The 2020 Season will kick off with the 11th annual Pacific Coast Sportfishing Tackle, Boat, and Travel Show at the OC Fair and Event Center on February 14,15,16. As always, this show brings a great selection of top fishing boats and tackle as well as some of the best seminars on our coast.
Seminars will include swordfish deep drop, giant bluefin tuna tactics, Catalina Island bass and How To read coastal conditions. Boat manufacturers such as Parker, Boston Whaler, Blackfin, Thresher, Everglades, Scout, Defiance, Klammath, Power Skiff, Farallon, and more will be on hand.
PCS has expanded the show and added another hall to house more vendors and boats.
Tackle dealers will be showing their new gear and having the best deals of the year. If you are looking to travel to Mexico, Alaska, Central America or British Columbia we have you covered with many of the top lodges around.
This year’s raffle prizes will be larger than ever!
We will be giving away our grand prize Saturday at 4:00 pm which is a 3-day-fishing, 4-night trip for two guests to the one and only Tropic Star Lodge in Panama worth $9,830 (you must be present to win). The trip is to be used between March and December of 2020. It includes fishing in a standard Bertram, one room (double occupancy). All meals and non-alcoholic beverages are included while at the lodge. The trip does not include airfare.
Friday night we will be giving away a Traeger Tailgater with cover at 4 pm (must be present to win). For Sunday evening we will be doing the drawing at 4 pm to give away a Swordfish Charter for 2 anglers aboard Pacific Bills. This is a 12-hour charter targeting SoCal swordfish with daytime deep drop techniques and has a value of $1950. Also, the first 50 guests over 21 years of age through the door each day will receive one free beer to enjoy at the show. There will also be additional raffle prizes such as Seeker Swordfish deep drop rods, Lindgren Pitman Swordfish lights, Reliable swordfish kill blanket, Phenix Tuna rods and much much more.
This year’s seminars will highlight the current trends in our local fishery. The giant bluefin continue to be one of the hottest fisheries on the coast. This year we will cover targeting the giant trophy fish and also get to the brass tacks on catching these 60-120-pound fish using exciting tactics such as surface iron, topwater hard baits, and the all-mighty popper.
Orange County seems to be the mecca of local southern California sportfishing. This year with the new swordfish local fishery, Newport was one of the top weigh-in spots for these gladiators of the sea. One of the greatest things about this fishery is that you don’t need a giant sportfisher to catch one. Making this a true local quest. If you have dreamed of catching your first southern California swordfish do not miss these seminars.
We will also cover Catalina Island which was definitely a highlight of the 2019 season. Catalina had the best yellowtail fishing that has been seen in years. The island fished completely different and we will be going over the differences that made anglers’ days turn from zeros to heroes.
We always like to cover our local coast as it has some of the best fishing in the SoCal region. We will be covering Bass 101 from spotties to calicos and the best way to target them from Newport Harbor to the structure spots. We will also be discussing how to read the conditions to catch more fish along the coast. Understanding why certain spots will fish better than others is the key to success.
For more information visit www.sportfishingfestival.com
Show Hours
- Friday, February 14th, 12 pm-5 pm
- Saturday and Sunday, February 15th-16th 10 am-5 pm
Seminar Descriptions
Seminars are hosted by legendary Capt. Todd Mansur of Boardroom Charters
Friday, February 14th
12:45-1:45
OC Bass 101 from Spotties to Calicos
Jimmy Decker and Erik Landesfeind
A staple in our fishery and one of the most action-filled is our local bass. Successful pro-bass team of Erik Landesfeind and Capt. Jimmy Decker will walk you through the local spots and techniques from bay bass in Newport Harbor to the coastal spots from Dana Point to Long Beach.
2:30-3:30
Coastal Conditions: reading conditions along the coast to improve that mixed bag catch with Capt. Todd Mansur, Capt. Jimmy Decker, and Erik Landesfeind.
Reading coastal conditions is the prime ingredient in being successful along our coast from seabass to yellows and more. Three of our most successful coastal anglers/charter captains Todd Mansur, Jimmy Decker and Erik Landesfeind will lay it on the line to help you understand how to read the conditions while fishing the OC Coastline and take your game to a new level. Learn to spend less wasted time in spots that won’t produce and more time in the bite zone.
Saturday and Sunday, February 15-16
10:30-11:15
Bluefin Tactics: from flying fish to hard baits on foamers with Capt. Billy Keleman, Capt. Jimmy Decker, Erik Landesfeind.
The 2019 Season definitely featured some giant bluefin with more super cows over 300-pounds than any season in history on the West Coast. Capt. Billy Keleman will once again layout the new techniques that are ever so slightly changing and made his season the most successful yet. Staying up to date is the difference between catching these giants and striking out. There was another big showing this year of the 70-130-pound fish that can be caught the fun way with surface iron and hardbaits. Jimmy and Erik will get into detail on the approach, tackle, and baits to catch these closer-to-home models. Some might say, the “fun size” to catch.
12:30-1:15
SoCal Deep Drop Daytime Swordfish: the new frontier explained from the bait up by Capt. Nate Perez, Capt. Michael Maddox, Charlie Albright, and Frank Gagliano.
The explosion of deep drop, daytime swordfishing in Southern California is nothing short of amazing. SoCal is the new hotbed of swordfishing and the numbers have been outstanding. Our guest speakers range from commercial deep-set buoy gear captains to private boaters that have put up some impressive numbers. They will share info that will change the way you fish. Some have found that the devil is in the details and being off ever so slightly, can be the difference between catching and not even getting a bite. Next year will be the year to catch your first SoCal swordfish; get dialed in and be ready!
2:30-3:15
Everchanging Catalina: 2019 season-a new island by Capt. Todd Mansur and Capt. Joe Barian.
Catalina island has been a staple in the Southern California Bight for most anglers. It has a reputation for being a very fickle island and changing daily. This last season was the best yellowtail fishing in decades at the island. Catalina fished better than San Clemente island this year for the guys in the know. Captains Todd and Joe will walk you through the differences in how they fished the island last year and what to look for during this current season.
For more information visit www.sportfishingfestival.com
