the second bluefin trip is july 5-8, 2025. the total for the boat is $37,975. adding a 17% tip brings the total up to $44,430. divided through by 24 spots comes out to $1850 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 $925 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. PJ Stevko - Three Rivers, CA (Paid in Full)
4. Steve Banks - San Bruno, CA (Paid in Full)
5. Wai Jung - Carlsbad, CA (Paid in Full)
6. Brett Lawson - Millbrae, CA (Paid in Full)
7. Jeff Stokes - San Jose, CA (Paid in Full)
8. Tom Ryugo - San Francisco, CA (Paid in Full)
9. Travis Apgar - Rodeo, CA (Paid in Full)
10. Wayne Skicki - Cupertino, CA (Paid in Full)
11. Katie Moran - Santa Cruz, CA (Paid in Full)
12. Nelson Owyang - Belmont, CA (Paid in Full)
13. Pete Mateo - Fremont, CA (Paid in Full)
14. John Ng - Pleasanton, CA (Paid in Full)
15. Gary Truong - San Jose, CA (Paid in Full)
16. Paul Seghposs - Scottsdale, AZ (Paid in Full)
17. Vu Huynh - San Jose, CA (Paid in Full)
18. Dave Woodward - Milpitas, CA (Paid in Full)
19. Bruce Hoang - San Diego, CA (Paid in Full)
20. Vince Outcalt - Scottsdale, AZ (Paid in Full)
21. Phaithoune Phomphakdy (aka Tune Fishing) - San Diego, CA (Deposit)
22. Rick Gomes - San Jose, CA (Paid in Full)
23. Steve Moulis - Citrus Heights, CA (Paid in full)
24.Mike O'Leary - Milpitas, CA (Paid in Full)
25. Tran Hoang Ngo - San Jose, CA (Paid in Full)
waiting list
1. Manny
2. Dan
3. Dave
4. One more of Paul's friend
Charter Contract Agreement
Departure Date: 7/05/2025 Departure Time: 11:00 AM
Return Date: 7/08/2025 Return Time : 6:00 AM
Charterer: Alan Tani
alantani@yahoo.com
Charter Price: $37,975
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!
I in! I'll mail you my full payment this week
Hum...I'm torn between the 3 day and 8 trips.
Can't do both but for now please put me on the waiting list for both.
Please give me a week to think on it Alan.
Thanks,
Steve
Hi Alan
As we discussed, I am in. I will drop of my deposit this week.
I'm in...
Glad to see a few of the usual suspects on the list already!
Anyone heard from Mati or Juan on this?????
I'M IN!
#21 is one of my lucky numbers!
8) Steve :d
I have a large amount of 400# mono, if anyone needs it for building chafing leaders I can cut it to length and mail it to you.
Quote from: Keta on February 01, 2025, 02:29:47 PMI have a large amount of 400# mono, if anyone needs it for building chafing leaders I can cut it to length and mail it to you.
I'll take some Lee.
I have a spool of 200-pound Ande mono if you'd like to trade material.
Steve
I have a 200# , both mono and fluorocarbon. What length do you want it cut? How many, PM me your address.
No Mattie or Juan??
working on it.....
Add me to the waitlist please. Thanks!
Sent deposti two weeks ago...did it arrive?
Quote from: Porthos on March 07, 2025, 05:54:13 PMSent deposit two weeks ago...did it arrive?
yes, got it. thanks a million! i just updated the roster.
The SOA posted a 1.5 day trip right before this 3 day! Anyone wanna join me???
https://alantani.com/index.php/topic,39681.msg468140/topicseen.html#new
looks like i'd better get your reels done!!!! :-\
Quote from: alantani on March 18, 2025, 02:37:34 AMlooks like i'd better get your reels done!!!! :-\
I might try to squeeze in a rockfish trip before then so I'd appreciate that!
Details PJ!
Will they carry over the fish catch???
I'm too cheap to pay a processor. :d
Quote from: Crab Pot on March 20, 2025, 12:01:20 AMDetails PJ!
Will they carry over the fish catch???
I'm too cheap to pay a processor. :d
Don't think they can legally do that.... you'd have to pay a processor or do catch&release/give it away
I'm so excited for back to back trips on the SOA!
Hey Guys
I have reserved a room (2 queen beds) at the Sea Harbor Inn for this trip. Checking in on 7/4, checking out on 7/5. If anyone needs a room, I have a spot. Jeff
Still plenty of spots available on the 1.5 day SOA trip right before this charter in case anyone wants a warm up trip!
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, july 8th, 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, july 4th, 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 july 5th. 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.
Steve Crab Pot and I will be getting off the SOA the morning the charter boards so we should have good intel to share at breakfast! We gonna leave the majority of the gear on the upper deck in between trips so we can help load the charters gear!
Most crews want assist hooks on one side of the jig only or a single treble on the bottom. No hooks on both ends of the jig.
Quote from: pjstevko on May 08, 2025, 10:42:41 PMMost crews want assist hooks on one side of the jig only or a single treble on the bottom. No hooks on both ends of the jig.
Is this a
requirement on SoA or a nice to have?
For me it is a requirement, I do not want to deal with a fish hooked in the side for hours. My long heavy iron has hooks on the bottom, my shorter iron has hooks on top. NO TREBLE HOOKS on my BFT iron.
I started going through my gear today. I've got plenty of wind-ons, flouro, hooks and jigs.
Found out i need to tie up a bunch more assist hooks. I, for the most part, stopped using commercially made assist hooks as I like to make custom length cords.
The hard part is gonna be trying to pack for back to back trips.
Quote from: pjstevko on June 10, 2025, 12:45:01 AMI started going through my gear today. I've got plenty of wind-ons, flouro, hooks and jigs.
Found out i need to tie up a bunch more assist hooks. I, for the most part, stopped using commercially made assist hooks as I like to make custom length cords.
The hard part is gonna be trying to pack for back to back trips.
PJ, just pack for an 8Day trip. If you need extra gear hit up the landing in between trip. You're going to have a blast
Quote from: Bill B on June 10, 2025, 03:40:10 PMQuote from: pjstevko on June 10, 2025, 12:45:01 AMI started going through my gear today. I've got plenty of wind-ons, flouro, hooks and jigs.
Found out i need to tie up a bunch more assist hooks. I, for the most part, stopped using commercially made assist hooks as I like to make custom length cords.
The hard part is gonna be trying to pack for back to back trips.
PJ, just pack for an 8Day trip. If you need extra gear hit up the landing in between trip. You're going to have a blast
Bill I'll have extra gear hidden in the truck in case I need to reload the jig box!
Tied up a bunch of assist hooks today!
Got one+
Nice work Skip!
Nice fish Alan! I saw the SOA post on IG and it looks like there were several good fish landed.
Waitlist me please. Thanks.
-Nik
Getting jigs together....
Daym PJ, all that's for a 3 day? You're taking enough jigs for the whole boat!
I made a post on BD telling the OP that he's overthinking it. It made me think of you, ya know?!
Quote from: MarkT on June 23, 2025, 06:28:27 AMDaym PJ, all that's for a 3 day? You're taking enough jigs for the whole boat!
Actually it's for a 4.5 day! Plus I like to bring spares in case I lose some or want to share
Quote from: pjstevko on June 23, 2025, 02:09:38 PMQuote from: MarkT on June 23, 2025, 06:28:27 AMDaym PJ, all that's for a 3 day? You're taking enough jigs for the whole boat!
Actually it's for a 4.5 day! Plus I like to bring spares in case I lose some or want to share
Me too.
Quote from: pjstevko on June 23, 2025, 05:04:28 AMGetting jigs together....
Hi PJ, I just wanted to make a few suggestions that can make your travels a little easier & efficient, you can take it or leave it.
-A good rollup or jig binder will carry more jigs and be more organized to access jigs for each sea condition or fish bite.
(https://i.ibb.co/CKtLTLk6/s-l1200.jpg)[/url]
-Traveling with pre-hooked jigs isn't very safe, and with a decent pair of split ring pliers the jigs & assist hooks come on/off within seconds, so you're not saving that much time on the water.
-Having all your hooks in one place is safer and more efficient, especially if you use different size hooks & assist lengths.
-Red assist cord is most predominantly in use, I've tried several colors early on (wht,blk,red, not blue though) and the results were pretty stark for me, so I stuck with red.
(https://i.ibb.co/VWDpQSgx/Untitled-4-88711.jpg) (https://ibb.co/HDYpxztC)
YMMV on all this but if it helps...
Tight lines.
I appreciate the tips!
You never know what you will need. I do like Ninja's storage systems. Pretty coo. Bill
I take 30 and use one 'cuz I don't know which one is the ONE when I leave the dock!
Quote from: MarkT on June 23, 2025, 06:55:39 PMI take 30 and use one 'cuz I don't know which one is the ONE when I leave the dock!
Yup, but I tend to use eddy bombs most of the time.
Quote from: MarkT on June 23, 2025, 06:55:39 PMI take 30 and use one 'cuz I don't know which one is the ONE when I leave the dock!
Definitely me too! My go to is a West Coast Jiggerz 350-HD
Here's what I'm planning on bringing
Fathom 15lxnd2/pch801h = 15' of 30# flouro for bait
Mak10/UC Monster = 25'of 40# flouro for bait
Fathom 40nld2/UC GP Predator = 25' of 60# flouro for 180g tungsten daytime jigs
Mak 15T/pch741xxh = 50' of 80# flouro for daytime drop shot sinker rig
Fathom 40nld2/Megalodon 608 = 25'of 100/130# flouro wind-on for speed jigging with a WCJ 250-300g KB
Mak16/pch741xxxh = 25' of 200# mono wind-on for 250g tungsten jigs
Mak20/UC viper = 25' of 200# mono wind-on for WCJ 350/420g HD
Saragosa 10,000/ Black Hole 801h Challenger Bank = 80/100# flouro leader for poppers and stickbaits
i guess you're going to need more than four spots for rods.
Quote from: alantani on June 24, 2025, 04:56:50 AMi guess you're going to need more than four spots for rods.
At least I'm leaving the jig stick, slow pitch and fly rod at home!
Why buy all this gear and leave it at home!!!
Plus my tackle bag will be super small this year
There is room for overflow in the bow.
Quote from: alantani on June 24, 2025, 04:56:50 AMi guess you're going to need more than four spots for rods.
Isn't there normally enough for 6 spots per angler?
I'm bringing the following kits:
20
30
80
100
But I may bring a 50 too. 8)
Crab Pot
Just tie the appropriate top shot on 80 lb braid and you have a 30 to 60 lb system all In one.
Quote from: Hardy Boy on June 25, 2025, 02:02:42 AMJust tie the appropriate top shot on 80 lb braid and you have a 30 to 60 lb system all In one.
But the rod will not be approperate for the line class. 30/40 and 50/60 work and some rods can do 80/100.
My 20 kit rod is the same as my 30 kit. But I sure hate changing reels/spools in the heat of battle!
Quote from: Crab Pot on June 25, 2025, 02:28:21 AMMy 20 kit rod is the same as my 30 kit. But I sure hate changing reels/spools in the heat of battle!
Would suspect switching from 20 to 30 is the least of one's worries. Have no recollection of fishing 20/30 on these BFT trips...certainly not for the night drops.
Even on the 2022 trip where we went south of the border and were hooking into YT and dodos (lots of rats)... personally only went as low as 40lb.
Schools of tuna we were working down south on the 8-day last week you could have used paracord as a leader and it would not have hindered the bite. All daytime, baits and irons, and 50#/60# was the norm. These were all 40-90# class BFT and YFT. Again, entirely different schools than what is getting fished up here FWIW. - john
Quote from: Crab Pot on June 24, 2025, 11:13:17 PMI'm bringing the following kits:
20
30
80
100
But I may bring a 50 too. 8)
Crab Pot
No need for under 30 and hopefully not 30 either! I'd take a 50# rig for Colt snipers during the day... if fish during the day is back to being a thing. 10 years ago I'd take a 20# rig because we'd sometimes come across schools of 20-30#ers that were line shy.
Quote from: Crab Pot on June 24, 2025, 11:13:17 PMI'm bringing the following kits:
20
30
80
100
But I may bring a 50 too. 8)
Crab Pot
Replace the 20 with a dedicated 40# and you're good to go
IDK Guys, I have caught a lot of line shy day time fish on my 20 & 30 kits that refused to bite larger floro.
Quote from: Crab Pot on June 25, 2025, 11:18:34 PMIDK Guys, I have caught a lot of line shy day time fish on my 20 & 30 kits that refused to bite larger floro.
You can still fish 20-25# on your 30# setup if the bite gets tough...
Quote from: pjstevko on June 25, 2025, 11:27:27 PMQuote from: Crab Pot on June 25, 2025, 11:18:34 PMIDK Guys, I have caught a lot of line shy day time fish on my 20 & 30 kits that refused to bite larger floro.
You can still fish 20-25# on your 30# setup if the bite gets tough...
All depends on the size of the bait they are eating. Smaller baits don't swim as well on 30 kits.
But none of us are wrong! :d
The baits on the June trip were large.
One week to go! Time to start running down your checklists, staging gear, get some cash, do your vehicle pm's, and start getting extra rest!
I'll be doing all this over the next 2 days!