illinois river Fishing Report 2025

To say we were disappointed with our results on this beautiful 20+ ft kelp would be an understatement. This sweaty Betty was located in the same water as yesterday’s small kelp that kicked out limits of dorado. Mother Ocean humbles us once again. 5 yellowtail, 2 dorado, 2 bonito.

Captain Ryan Bositan called in today at 12:50 PM with an audio update from the San Diego out of Seaforth Sportfishing in San Diego, CA.  We are currently drifting right now.  We have two 70 pounder Bluefin Tuna on the deck.  We have dumped 5 or 6 of them.  They are not coming in too easy today.  We also caught a half dozen Yellowtail on the way to the tuna grounds.  

RECOMMENDATIONS
A 25 pound outfit for fishing the kelps for Yellowtail
A flat fall outfit with Spectra and a 2 speed real for the Bluefin

We are fishing offshore tomorrow come and join us.

~~Oct. 30
 Once again, we left today, Friday to spend our weekend on the sea.  For 1.5 days.  Friday-Sunday.  We have bait, and we're headed out.  One big tank of chovy, and 2 tanks of dine.  We're hoping to put them to good use.  We're headed out.  I feel OK about leaving my daught for her first dress up Halloween.  I got to see her in her lady bug costume and try and trick or treat it up at my wifes work.  So here we go.
       
 

Hello and Happy New Year,

The Apollo has recently returned from Mag Bay. We spent the month of December down there doing 5.5 to 7.5 day fly down fly back trips. The cow fishing was tough however we managed some very solid trophies for our efforts. For the 3 trips we did, we caught 8 fish over 200# the smallest went 219# and the biggest went 268#. There was steady action on 20 to 50# tuna most of the time and very good wahoo and dorado fishing to be had.

We are now setting up our schedule for 2013 and have our calendar of available dates on line at apollocharters.com, go to the calendar page and click or scroll the month you want to see. We will be starting the season in Santa Barbara beginning in April and will stay in Santa Barbara thru most of June hoping for a spring sea bass and halibut run this year. There are many prime charter dates available right now so give me a call now if you are interested in setting up a fishing trip for this season.

Lets make it a great year.

Thanks, JJ

"This trip was as planned," said Polaris Supreme skipper Drew Henderson at Fisherman's Landing October 15. "It went perfectly." He had just returned for a seven-day excursion south, with 24 anglers. Brian Henricks of San Pedro won first place for a 123-pound tuna. He said he bagged it with a sardine on a 3/0 ringed Super Mutu hook, tied to 50-pound fluorocarbon leader, 50-pound pink Ande line and 65-pound Spectra backing on a Tiagra 20 reel and a six and a half-foot custom Shikari rod. "He kicked my butt," remarked Henricks, "for an hour and a half." Scott WEolff of Simi Valley was second for a 109.4-pounder, and he was tied by John Drnello of Templeton, who got his 109.4-pounder on 40-pound line. He said it was the first big fish of the trip.

170 yellowfin 93 skipjack. Good weather and great fishing, didn’t feel like November today.

The Tribute out of Seaforth Landing in San Diego, CA checked in with us today.