Feature Report: Sea Adventure II WON Charter

Rockfish Old School Style BY GREG TROMPAS/Special to Western Outdoor NewsPublished: May 11, 2012

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WESTERN OUTDOOR NEWS/Sea Adventure II Charter The Sea Adventure II out of H&M Landing takes WON readers on a 2-day rockfish adventure somewhere south and scores   BENDO!! SAN DIEGO — The Sea Adventure II pulls out of H&M Landing with a boatload of eager WON readers on a trek south to some secret rockfish holes. With owner Chuck Taft and old school skippers Bobby Taft and Scott Hart all on board, we were in good hands with a ton of experience at the wheel. We were pointed south and told we would be fishing some seldom hit reefs and hard-bottom spots north of Colnett. A nice boat ride down swell to the zone gave everyone plenty of time to sleep and be ready for the long day of fishing. Chef Scotty had the bacon and eggs going in the galley and everyone fueled up on either a breakfast burrito or a plate and a couple cups of coffee. Now it was time for some fishin'. It started off as a slow pick in the early morning, but the quality was good as some nice reds, lingcod, and chuckleheads mixed with some grumpy bocaccio came over the rail and into the sacks lined around the stern side of the bait tank. Everyone received several packs of various sized Lazer Sharp hooks and they embedded themselves in the corners of the mouths of the fish. By late morning the gloomy gray skies started to yield more light and the fish responded by picking up the pace of the bite. Everyone spread out well along the proper side of the boat and tangles were at a minimum as a result of aware anglers and a quick-to-respond crew. The bow was manned by the same group of anglers all trip long. Standout anglers included Charley Tapp of Menifee who managed to catch a full sack of fish day one including a bunch of nice reds and Mike Morgan who fished the iron a bunch and was rewarded with some nice lings and reds including the day one jackpot lingcod. As the day progressed so did the catching and on several drifts everyone was winding in quality reds, lingcod and chuckleheads. The sun came out bright, the wind and seas laid down and it turned into an absolutely gorgeous day. CHARLEY TAPP WAS A member of the hard fishing bow crew. Here he displays a solid day two red. Back on the stern, Patrick Fermoile had a great day out fishing with his buddy Craig Briley. Both guys were bit all day long and accumulated great catches for their efforts. As the currents and winds shifted, owner Chuck Taft and his brother and Topgun 80 owner Bobby Taft took turns lining up the rocky hard bottom for proper drifts. All of their decades of experience showed in a big way. Fredell Pink of El Cajon was another angler who chose the stern and did well. Fredell was out with a group of fishing friends and had a nice jag of quality reds, lingcod, chucklehead, and some large bocaccio. As the sun set on day one, happy and tired anglers took shifts in the galley to enjoy a nice pork loin dinner and the crew filleted the days catch for those who desired their fish to be ready to eat when the boat got in. Some passengers enjoyed a beverage or two and others racked out early to prepare for the second day. An announcement was made we would be heading north to the fertile grounds off of Salsipuedes for the second day's affairs. We woke up to overcast skies and a strong southeast wind and current. Unfortunately, mother nature has her own ideas sometimes. Even in the tough conditions there was a half a day of fishing to be had before we had to head home, and the anglers on the Sea Adventure II took full advantage. Although the fishing was a little slower with the tough conditions, those who put in the effort caught some nice fish and enjoyed some flurries of big reds and quality lings. There were even some grumpy and over-sized johnny bass in the mix. Randy Courts was on the trip with his brother Jeff and both picked away at a nice catch for the trip. Randy took second day jackpot honors with a nice lingcod. He and day one jackpot winner Mike Morgan were rewarded with JP money as well as nice packages of Turner's gift cards, Lazer Sharp hooks, Yo-Zuri fluorocarbon and Suffix monofilament. The call was made to head for the barn, and the Sea Adventure II made her way back to San Diego with limits of rockfish and lingcod and happy and tired anglers. A sponsor's raffle ensued in the galley, and lucky winners won large spools of Suffix fishing line, Yo-Zuri fluorocarbon, Lazer Sharp hooks and hats, and Turner's gift cards. The boat returned to H&M Landing and everyone had plenty of great eating table fare to enjoy. All in all a great and productive rockfish trip to some old-school spots produced at the expert hands of old school skippers. All good. WATCH OUT FOR THOSE TEETH! A nice lingcod displays it's business end. Lings can rock you or chew you off if your not careful. PHOTOS BY GREG TROMPAS FREDELL PINK DISPLAYS a large flag rockfish, commonly referred to as a "barber pole." A NICE STRINGER of two reds and a bocaccio come to the surface before being hoisted over the rail. LATE IN DAY ONE the sacks were getting full around the bait tank of the Sea Adventure II. THE SPONSORS’ TABLE before the goods were raffled off to happy winners.