berrien springs dam Fishing Report 2024

Captured this nice #25 Halibut today, looked at quite a bit of Yellowtail that was not biting. 

Yesterday morning we had some good fishing and the albacore and some great fishing on the yellowtail. Midday we got a nice round on the bluefin and late in the day we were back with the albacore biting full speed. It was a fantastic day. Weather was good and is still nice today. This morning we had a nice hit on the albacore. We have had some requests in the office to post the meals we serve on board, so we'll start putting some of that information on as well. Last night Chef Pedro served a wonderful duck breast fillet served in natural pan sauce. It was excellent. The night before we dined on salmon with a lemon, butter caper sauce. Also very tasty.

Some of our lunches on this trip were pork carnitas, with all the toppings and sides, and one day we had chicken marinara with pasta. Food and fishing is excellent! Paul Hess's group has also been excellent.

We will be into the dock tomorrow morning at 6am.

Thanks for checking in! Tommy and crew

2 yellowfin 5 dorado 51 yellowtail. Plenty of kelps but no lucky ones for us today.

Many of you know Captain Ray Montera who has been involved in sportfishing most of his life. In March, his 32 year old Chris son was severely injured in a C4 blast in Afghanistan. We are holding a fundraiser on October 8th at the Bali Hai on Shelter Island. He is one of our own and we are rallying to support him.

As an Army soldier, Chris Montera was often taken aback when people would thank him for doing the job he loved. On a fateful day in March, he came to face the sacrifice. He was on a dismounted mission and was hit with explosion of C4, which literally blasted and propelled him into a grape field. He suffered major issues with blast lung and severe burns over much of his body. For 9 days he was on ECMO (lung bypass) until he was stable enough to be transported to BAMC in San Antonio for the treatment of his shrapnel wounds and third degree burns. On April 2 a fungal infection set into the wounds on his lower extremities and Chris underwent bilateral AK amputation of his legs. He was further diagnosed with an incomplete spinal cord injury in the thoracic area of the spine at VA Polytrauma Center in Palo Alto.

Through all of this, Chris remains focused and committed to rehabilitation. It is estimated that he will remain in Palo Alto for 3-6 months while he works to regain his upper body strength, which will be necessary for the next stages of rehab in the C5 program at Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego where he will be fitted with prosthetic legs and with determination will learn to walk again. There is no doubt in our minds that Chris will recover to live an independent life. The goal of this fundraiser is to be able to assist Chris with expenses he will no doubt encounter on his journey to independence.

The event will be held at the Bali Hai Restaurant on Shelter Island On October 8th from 6:00-10:00 pm. There will be food stations serving food from many San Diego restaurants along with a no host bar. A raffle, live, and silent auction will take place during the event along with live entertainment by Mango Bay and World Famous Jim Gibson. The outpouring of support of raffle and auction donations from the sportfishing community, tackle, fishing supply manufacturers, and local businesses has been phenomenal. The evening will be great fun for all and will serve to help a young man who put it all on the line.

There are several ways you can help:
First and most important is attend the event.

Tickets are $50 in advance or $450 for a block of 10

Advance ticket purchases will include 3 raffle tickets and assorted swag

Cannot attend but would like to help, make a cash donation in any amount.

Donate an item for the raffle or auction. Anything from fishing items, art, gift certificates, clothing...anything is greatly appreciated.


We look forward to having you at the event. The sport fishing community has come together to take care of a wounded warrior of their own, and it promises to be a fun filled evening for all.

To purchase tickets for Island Nights at the Bali Hai, please visit our website at http://christophermonterasupport.com/island-nights-at-the-bali-hai

To donate items for our raffle/auction please visit our website and complete the donor form http://christophermonterasupport.com/sponsors-anddonors-supporters/donor-form

Everybody is relaxing as we travel home in good weather.

Good times were had by all on the Skipper Dang annual private charter. Light loads all week.

38 Yellowfin, 117 Yellowtail, 4 Dorado and 18 Skipjack. A fine November day.

Captain Ryan Bostian checked in tonight with an update from the San Diego out of Seaforth Sportfishing in Mission Bay. Today we caught 2 Bluefin Tuna, 30 California Yellowtail and 1 Pacific Bonito. We never found the big yellowtail blowout we were looking for but we did see sign of Bluefin.