Our SFR Charter aboard the Apollo was a blast! We had a super light load with fourteen hardcore anglers. Captain J.J Gerritsen and Crew eagerly took us to San Miguel Island, where on the prior day they managed to round up a Salmon. No, I'm not talking about Salmon Grouper, I'm talkin' pink meat Salmon! The morning started off a little slow for most of us, but that wasn't the case for Rhanny Hufalar who was the apparent "hot stick" of the day! Captain J.J covered a lot of ground and found those huge hungry Reds! We loaded up quickly as fishing was full speed on a few drifts. The Crew wanted to put us on some Lingcod so we went in and found some very productive ridges. The bottom was sticky, but the fish were thick! The swim baits and jigs were highly productive and got slammed by some highly agitated gators! There were several shorts returned back to their home to be reunited with us next year.

Okay, so here's a mini story that I can't leave unsaid. As we were fishing in the morning, I hear a bunch of folks yell "Oh..." down the rail. As I turn my head I saw Crew Member Jessica immediately grab a rod off the rack and drop a jig. I'm thinking okay, a fish fell off the hook or came unbuttoned. Not the case, angler Ed Haddix' rod ripped right out of his hands and fell in the drink. So now we're all on the Port Side trying to snag Ed's rod. Most folks came up with nothing but double Reds, but Jessica ended up with some spectra on her jig. She ended up in getting Ed's rod and reel back from the bottom of the Pacific. Talk about quick on your feet! We all applauded and gave both Ed and Jessica a high five. Oh, there was even a nice size Widow on the hook too! That's probably what ripped Ed's rod and reel out of his hands. Anyways, game on. But wait, there's more. At the end of the day Ed hauls in a limit of some quality rockfish, on the last stop Ed's rod snaps in half! Yes, the same rod that was on the ocean floor. We joined together and mourned the final death of Ed's rod. May it rest in pieces.

The fishing was outstanding, the Apollo was pristine and always a pleasure to fish aboard, and the Crew was phenomenal. They'll be fishing out of Sea Landing in Santa Barbara until summer, then they'll be heading down to Fisherman's Landing to continue putting their passengers on fish and providing a memorable fishing experience. We've got plenty of more SFR Charters that we're looking forward to, check out our website for our charter schedule. We will see you at the rail! If you've never fished the Apollo or haven't been onboard yet this season, please, stop reading and call (619) 221-8500 now. See you soon, tight lines!

For directions to your next fishing excursion, drop me a line and we'll make it happen! Homan@sportfishingreport.com