lake o pines Fishing Report 2024

Captain Ryan Bostian called in today after 2 PM with an update from the San Diego. Today is my day off and Cameron is running the boat. We are up to 80 Yellowtail. We are having light loads even though the fishing has been great. Most of the fish medium grade with fish up to 25 pounds too!

Offshore kelping today was tough. Not a whole lot of action. Plenty of kelps with not much on them at times, and areas of water with no kelps in it. We had one kelp mid afternoon where we had some action on shaker size yellows up to 20 pounders and a kelp in the morning with a handful of dorado on it. We'll be at Cedros in the early morning trying to get a tank or two of bait and begin our day yellowtail fishing.

Nice bluefin making for a great starter and finisher for our 6 day trips. Next one leaves August 23rd!

Today we went out with 27 anglers and caught 30 yellowtail. These yellows have been a challenge to hook but well worth the work. The grade of this fish is as good as anybody can remember in the local waters. 25-30 pounders have become the norm rather than the exception. The wise angler would bring a 25 or 30 lb. bait rod a 40 or 50 lb. yo-yo rod as well as your surface iron rod with fresh 40 lb. Today we caught fish on all three techniques.

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

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

Rolling up! Today we had to leave the peaceful waters of the Island to start making our way north. The sea is rolling us around for the course we need to take. Overall it is a smooth ride so far. Looking like an on time arrival tomorrow morning in San Diego. Pictured here is Tim with a monster Yellowtail.