130-pound Momoi topshot on 130-pound Izorline Spectra, with a Penn 70 VSW reel and a Calstar 655 XXH rod.

"It took about 30 minutes," he said. "We had rough seas then; it was a fun fight."

Jeremy Chandler of San Dimas got a 203.6-pounder on a jack under the kite on a 7/0 Mustad 7691 hook and the boat's kite rig.

Tom Rothery docked his Polaris Supreme at Fisherman's Landing August 4 following a five-day limited load trip with 18 anglers. It was the Tom Chaparro charter, and Tom was aboard, winning the jackpot. Chaparro's tuna weighed in at 66 pounds. It took a sardine on a 4/0 Eagle Claw hook on 50-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon leader and 65-pound Line One Spectra. Tom fished with a Trinidad 40 reel and a Calstar 665 H rod. Mark Arbunich of Pacifica won second place for a 62.8-pound tuna, and Travis Donahue of Norco got third place for a 61.6-pound Guadalupe yellowfin tuna.