charleston sc Fishing Report 2023

Hello everyone, Day one was rather uneventful after checking out the yellowfin tuna grounds. We were able to scratch away at a couple fish on jig strikes and porpoise schools, but it wasn't the big hit we were hoping for. These fish are very finicky, and aren't sticking with the boat like we need them to.With a plethora of other sport boats in the area, these fish have been getting hit pretty hard recently. Team Supreme

~~It had been 3 years since my last long range trip. Personal events have kept me away from going fishing. But finally everything worked out and I was able to make this trip on the Polaris Supreme. Having fished with Tommy Rothery and the crew of the Supreme I knew the only worries I would have would be the weather and if the fish were hungry.
The weeks prior I kept track of the fishing. Where each long range boat had fished and what they landed. With two weeks remaining until my trip departed things were looking good but there was still two weeks left. Knowing that it would only take one boat to fish the “Rocks” and my chances for catching wahoo could disappear, I could use a little luck. Then the weather worked in my favor. A hurricane came up from the tropics and kept any boat from fishing the “Rocks”.
Thursday morning I arrived in San Diego and was ready to start my long range trip. It was three years since my last long trip. That was also on the Polaris Supreme and with this same charter. That year I was the new guy”. By the end of that trip I was invited back for the next year’s trip. I told the charter master that this might be my last trip ever. Who knows if I would have caught a few wahoo on that it might have been my last.
I invited Terry Kitahara and his two sons, Byran and Eddie. We were Team ONO. Terry and I really just wanted to catch Wahoo or Ono. Byran had been on several of my trips before and this was Eddie’s first long trip. Terry’s sons are great young men. The four of us fitted in great with the rest of the charter.
 By mid-day we were underway to the bait barge. As we left the bait barge we hadn’t been told where were we would fish first, offshore in US waters or head south. When we cleared Pt. Loma and didn’t turn right I knew the game plan. Skipper Drew had mentioned one of our options was to take our time to get to the Rocks while the winds died down. Well the Rocks are south of the point and we were heading to the south and not west. The rest of the day was spent rigging up tackle, eating the fine cuisine prepare by Chef Mike and catching up on the sleep that I had missed the two previous nights. I did more eating and sleeping than rigging of tackle. The crew and rest of the anglers gave me grief for it. But that’s part of fishing with people you know.
Friday we continued down the coast. Drew gave us an update on the weather at the Rocks, the winds were dying down and his plan was to get there Sunday morning. So its yellowtail fishing today and tomorrow we fished all around Benitos Island on Friday. Most fish were in the 10 to 15 pound size, nice eating size but not much on fight. Toss in a bonito or barracuda here and there and that was our first day. As the sun set we were traveling down the coast.
Saturday we fished the high spots as we continued south more yellowtails and the stray yellowfin tuna. I was at the right place at the right time and hooked one of the yellowfin tuna or YFT for short. Most of fishing is being at the right place at the right time. By the afternoon the winds at the Rocks had dropped down to fishable speeds and Drew pointed the Polaris Supreme to the Rocks. We would be there around 7 or 8 in the morning. Just about the time wahoo are looking for their first meal of the day. As long as no one had fished the Rocks on Saturday the Rocks would be ready for us to enjoy their bounty.

Sunday was here and what I had been waiting for the Rocks and wahoo fishing. I had been there three years earlier but the timing was off. Another vessel had been fishing the Rocks before we arrive. And they hooked just about all the fish that were in the area at that time. But today would be different. The Rocks had not been fished for weeks due to Hurricanes and great tuna fishing in off of San Diego. Drew’s game plan was put into play this morning. We had taken our time to get there, the weather was great, now let’s find out if anyone is home. It didn’t take long to find out. Maybe 10 minutes had passed when one of our four trollers got hooked. I tossed out a chrome candy bar jig and got a slight tap on my first cast. Second cast got a solid hit and just kept grinding on the reel trying to set the hook. The wahoo finally made a short run up the port side of the Supreme and showed itself. It was a small wahoo or skin as some call them. I followed the fish up the portside and then the skin did a head shake and released itself. All I could think was three years and I blew it. Most fall trips you may get one shot at landing a wahoo. Now I just missed mine.
Trollers went back out again. As the crew cleared the deck and put the wahoo in the Raw Sea fish hold, I noticed that all the skins on the first stop were small. They were 20-25 pounds just like the one that I lost. But that is a good sign. Small fish are more aggressive and maybe the larger ones would show up soon. The crew didn’t have much time as a trolling rod was hit again. Again more of the same, a troll fish landed and a couple of fish on casting jigs. No action for me on that stop. I was up on the next troll rotation so I quickly got my trolling outfit and found a corner to fish. I like to troll in close and with a very tight drag. Maybe 5 minutes had passed and my troll rod jumped to attention and the reel was slowing giving line out. I un-hooked the rod from the trolling straps in the stern port corner, followed the fish across the stern and up the starboard side of the boat. Grinding as I walked, the boat slowed and the skin came in with a little muscle on my part. The fish was gaffed and I had ended my drought. It wasn’t a big skin maybe 25 pounds but it was a skin!
Out again went the trollers and again the same thing, one maybe two fish on the troll and a couple of jig fish. I wasn’t getting any more bites on my chrome candy bar jig so I switched to a chrome and red sinker bomb. It’s a little smaller and easier for the small wahoo to hang on to. The change of lures worked to perfection on the next stop not only did I hook another wahoo, but this one had some size to it.
When it was weighed at the landing it went 40 pounds. Nice size for the Rocks. The stops continued until late afternoon. Most stops had 3 to 6 wahoo each and there were a couple of stops where more than 10 fish were landed. As the day progressed I had 3 wahoo in the fish hold, missed two strikes and had three taken by sharks, aka the taxman. This was the first time I experienced sharks eating wahoo at the Rocks. I’ve seen them eat tuna but not wahoo. I was not happy paying the taxman but I did have two fish on the sinker bomb and one on the troll an excellent day by most fall trips. There were a couple of anglers who were “hot”. They fished their butts off but it paid off very well. I wish I could still cast and crank all day long like those guys but I was totally out of wahoo fishing shape.
As the day was ending I was trolling on the starboard stern corner. The angler on the port stern corner had a trolling plug that just would not run straight and second skipper Jed asked me if I would trade places with him. So I reached down to grab the rod and crank in my plug. I had just gotten the safety straps off when a wahoo decided it wanted my plug. All I could do was yell “FRESH ONE”. Jed looked over and said “really”. This wahoo was ripped off line so I knew it was a good one. A few minutes passed and the fish neared the boat. Jed was ready with the gaff and was raking me over the coals for not getting the fish in quickly. I told him this one got some size to it. Jed said “you’re just getting too old”. When we saw the fish at deep color the joking stopped. After a couple of quick dives to try to free itself, the wahoo was gaffed and introduced to the deck of the Polaris Supreme. Finally got a decent wahoo from the Rocks today, it just missed the 50 lb. mark by a few ounces great way to end an amazing day of wahoo fishing.
This was the best day of wahoo fishing I have seen on a fall trip. Everyone on board had many chances of landing wahoo. If you were not good at casting lures you still had plenty of chances getting them trolling or live bait fishing. Everyone was talking about how they missed a few but no one was upset about it. We all had more than enough chances to get some wahoo today. We would stay the night at the Rocks and give it a try in the morning to see if we had missed any wahoo. Second day at the Rocks could be tough. We had hooked most of the “stupid” ones today.
Monday morning at the Rocks was flat calm just a little ripple on the water. You wouldn’t know that you were 160 miles offshore. I knew today was not going to be an amazing as yesterday. You do not get two days back to back of even good wahoo fishing at one spot. This morning the troll stops were farther apart. Yesterday maybe 20 minutes was the longest time between stops. Today 20 minutes was the shortest time. Most anglers were still fishing the trolling plugs they used the day before. By the time my trolling team was up I had switched lures to a chrome jethead with black, clear and purple skirts. I dropped the lure in one of the center positions and placed it far enough back that it was smoking (trailing bubbles) pretty well. I was out numbered 3 to 1 but I knew this lure had proven itself many times when fishing for wahoo was tough. After 20 minutes no strikes but I had to take a “break”. I called over Byran to watch my rod while I disappeared to the head. Well you know what happened. The rod goes off while I’m in the head. When I finally return to the deck there’s my jethead and a 45 lb. wahoo coming over the rail. I joked with Byran that he did a great job landing my wahoo. I took the trolling rod from him and gave him one of my tags for the fish. Byran had a look on his face that was priceless. Eventually we placed his tag on the fish.
Fishing continued to be slow compared by the previous day. I was able to hook one 40 lb. wahoo on a sinker bomb. I think we landed 25 fish by noon. It was time to pull the plug, the Rocks had been good to us and it was time to north.
As we left the Rocks and headed back up the line towards San Diego I knew that I was just part of an amazing wahoo bite. Usually if you get 2 wahoo on a fall trip you’ve have a great catch. Well the last day and a half at the Rocks I landed 5 wahoo and I was near the bottom of wahoo landed on the boat. In years past I’ve caught more than my fair share of the wahoo catch. This year I wanted to enjoy the fishing more and not worry about being the hot stik on the boat.
A couple of other factors have to be mentioned here. First of I don’t like to see fish go to waste. So I only kept what I needed for my personal use and my friends. I gave 2 fish to Terry and the final one was for Tommy and Susan Rothery. I told them if fishing was good I would get them one. I know that those fish were going to “good homes”. Secondly I would have to pay for the fish to be cleaned, filleted and then air shipped to my home. So I really didn’t want to catch a lot of wahoo. When I landed the two 40 lb. plus fish that was all I needed for my needs.
The rest of Monday was a travel day. That gave us plenty of time to re-load our reels with fresh line and repair any reels. I re-loaded by 50 lb. jig reel and then went below for a nap. I woke up our afternoon snack and then took another nap, woke up for dinner, played some cards and then went to sleep for the night a nice and relaxing day.
Tuesday and Wednesday, we were fishing for yellowtails as we traveled up the line. Drew hit various spots and we had some success, but I don’t think many of us had your hearts into it. After catching wahoo, catching yellows was “boring”. LOL… I spent the days trying to hook yellows on lures that I hadn’t used in years. Old school lures that many had heard of but never used. The one that worked the best was a 4 oz. green mackerel painted Crocodile. The best thing about fishing a Crocodile you don’t have to crank it fast. I’d catch one take a break, when we got to the next spot I’d try the Croc again. If it didn’t work there I’d wait for the next spot and try again. By late afternoon I called it a day. Really didn’t need any more yellows and was completely stuffed from the breakfast, lunch and afternoon snacks.  By 5 PM I didn't have any room for dinner so off to my bunk I went.
Wednesday we were further up the line and yellowtail fishing again. Most of today for me was a rest day. Eat a little, nap a little, eat a little, play some cards, nap a little. Didn’t fish much as we still had two more days left to hit the US tuna grounds and I wanted to be ready for that. I did mention that I wasn’t in fishing shape. Getting old and not fishing regularly, I was dragging on Wednesday. The crew did give me grief again but that’s to be expected.
For the past week now I had been eating like a king on the Polaris Supreme. Breakfast to order, wonderful hearty lunches, afternoon snacks to die for and dinners that any restaurant would be proud to serve. The Supreme only carries 24 passengers. Yet there food bill is equal to boats that carry 30 passengers, so you get the best on the Supreme. It not often that you have baby lamb chops for afternoon snacks. All I can say is the food was 5 stars.
Thursday, we are now at Cortez Bank making bait at sunrise. First time all trip were are making bait. The small mackerel were biting full speed as the sun came up. Four hook rig four mackerel, eight hook rig eight mackerel every hook had a mackerel in less than an hour we filled the tanks. Now off to the tuna grounds nearby. The hunt for tuna begins but not much action this morning. A jig strike here and there, then were finally hit a school of YFT’s. These are decent size 18 lbs. and up. Better than what they were catching last week. We continue to fish this area and are rewarded with more stops on YFT. Most of the fish are biting the live mackerel but I am using my old standby jig. Salas 6X Jr. in blue and white. For me it’s more fun to catch them on iron. When the bite slows you can always toss live bait and still get bit. I get a couple of fish on the jig, take a break and then get a couple of bait. Then its first call for lunch. Chef Mike is serving monster burgers for lunch. They look more like steaks than burgers. I know once I sit down I’ll be there for a while, but I got YFTs already and I want that “burger”.
Thursday was great for those who wanted to catch tuna.  Even a few Bluefin tuna were landed and we still had another day to go.
Our final day on the tuna grounds was similar to the day before.  Very good Yellowfin tuna strikes on meter marks.  At times there were even biting on 50 lb. mono.  I landed a couple very quickly on 50 lb.; Sashimi grade yellowfin tuna in the RSW.
As Friday ended, I was feeling blessed to have taken this trip.  Anyone who wanted to caught, tuna (Yellowfin or Bluefin), Yellowtail and Wahoo had more than ample chances to catch their fill of these fish.  The only fish that did not want to find the Polaris Supreme this trip was Dorado or Mahi Mahi.  But the amazing wahoo fishing more than made up for the absence of Dorado
Now all the hard work would begin: Tearing down of fishing outfits, stowing fishing tackle, packing up clothes and planning what to do with all those fish when we arrive back in San Diego on Saturday.
My main concern was making it to the airport in time for my Saturday flight.  I really didn’t want to fly out the same day we returned but I knew if I stay around in San Diego too long I wouldn’t want to go home.
Saturday morning the unloading of tackle, gear and fish when smoothly.  I dropped of 2 wahoo and 2 Yellowfin tuna to 5 Star Fish Processing. On my last trip they handled all of my fish and air shipped them to me without any problems.   I highly recommend their services when you return from your long range trip.
I would like to say it was a joy to fish with my fellow anglers on this trip.  We had various skill levels on this trip. From hot stiks to novices, we all fished together without any problems or drama.  That is something that is rare on these trips.
Final words are for the great folks of the Polaris Supreme.  Susan and Tommy always treat me like family.  Drew, Jed and the crew were always ready to lend a hand, a gaff or a verbal jab when needed.  I know I said it before but the food was amazing.  Thanks Chef Mike and Gringo.
If I could find the time every year this would be the trip I would take every year.  And if you are thinking about going on a long range trip give the Polaris Supreme a try.

 

Rolf Johnson  

aka Mr. Ono
 

Saturday, July 21st, 2012

Hi everyone. A fun day was had by all here on the Polaris Supreme. For a while, it was looking rather bleak, but we got on a breezer a little after lunch time and "put the wood on" some Bluefin. That last quotation was a Mark Clark-ism, I don't know what putting the wood on means but he apparently says it when he would like our anglers to hook up and pull on some fish. Well, from lunch time until sun down, they were looking like they all worked at the lumber section of Home Depot. We also had a nice sonar school towards the end of the day that gave us a ripper up until dark. Lots of good times for the boys today here on the Polaris Supreme. All the kids had a blast and we're throwing out the "sack" tonight to hopefully do this again tomorrow. Hopefully, the time of day thing gets straightened out and we have some action in the morning time. We'll chat with you tmorrow.

Richie and Team Supreme

P.S. The Phrase Is "putting the wood to them" not on them. Thus the Clark-ism variation. The Term comes from a time when your father would make you go to the wood pile to pick your own piece of lumber to spank you for lipping off or what ever you did wrong. So we spanked the tuna, put a hurt on them, or put the wood to them! Tommy.

 

 

TWO SPOTS AVAILABLE!!!APOLLO has two open spots for Friday 01/26 1.5 Colonett trip January 26th. Get 'em now before it's too late. They will sell FASSSTTT!!! We're now getting reservations for February too. Boat will be departing every Friday night. Cost of the trips is $225 including Mexican permit. Book now before they're gone. For reservations call Fisherman's Landing @ (619)221-8500

Monday, August 13th, 2012

Ahhh yes. It's fitting that Sirius XM 90's on 9 is bumping Ice Cube's hit "Today Was A Good Day". Oh yes, and just like Mr. Cube, we messed around and got ourselves a triple-double. Daily limits of yellowfin in the 30-50 lb. class, 33 bluefin tuna of a mixed grade but most were 30-40 pounders, and we rounded our day out with 17 flatheads. We had a jig strike at about 0600 hours and didn't move the boat until well after lunch. Just plunkin' away with some really heavy flurries now and then to really jack things up. Excellent fishing on quality gamefish is what we do. Like Mallory, our resident 16 year old girl from last trip said to me "get on my level, bro!" Kids. Where do they come up with this stuff? Anyhow, our level right now is Sonny Jim status. Straight ballin' and if everybody was on our level right now, the world would be a much, much better place. We're pumped and Tania and the dudes are done wore out.

Good weather, good fishing. No reason not to do this again tomorrow. We'll be trying for squid tonight and see if we can't get ourselves a few and put them to good use tomorrow like we did today. Have a great night and a splendid tomorrow -- and remember: somebody on the Polaris Supreme loves you.

The team you dream about,

RE and the Supreme Team

Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013

Hi friends. Thanks for nothing, Joey. We were really looking forward to those fresh flour tortillas and now, because of you, we are burrito-less for three days. Let me guess - traffic? Anyways, we just now (08:33 hours) dropped off Riddler, Tom, and the gang to board their flights and fly back home. We've taken Jeff along for the ride with us as a bargaining chip just in case we need to barter for the aforementioned flour tortillas or who-knows-what. Our weather right now is not very Cabo San Lucas, that's for sure. It's really not that bad but it isn't quite extreme sun and bikinis and margaritas weather. At the moment, we are making horrible speed so we'll hope to make that up along the way so that we're not arriving to the docks at 17:00 hours on Friday evening. Once we get closer to home, we'll send out a better ETA to the office.

On behalf of myself and the entire crew, we'd like to thank Tom P. for allowing us to go on vacation with him; especially me. I wasn't supposed to be here and he graciously took me aboard and after what I witnessed the past two weeks, I would've been very upset as to what I would've missed. Every time Tom brings the boys and heads out with us, things are just right. They're a very cool group and we do some fun things that we don't get to experience very often. So thank you, Tom, from Drew, Jed, Mark, Gunny, Schooler, Shawn, and myself; I miss smelling your fresh coffee in the morning as you roll up to the wheelhouse. I also miss RK and his banter with Mark and his humor. I miss B-Bo and his laid back style. I miss Hoolie and thank you for teaching me how to plank. I miss Scooch, a lot; I miss your knowledge to everything that is the ocean and I miss your lower back tattoo - we all do. And most of all, I (we) miss Cowboy. We miss your scent and everything that makes Cowboy, Cowboy. Grab Chugey and let's go bowling. We can hit the ceiling with the ball too, that sounds like a real gas.

Without sounding much more like the rambling idiot that I already am, thank you to Tom P. and the gang. Let's do it again soon, yeah? So that's all. The next couple of days will be filled with various cleaning and maintenance chores, playing Siskel and Ebert in the galley (my favorite movie today was "Dark Shadows" with Jonny Depp. It was funny, it was weird, it was sexy; it was classic Jonny D, baby!), and I'm sure Jeff and I will continue our game of "100 Skittles, 1 Dixie Cup" at some point. It's basically us standing at the ladder, taping a cup to the stern and trying to shoot Skittles in to the cup. So far, we're 0/100. Good thing we have spare time for me to perfect my "J" and make it rain. We're out. We'll chat with you manana.

-The Supreme Team

Captain Ryan called in late last night to report fantastic fishing conditions on the Yellowtail at the Coronado Islands. The fishing were biting live bait. Ryan recommends 25 pound mono with a flurocarbon leader. The fishing are in the 20 to 25 pound class. They were biting really good. Come on down and fish on the San Diego. Call Seaforth Sportfishing at (619) 224-3383 to get in on the action.

14 pass. 62 yellowtail (15-25 lbs). Very exciting February day. Yo-yo jigs on 40 lb mono or a good swimming surface iron. Grab your passports and make those reservations.