First time on the Malihini. I'll start with the fishing, then my overall impression of the trip. 30 anglers, a lot of children and first timers. Picked up some pretty OK bait at the bait barge around 6:30 and headed south. Bait was mostly anchovies, probably 70% chovies, 30% dines. Plan was to start with Yellows in the morning, search for some other species in the early afternoon, and return to Yellows on the way back to Point Loma. We started around 8:30 am right between North and South islands. Yellows wanted to bite and we landed around 20 nice ones between 15 and 25 lbs. The more experienced anglers were throwing irons on the bow and probably landed the majority of the fish. Around 10 am we started looking for other species and found a bunch. The calicos bit, the barracuda bit, the whitefish bit, we caught sheephead, bonito, sand bass and a triggerfish. The calico fishing was off the hook. Back to the Yellows at the end of the day and we picked up another 15. I went 3/5 on yellows (15-20 lbs), 3 legal calicos and bunch of released Calicos, 3 whitefish for the freezer, and several Barracuda that slimed their way back into the ocean. What's really cool is by the end of the trip, every angler had landed a fish. Something Capt. Bill was pleased with.
I'd definitely fish the Malihini again. Friendly, upbeat and helpful crew. Capt. was very friendly and approachable. He fished and handed off to the youngsters a lot of the time and was open with advice for the first timers. Shout out to deckhands Nick and Matt who kept the more experienced anglers loaded up with the correct bait. Much appreciated. One of the deckhands (not mentioned) did piss me off. One of my fish swallowed my circle hook...weird, but not too deep. It could've been taken out with a little effort. Rather than removing it, or cutting my line, he snapped my leader with his foot. About 15 feet of Seaguar Gold label 30lb. looked like a slinky. Rookie move. Don't F with a fisherman's Gold label. IMO, the Malihini is a great boat for a first timer or family to try sport fishing. But, this crew can make it happen on an offshore all day trip, as well. My purpose on the trip was to fill the freezer with some nice taco fish and have some fun, both of which were completed successfully.
Pros
1. Great crew and captain.
2. Got on some good fish.
3. Pass through window between the aft fishing platform and the galley. I haven't seen that before.
4. Crew attitude make her an excellent choice for new fishermen.
Cons
1. Won't win any sprint races.
2. Limited space for gear and mostly on the bow. I recommend not taking all of your gear, if you can avoid it.
Pics next time.
I'd definitely fish the Malihini again. Friendly, upbeat and helpful crew. Capt. was very friendly and approachable. He fished and handed off to the youngsters a lot of the time and was open with advice for the first timers. Shout out to deckhands Nick and Matt who kept the more experienced anglers loaded up with the correct bait. Much appreciated. One of the deckhands (not mentioned) did piss me off. One of my fish swallowed my circle hook...weird, but not too deep. It could've been taken out with a little effort. Rather than removing it, or cutting my line, he snapped my leader with his foot. About 15 feet of Seaguar Gold label 30lb. looked like a slinky. Rookie move. Don't F with a fisherman's Gold label. IMO, the Malihini is a great boat for a first timer or family to try sport fishing. But, this crew can make it happen on an offshore all day trip, as well. My purpose on the trip was to fill the freezer with some nice taco fish and have some fun, both of which were completed successfully.
Pros
1. Great crew and captain.
2. Got on some good fish.
3. Pass through window between the aft fishing platform and the galley. I haven't seen that before.
4. Crew attitude make her an excellent choice for new fishermen.
Cons
1. Won't win any sprint races.
2. Limited space for gear and mostly on the bow. I recommend not taking all of your gear, if you can avoid it.
Pics next time.
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