Qualifier 105,Long Range Sportfishing, San Diego, California, Fishing Baja California

07-23-08

Once again the fishing and the weather did not disappoint. Although we did not have quite the variety of yesterday we had great fishing on YT to 25 lbs and YFT to 28lbs. The hot trolling lure today was the cedar plug. The YFT simply could not resist eating the cedar plug. The long fin didn't cooperate for us but we are hoping to change that tomorrow. The YFT in the area are a gorgeous grade of fish. We will keep you posted.

the crew of the Q105

07-22-08

The great weather and action packed fishing continued today. We had terrific action on a mixed bag of jumbo albacore to 40 lbs, YT to 25 lbs, YFT to 28 lbs, and some Dorado and BFT sprinkled on top. There is a lot of life around and everyone is having a blast casting a line into the smorgasbord of fish. Several of our anglers caught four different species today. It really is a grab bag of quality fish. We are hoping the weather stays gorgeous and we will be looking hard tomorrow to stay with these fish.

We will keep you posted.

the crew of the Q105

07-21-08

We departed San Diego on Saturday afternoon on the annual LA Rod and Reel charter. We headed south eager with anticipation of the up coming fishing adventure. Before we knew it we found ourselves in terrific water and managed to land a handful of very nice Dorado before the sun set on our first day. We woke up this morning in some very fishy water. We started the day off with a flurry of school size YT from a kelp paddy. Our good fortune continued throughout the day as we carved out an action packed day on mixed tuna to go with our YT. Sam Rubinfeld won the YT jackpot today and Jamie Smith was pronounced victor in the tuna fish jackpot. Everyone had a great day catching a mixed bag of jumbo Albacore, nice YFT and YT. We are anticipating our fantastic weather to continue and looking forward to tracking down some tuna fish tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed that the Longfin come up good for us tomorrow.

07-12-08

The day started out with a flurry of biting albacore and it didn't stop there. We had consistent stops throughout the day on albacore and BFT. There is great sign of life in the area and we had a terrific day catching tuna. Charter master Dennis Hagarty once again had the biggest fish of the day a 47 lb blue fin. To go along with our outstanding tuna fishing we had a handful of Dorado and YT. The weather it is absolutely gorgeous out here and the tuna are biting... life is good. We are looking forward to more of the same tomorrow. We will keep you posted.

the crew of the Q105

07-11-08

We arrived at Guadalupe at sunrise with high hopes of finding some biting fish. After giving the island a good look over we saw decent sign of fish but the current did not want to cooperate. However, all was not for naught, Dennis Hagarty still managed to capture a hefty 59 lb YFT and Mark Chilton added another YFT to our count weighing in at 51 lbs. Unfortunately, this was all we could manage but there seemed to be some fish in the area. We are heading north to see if we can add to our tuna total. The weather is absolutely perfect, flat calm, not to hot not to cold but like baby bears porridge its just right. We are having a blast and have high hopes for tomorrow. We will keep you posted.

07-10-2008

Captain Joe Crisci is live from the Qualifier 105 with yellow fin tuna, kelp paddy yellowtail and a live on the spot update.
Click to hear it Qualifier 105 Live Now-- Live from the Qualifier 105

07-07-2008

Hello Q105 long range anglers. We left Friday on our Boss Hag / Brawler Boys open 5 day trip. After loading a load of bait we headed off shore in search of the long fin tuna. We headed out to were some other boats had been getting em. When we got to the area we found alot of boats due to the 4th of July long weekend. We scratched out a good number of them. We then headed south to central Baja to fish for a few nice fat yellowtail. Most of our anglers ended up with at least a few. These yellows are fat and mean! They will test an anglers skills and tackle as well as any fish in the ocean. With a good count of them we are headed back up north to see if we can't find some more of the albies. One fish of note was first time long range fisherman, Tim Platten's 35 lb hallibut! Also, capt Joe's cousin Dino Berardino is on board and he hooked a nice flatfish only to have it stollen by a big fat sealion. We watched as the thief shook this thing around right in front of us and enjoyed his free lunch. Till tomorrow Joe, Brook, both Travis 1and 2, Tim, Cappy and Cris

Shirer 8 Day Day 6

Today we continued to fish our way north and had a nice relaxing day. We picked away all day at 30 lb. plus Yellowtail. To go along with the beautiful Yellows, Bob Douglas and Doug Nance also managed to wrestle 2 nice Broomtail Grouper from the depths on the yoyo jigs weighing in at 72(Doug's) and 56 lbs(Bob's) . We enjoyed terrific weather once again and had a great day picking away at trophy Yellowtail. We hope to do more of the same tomorrow and are looking forward to possibly adding a few nice Halibut to our cornucopia of a catch. We all will be going to bed again with a full belly thanks to Chris and Cappy's homemade Lasagna. till tomorrow....

Shirer 8 Day Day 5

We began our journey north by fishing our way up the baja coast. We found clouds of sand bass and shoals of bait as far as the eye could see. Unfortunately, we couldn't find our target species ,WSB and YT, but we are still enjoying absolutely gorgeous weather. Chris and Cappy are keeping everyone fat and happy with delicious meal after delicious meal. We are hoping to enjoy more catching tomorrow. We will be keeping you posted. Keep your fingers crossed for the so far elusive long finned tuna fish.

The crew of the Q105

Shirer 8 Day Day 4

As we worked our way south we finally found what we were looking for a wide open bite. We located a school of YT that really wanted to bite and soon we were in a limit style frenzy. The fish were chewing on the iron, fly line bait and dropper loop.It was tremendous fishing on a nice grade of fish from 18 to 35 lbs. We are still enjoying sunny skies and a grease flat ocean. Everyone will sleep good tonight after a day of pulling on nice yellows. We enjoyed a delicious steak dinner and are looking forward to more coastal fishing tomorrow. We also caught a couple of mystery jacks some of the boat says Amoco jack (I think thats the spelling) others say amber jack. Any ways we will keep you posted on what we find tomorrow.

the crew of the Q105

Shirer 8 Day Day 3

Today we continued south to what we hope will be the hot zone. We looked around the coast today but only managed a few YTs. The weather is still perfect which is always a bonus. We are having a great time and eager to get into a hot bite. We have high hopes for tomorrow and are chomping at the bit to put the wood to some YT. We will keep you posted.

the crew of the Q105

Shirer 8 Day Day 2

The morning started out with the boat being socked in with thick fog. This put a damper on our early morning search but the fog eventually gave way to another beautiful day. We found signs of life and kelp paddies in bunches but did not have much luck in the capturing department. We scratched up a few YFTs and a handful of 20 lb. YTs. We continued south as we searched and are really enjoying some amazing weather. We are hoping to get into some good coastal Baja YT fishing tomorrow. We will keep you posted.

The crew of the Q105

Shirer 8 Day Day 1

We departed San Diego in the sweltering heat and everyone was eager to get offshore to a much more pleasant temperature. We spent the afternoon motoring south and looking for the elusive long fin tuna. We were unable to locate any biting fish and are continuing our journey south in beautiful weather. We will spend tomorrow offshore hunting around to see what we can turn up.

Until then...

the crew of the Q105

Loftus-Martin (15 Day)

Well, our 1st trip of the New Year 2008 departWell ed Saturday, 1/05/08, with a fine bunch of fishermen. We wish them the best of luck and best of fishing. Here's our 1st Reports from the Bridge:

Congrats to the Jack Pot Winners: 1st Pl. Tom Kelleher (241.6 lbs); 2nd Pl. Chris Green (215.2 lbs); and 3rd Pl. Jackie Fitzpatrick (211.6 lbs). Jackie (above right) also receives award from John Loftus and Larry Martin for the largest Wahoo. Thanks Capt. Joe Crisci (above right) for a great trip!

Article, Bill Roecker: for FishingVideos.com & the San Diego Sportfishing Council

The Loftus & Martin open charter aboard the Qualifier 105 returned to Pt. Loma Sportfishing at dawn January 20. Joe Crisci was skipper on the 16-day excursion, which produced three cow tuna and numerous fish on the cusp of the 200-pound marker, as well as a good take of wahoo.

The best tuna was caught by Tom Kelleher of Corona del Mar, a 241.6-pound tusker that chowed on a double sardine kite rig and the boat’s loaner gear for the purpose.

“It took an hour and 15 minutes,” said Tom. “I saw it hit, then the balloon marker came off. He took me from the stern corner up to the bow on the other side. He’s my second-best fish ever. I could tell my gear was maxed.”

Second skipper Cal Link said Tom’s boat rig had two 9/0 Eagle Claw circle hooks on 100-pound Big Game line and 130-pound Big Game Spectra, an Accurate 50 reel and a Calstar 6465 XH rod.

Chris Green of Riverside won second place for a 215.2-pounder he got with a mackerel on a 9/0 Eagle Claw hook. He said he used 100-pound Maxima line and 100-pound Spectra on a Penn 50 reel and a Calstar 6465 XH rod.

Jackie Fitzpatrick of Pacific Grove won third place for her first cow, a 211.6-pound yellowfin she bagged with the double sardine rig on the same boat outfit used by Kelleher to get the jackpot winner. She also got a tuna that weighed 194 pounds, and the trip’s best wahoo, a 70-pounder that won an award.

“He jumped out of the water and onto the bait,” Jackie said of the bigger tuna. “Then he took off right away. I’m saving up to do this again next year.”

Qualifier 105 will be in port for her annual boat work over the next few weeks, said skipper Joe Crisci.

Friday, 1/18/08: Today was a travel day. We did a few chores to get the boat ready for some time off. The passengers finished breaking down and cleaning all their gear and tackle. Then it was movies, poker, and a nap or two. Dinner was prime rib. This trip the food has just gotten better everyday!! Cappy and Cris put a few pounds on everyone, time to hit the gym when we get home. As for our e.t.a to Point Loma it looks like an early one, probably around 5:30 A.M. (I think the red shirts that help us out so much at the dock want us in early so they can get home for the Chargers game at noon!!) Crew member Tim would like to wish his dad, Dennis up in Chico a happy birthday, see you Sunday afternoon! For now that's it, Q105 crew Joe, Cal, Travis L, Tim, Travis J, Cappy and Cris

Thursday, 1/17/08: Not much to report today, we are headed up the line for home. We would again like to thank our charter masters John Loftus and Larry Martin. These guys put a lot of time and energy into getting these trips together. With the many give-a-ways and products for all, it truly is a lot of work. Thanks guys and we can't wait for next year! As for the anglers on this trip, with a few new faces and the ones we have fished with before, thanks for coming and we hope to see all of you again next season. If you would like to join them, call the office soon, as this trip is very popular, and will surely sell out. Also, make your plans now to visit the Fred Hall show in Long Beach this March. We will have our booth set up, so come on by and say hello. Owner John Klein, Capt. Joe Crisci, the Q girls and most, if not all of the crew, will be hanging out, so stop by our booth and book a trip with us for the 2008 season. See you there!!! Till tomorrow Q105 crew out!

Wednesday, 1/16/08: First let's start with the last day of fishing for the trip. We woke to tuna around the boat as well as some wahoo. The tuna bit pretty good. They were not huge but that was ok. The size was about 40-60 lbs. Charter master John Loftus got one about 100 lbs. Larry Martin also scored a nice one, along with John Fike and Dan Sunderland. We also put a few more wahoo on the boat. We even got a couple on the kite. Overall, this was a great trip with EVERYONE catching plenty of fish. Our totals for the trip were as follows: Wahoo 95, Tuna 98, with 4 of those going over 200lbs and a few that are close. We will weigh them at the dock to find out. A very nice load of fish overall. Charter masters John Loftus and Larry Martin would like to thank Maxima Line Co. for the line that was used by all on this trip free of charge! Also, Catchy Tackle for the supply of wahoo bombs and jigs that worked like a charm, with many of the skinnies coming on them. The Loftus and Martin Special 15 day is already on the schedule for next year, January 10th through the 25th. These guys are great, lots of fantastic give-a-ways including line, rods, reels and lots of other goodies. You can secure a spot on this very popular and fun-filled trip with a $200 deposit, this trip will fill up so call now. Just call Marie or Vicki at the office, 619-223-2786 and tell them you would like to go. The crew would like to thank our charter masters for booking with us as it keeps us working and they are just fun and nice guys to spend a little over 2 weeks with!!!!! Now a few days of R&R on the way home, we will be home Sunday morning, just in time to watch the Chargers add a little thunder and lighting to New England's snow storms. See ya, Q105 out!!!!

Tuesday, 1/15/08: More of the same today, kind of slow on the tuna, but the wahoo saved the day!!!! We trolled again in the morning for some more nice skins, Vince Hannan was on fire getting 2 for 2 (2 fish 2 stops) in a row. The rest of the gang decided to nick name him "skinny Vinnie" and since he is a good sport, it was a running joke today. Also today after we got the anchor back down, Jackie Fitzpatrick hooked a nice fish on her tuna gear, straight mono and landed a wahoo we guessed to be around 70 lbs!! With only one more day of fishing this trip has not disappointed. Till tomorrow Q 105 crew out!!!! GO CHARGERS!!

Monday, 1/14/08: Another great day on the bank. This morning started out kind of slow, so we pulled the pick and went in search of fish. Capt. Joe did it again -- Wahoo. We trolled up some more skinnies and looked around for a couple more hours before dropping it back down. This afternoon was a little slow, but some more nice tuna were pulled over the rail. Big fish of the day, Jim Kirk with one that taped 172 lbs. This fish was mean, so mean that he ended up breaking his rod when the fish was at color! Luckily his fishing line did not, so with a 3-foot rod he was able to land this bad @** fish!!!!!! With 2 more days of fishing, hopes are high and the weather is good. So till tomorrow Q105 crew out!

Sunday, 1/13/08: WAHOO!!!!!! Today we pulled the anchor and trolled up some wahoo, 21 of them in a couple of hours. Everyone on board has at least one. When we got the anchor back down we picked at the tuna. A few over 100 lbs and more wahoo on the pick made for some great action today. We have put together a very nice trip and everyone is having a blast. The weather is nice and the food, well the food is worth the price of a trip alone!!!!!!Gotta go, Q105 crew out!!!!

Saturday, 1/12/08: Today started out with wahoo, about a dozen of them before 8am. After that it was a steady pick on the tuna with just a few more of the skins. Hot stick today, Allen Lemburg with a 90 lbr on 40 lb test!! Then he got one about 160 on the big rig. For the most part, other than that today was all small fish but everyone had fun on the light tackle. A couple of hellos from the boat. John Fike says Hello Marcy I'm having a great time with papa Loftus, miss you lots. Dan Sunderland says hi to Cindy, we're having a great time and the weather is great, miss you, see you soon. Also, HI BRE (from you know who).

Friday, 1/11/08: Another great day was had by the Q105 today. Vince Hannan started the day with a 120 lb tuna. From there it only got better. Dan Sunderland 100 lbs, Dallas Smith 140lbs, Jerry Green 90,170 lbs, Jackie Fitzpatrick had a great day with a 185 and a 213. Irish Kane 150,165, John Loftus 90, John Fike 90,110 and 140, Phil Lisi (one of our regular passengers with 1.5, (2)-5 days, 10 day and 16 day trips with us just in 2007!!!!!) with 150 and 160 pounders. Big fish of the day goes to Beth Smith 221, and Tom Kelleher 225! Beth used her raffle-won rod, a custom wrapped seeker 6460 xxh. Thanks goes out to Smitty G for the wrap jobs on the rods!!! With more raffles to come, everybody wants to win one of those rods. This trip is already on the books for 2009, check our schedule and call the Q girls in the office to reserve a spot. $200 will get you on and it should be another great trip!!!!!! More tomorrow, Q105 crew out!!!!!!!!

Thursday, 1/10/08: Well, what a difference a day and location makes. Today, we fished the Hurricane Bank and it was one of those days you go looooong range fishing for. We started early off with a few Wahoo on the troll and then dropped anchor. It was not long before once again (the hot stick of the trip so far), John Loftus hooked and landed a very nice tuna. After that it was a steady pick all afternoon. Just before dark, Chris Green hooked and landed the biggest fish so far. After about 2 hours, and with everyone cheering him on, he landed one that taped 202! The quote of the day was also made by Chris. After about 1.5 hours into it, he said, (with sweat pouring off every part of his body) "I just came out here to mess around, I didn't expect to catch anything!" Wrong -- he also landed one about 180 today. Almost everybody had a nice tuna, and the few that didn't, still have plenty of time and the spirits are high. Till tomorrow Q105 crew out: Joe, Cal, Travis L, Tim, Travis J, Kelvin, Chris, and Cappy!!!!!

Wednesday, 1/09/08: Well today looked like it was going to be one of those days to write home about. It was, but not in the way we wished. We started the day off seeing good sign of life, birds, porpoise and fish on the electronics. Our first stop of the day produced a 180 lb Yellowfin tuna wrestled in by John Loftus. A great start to any day. When all was said and done, John's tuna was the biggest, and the only tuna! The weather is beautiful and with the great conditions, our hopes are high on catching more. It's wonderful to be on the ocean with a great group of fisherman/gals! We will be arriving at our next destination tomorrow around 10:30 A.M. Reports from this area have gotten better and better. As always, wish us luck and good fish'n'. Bonus fish of the day goes to Dan Sunderland landing a nice Wahoo. Tight lines, till tomorrow Q105 crew out!!!!!

Tuesday, 1/08/08: Today was our last day of prep. We made some leaders for the kite, and made sure everybody was ready for battle with giant yellowfin tuna. They are and so are we. After a few days of travel everyone is on the edge of their seats and just waiting to go! We hope the area we are going to is as good as last time we were there (last April). Wish us luck. Today after lunch it was more raffles. Big winners were Jason Noah, winning a Diawa reel, and John Fike won a Diawa rod. Big winner was Jackie Fitzpatrick winning a custom wrapped Seeker XXH rod. She already has a reel on it and is going to break it in tomorrow. So far the ladies have swept the big prizes! We would like to say hi and wish a speedy recovery to our crewmember Grant, who had knee surgery on Monday, wish you were here buddy, get well soon! Till, tomorrow Q105 crew OUT!!

Monday, 1/07/08: Today we were still on our way south getting all our gear in order. We added some line to our ground tackle so we could sit in some deeper water. After some supper cleanup and maintenance to the boat, the anglers got ready for battle against some biggens! Our chartermasters gave away more "stuff". Big winner of the day was Beth Smith, winning a custom wrapped Seeker XXH rod that will come in handy in the next week or so. Tom Kelleher was also lucky winning a Daiwa reel. Today's winners won leader storage bags, sleeping bags, line, knifes, pliers and also some nice waterproof storage bags! "Everybody" won some sort of prize. After a great tri-tip dinner and strawberry shortcake dessert, it was time to get some kite baits. We stopped for about an hour or so and scored some nice squid for the tunas to munch! One more day of rigging, resting, some movies and of course a poker game or two, the we will be on our fishing area. Till tomorrow, Q105 crew -- OUT!!OUT!!

Sunday, 1/06/08: Hello Q105 friends, we hope everybody had a great holiday season. After some time off for Xmas and the turn of the new year, we are back! We departed Saturday for our Loftus and Martin 15 day trip. With John Loftus and Larry Martin as charter masters, we headed south. These guys are the best at what they do. With goodies for everybody, including the crew and plenty of line for all to use. They also have a raffle every day with EVERYONE winning a prize! From fillet knives, sleeping bags, spools of line, and of course rod and reels, these guys are very good! We loaded bait in the rain on Saturday and spent Sunday doing chores and building new gaffs with high hopes of using the all. The weather is very nice and is way better then what we are hearing about at home. For now we are traveling to points way down south. Wish us luck and keep watching the website as we will update everyday. The Q105 crew: Joe, Cal, Travis L, Tim, Travis J, Kelvin, Cris, and Cappy.