the first bluefin trip is june 14-17, 2025. the total for the boat is $35,525. adding a 17% tip brings the total up to $41,564. divided through by 24 spots comes out to $1732 per person. if we have fewer guys, i will just divide through by that number. hopefully, it will not come down to that.
as soon as possible, i will need a 50% deposit check of $866 mailed to me. i will be on the phone all week. gentlemen, thank you! alan
here is the list -
1. Alan Tani - Saratoga, CA (Paid in Full)
2. Warren Hamachi - West Covina, CA (Paid in Full)
3. Alex Kitzies - Hercules, CA (Paid in Full)
4. Mati Matatyaou - Sunnyvale, CA (Paid in Full)
5. Lee Putman - Klamath Falls, OR (Paid in Full)
6. Francisco Wei - Palo Alto, CA (Paid in Full)
7. Wayne Locke - Scotts Valley, CA (Paid in Full)
8. Dave Cruze - Yountville, CA (Paid in Full)
9. Nikola Pang - Fresno, CA (Paid in Full)
10. Jim Lynn - Castro Valley, CA (Paid in Full)
11. Ed Hood - Mountain View, CA (Paid in Full)
12. Griff Davies - North Bend, OR (Paid in Full)
13. Eric Wittenmeier - Langley, WA (Paid in Full)
14. Lee Dickson - Redwood Estates, CA (Paid in Full)
15. Joe Labrador - Rohnert Park, CA (Paid in Full)
16. Anthony Dorsey - Olathe, KS (Paid in Full)
17. Gary Maganaris - Belmont, CA (Paid in full)
18. Ron Anderson - Lafayette, OR (Paid in Full)
19. Kirk Collins - Valley Center, CA (Paid in Full)
20. Casey Dixon - Middleton, ID (Paid in Full)
21. Richard Lopez - Montara, CA (Paid in Full)
22. Todd English - Boise, ID (Paid in Full)
23. Kirk Bogart - Dover, ID (Paid in Full)
24. Brice Horton - Bakersfield, CA (Paid in Full)
25. Skye King - St. Helena, CA (Paid in Full)
QuoteCharter Contract Agreement
Departure Date: 6/14/2025 Departure Time: 11:00 AM
Return Date: 6/17/2025 Return Time : 6:00 AM
Charterer: Alan Tani
alantani@yahoo.com
Charter Price: $35,525
up to 25 passengers (Mexican permits & CA licenses extra)
A 50% deposit is required to hold this charter. The deposit must be received by February 1, 2025.
The price includes food, bait and Mexican Visas. The price does not include fishing tackle, Mexican fishing permits, gratuities or beverages. If the deposit is not received by the above date, the charter may be automatically cancelled by Spirit of Adventure Charters without notice.
If the charter group does not appear on the above date and time, all monies will be forfeited. If the charter is not fully booked, or the charter price is not paid in full by time of departure, charter dates may not be granted the following year. Cancellation policy will be strictly enforced. If a passenger cancels 90 days or more prior to departure date, any payments shall be refunded less a $250.00 service charge. Cancellations within 90 days of departure will result in forfeiture of deposit unless the vacant spot is filled. Cancellations within 30 days of departure will result in forfeiture of ALL DEPOSITS AND PAYMENTS unless vacant spot is booked. Travel Insurance is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Please be aware, due to possible fuel price increases, Spirit of Adventure Charters reserves the right to implement a fuel surcharge. Spirit of Adventure Charters reserves the right to make changes in the trip that circumstances dictate, including cancellations, changes in the trip due to weather or fishing conditions, or substitution of boats as deemed necessary. Notification of any changes will be made in a timely manner.
I understand and agree to the above charter provisions.
____________________________________ __________________________
Signature of responsible Charter Master Date
Please Mail Deposit To:
Spirit of Adventure Charters
2803 Emerson St
San Diego, CA 92106
Denise Muller Date: September 2024
admin@soasportfishing.com
(619) 549-8002
This contract will not be confirmed until a signed copy is returned to Spirit of Adventure.
Thank you!
Just saw a posting on SoCal Long Range that today they are tracking 5 schools of Bluefin within 75 miles of San Diego. This could be a great trip (bluefin ARE bluefin). Good way to get your feet wet for longer trips. Good folks, good boat, good food, and not a lot of time away from home. What more could you ask? - john
Is that Wayne I see at #5 ??? I thought you shied away from the 3 day trips. You go get um ! I would love to be on this trip... not in the cards for me this time. Maybe next year.
Cool
Please sign me up for lucky spot #7.
ok, we are all full. deposits go in tomorrow. i'll need final payments as soon as you can. thank you so very much!!!
About 6 weeks to go for you guys.....
Who's bringing what gear? Anyone breaking in new gear?
Give us some details on how you plan to rig up....
one guy has to drop out. is there anyone else?
got a second guy that needs to drop out. anyone?
Sorry Alan, will be in Alaska...
gentlemen, it's getting close. first of all, thank you very much for joining us. these trips are getting more and more expensive and harder to fill. this year seems particularly difficult, so thank you.
i'd like to start with the last thing first. the end of the trip, june 17th, involves fish processing. if you have not called already, please call fisherman's processing at 619-255-3128, or go online and make a reservation for fish processing. alternatively, contact 5 star at 619-299-9996 or sportsmen's processing at 619-224-3551. for those of you that will be processing fish yourself, you can get ice at the california ice company, 3412 kurtz street, san diego.
the day before we depart, june 13th, several of us will be arriving in san diego. the hotels around the landing are all dumps, but they are convenient. i will be staying at the sea harbor inn on scott street. if you are in san diego on the 13th, meet us at 4pm for drinks and dinner, upstairs at miguel's cocina, at the corner of scott and shelter island.
we board the spirit of adventure on june 14th. the boat is out of h&m landing and is docked way back behind point loma seafoods. drive in on dickens street and load you gear into carts. someone from our group will be there to watch your gear while you park. there is a huge parking lot in front of the landing. we will start lining up around 8-9am, board the boat at 10am, and depart at 11am. obviously, we need everyone there on time. bluefin will be our target, but our destination might not be decided until we leave the harbor. fish move, situations change.
while waiting in line to board, i will be there handing out name tags, cabin assignments and rod rack assignments. your rods go along the sides of the boat in your assigned spaces. hard tackle boxes go behind the bait tanks, soft cases go on the shelves. rod tubes and reel bags go on the top deck, in your own personal cabin, or in the forward cabin, number 1, that is always designated as storage. your personal gear goes in your assigned cabin.
things to bring.
wallet, cell phone, glasses and passport
california fishing license with an ocean enhancement stamp (non-resident licenses are available at the landing)
possibly a mexican fishing license (available at the landing)
3 days worth of personal gear
3 rods, 3 reels, a couple of dozen ringed circle hooks, 8 to 10 knife jigs, jig hooks, fluoro and a shoebox sized tackle box for your gear. bluefin fishing is the simplest fishing you will ever do. you don't need alot of gear. we won't be trolling.
for tackle, there is no way to know ahead of time what grade of fish we will be looking at. typically i would recommend a 30 or 40 pound rig, then a 50 or 60 pound rig, and finally an 80 to 100 pound rig. three rigs total should work, six is really the maximum. anything more than six will just get in the way. fluoro is good with 30 to 60 flyline. go with mono for 80 or 100 deep drop. for live bait, definitely go with circle hooks. i like the ringed owner mutu hooks. maybe grab a a couple of packs each of size 1 and size 2/0, then a pack of ringed super mutu in 4/0. for jigs, i'd recommend a pair each of knife jigs in 200, 300, 400 and 500 gram. stick with jigs that are shorter and fatter. those 12 inch long 500 gram rip rollers were getting bit in the middle and fish were missing the hooks. for jig hooks, i was using the mustad heavy duty assist hooks, but they are now over $10 each. search amazon and see what you can find. guys were also using 5/0 5x treble hooks last year. they work, but can be a hazard for the crew. if you have jigs and trebles or assist hooks, i can help you rig them on the boat.
My 5/12-5/17 trip got called off due to high wind so I am on this trip. See you all next month.
Less than a month to go for you guys!
everyone is paid up. thank you!!! the check for the final payment goes to the SOA office on tuesday. tip money has already been set aside. we are all set.
So stoked for you guys!
:0)!
The fishing is picking up so the timing looks great for yall! Better start catching up on your sleep now as it's been a total night bite.
I've been waiting for some intel!
Night Jigs and Tuna Bombs are dialed.
Yeah the Polaris Supreme and SOA had good trips. - john
Got intel from friends on trips.....
99% of fish are still being caught at night although the daytime bite is slowly starting.
Hot Jigs: TUNGSTEN JIGS 250-400g, 250-300g SK, WCJ 350-HD, WCJ 250-300-KB, Eddie bombs
If you need to buy jigs I highly suggest you start with the West Coast Jiggers 350-HD! It is the hot jig right now and has been for years now.
Short double assist hooks on the bottom of the jigs is the best way to set them up.
You guys getting excited??
Sounds like a fast and furious time, how does it work onboard. Do you have small bunk rooms or is it all open bunks and sleeping bags with your stuff in seabags?
Two bunks per stateroom.
i always assign rooms. ;D
Nice avoid the guy that needs the CPAP machine but doesn't know it
Earplugs.
You'll be up all night fishing so you'll be plenty tired enough to sleep no matter what
Looking forward to the report!
Think I'll go crimp some jigs. :d
You guys getting excited?!?!
It's starting!!!
Awesome! Good luck guys! Easy on the Don Julio! - john
Good luck and fair seas!
Don who leo?
Good luck gents! Looking forward to the updates
It begins.
Save some for the rest of us!
Evan said 3.5 hours to the fish.
According to MarineTraffic it looks like the ship is heading south towards the islands....
Quote from: pjstevko on June 14, 2025, 09:12:17 PMAccording to MarineTraffic it looks like the ship is heading south towards the islands....
Course heading SW of the Coronados... the Excel is ahead of them on the same course, also on a 3 day. Royal Star is outside of them, also heading that way!
A daytime bite!
Quote from: Bill B on June 14, 2025, 10:07:36 PMA daytime bite!
I hope so Bill. The daytime bite was just starting to pick up this week. The night bite has been great too. The gang should have a great trip
Anyone heard any updates?
Lee texted Bill that there are no BFT for the boat. Going to try tonight and then San Clemente Island for whatever may bite if no BFT tonight.
A few nice fish have been caught so far, 01:00. The fish are 350-400 feet deep and the drift is bad. We are SW of San Clemente.
02:30. It is not hot but we have several fish now in the 40 to 150 pound range. Alan and both have one.
Last nights total was 16 fish.
Quote from: Keta on June 16, 2025, 02:29:21 PMLast nights total was 16 fish.
Thanks for the update! What jig did you catch yours on?
Eddy Bomb
Tough fishing. 16 total, 50-130 pounds. I got 1, handed off 1, lost three.
Lee got a nice one.
Nice fish Lee!
Quote from: alantani on June 17, 2025, 01:47:40 AMTough fishing. 16 total, 50-130 pounds. I got 1, handed off 1, lost three.
Lee got a nice one.
Nice grade fish. Alan what did you catch yours on?
What's the story south the 3 list fish, tangles or pulled hooks?
(https://alantani.com/index.php?action=dlattach;attach=156089;image)
Good looking fish gentlemen :d
First bluefin for me biting while I hold the rod.
Bonus rocket viewing.
Quote from: BigWayne on June 18, 2025, 02:31:02 AMFirst bluefin for me biting while I hold the rod.
Hi Wayne,
Welcome to the site and nice fish!
SoA guys,
I thought the SoA didn't cut fish on the boat?
PS Wayne: My first Bluefin was in the 30-pound class!
Good Job Killer!
Fish was not cut on the boat. Done this morning by a friend of a friend.
Sashimi platter tonight for my San Diego friends.
Nice fish Alan & Lee, good fish for your first Big Wayne, hope you enjoy it to night, cheers Don.
Quote from: BigWayne on June 18, 2025, 06:47:04 AMFish was not cut on the boat. Done this morning by a friend of a friend.
Gotcha!
Nice fish, nothing like fresh Bluefin!