Back on June 4th, I was emailed by a member of the Boy Scouts, Troop 1648, to see if I would be willing to speak with their kids about 􀀁shing, which coincided with their August them, Fishing. I immediately responded and said, “Yes.” I too was a Boy Scout after climbing the ranks, so it was no question that I would accept such an invitation to speak to them.

On August 13th, I had that privilege to speak with a group of 30 Scouts in Rancho Penasquitos. It is So Easy to tame kids with the Boy Scout symbol of holding 3 􀀁ngers in the air … they all immediately do the same and quiet down! I spoke to them for about 15 minutes (the time allocated, which is more difficult that you can imagine!), speaking about Fresh Water and Saltwater 􀀁shing, with tackle and techniques, all in laymen’s terms! I passed around a large bag of plastic from my collection, demonstrated the tying of the Palomar Knot, broke out a pack of the Hookup Baits “Sexy Smelt” (the kids got a giggle out of that!) and demonstrated the technique of 􀀁shing that lure using a spinning outfit.

The bag of plastic still had half a dozen lures left by the time it got through the whole crowd, so I asked them to pick a number between 1 and 10 … the 􀀁rst kid to choose #7 got the rest of the plastic! Before the meeting started, I asked the troop leader to hand out raffle tickets to the kids. After I gave away that remaining bag of plastics, I did a raffle. The 􀀁rst prize was a Freshwater Pack provided by Angler’s Choice, which had line, hooks, lures, weights and a sticker. Next was the 2nd half of the package of the “Sexy Smelt” (more giggles ensued!!). Then I told them I wouldn’t say what I was raffling off next … I called out the number, the luck kid came up, and I gave him to rod and reel combo, spooled with line and, attached to it, the Sexy Smelt. His eyes bugged out so far and wide, with a smile from ear to ear! A moment like that makes it not matter that the brand-new combo came from my own collect

We have our Big Fish Seminar on August 1st with two legends of the San Diego fishing industry … You do not want to miss this meeting!! Welcome Frank Lo Preste, and Rock Cod Rick Maxa from Let’s Talk Hook Up and Fisherman’s Landing Tackle. Should I repeat that
“You do NOT want to miss this event!!”?

This meeting will be held at a different location than normal. We are meeting at Silver Gate Yacht Club on Shelter Island - 2091 Shelter Island Dr, San Diego, 92106. Please, park across the street and leave the yacht club’s parking for their members. There will be food and drinks available for purchase from 6 to 8 in the upstairs bar.

If you haven’t signed up yet for the tournament (which you can do on our website), you can sign up at the Seminar for yourlast chance entry for a Free Overnight Trip! All the rules for the Big Fish Tournament will be explained at the seminar.

HUGE RAFFLE!

Our Big Fish Seminar and the Awards Banquet always have the biggest raffle of the year! So, there’s another reason why you don’t want to miss this meeting!! Fishing reels, rods, silent auction items (for the ladies, too!), fishing trips, etc. etc.!

Speaking of the Big Fish Awards Banquet… that will be on August 25th (the day after the tournament) at Portuguese Hall in Point Loma. The address is 2818 Avenida De Portugal, San Diego, CA 92106. This is a ticketed event, so be sure to sign up at the Seminar for the Early Bird price, plus one raffle entry for a $100 gift card for each ticket purchased! You do not have to be in the Frank Lo Preste & Rick Maxa tournament to join us at the Banquet!

We had a great “We Take Kids Fishing” trip on the Chubasco II out of Oceanside. We had 20 kids and 4 chaperones from the Boys and Girls Clubs of San Diego. The kids got started with a little intro about fishing and to understand that we can’t keep all fish … there are size limits to some fish. The kids enjoyed their morning donuts, followed by the fun at the bait barge, and then the big school of Dolphins swimming with the boat! The smiles, laughter, “Whoa!”s and overall scenic pleasures were a joy to experience. We made only one fishing stop for non-stop bottom fish, from Sand Dabs to nice sized Reds. The kids’ arms got tired, so we left them biting! We took care of the filleting of the fish while the kids enjoyed their free hamburgers, chips and drinks. Such a fun time! I am really looking forward to our September trip for our next “We Take Kids Fishing” trip aboard the Daily Double!

OUR NEXT CLUB TOURNAMENT will be the Overnight trip aboard the Aztec on July 20th. Anyone signed up for this trip may choose the optional tournament entry, at $20 for members and $25 for non-members, the same as our regular tournaments. This will go towards 1st, 2nd and 3rd place prize money for the three largest Tuna, as well as Sport Points for our active members. The optional side pot, for an additional $10, will be for the one largest Yellowtail.

We’ve got two, an Overnight and a Full Day!

AZTEC: The first charter is the overnight trip, which departs Saturday night, July 20th, fishing Sunday, July 21st. This is a Limited Load trip of 24 anglers (the boat takes 30 people). Cost is $340 per person, which includes $90 worth of galley food … a Very Good Deal! Gas prices are up, so beware! If we end up fishing in Mexico and you do not have a Mexican permit, that’s an extra $20.

MALIHINI: The Full Day trip leaves the morning of Saturday, September 21st. This is another Limited Load trip on a boat that can carry 51 passengers, but we are only taking 25 anglers! The cost is $195 pp. There is no word yet about any potential fuel surcharges, but we will let you know as we get closer to the trip’s departure.

To book these charters, please call me at 619-948-9684, or see me at the meeting. A 50% deposit is required to reserve your spot. The balance due will be collected 2 weeks before the trip.

Hello, Everyone! Great news!

At our May board meeting we finalized our Big Fish Tournament purse, and we increased it to $6,000 in Total Prize Money this year!! That’s just purse money, based on a goal of fifty actual tournament participants. We are inviting the Oceanside Anglers and Boat Club to participate. Our Raffle Master Steve Ennes presented the idea at the last OAAB meeting and we’re planning a second manned weighin station in Oceanside.

I would like to send our thanks out to Ellie Duchene, one of our honorary Lifetime members, for sponsoring us at Silver Gate Yacht Club for our Big Fish Seminar on August 1st. Thank you Ellie for all your years of service and support for our club! We really appreciate you and Silver Gate Yacht Club!

Another shout-out goes to GM Steve Ewing, who hooked the board up with a more central meeting place in The Fish Market’s private boardroom, for the cost of the meals we each pay for. The room would usually cost $600.

Our club sponsored a table at the CCA’s Apps & Taps Festival on May 18th. Capt. Frank Lo Preste was honored with the prestigious Beacon award at this festive fundraising event. Capt. LoPreste is not only a legend, but a major pillar of the San Diego sportfishing industry. Google him and you’ll see what I can’t begin to describe!

I was fortunate that night to be able to hand one of our Ask Letters to Frank and got to share a little about our club, who we are, and about our mission to “Take Kids Fishing.” I mentioned the vouchers some of the fleet had given us for our silent auction. The next morning, Frank called me! He said he would do better than vouchers; he wanted to pay for a half-day trip for 30 kids, including gear rentals and lunch! He offered us our choice of the Daily Double, the Dolphin, or the Premier half-day boats! WOW! That would normally cost our club about $3500!

GET READY > It's not too soon to get your team together for Big Fish! Remember, this tournament is open to all private boaters, not just SDR&R club members. This is our only fully open tournament of the year, so call me to sign up, 858-354-8207. Don’t have a boat? Reach out to Dana Landing’s Freedom Boat Club and talk to Albert at 619-905-4945. Mention Paul from SDR&R Club as he’s interested in supporting the Big Fish and is working on something special for us!

GET A LITTLE MORE READY > The latest landing reports are all saying “Great Fishing Right Now! Bluefin Tuna between 50 to 180 lbs are within 50 to 60 miles! There are a lot of reports of loss due to light gear. It’s best to have at least one rail rod with100-lb line. Bluefin, YESSS!!!

Our April speaker is the current Assistant Director of CCA California, Tonie Bangos, Previously, she worked on the Grande out of H&M Landing in San Diego, and also films and produces a weekly segment called “Sportboat Roundup” featured on BD Outdoors. Before that, she had worked at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, the Alaska Sea Life Center, and has been a volunteer with the Balboa Angling Club’s White Seabass grow out pens. Before landing in the San Diego sportboat scene, she served as a deckhand at the Saltwater Safari Lodge in Seward, Alaska. In 2023, she earned her 100-ton Masters License from the U.S. Coast Guard, and she also holds a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Marine Biology from California State University, Long Beach.

We are off to a great start of the year with a very successful Bart Hall Show!

We have several focuses on the show, one being club exposure, another to increase membership, and the main idea is to raise money for our cause … “We Take Kids Fishing!” We raised over $4,000 from the spinning of the Wheel of Prizes, as well as the raffle for the custom wrapped rod from M&M Custom Rods, paired with the Shimano Talica 16 2-speed reel! We did have a lot of expenses, but we have netted enough to take another group of kids fishing!!!

We did have a couple generous people who walked by and heard our cause. One said that he didn’t need the rod and reel, so to give it to a kid if he wins. So, that’s how we wrote his stream of numbers in the book. Another gentleman bought tickets and said to give them to the next kid who walks by, so we did! Well, guess what? The first guy’s ticket was pulled!!! We are discussing as a board on how we plan to give this rod away. Maybe on the next kids fishing trip, maybe some other form of contest, or ??? We’ve had generous people before, but for one to win this way is a first! We will let you know what we decide on!

A Huge Shout Out to Rolly Lira and Paul Coomes for their help… they were there Every Single Day of the event! I would also like to thank Mike Ito, Aaron Leftwick and Ron Lee for their help getting and taking back items from the storage unit! Huge Help for sure! I would also like to thank the following people who helped at the booth (besides those mentioned above): Arnie Seko, Dan Ashley, Dave Pitonyak, DJ Ludwig, Frank Santiago, Greg Swanberg, Jerry Ennis, Jim Shaffer, John Chuckta, John Stanly, Kelly Mueller, Laura Itogawa, Orlando Quintanar, and Steve Ennis. I hope I didn’t miss anybody. If so, my apologies … you are very much appreciated!

Do you have a California Boater Card?

Well, if you operate a vessel on California waterways, you will be required to have one. The law has been getting phased-in for all boaters since 2018, when it started with persons 20 years of age or younger.

The California Boater Card shows that its holder has successfully taken an approved boating safety course and passed the corresponding exam.

As of the dates shown below, these boaters will be required to carry a boater card issued by DBW, unless they meet certain exemptions.

January 1, 2024 Persons 60 years of age or younger

January 1, 2025 All persons regardless of age

Courses: https://californiaboatercard.com/courses/

Our first 2024 meeting is officially fast approaching February 1st! We have my old friend (since high school!) as our guest speaker, Captain Bob Woodard Jr. Bob has always been a phenomenal fisherman, from a dinghy in the bay to his dad’s sportfisher, then to his own boats, Bob has always produced solid fish! Big Yellowtail, Tuna, White Sea Bass, Marlin, etc., even catching a large Swordfish two years ago while fishing solo! Check out his bio in this newsletter, and then come to our next meeting to learn a few things.

Next up we have our first tournament of the year, the Bay Bass Hold’em Tournament on February 24th! Thanks to Ron Lee for stepping up to be our Tournament Director. Ron is an avid fisherman, taking the Gold at last year’s Big Fish Tournament with a 32 lb. Yellowtail! Check out the flyer in this newsletter to read all about our tournament, and then come to the next meeting to sign up and get your first 2 two playing cards for your chance to win the best Poker Hand for the tournament. If you have a boat and have room on it for additional anglers, please let Ron know so that he can get others who want to fish, but don’t have the transportation. As always, we encourage all parties to discuss expectations ahead of time regarding fuel, washing the boat and how the winnings look like as a group or as an individual.

Also in this newsletter is a copy of our “2024 Schedule of Events”. Please mark your calendars accordingly so you don’t miss a beat this year! From educational meetings and fun tournaments, to bountiful charters!

Speaking of events, we have the Bart Hall Show from February 15th to the 18th. Remember, for sparing some of your time to help us at our booth, you get Free Entry to the event! So please be sure to sign up at the meeting, or contact me directly to sign up. We need at least 2 people for every hour the event is going on. This way, if one person needs to use the restroom, we have somebody manning the booth. At the booth, we have a spinning wheel for prizes ($1 per spin), and we have a custom rod & reel combo valued at over $1,000 for a $1 price per ticket. So, 2 people at a time can help move the crowd forward. Last year we raised $3,500 and, as a result, we got to take a group of kids fishing on the Daily Double! So please - sign up and help!!

Dear Club Members, I know most of you have already renewed, and I give you a “Big Thank You!” But it’s not too late for the rest of you! EVERYONE needs to stop at the membership table, whether to sign up, sign in, sign in as a guest, get a badge raffle ticket, or pick up your name badge. Have a candy…

Your membership fees go a long way, funding a variety of our club activities, including our fun and informative monthly meetings, our exciting tournaments and year-end awards, our terrific raffles and prizes, and, of course, taking kids fishing! Don’t forget to mention our club to your other friends. It’s through you that we are a success! Have a military neighbor? Active-duty memberships are Free!

The show season is upon us, and free memberships are part of our show Raffle. In the past, winning a membership planted a “seed” for some future long term Club members. If you volunteer to help at the booth, you can get in for free, so sign up for that now!

Board members are always looking for new ideas and suggestions for different fishing activities. If you have any suggestions to help increase our membership, please let any Board member know. Remember, this is your Fishing Club!

Please contact me for a membership application or detailed information about membership, the renewal process, or dues. Don’t hesitate to contact me at (858) 388-6682, Frank@Hookupbaits.com, or stop by the Membership Table at any meeting!

DECEMBER MEETING / HOLIDAY PARTY /AWARDS BANQUET!

Wednesday, December 6th, Portuguese Hall, 2818 Avenida de Portugal, San Diego, CA 92106. Social at 5:00, Dinner at 6:00, and the meeting commences as soon as serving is complete

Dinner is on us, and there will be another great Raffle Table, plus Silent Auction items! And don’t forget the Optional Gift Exchange, up to $20 value. Maybe gift something from the clothing table?!!

We are fresh off our Full Day Charter trip on the Sea Watch and what a trip it was! The day had a slow start, but we found some bluefin that were willing to bite in the afternoon. The final stop lasted several hours and brought the boat's fish count close to limits!

This trip was also our September Tuna Tournament with a Yellowtail/Dorado side pot. The winner of the side pot was Luis Velez with a 4.4 lbs. dorado! The Tuna Tournament was won by Justin Badeaux with a 38.3 lbs. bluefin. Second place went to Orlando Quintanar. Third place went to Jolene Thompson. Second and third places were determined by a draw of cards since both of their bluefin weighed 36.2 lbs.

Congratulations to everyone!

OCTOBER TOURNAMENT

Our next tournament is an Inshore Potpourri Tournament on Saturday, October 14th. Yellowtail, White Seabass, Halibut, Bonito, Barracuda, Sculpin, Whitefish, or Sheepshead are all target species. (Did we miss anything? Maybe Gary can manage to catch a target fish this time!) The largest single fish will be the winner. There is a side pot for the heaviest Calico, Sand, or Spotted Bay Bass.

Lines in at 6:00 a.m. Weigh-in is by the Shelter Island Wave kiosk from 4:00 - 5:00 PM. The cost is $20 for members, $25 for non-members, and juniors fish for free. The side pot is $10 and everyone on your boat must be entered if one enters. Sign up at the October meeting, or contact me to get signed up for what is sure to be a fun event!

On Sunday, June 4th we are having our first kids fishing trip, sponsoring the Boys and Girls Clubs of San Diego. There will be 18 kids with 2 chaperones. I would like to have at least 10 club members come aboard to help these kids catch fish. If you want, bring your own gear to hook and hand off to the kids, no matter how big the fish feels!! This is all for the kids; most have never fished before. The boat departs at 8:30 am and returns at 2:30 pm. Please contact me if you’re interested in helping on this trip. Lunch, a drink and a snack will be provided by the club.

Unless you have been off the grid, or living in a cave, you know that the offshore bluefin bite is starting to heat up. The wind and rain had kept the fleet at the dock earlier this month. But now we’ve had great weather, and most of the fleet is done with their yearly maintenance. Over the last few weeks, boats like Polaris Supreme, Pacifica, New Lo-Ann, and Pacific Queen have scored fish up to 150 lbs. Even full day boats like the Liberty and San Diego have switched from yellowtail at the Coronados, to running offshore in search of bluefin. As I write this at NOON, the San Diego has 27 bluefin boated, with more hanging! So, if you’ve been waiting, it’s time to get going! If the full day boats are scoring, then you know the action is in the 25–30-mile range, so you private boat folks can also get in on the action. For your success, here are a few tips to ensure you come home with miles of smiles.

First thing, check your gear before you go. Make sure you have fresh mono topshots on your reels. Hopefully, you have serviced your reels in the offseason. If not? You have to know it’s a long turn around no matter where you go. Fisherman’s, Dana Landing, or Ken’s up here in my neck of the woods (North County) are all swamped. Cal’s 2 Speed is super busy as well. Expect three weeks or more for turnaround.

Second, make sure you have an assortment of fluorocarbon. They’re catching fish up to 60 pounds, on 30-60# setups with fly lined bait. If you’re on anything from an overnight to a 3-day trip, don’t leave your heavy gear at home. 80# or bigger setups on two-speed reels, like a Talica, Makira, VISX or similar, will give you the power to fish for the 100- plus pounders. All the landings have excellent rental gear. Yes, that runs around $100, but remember, these setups easily retail for $1,000. On these trips, it’s back to “vampire fishing”. Bring your 400–600- gram knife jigs and big flat falls, and don’t forget sinker rigs. Hopefully you have marked your spectra, so you know what depth you’re at. If you are replacing your spectra, consider Power Pro Depth Hunter or the Izorline colored spectra; they change color every 100 feet. And it’s never a bad idea to call the landing or your local tackle shop, to get the dope on what’s working, and to make sure you have the right hooks.

If the weather and conditions continue to improve, we are going to have a great season again! The captains and deckhands will tell you “You can sleep on land!” But know your abilities, and don’t get hurt. Be courteous and patient out there. Take a lead from one of our departed members, Curt Itogawa. Be a good person, and good things will come to you. Hope to see you at the next meeting and hear what everyone is catching.

Tight Lines,
Arnie Seko

Many have heard that the Qualifier 105 was involved in a fire while under repairs in a shipyard in Homer Ak. She suffered extensive damage to the inside of the boat as a result of the fire. Whether the Q105 can be returned to the water is yet to be determined. Here is a history of how this great sport fisher came to be. The Q-105 was built in Chula Vista, Ca in 1970. She was the second of two hulls, the first one being the Vagabond. She is of aluminum construction with a stern low to the water. Bruce Barnes built the boat for Fishermans Landing who he was partners with another legendary owner-operator Bill Poole. Bill built his series of “Polaris” boats alongside Bruce’s series of “Qualifier” boats. She entered service at Fishermans Landing. She was intended for use as a 1 day boat, but steadily earned a great reputation as a long range sportfisher. She later was moved to Point Loma Sportfishing and continued her excellence as a top boat. Many anglers had to pleasure to ride the Q105 like Pete Gray and Gary Vanderlyke “Cowboy” of Let’s Talk Hookup, Larry Waller and the Ahi Trip Gang, and so many others. In 2012, the Q-105’s days as a sportfisher came to an end when, during her Coast Guard inspection, it was determined she needed extensive repairs to return to sportfishing. She then became a research vessel in Homer AK where she proudly served. Our hopes are that the boat can be repaired and return to her proud service.

*** We Found a New Home!!! ***

As shown above, our next meeting will be held at the VFW Post 5985 in Pacific Beach. We spoke with several places to try to find our new home and this place seemed to fit all our needs … to meet on the 1st Thursday of each month, allow people to bring their own food (if needed) and a bar to purchase your drinks. There will be plenty of parking, too. There are spaces on site, as well as next door in the business center since they are closed after hours (we have been given permission by VFW). I would love your feedback on our new accommodation! Poway Lakes is having a Youth Fishing Derby on Saturday, February 4th. So grab your kids, grandkids, nephews, nieces and/or young siblings and head out there for a great time! Better yet, get in touch with their friends’ parents and get them to join you. It’s always great to see kids catch fish. The SDRRC used to participate in cooking all the hotdogs, but their Optimist Club has taken over those duties. So, now your hands are free to go help the kids you know catch fish! I am attaching a modifiable Calendar of Events. We will have tournaments on the specified days, but we are leaving the species open for now to see what’s in store for us. There are also some events that we usually help out with, but we’re not sure yet if they are happening; such as the Lakeside Catfish Derby and the Shelter Island Pier Kid’s Fishing events. For now, I just have a question mark next to those dates. Bart Hall Show is right around the corner. We have about 16 volunteers to help work our booth, so please see Arnie Seko about filling in your time slots. Remember, your volunteering will get you into the event for free! We will give you more details about that at our next meeting, so please be sure to attend. We will have a Wheel for people to spin and win prizes from, a raffle for a Custom Wrapped Rod from M&M Custom Rods with a matching New Reel, trifolds about the club to hand out, a slide show on our TV and lots of pictures from different events on display. This will be a great time for all who help!! Our next event will be Day At The Docks on March 19th. We will need help with the fishing pens to get kids hooked up (many for the 1st time!). This will involve getting the rods prepped with hooks and squid, keeping up with the supply of cut squid, helping at the booth to hand out time slot tickets to the kids, and helping kids with catching & releasing the fish. If you’ve never done this before, it is truly a rewarding experience. So, be sure to sign up! Until then … Get Bent! (For those who don’t know or remember, that’s the name of my boat.)

The inshore bottomfish season that usually closes from Jan. 1 to Mar. 1 is now closed until Mar. 31.
Nearshore rockfish is also closed from Jan. 1 to Mar. 31, and again from Sept. 16 to Dec. 31.
All other rockfish (shelf or slope) is closed from Jan. 1 to Mar. 31. It opens from Apr. 1 to Sept. 15. From Sept. 16 to Dec. 31, take is open seaward of the 50-fathom line. Shoreward of that line, take is prohibited.

These changes were adopted by PFMC in June, and by the California Fish and Game Commission in November. CCA is working to amend the regulations from Sept. 16 to Dec. 31. This will adversely affect the bottomfish fleet up and down the coast. Anglers in our region have the option to cross into Mexican waters and fish the Coronados or even further south during California’s closed season. But if you catch fish there when the season’s closed here, do not drop a line once you cross back into California waters.

2022-2023 California Sport Fishing Regulations

The San Diego Rod and Reel Club makes a big effort to introduce San Diego’s children to the world of fishing. These kids grow up loving a wholesome sport and ultimately join in together with their families.

We also wants to encourage youth angling participation. We sponsor saltwater fishing trips for children in our community. Along with our partner organizations, we support annual youth fishing derbies, which have included events at Lake Poway, Lindo Lakes, Crystal Pier, and Shelter Island Pier. We assist the local sport fishing landings at the San Diego Port Authorities’ annual Day at the Docks event in Point Loma by helping kids catch fish; many for the first time. We have assisted in fishing and casting tutorials for kids at Pepper Park and the Chula Vista’s Harbor Fest. It’s very rewarding.

Come join us in the fun!