help about the overnight "sea horse" trip

[catfish 17]

I'm going on the sea horse trip of Dana point. This will be my first overnight trip. So how does it work?how long is the trip 2 get 2 the fishing spot?the guy told me it was about 40 to 80 miles. so how many hours is that?and what are the best tips for my trip that i am going.:Secret: i really want this trip to be worth it because i been on some 3/4 trips and it wasn't worth it. so please some one help me. :Smile:

[Nessie Hunter]

Typically the boats run about 15 MPH, give or take 5 MPH???
(wear a seat belt or get Whiplash!!)..

The "overnight" boats normally leave around 10 PM and return by 6 PM ???
Depending on where they find the fish, you might get 6 Hrs of fishing time.

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What are the return times for the different trips? All of the overnight and multi-day fishing trips will begin at 8pm or 10pm on a given night. The single night trip will return at about 6pm or 8pm the follow day, the 1.5 day trip will come back around 6am or 8am two days later (about 34 hours after departure) and the 2 day trip will come in at about 6pm or 8pm two days after departure (making for a 46 hour-or-so trip). (Please note all return times are approximate and trips could run slightly longer.)
How much of the trip will be spent fishing versus riding? We spend about 3 hours to get to Catalina Island, 5 hours to get to San Clemente Island and anywhere from 5 to 8 ours to get to an Offshore destination, depending on where the fish are. The amount of time you spend fishing depends on whether you're coming out for just one night (22 hours from departure to return), a 1.5 day trip (34 hours from departure to return) or a 2 day trip (46 hours from departure to return). Please note, all timing is approximate.
How far does the boat go out? Typically the overnight fishing trips go anywhere from 30 to 80 miles outside Dana Point Harbor.



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The tuna are going off pretty good right now in the 60 to 80 Mi range... Mostly smaller (10# up to 25#) But ya never know!!! Some bigger fish mixed in also!!

Tackle?? 25#, 30# & 40# should work OK, maybe a 60# just in case the big boys want to play?? (if they are biting 50# they will bite 60#)!!!
Short Fluoro Leaders (3 ft) are recommended, Easy to Triple Surgeons knot them on...
Know the tuna shuffle, and practice it.. Follow your line ALWAYS...
Stay alert and watch for any one that has a "fish on" Move and/or "over under" to help them out..... Expect the same from others...

Laugh a lot, and have fun.....
Remember;
Catching fish is just a bonus.. The fun is in the trip, Not the destination!!!



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[fish4keep]

This is probably one of the best tip if you don't already know.......

Stay close to the live well (bait) and try to be one of the first one to get your bait in the water after a troll hook-up aka the "slide". Usually if there's any type of bait fish, you'll have a better chance than anyone else since your bait is first. Have fun, be curteous to others, yet at the same time be a little aggressive. You'll get bit more. Unless it's a WFO bite than it's not necessary but always try to get in on the slide...............

[Ricky-Ray]

Seahorse departs at 10pm and you are usually back around 6-7pm the following day. Depending on where the fish are the travel time can vary. Usually by morning/grey light you will be in the area and starting to look for the fish. If you head to SCI then you will be there earlier and if they drop anchor then you can start fishing in the dark if you like. Most boat's usually travel around 10-15 knots and figure a knot is just a little over 1mph.

Have an assortment of size 2-3/0 hooks that way your covered if there's anchovies or sardines for bait. 20-40# rods should do the job. An assortment of sliding egg sinkers from 1/4-1oz and torpedo sinkers from 1oz to 8oz. If you go offshore you will most likely not need the torpedo sinkers but if you go to the island you will if you want to fish the bottom.

The seahorse is an old boat but it's got a top notch captain and crew. Galley is a bit small but the cook makes some darn good food. The boat does not have fresh running water so I usually bring a couple of extra bottles of water to have on hand to wash my face, brush my teeth and so on.

If you've never been to Dana Point Harbor here's a little rundown. There's two parking lot's, there's the main one and then there's an offsite one. For overnight trips you are suppose to park in the offsite lot. You will need to get a parking permit from the landing office and have it displayed on the dash so you will not get a ticket or get your car towed away. What I'll usually do is park in the main lot, go to the landing and get the permit and ask them if I can leave my gear in their office while I go and park the car. They are usually really good about that. Leave the gear in the landing office and go and move the car to the offsite lot and walk back to the landing grab my gear and then head down to the boat.

If you have any questions do not hesitate to ask the crew.

Tell the crew I said Hi!.

Above all else...good luck and have fun. Post a report when you get back and don't forget to take some pics.

[catfish 17]

Thanks guys! i promise if i catch something ill take pictures of them and post them. ughhhhh i am just thinking of the long trip because once i get on the boat i wanna wait @least 1 hour and then fish but 8 hours is tooo much! and $135.00 to fish 6 hours kinda sucks! :Neutral:

[Ricky-Ray]

On overnight trips most when the boat is heading out most people will get their gear ready and then hit the bunk's and sleep. That way you get a night's rest (if you can) and when you wake up your already there.

Yeah kindda sucks sometimes that you have to travel that far and only get to fish the same amount of time but you gotta get to where the fish are. They aren't gonna come to your front door.

Look at it this way too. If you were going long range fishing for BIG 200-300 pound tuna's, it would be a minimum 3-4 day boat ride just to get down to the fishing grounds. 6 hr boat ride don't seem too bad anymore huh???? :LOL:

[catfish 17]

thats true lol hopefully i catch something

[calico killer kevin]

You can only handle one hour boat rides? It's gonna be a hell of a long trip then.:LOL: Get on the boat, setup your gear, go to sleep, wake up at 5:30 and you should be at the fishing grounds. You will fish from dawn till about 12-1 and then you will head home. $135 isn't too bad for an overnight trip.

Always try to be the first one with bait in the water. (Surprisingly) I was one of the hot sticks on my last trip. I was never the first one with bait in the water, but I was always one of the first to hookup. Always grab the strongest bait and hook it through the nose. What I do is take a light nap between troll hookups, paddies, etc and when I head someone yell HOOKUP! I grab my rod from the rack.

Can't recommend tackle until I know what you've got.

[Marley]

Your first overnight trip and it's for tuna. Right on!!! You'll be what they call "gut-hooked" for sure when you get home (that's a good thing, BTW.)
Good advice has already been given: stay close to the bait tank and be ready with the fastest bait you can find when the trollers go off or a paddy comes into play. Two sayings I've heard about bait that are rock-solid advice: "If there's a bait you can't catch, that's the one you want" and "Don't touch the red ones, they will bite you!"
Two things I didn't see and will be told in the seminar, and definitely something you must heed: learn and do the "Tuna Shuffle." You will be drifting while you fish. There's no anchoring in mile-deep water. Watch the man on the bait tank and where he puts his chum. That's exactly where you cast your bait to. As the boat drifts and pulls your line and bait around the corner and up the side, you must move along with it and keep it in front of you. "No angles, no tangles" will ensure you come home with fish. You bought a spot on the boat; you did NOT buy a number on the rail.
Second critical thing to remember is "Wind in your face, you're in the right place." The skipper will tell you which side is windy, if it's not totally obvious. That's the side you will want to fish on. If you fish on the downwind side you will catch only other guys on the boat and you will not make any friends...
Ask your crew for a little help. It's okay to do that. There will likely be several other passengers whom you can trust with questions, except you won't know all of them right away. Some of the guys catching fish will open up and help, many won't, especially on an overnighter. But you can always ask your crew.
Which brings up tips...
20% of the trip's booked cost is customary, so $40 for the day should be good. If you get a lot of help and want to tip more, the crew will be happy with that, too. I differ than most on the JP in that I will split with the crew what's left after paying galley and cleaning. Many say the crew gets the whole JP, others don't. That's up to you.
But watch what others are doing, listen to what you're being told while fighting your fish and don't park in the corner! Oh, and troll-caught fish taste EXACTLY like bait-caught fish so if that's all you catch, enjoy them!
Have a super trip and let us know how you do!

[catfish 17]

thanks once again 2 every 1. hopefully i know what i am doing