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The word is out! The Yellowtail are here and they are big this year. 

There are huge amounts of krill and tiny,tiny young of the year anchovy, sardines and mackeral so fish are from hungry, but with lots of work they can be caught on the yo-yo iron or the surface iron on bird schools. Most of the fish have been on bird schools south and east of the Rockpile 5 to 7 miles below the South Coronado Island.

We have tough weather coming in Wed. and Thursday, but hopefully things will calm down for the weekend.

Below… 17 lb. 11 ounce yellowtail on blue and white heavy iron on bird school and meter mark.  The Sport-boats are using their scanning sonar to find the schools, but the birds are also a good indication with shearwaters chasing the tiny baits under the water and terns picking the bait off the surface.  If you see good meter marks, drop the yo-yo iron!

Sunday, June 7th from 11:30 AM – 5:30 PM
On the 65′ Sportfisher Sea Watch from Seaforth Sportfishing in Mission Bay.  Sponsored by Friends of Rollo and the San Diego Yacht Club Anglers.
Ages 7 – 17
Rods and Reels, Set Menu Lunch provided free of charge!

Please sign up by contacting the SDYC Front Desk at (619) 221-8400

Sunday June 7, 2009 from 11:30 am to 6:00 pm is Kid’s Fishing Day.  Anglers ages 7-17 are welcome.  Adult volunteers are needed. Fishing will take place on board the Sea Watch from Seaforth Sportfishing.  We recommend bringing snacks. Please wear sun-protective and wind resistant clothing. Rental fishing rods will be provided or you can bring your own tackle. We will meet Sunday morning at Seaforth in Mission Bay at 11:30 a.m. Return time will be about 6 p.m.   Sign up at the SDYC front desk at or call 619-221-8400. 

The Angler’s Fleet invites you to participate in the First Annual White Seabass Benefit Tournament, May 23-24, 2009.

• One Day Family Format with low entry fee
• Fish for white seabass, halibut, yellowtail
• Special fly, junior, and kayak divisions
• Huge awards bbq and raffle/auction
• Tour the Hubbs marine laboratory
• Lots of categories with trophies galore
• Visit with exotic animals from Sea World
• Enter online at www.hswri.org

View the event poster here

By Bud Suiter
February 25, 2009 

Wild animals are dangerous.  Dr. David Martin, 66, was killed by a great white shark off Solana Beach last April while training with friends for a triathlon.   A great white in Peake Bay, Australia cut snorkeler Shirley Ann Durdin, 33, in half with a single bite.  The thought of being eaten alive by a wild animal inspires a deep and primal fear in us.

So why would R. Shelton ‘Doc’ White take his 52’ converted fishing vessel  Magia to Isla Guadalupe, 200 miles south of San Diego,  to swim with these beasts?

The great white shark, carcharodon carcharias, is the animal featured by writer Peter Benchley and movie producer Stephen Spielberg in the movie Jaws.  We think of whites, we think of jaws, several rows of teeth, and tearing flesh.  The big ones grow to over 20 feet and 4200 pounds.  Whites are found in coastal surface waters of all major oceans particularly around Australia, South Africa, California, and Isla Guadalupe, Mexico.   They first appear in the rock record 65 million years ago when the dinosaurs became extinct. 

SDYC member Doc White is a professional photographer who specializes in marine mammals but also photographs sharks and other fish.  His nickname ‘Doc’ is his radio call sign from his days in the U.S. Navy when he skippered a patrol gun boat in Vietnam and flew F-4 fighter jets out of Miramar Naval Air Station.   His friends would describe him as well versed, determined, and willing to share his many stories.    

Doc developed an enduring love for the ocean and boats while growing up in coastal North Carolina.   By thirteen, he was diving for treasure on a Civil War blockade runner sunk off Wilmington.   Photography came later when a friend in college talked him into trying it.  Voila!  A lifetime passion was born.

Isla Guadalupe is twenty two miles long, roughly the size and shape of Santa Catalina or San Clemente islands.   The sharply defined landscape is Baja California rocky brown.  There are cedar trees, island oak, Guadalupe palm trees, shrubs and bushes, all now recovering from recently removed feral goats.  The island is also home to Guadalupe junco birds, noisy northern elephant seals, California sea lions, and Guadalupe fur seals.

Great whites are plentiful at Isla Guadalupe due in part to abundant tuna, a recovering Guadalupe fur seal population, and legally mandated reductions in long lining, a commercial fishing practice of baiting up to 2,500 hooks on a single line. 

Doc White has made several dozen trips to Guadalupe.  On one of them he and his wife Ceci became engaged to be married.  On this latest trip in November, Rich Gallagher and Scott Launey joined the fun.  They encountered ten great whites, five at one time.  Ten yellowtail carcasses and six gallons of beef blood provided the shark bait.  The sharks quietly ate the yellowtail put out each day, snapping the line off each time.  A great white breached beside the boat, the most exciting move this animal makes and the most difficult to photograph.  Doc says, “Great whites here are bigger than anywhere else on the planet, and the water is exceptionally clear,”   two more reasons to come here.

Wise photographers use a steel cage to photograph great whites.  The shark senses the electric field of the cage and approaches closely, but rarely touches it.  They often hunt in pairs, one going effortlessly around the prey clockwise, the other counterclockwise, often for over an hour without a break in routine.  The prey is lulled into an expectation about where the sharks will be.  But one will suddenly appear below and behind the prey, which is the point from which the attack comes. 

So why come all this way to chase sharks?  Doc White has sold numerous photographs including some from his first visit here in 1980.  The excitement of the chase, sea adventure, camaraderie with your shipmates, getting engaged, and meeting other photographers are also big draws. 

Would you like to swim with the sharks someday?  For sure Doc will be back, probably after new photographic work on salmon in Alaska and blue whales in the Pacific.  Commercial tours to Isla Guadalupe with companies like Nautilus Explorer and Horizon hosted by experienced shark divers are available.   Visit Doc at www.oceanmagicphotography.com.

Anglers have enjoyed a productive year in 2008.The SDYC Anglers Awards Ceremony was held March 28. Many trophies were awarded for the best catches of 2007. Buz Guentner was the Master of Ceremonies for the event.On May 9,  Rich Johnson gave an incredible seminar about Marlin fishing, sharing some of the best advice, ever, on how to catch that elusive fish. This really paid off this summer with some great catches of Marlin off San Diego and Catalina. We celebrated the arrival of summer with the Annual SDYC Anglers Kids Fishing Trip on June 8.  We enjoyed fishing on the 65 foot Sportfisher Sea Watch from Seaforth Sportfishing in Mission Bay. Jerry Rosier, Buz Guentner, Chris Guentner and Brock Guentner, all from the SDYC, in assisted the eager young anglers. Also from SDYC, Shawn Moore, Bob Vacchi, Renee Savigliano, Jerry Rosier, Dave Pekin, Rich Johnson and Louie Zimm were eager deckhands. Proud father Brock Guentner hold his son’s bonito. Seth Guentner landed the one bonitio that day. Anglers Treasurer Jim Hill organized a fishing trip to the Sea of Cortez, originating in San Felipe. Members caught big yellowtail, leopard grouper and giant squid. The fishing was great and the food and beer were even better! The 2008 Junior Coastal Anglers Tournament (JCAT) was held aboard the Sportfisher Sea Watch from Seaforth Sportfishing on Sunday, August 3rd.  28 Junior Anglers were accompanied by 14 adult mentors on this trip co-sponsored by the San Diego Yacht Club Anglers and the Friends of Rollo, a sportfishing industry group dedicated to introducing young people to the wonders of the ocean. Dick Eddy of SDYC donated 10 wonderful fishing rods to the group. Don Waggoner, Phil Johnson, Bob Vacci, Louie and Gordie Zimm, Dave Pekin, Jennifer and Andrew Schlesier, Victor McKnight, and Joe Yanick, all of SDYC were adult mentors. From the San Diego Fly Fishers, Marvin Darling and Shelley Wagner helped the kids. Kids from the Chollas Lake Fishing Program were assisted by Chris Jones. Eduardo Diaz brought 5 kids form the Hispanic community.

 Anglers Board Member Dave Pekin assisting Mary Ellen Garrett with her first fish of the day.

Our anglers will remember August as one of the best months ever for Yellowfin Tuna, and Dorado, with many caught within 20 miles of Point Loma. At the end of October we are still catching Bonito, Albacore and Yellowtail on calm, (but foggy) fall waters.

Next year we plan on more how-to seminars, a great Anglers Awards Ceremony, and more Kid’s Fishing Trips. We are in the process of finalizing our nomination process for next year’s officers.The following nominations have been made:

For Anglers President:  still open
For Anglers Vice President:  Doug Augustine
For Treasurer:  Renee Savigliano  
For Weighmaster and Liaison to MLPA process:  Louie Zimm 
Trophy Chairman:  Don Waggoner 
Board: Buz Guentner, Gary Stephany

Anglers President Louie Zimm with the guidance of Member Robert Fletcher has been monitoring the Marine Life Protection Act Process in Southern California and will continue to report back to our concerned anglers.Anglers President Louie Zimm with Yellowtail.

The MPLA process is moving quickly along.  If you do not want to be restricted in your access to your favorite fishing grounds, please consider filling out the online interview about which areas are important to you. This information will be used to determine the true economic cost of closing areas to fishing along our coast.

If we don’t speak up, we will only have ourselves to blame when areas like the Point Loma Kelpbeds or La Jolla are closed to all fishing.

MLPA South Coast Recreational Fishery Interview Sign-up

Louie Zimm

President 

San Diego Yacht Club Anglers

Board Member

San Diego Flyfishers

The Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) is a state law directing the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) to design and manage an improved network of marine protected areas off California’s coast. To implement this law, a 
public-private partnership has been formed between the California Resources Agency, CDFG, and Resources Legacy Fund Foundation—the MLPA Initiative. As part of this effort, Ecotrust has been retained to collect, compile and analyze information pertaining to recreational fisheries along the southern California coast. The project is designed to provide spatially explicit information to the MLPA Initiative and the information collected in this project will improve upon what is currently available regarding recreational fisheries.

The goal of the Recreational Fisheries Uses Project is to characterize recreational fishing areas of relative importance and recreational fishing use patterns along the southern California coast, using the expert knowledge of fishermen themselves. The purpose of this project is twofold:

1.  Develop accurate maps of the local recreational fishing grounds and characterize their relative importance to recreational fishermen; and
2.  Incorporate recreational fishermen’s knowledge into the deliberations of the Regional Stakeholder Group in the MLPA South Coast Study Region.

This kind of spatially explicit information on recreational fisheries will ensure representation of recreational values in the design, implementation and management of marine protected areas.

During the summer and early fall 2008, Ecotrust personnel will contact approximately 700 recreational fishermen along the southern California coast to be interviewed. The format will be on-line, with follow-up meetings by user group in which the information collected will be validated by fishermen. Due to the sensitive nature of the information, only Ecotrust staff (operating under a strict confidentiality protocol) will handle the raw data generated during the interviews. All information collected in the interviews is anonymous and confidential on the individual level. All analyses and results will be presented only in aggregate form. The information will be used to create a comprehensive profile of the recreational fishing use patterns and values along California’s south coast, and may also be written up in a peer-reviewed journal. If appropriate, there may be the opportunity for release of aggregated study results for uses other than the MLPA process, but in line with the purposes of this research; however, your individual results will never be included in any release of aggregated results without your explicit consent.

SUNDAY AUGUST 3rd, 2008 – PHOTO GALLERY
Save the date and enter our yearly SDYC Junior Coastal Angling Tournament with great prizes for largest fish of each species. Anglers ages 7-17 are welcome. Adult volunteers are needed. Fishing will take place on board the Sea Watch from Seaforth Sportfishing. Lunch will be provided (hot dogs), but we do recommend bringing snacks. Please wear sun-protective and wind resistant clothing. Rental fishing rods will be provided or you can bring your own tackle. We will meet Sunday morning at Seaforth in Mission Bay at 7:30 a.m. Return time will be about 4 p.m. Sign up at the SDYC front desk at or call 619-221-8400. 

The SDYC Anglers Awards Ceremony will be held March 28 at 6:30 PM, upstairs in the Staff Commodore’s Room. Everyone is invited! Come meet fellow anglers and hear stories about the ones that didn’t get away. We will be honoring our successful anglers, both Seniors and Juniors. Buz Guentner will be the Master of Ceremonies for the event.Some very special trophies will be presented. One is the J.H. Chambers Trophy. Also known as the Commodore’s Perpetual Award for the Most Outstanding Catch, this prestigious award has recorded on it, a true “who’s who” of SDYC Anglers. First presented to Frank Naso in 1959, and later won by Bill McWethy, and Seth Brown, it has lately been presented to Rick and Marie Johnson, Jack Santone, Gary Stephany, Buz Guentner and Don Waggoner. Interestingly, our junior anglers have often been recipients of this award, Brennan Clark for his huge Bigeye Tuna, David Larson and Nicholas Augustine for their Marlin catches. The trophy is a 26 inch tall brass urn with a wood and marble base and a figure of an Olympian on top.This year’s recipient is Mike Rivkin who earlier in the year also received the Stroud Award for service to the fishing community from the San Diego Flyfishers. Mike will be honored for his catch of a 23.2 lb.

The SDYC Anglers Awards Ceremony will be held March 28 at 6:30 PM, upstairs in the Staff Commodore’s Room. Everyone is invited! Come meet fellow anglers and hear stories about the ones that didn’t get away. We will be honoring our successful anglers, both Seniors and Juniors. Buz Guentner will be the Master of Ceremonies for the event.Some very special trophies will be presented. One is the J.H. Chambers Trophy. Also known as the Commodore’s Perpetual Award for the Most Outstanding Catch, this prestigious award has recorded on it, a true “who’s who” of SDYC Anglers. First presented to Frank Naso in 1959, and later won by Bill McWethy, and Seth Brown, it has lately been presented to Rick and Marie Johnson, Jack Santone, Gary Stephany, Buz Guentner and Don Waggoner. Interestingly, our junior anglers have often been recipients of this award, Brennan Clark for his huge Bigeye Tuna, David Larson and Nicholas Augustine for their Marlin catches. The trophy is a 26 inch tall brass urn with a wood and marble base and a figure of an Olympian on top.

SDYC Anglers Awards 2007
Seniors Mike Rivkin First Gamefish (Kenneth Baker Trophy) First Yellowtail of Season Largest Albacore on 12lb. Largest Albacore on 8 lb. Largest Gamefish on 6 or 8 lb. – Dr. B.A. Guentner Trophy
Largest Gamefish on 3 Thread (12 Lb.) Frank Wishon Trophy

Most Outstanding Catch – J.H. Chambers Trophy 23.2 lb. Albacore on 3 Thread Linen Line Rich Johnson Boat “Marie B”- Boat with Most Marlin Caught and Released – Arthur Carey Trophy Boat with First Marlin of Season First Marlin Flag – Released Bill Carey Flag Largest Bonita on 8 lb. Phil Johnson Largest Albacore on 16 lb. First Dorado of Season Largest Dorado of Season Largest Dorado on 30 lb. Largest Yellowtail on 16lb.

Marlin, Bottomfish, Bonito

Club Championship – D.D Williams Trophy Danny Rivkin Angler with highest weight to line ratio 5.3/1 – SDYC High Ratio Trophy Largest Marlin by a Junior on 30lb. (Irving Fifield Trophy) Largest Marlin by a Junior (Nell Bowen Trophy) Rob Pennell Largest Albacore of Season Largest Albacore on 30lb Peter Van Horne First Albacore of Season First Marlin (Frank Pastore Trophy) Jeanne McGee First Tuna of Season Largest Tuna of Season Largest Tuna on 50lb. Jim Hill Largest Albacore on 20lb. (Thomas Hearne Trophy) Largest Yellowtail on 20lb. (Frank L. Hope Award) Largest Yellowtail of Season Don Waggoner

Outstanding Service Award (Robert S. Roulette Memorial Trophy) Jack Santone Largest Halibut of Season (Lucien K. Small Trophy) Louie Zimm Largest Barracuda of Season (Mission Bay Sportfishers Award) Largest Bonito of Season Gary Stephany Largest Yellowtail on 30 lb. (Mission Bay Boat Sales Award) Pete Johnson Last Marlin of Season (Irving Fifield Award) Kyle Clark Largest Marlin on 50 lb – (Frank Naso Trophy)  Juniors Taylor Rivkin First Yellowtail of Season by a Junior Largest Yellowtail by a Junior on 20 lb. (Charles W. Patrick Memorial Trophy) Nicholas Augustine Largest Yellowtail by a Junior Largest Yellowtail on 30lb. by a Junior (Tanner Electronics Award) Collin Cummins Largest Tuna on 20 lb. (Miss Leona Trophy) First tuna of Season by a Junior David Larson First Marlin of Season by a Junior Marlin by Youngest Junior (Depew Marine Award) Last Tuna of the Season William Johnson First Gamefish by a Junior (Don Waggoner Trophy) First Albacore of the Season by a Junior

Largest Albacore by a Junior

Largest on 20 lb. (Carrol Deem Trophy)