Independence Sportfishing - San Diego, CA


April 2026

Fish Report & Photo Archive

Mai

by Brian Pifer, 4-03-2026


We are finishing up the last of the maintenance work and prepping the gear for a heavy schedule. We are also getting more and more excited about the reports from the boats coming up the line from their long trips. Boats are seeing fantastic mix of wahoo, yellowfin, yellowtail, and bluefin, suggesting an early and active season ahead. 

 

We still have a few openings on these premier sponsored trips:

 

5-Day with Phil Friedman April 13-18 (1 spot)

 

6-Day Young’s Tackle April 24-30 (4 spots)

 

3-Day Seeker May 6-9 (8 spots)

 

8-Day Tady Lures May 9-17 (7 spots)

 

Join us for another year of great memories and even better fishing. Call 619-226-6006 to lock in your trip!


Photos for 4-03-2026

4-03-2026
4-03-2026

Phil Friedman 5 day

by Brian Pifer, 4-13-2026


The maintenance list is done, the upgrades are shining, and the Indy is back where she belongs! We just cleared the point on our first run of the season with Phil Friedman on a 5-Day.

Currently underway to the bluefin grounds with a hull full of prime bait and a deck full of excited anglers. We’ll be on the grounds in about 6 hours to start the search. Here’s to a legendary 2026 season! Let's go fishing!


Phil Friedman 5 day

by Brian Pifer, 4-14-2026


We’ve had some truly excellent fishing to kick off the season. In just a day and a half, we have already reached near-limits of bluefin tuna. With the main target well-represented in the hold, we are making the call to slide further south to hunt for the yellowfin reported earlier this week.

 

The weather forecast looks like it might get a bit "sporty" over the next couple of days, which could make the hunt a challenge but the crew and this great group of anglers are more than up for the task. 


Photos for 4-14-2026

4-14-2026
4-14-2026

Phil Friedman 5 day

by Brian Pifer, 4-15-2026


Sometimes the hunt takes you far, but the ocean doesn't always cooperate. We put in the work today, making a 140-mile move south to track down the yellowfin, but they remained elusive. We managed two blind jig strikes on bluefin, but the volume just wasn't there. We’re pointing the bow toward the coast tonight to look for yellowtail at sunrise, with a solid backup plan for lingcod and rockfish


Photos for 4-15-2026

4-15-2026

Phil Friedman 5 day

by Brian Pifer, 4-16-2026


Talk about a game-changer! We started our morning working the beach for yellowtail, but despite finding a nice school, they just weren't in a biting mood. After a few drifts for rockfish, we got the "911 call" from a code boat about a wide-open bluefin bite just 15 miles away. We didn't hesitate—we bombed offshore and capitalized on the opportunity, catching exactly what we needed to finish off our bluefin for the trip. With the pressure off, we’re heading back inshore tonight to hunt for yellowtail and quality bottom fish tomorrow!


Photos for 4-16-2026

4-16-2026
4-16-2026
4-16-2026
4-16-2026
4-16-2026

Phil Friedman 5 day

by Brian Pifer, 4-17-2026


We officially wrapped up our season-opening Phil Friedman 5-Day with a fantastic day of coastal fishing. The yellowtail and bonito provided consistent action from sunrise to sunset, keeping the decks busy and the smiles wide.

 

A huge thank you to Phil Friedman and every angler who joined us for this kickoff trip. It was the perfect way to break in the off-season upgrades and start the 2026 season on a high note. We’re heading to the barn with a full hold and great memories!


Photos for 4-17-2026

4-17-2026
4-17-2026
4-17-2026
4-17-2026

JC Charter 5 Day

by Brian Pifer, 4-19-2026


We got an early jump on our 5-day JC Charter this morning! After loading a beautiful load of bait first thing, Justin wasted no time getting down to business. The giveaway session was a massive hit, with our anglers scoring some incredible gear. It’s a great feeling to see the deck full of new tackle and happy faces as we continue our run toward the bluefin grounds. The group is rigged up, geared up, and ready for action!


Photos for 4-19-2026

4-19-2026
4-19-2026
4-19-2026
4-19-2026
4-19-2026

Justin Carpenter 5 Day

by Brian Pifer, 4-20-2026


It’s been a fantastic few days of fishing for our JC Charter group! The daytime bluefin activity has been consistent, providing plenty of excitement on the deck. As a nice bonus, we’ve had a solid mix of yellowfin tuna joining the party, which has been a real treat for the anglers in April.

 

Our plan is to spend the night working to top off our quota on the tuna before we point the bow toward the beach. Tomorrow, we’ll be shifting our focus to the coast to hunt for yellowtail


Photos for 4-20-2026

4-20-2026
4-20-2026
4-20-2026
4-20-2026
4-20-2026
4-20-2026

Justin Carpenter 5 Day

by Brian Pifer, 4-21-2026


We started our morning along the coast looking for yellowtail, and while the birds and life showed up around 8:00 AM, the biting window was short-lived. By 10:00 AM, the yellowtail had shut off completely. After grinding through the shallows for a few hours with no luck, we made the call to head back offshore. We found the bluefin right as the sun was going down! We’re now sitting just a few fish away from bluefin limits. Tomorrow we will be focusing on hitting our limit and looking for yellowfin tuna.


Photos for 4-21-2026

4-21-2026

Justin Carpenter 5 Day

by Brian Pifer, 4-24-2026


We capped off our trip with some fantastic coastal action on the yellowtail, and even managed to find one beautiful white seabass to round out the variety.

 

From the wide-open bluefin bite offshore to the steady pick on the beach, it’s been an incredible five days. A huge thank you to Justin and all the anglers who joined us—your hard work and good energy made this another successful run for the books.


Photos for 4-24-2026

4-24-2026
4-24-2026
4-24-2026
4-24-2026
4-24-2026
4-24-2026
4-24-2026
4-24-2026
4-24-2026

Youngs Tackle 6 Day

by Brian Pifer, 4-26-2026


After a seamless turnaround this morning, we have cleared the point and are underway on the Young’s Tackle 6-Day. Kevin got right to work with the raffle, getting plenty of premium gear into the hands of our anglers. We’re making great time toward the zone and expect to have lines in the water very shortly. 


Youngs Tackle 6 Day

by Brian Pifer, 4-26-2026


Started yesterday off with an excellent drift which occupied the majority of our morning. We had to work for it the rest of the day but were able to start scratching away in the late afternoon. Off to try a little different zone to the south today with high hopes!


Youngs Tackle 6-Day

by Indy Crew, 4-26-2026


We covered a lot of ground today in a new area for minimal results until the late afternoon. Then in the bottom of the 9th we got into an epic yellowfin tuna bite. It was “every bait” in the corner for a little while. Patience paid off and we had a good mix of bluefin and yellowfin right up till sundown….


Photos for 4-26-2026

4-26-2026
4-26-2026
4-26-2026

Youngs Tackle 6 Day

by Indy Crew, 4-28-2026


Our Young’s tackle group experienced a great day of mixed variety offshore fishing! And in April! Yellowfin, bluefin, and dorado with steady action all day long. We are definitely gonna try this one again tomorrow


Youngs Tackle 6 Day

by Indy Crew, 4-28-2026


We started down in our yellowfin zone this morning with some weather to contend with. Eventually decided to make the journey a little closer to home for some calmer waters. We were able to string together few nice bluefin stops to save the day. Hoping to finish the trip tomorrow with some bluefin glory.


Photos for 4-28-2026

4-28-2026
4-28-2026
4-28-2026
4-28-2026
4-28-2026
4-28-2026
4-28-2026

Youngs Tackle 6 Day

by Indy Crew, 4-29-2026


They were definitely boat shy today but the quality was there for sure… we were able to land a few trophies and have a few laughs to end our Young’s Tackle 6 day. Thank you to Kevin And the gang for putting together a great trip. Can’t wait till next year!


Photos for 4-29-2026

4-29-2026
4-29-2026

Accurate 3 Day

by Brian Pifer, 4-30-2026


Cleared the point a few hours ago, marking the start of our 3-day Accurate trip. We are thrilled to have Matt Elash and an excellent group of anglers on board for this run. The crew is currently on deck getting everyone rigged up and ready for action, as we expect to have lines in the water this afternoon