shh777
12-30-2007, 08:16 PM
I went fishing in Ventura today for some rockfish. I left the Pasadena area at 5:30 and got to Port Hueneme at 6:30, but there were not enough passengers for the Erna B to go out. There were 17 reservations, but only 7 showed. FYI: the Erna B is a great boat. It’s really small, but it has a mom-and-pop feel to it. I went on it two years ago and we caught some big reds from that boat. Their customer service and knowledge are hands down one of the best.
We were directed to the ˝ day boat, Speed Twin, out of Channel Islands Sportfishing Center; they had a boat leaving at 9:00am. We got over there and had some time to kill so we chilled out at the mouth of the harbor and saw some surfers do their thing - it was very relaxing.
We finally got on the boat - and what a boat it was. This thing was huge. The front looked like the stern and the sides actually had room to cast overhead if you wanted to. What I really liked about the boat was how you put your rod and reel up off the ground so saltwater won’t get on it. The bathrooms were nice and the eating area was clean and spacious. They made good use of space on that boat.
The boat went first to get some live bait before we got on the boat at 8:30, and when it got back we headed out to Anacapa Island. We got to see some dolphins play on the bow of the boat. There were hundreds of them out there. When we got to the fishing place, which was in 70 feet of water, we proceeded to catch us some rockfish. I used my Pacifica rod and Penn 309m as my tools – only 60 bucks total for this combo…haha. My back up was a Daiwa boat rod and Penn Squidder – only 80 bucks total… Only the best for rockfishing. In the first couple of stops I picked up a Sculpin, Tree fish, and one Chucklehead(?). They were decent size, but not great. We then moved about 6 more times, but all in the same general vicinity. Our last tries were out deep – I mean real deep. I caught some more rockfish, but they were small. And I caught some sanddabs, about 7. It was pain to keep reeling in our rigs. But for sanddabs – for sure! I ended up catching 13 rockfish, and 7 Sanddabs. Out of the 13 only 4-5 were decent size, the rest were either given to the birds because they were super tiny or I tried to send it back down. Unfortunately, we never got into any reds. The Captain did try to look, but no luck. I finished the day catching a 1lb double hamburger and coke.
The crew on this boat was helpful. Every time I needed a tangle untangled they were there and every time I needed a fish unhooked they were there. The crew was also organized – from the beginning to end. Even when they cleaned fish they iced it for you. I am very impressed with my few trips up to Ventura. The crew was awesome and they had a politeness and way about them that makes you want to fish on their boats. It was a fun day to go out fishing on a great boat.
We were directed to the ˝ day boat, Speed Twin, out of Channel Islands Sportfishing Center; they had a boat leaving at 9:00am. We got over there and had some time to kill so we chilled out at the mouth of the harbor and saw some surfers do their thing - it was very relaxing.
We finally got on the boat - and what a boat it was. This thing was huge. The front looked like the stern and the sides actually had room to cast overhead if you wanted to. What I really liked about the boat was how you put your rod and reel up off the ground so saltwater won’t get on it. The bathrooms were nice and the eating area was clean and spacious. They made good use of space on that boat.
The boat went first to get some live bait before we got on the boat at 8:30, and when it got back we headed out to Anacapa Island. We got to see some dolphins play on the bow of the boat. There were hundreds of them out there. When we got to the fishing place, which was in 70 feet of water, we proceeded to catch us some rockfish. I used my Pacifica rod and Penn 309m as my tools – only 60 bucks total for this combo…haha. My back up was a Daiwa boat rod and Penn Squidder – only 80 bucks total… Only the best for rockfishing. In the first couple of stops I picked up a Sculpin, Tree fish, and one Chucklehead(?). They were decent size, but not great. We then moved about 6 more times, but all in the same general vicinity. Our last tries were out deep – I mean real deep. I caught some more rockfish, but they were small. And I caught some sanddabs, about 7. It was pain to keep reeling in our rigs. But for sanddabs – for sure! I ended up catching 13 rockfish, and 7 Sanddabs. Out of the 13 only 4-5 were decent size, the rest were either given to the birds because they were super tiny or I tried to send it back down. Unfortunately, we never got into any reds. The Captain did try to look, but no luck. I finished the day catching a 1lb double hamburger and coke.
The crew on this boat was helpful. Every time I needed a tangle untangled they were there and every time I needed a fish unhooked they were there. The crew was also organized – from the beginning to end. Even when they cleaned fish they iced it for you. I am very impressed with my few trips up to Ventura. The crew was awesome and they had a politeness and way about them that makes you want to fish on their boats. It was a fun day to go out fishing on a great boat.