Independence Sportfishing - San Diego, CA


August 2011

Fish Report & Photo Archive

Kimura'sTrip

by Indy Crew, 8-03-2011


Hello again from the independence. After a few days on the beach doing a few projects, and fix its we ran a 1.5 day trip that had good off shore action. We then departed on our 5-day Kimura tackle extravaganza. With plenty of great give a-ways, and a good supply of sardines we are off to the island in hopes of catching some tuna for everyone on board. The weather is still breezy, but we hope to hide for a few days. Please wish us luck, Jeff and the Indy crew

Slow Pickins

by Indy Crew, 8-05-2011


Hello everyone lets get up to date here. The fishing has been on the slow side lately. I think some of this is weather related, and conditions. We are now in the process of relocating in hopes of finding a better over all pictures out here. Please wish us luck, the Indy crew

Yellowtail Action

by Indy Crew, 8-07-2011


Change in location. We made a move to greener pastures, and things were way better for us. The yellowtail fishing was off the hook. From sun up till sun down we were steady, pulling and yanking on 17 to 30 lb. fish. All had a great time. We are headed up the line in hopes of some off shore action. Thanks for checking in on us, the Indy crew

Indy Returns to Point Loma

by Indy Crew, 8-07-2011


Hello Anglers, The Eta for Monday's arrival will be approximately 7-7:30 am, We will have a fast turn-a-round, so the incoming group be at my office at 7am for sign-in Please..Bring your passport with you into the office I need to verify numbers..

Turn-A-Round

by Indy Crew, 8-08-2011


We just returned from the Kimura 5-day trip, and would like to thank Gary Kimura for another great trip. Luke Esenberg of Alta Loma took 1st place with a 76-pound YFT, Randy Britton from Lawton Okla. came home with a 34.8 Yellowtail and Brian Millikin from Covina brought in a 30-pound Yellowtail. We are now on our way out on another 5-day trip with the good people from west coast marketing. Many, many great give-a-ways were received by all on board, avet reels, graftec rods, yo zuri floro, line, jigs etc. We are headed to the island to try for tuna, and yellowtail. The weather is good for us. With high hopes and good prospects off our bow, Jeff and the Indy crew

Kimura's Tackle Trip

by Bill Roecker, 8-08-2011


Independence docked at Pt. Loma Sportfishing August 8 after the annual trip with Gary Kimura. The 29 anglers aboard got a good collection of yellowtail and a few tuna and dorado to add to the catch.

"We got three good tuna and three yellowtail at Guadalupe," said Jeff, "but the big south swell greened the water and we took off for Benitos. We had steady fishing there, from sunup to sundown."

Luke Esenberg of Riverside won first place for the largest of his pair of yellowfin, a 76-pounder.

"I got him on a long soak," he told dock reporter Bill Roecker, "and he was a grump. He fought for 35 minutes." Luke said he used a sardine on a 3/0 Mustad hook and 40-pound Big Game line. He fished with a Penn 4/0 Baja Special and an old Fenwick seven-foot rod.

Randy Britton of Lawton, OK won second place for a 34.8-pound yellowtail, and Brian Miliken of Corona got third place for his 30-pound San Benitos Islands yellowtail.

Good Fishing YT

by Indy Crew, 8-10-2011


Good evening everyone. We started off the trip out at the island, and after feeding the shark all afternoon we decided to relocate to another place. We had good yellowtail fishing today, along with great weather. We are going to try the offshore scene for tomorrow with all this good weather we have right now.Jeff and the Indy crew

Offshore Hit

by Indy Crew, 8-11-2011


Just what the doctor ordered. That pretty much sums up today's action for us off shore fishermen. The day started off with bonanza bluefin tuna, and then a lull until the afternoon hit. When all was done we had 250 mixed tuna, bluefin, and yellowfin tuna. The weather was good as well. We are going to try this again for tomorrow, good night from the Indy crew


Great Fishing

by John Thompson, 8-12-2011


Great fishing, great weather. We again had good fishing today on bluefin tuna, and some yellowfin tuna. We had a sprinkling of 40 lb. tuna to end our trip on a good note. The off shore scene is finally showing signs of shaping up, better late than never I say. We have had a great time with the group from West Coast Marketing, and everyone is stoked with the trip we had. We will be back to San Diego at 0700 tomorrow. Sign-in for Rusty Hook group 7am. Sea ya then, Jeff and the Indy crew


Great Fishing

by Indy Crew, 8-12-2011


Great fishing, great weather. We again had good fishing today on bluefin tuna, and some yellowfin tuna. We had a sprinkling of 40 lb. tuna to end our trip on a good note. The off shore scene is finally showing signs of shaping up, better late than never I say. We have had a great time with the group from West Coast Marketing, and everyone is stoked with the trip we had. We will be back to San Diego at 0700 tomorrow. Sea ya then, Jeff and the Indy crew


West Coast Marketing Trip

by Bill Roecker, 8-13-2011


Skipper Jeff DeBuys brought Independence home to Pt. Loma Sportfishing after a five-day trip with a nice mixed catch of tuna and yellowtail. Rick Ozaki was chartermaster.

"We fed Whitey pretty good at Guadalupe," he remarked. "We had good yellowtail fishing at Benitos, and we spent two days fishing offshore. You can say that fishing is now in gear."

William Michicoff of Whittier won first place for a 38.8-pound bluefin tuna. He said he bagged it with a squid and a one-ounce slip sinker. The squish was pinned to a 2/0 Mustad 91450 hook, on 40-pound Seaguar premier fluorocarbon and 40-pound Big Game line with 65-pound Power Pro spectra backing on an Avet JX reel and a Calstar 700 M rod. The fight lasted half an hour.

Dale Lethcoe of Sunland won second place for a 35.6-pound yellowtail. Onik Alajajyan, son of Harry, an owner at Avet Reels, won third place for a 26-pound yellowtail.

7-Day Rusty Hook Trip

by Indy Crew, 8-13-2011


Good day to all, we have returned with the West Coast Marketing/Avet Reels group and would like to thank Rick and Harry our chartermasters, as well as everyone who made the trip this year. The Jackpot fish were as follows 1st place William Michicoff 38.8 pound BFT, 2nd place was Dale Lethcoe 35.6 pound BFT, and Onik Alajajyan a 26.4 pound Yellowtail.
We have departed on the Rusty Hook Tackle shop 7-day adventure with Alex Masumoto owner of the RH on as charter master. After loading some nice sardines we are heading south in excellent weather and plan to start long as we have the extra time to work with. On another note we fished Guadalupe island the last two trips and would like to report that the check in and out of Ensenada went smooth as well as the U.S. side of things. Fishing at the big island was very very tough on the other hand so all of the best fishing was done elsewhere and have no plans to fish there on this trip. Anyone going with us or any long-range vessel in the future still needs to carry a passport on them as the decision to fish the island will be made just prior to the departure of future trips. Thanks for understanding these NEW requirements that we need to impose. Wish us lots of luck, The Indy crew.

Larger Tuna biting at the rocks

by Indy Crew, 8-15-2011


The Independence sent in a nice photo from the fishing grounds today. Check it out!

Premium YFT-Flat Seas

by Indy Crew, 8-15-2011


We started the fishing today in the late am and had a day of decent fishing on premium yellowfin tuna in the 70 to 115 pound range along with a few nice yellows and dorado, throw in beautiful flat calm weather and it made for a nice day to be in a remote part of the Pacific Ocean. The gang is have a great time, the only complaint is there is way too much good food. We are presently catching some squid for bait to help out in the kite department. Wish us luck, the Indy crew.

Postcard Perfect at the Rocks

by Indy Crew, 8-16-2011


Today we had a Good morning bite on 70 to 120 pound tuna here at the rocks. The weather is postcard perfect as well.

Another day at the rocas

by Indy Crew, 8-17-2011


Today we had a fair morning bite on the yellowfin tuna in the 60 to over 100 pound range. A little on the tough side to get bit but when you did it was a quality fish. The weather has been great again for us also. We did pick up about 20 mixed yellowtail and dorado that were 15 to 25 pounds to add a bit of color. The plan is to give this morning and then head up and try to get on some eager yellowtail for some faster pace fishing. Thanks for checking in, the Indy crew.

Slow Pickins

by Indy Crew, 8-17-2011


Today was our slowest day on the tuna, the grade is still very good and we tagged a few nice yellows. Tomorrow will be the day we try for yellowtail as most of the fishing time was spent targeting yellowfin tuna. Wish us luck.

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Good Fishing YT

by Indy Crew, 8-19-2011


The last part of the trip we have been yanking and cranking on yellowtail and have had very good action on mostly 15 to 28 pound yellows with a few smaller and a few bigger and releasing the smaller fish. We are headed back north and it looks like there will be no time to stop after spending our entire fishing time south. ETA for us on Saturday should be 8 AM with good weather. The ride home has been one of calmest oceans we can remember so hopefully it continues.(arrival time may change)

Good Fishing YT

by Indy Crew, 8-19-2011


The last part of the trip we have been yanking and cranking on yellowtail and have had very good action on mostly 15 to 28 pound yellows with a few smaller and a few bigger and releasing the smaller fish. We are headed back north and it looks like there will be no time to stop after spending our entire fishing time south. ETA for us on Saturday should be 8 AM with good weather. The ride home has been one of calmest oceans we can remember so hopefully it continues.

After The Rocks

by Bill Roecker, 8-19-2011


"The last part of the trip we have been yanking and cranking on yellowtail," said the report from Independence August 19, "and have had very good action on mostly 15 to 28 pound yellows with a few smaller and a few bigger and releasing the smaller fish.

We are headed back north and it looks like there will be no time to stop after spending our entire fishing time south. ETA for us on Saturday should be 8 AM with good weather. The ride home has been one of calmest oceans we can remember so hopefully it continues. (arrival time may change)

Indy Returns to Point Loma Sportfishing

by Indy Crew, 8-20-2011


new arrival time 7am.

Rusty hook home

by Indy Crew, 8-20-2011


We arrived a little later than planned to Point Loma Sportfishing due to a strong down hill push from Cedros north, nonetheless, we are home and want to thank everyone on this year's trip. A special thanks to long time friend, Alex Masumoto, owner of the Rusty Hook Tackle Shop in San Pedro. Alex again showed his expert rod and reel manship on those picky Alijos yellowfin. The Jackpot winners for the trip were Rick Berg with 106.2 yellowfin tuna, 2nd place went to Ken Buzzell for his 101.4 yellowfin and again Rick Berg in 3rd with a 100.2 yellowfin tuna. Honorable mention with Kite fish not in the JP were Bill Stallman 134.3 yellowfin, 86 year old Tom Kawaratani 131.6 yellowfin and Ken Buzzell 110.4 yellowfin. The grade of fish was fantastic and one reason we did not land more as 40 and 50 pound test with a flylined Sardine was the gear of choice. The water is 71 degrees now and warming by the day, it's only a matter of time and some lucky boat is going to be there when the wahoo float. We made a smooth turn around and headed out with the sportfishing report.com group with good prospects on our bow.

Rusty Hook Charter on the Independence docks with several Tuna over 100 lbs.

by Bill Roecker, 8-20-2011


Alex Matsumoto's Rusty Hook charter aboard the Independence arrived at Pr. Loma Sportfishing August 20 after seven days with owner-skipper Mark Pisano. The group fished at Alijos Rocks and scratched out a good catch of large tuna and yellowtail during three days at that location.

The best fish caught wasn't in the jackpot, since it was a kite fish and a complete rotation of anglers on the kite wasn't achieved. It was a 131.6-pound tuna caught by Tom Kawaratani of Montebello shown in the photo. Tom is 86, and weighs 140 pounds.

Rick Berg of Saratoga won first and third place for his tuna of 106 and 100 pounds. He said the big one took a sardine on a 5/0 ringed VMC hook and 40-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon. He said he used 65-pound Power Pro spectra on an Avet JX reel with a Calstar 800 H rod.

Ken Buzzell of San Pedro won second place for a 101.4-pound tuna.

Sportfishingreports.com Trip

by Indy Crew, 8-22-2011


Hello again from the independence. We are currently engaged in a 5-day fishing trip with our good friends from Sportfishingreports.com. Yesterday we tried our hand at the offshore scene, and saw some good sign, but getting bites was tough. With 37 fish for the day, we are now at an island looking for yellowtail and other exotics. The weather is up again, and that just adds another factor to the over all picture. Please wish us luck, Jeff and the Indy crew

Independence 1st day of Current Trip

by Chad Woods, 8-22-2011


Chad called in with this report, "We started offshore and it was a little slow. We did get around 40 Yellowtail. Before we decided to move on to Benitos. It picked up right away and we landed 200 Yellowtail up to 40 lbs. with the average being around just over 20 lbs.

We have already moved to Cedros where we will begin fishing tomorrow. Our objective will be some Trophy fish. I'll call back tomorrow to let you know how we do."

Beautiful Grade Yellowtail

by Indy Crew, 8-23-2011


Hello again, today's report is pretty much like yesterdays, as we had excellent fishing for beautiful grade yellowtail. Most fish were 18 to 27 lbs. With a few standouts. With the good weather and premium fishing on hand, everyone is having a great time. We are now on our way to the off shore grounds for some tuna, or whatever is available. Thanks for checking in, Jeff and the Indy crew

Indy Returns to Point Loma

by Indy Crew, 8-24-2011


The Indy will arrive at Point Loma Sportfishing at
approximately 6am, Sign in for Stevens group starts at 7am. Watch for a report later for today.

The Indy Challenge for the Sportfishing Report Charter

by Bill Roecker, 8-25-2011


Jeff DeBuys docked Independence at Pt. Loma Sportfishing August 25 after a five-day trip to Benitos/Cedros and open waters north. His 25 anglers made a good mixed catch of tuna and yellowtail on the SportfishingReport.com charter, with owner Chad Woods as chartermaster.

"We spent two days fishing offshore," said Jeff to dock reporter Bill Roecker, "and two days at the islands, They were biting with all methods there, with limits of sea lions. We had excellent yellowfin and bluefin fishing offshore.

"That offshore scene isn't going away," he continued, "there's no sign of a slowdown, and the setup looks good for fall fishing." There were prizes and awards for the five best yellowtail and the best tuna. They included some new Seeker rods and an Avet reel to go with the jackpots.

Don Padick of Alta Dena won first place for his 35.4-pound yellowtail, a fish he coaxed with a mackerel on a dropper loop with eight ounces of weight and a 7/0 Owner gorilla hook. He said he used 50-pound Big Game line, a Penn 30 reel and a Calstar 760 H rod to crank the fish up in short order.

Doug Stewart of Angel Fire, NM won second place for a 34.2-pounder, and Omesh Persaud of Simi Valley took third place for a 32.6-pound yellow. Bart Williams of Oceanside got a 32-pound 'tail and Homan Khaki of Camarillo produced a 31-pound yellowtail for the lineup shot. They were joined Greg Moore of Goleta and his 22.4-pount yellowfin tuna.

Indy's Return Update 8/25/11

by Indy Crew, 8-25-2011


Hello from the bridge, We have made our turn around today, we want to thank everyone on the 5 day sport fishing report.com trip. The winners of the biggest fish prizes were Don Padick in 1st. place with a 35.4 yellowtail winning an Avet reel, 2nd place in the tuna division to Greg Moore winning an Avet reel, 3rd place fish was caught by Doug Stewart with a 34.2 yellowtail winning a Seeker rod, 4th went to Omesh Persaud for his 32.6 yellowtail winning a Seeker rod, and Bart Williams wrapping up 5th place with a 32.0 yellowtail and taking home a Seeker rod. We have departed on the Steven's brothers adventure in good weather and have a fair load of bait, the plan is to start offshore for tuna and go from there, wish us luck, the Indy crew.

Independence Report 8-26-11

by Bill Roecker, 8-28-2011


"We have spent the last two days fishing for tuna and had a great time in very nice weather. Most of the tuna are 14 to 20 pounds with a mix of 25 to 35 pound fish. Bonus fish was a fatso albacore in the 40-pound bracket. We caught a few Dorado and yellowtail for variety. Tomorrow we plan to look at a yellowtail spot or two."

Excellent fishing

by Indy Crew, 8-29-2011


We have spent the last two days having a blast, Fishing has been sensational to say the least, the yellowtail put on a nice show for us at Cedros and most of the yellows were 15 to 25 pounds, they bit jigs really well along with the bait. The surface Iron was the hot ticket for the boys in the bow!!!. The afternoon gave us very good Yellowfin tuna and Dorado fishing, in the 14 to 28 pound class. It's dinnertime and we're beat. Have a good night.

Indy Returns to Point Loma

by Indy Crew, 8-30-2011


The Indy will arrive at Point Loma Sportfishing at 6am on Wed Aug 31. sign in for the next trip will begin at 7am. Parking is at a premium. Get to the Landing early.

Blast On The Indy

by Bill Roecker, 8-30-2011


"We have spent the last two days having a blast," said the report from Independence August 29. "Fishing has been sensational to say the least, the yellowtail put on a nice show for us at Cedros and most of the yellows were 15 to 25 pounds, they bit jigs really well along with the bait. The surface Iron was the hot ticket for the boys in the bow! The afternoon gave us very good Yellowfin tuna and Dorado fishing, in the 14 to 28-pound class. It's dinnertime and we're beat."

47.8 Albie caught on the Independence

by Bill Roecker, 8-31-2011


Mark Pisano docked his Independence at Pt. Loma Sportfishing August 31 after a six-day trip with 22 anglers, the Stevens Brothers Ventures. Grant and Brent Stevens were chartermasters. There was no jackpot.

"Tuna fishing was great," said Mark, for mixed bluefin and yellowfin. We got some nice yellowtail at Benitos, too, but the seals were bad there. Cedros yellows were biting."

There was a biggest fish, however, and it appeared to be the best albacore of the year, a 47.8-pound longfin caught by Frazer Donald of Ketchum, ID on a sardine and a Mustad 91450 hook in the 3/0 size. He used a rig from the boat, with 40-pound Izorline, an Avet JX reel and a Seeker Black Steel 6470 rod.

Steven's charter returns

by Indy Crew, 8-31-2011


We have returned from the Steven's brothers 6 day adventure and again we were blessed with good weather and great fishing. Many thanks go out to Brent and Grant Steven's and Mike Shapiro for putting together another fun group to spend 6 days of non-stop action with. The Big fish for the trip went to Fraser Donald with his season best 47.8 Albacore, 2nd best was caught by none other then Mike "hot stick" Shapiro with his 39.7 bluefin tuna and Gabriel McMasters with a 34.0 bluefin tuna. Thanks everyone and we will see ya soon, The Indy boys.