WHAT IS A DAY BOAT, SAN DIEGO STYLE

The name itself is kind of confusing inasmuch as a "day Boat" really doesn't leave from San Diego, during the day. They are often referred to as "overnighters" as they depart in the late evening, usually around 10 to 11 pm. Traveling all night to get to the fishing grounds in the early morning hours. Then, there are the ½ day and the ¾ day boats that leave from San Diego as well, and they do in fact depart in early morning and returns to port on the same day. The "day", the ¾ day, and the ½ day, trips actually refers to the time at sea at 18-20+ hours, 8-10 hours and 6-8 hours respectively. Needless to say this is reflected in the costs to the individual passengers and of course to the differences in boat "ratings", Skipper's and Crew. You, the passenger, need to determine not just your own time schedules, but also the kind of fishing you want to experience. For the most part, the shorter trips operate all year long doing the "islands", kelp beds and bottom fishing. The "Day" boats, on the other hand, operate on a seasonal basis from the late spring, through the summer and into the early fall when the water begins to warm up and the Yellowtail, Albacore and Bluefin begin working their way north. Then, as the water gets warmer we can start seeing the Yellowfin and Dorado. Its San Diego's finest time of year. Our Day Boats may operate as "open party", "limited loads", and as charters trips. An "open party" trip as the name implies, is open to the public and may be booked individually. A "limited load" normally refers to the number of passengers on the trip, and not necessarily to the boat's full capacity and/or its ratings. More often, the "limited load" is considered the trip of choice, as the numbers of passengers are limited and it is certainly not as crowded at the rail. A Charter is booked exclusively for a group, and its price is determined on a per diem basis, number of passengers, services and amenities. In San Diego, we are fortunate to have a number of charter boats, all catering to their "returning customers". This is not to say that many of our "open party boats" are not available for charter assuming you can get your reservations in early enough. It's not uncommon to find that many of our charter boats are filled to capacity by early March of each year. In the height of the season, all of the boats will go "on line" as open party if they are available. Our boats and crews are dedicated fisherman and there is no such thing as a "day off" when the fish are biting.

The seasonal Day boat

The traditional "day" boat trips all leave late at night, usually around 10:00 to 11:00 pm and return the following evening before 9:00 pm. Well at least for the most part, these boats would like to operate within those time constraints. This is mainly because ironically, unbeknownst to so many of our passengers, the boat in that short time span of a couple of hours, will be washed down, restocked, and bunks made up so she can start loading her next group of passengers. Opps, almost forgot, she sometimes needs to be refueled and have oil changes as well. So if you ever go out on a "Day Boat" from San Diego, just be sure that the boss and family know that you're going to be gone for over 20 hours. If you are traveling a few miles to get here, its two days away from home.


For the past couple of seasons, I have had the distinct privilege of working as the "relief" cook on the Pacific Queen out of Fisherman's Landing. In my opinion, easily one of the premier operations in San Diego, after all I work on her. Actually, if you check the stats, the Queen is always up there as one of the top producers at the landing. Please don't read into any negative thoughts into this statement and ignore the rest of the fleet, as they are all top-notch fishermen with great crews and skippers. Just understand that I am may be just a little bias in my opinions and I'm drawing much of my information for this article based on my own experience with the Queen. For the most part, however know that the rest of the fleet operates in much the same way.

A typical trip ends with our boat stopping off at the bait receivers to take on fresh bait before heading into the landing. This has worked well, in as much as it seems to reduce the "crowded" time at the "receivers" if all the boats went there at the same time. The procedure also evens itself out for our passengers, as all boats still need to get bait, we just happen to get our bait "on the way in, instead of on the way out". Once at the dock, and you have to marvel at the way the skippers turn and maneuver their rigs into their respective docks. There are times when the wind is blowing and its not a slam dunk parking job, here again you can appreciate the skill and knowledge of our crews as they work to get the boat secured to the dock. Immediately our passengers are off-loaded, all the fish transferred to dock carts and brought up to the top of the landing for our passengers. The rest of the crew is preparing the boat for the next group, washing down the boat with "fresh" water, filling our water tanks and replenishing the essentials. Trish and her crew meet the boat and are immediately stripping and making the bunks, vacuuming, preparing fish tags, general clean up and preparing for next group's "sign in". The cook, that's me, I'm up at the storage lockers getting more food supplies for the next trip. In the span of some two hours, the boat is made ready for her next load of passengers. Periodically, we even have to work in a refueling and oil change stop, so there isn't too much time for leisure. What makes this work is that everyone knows what has to be done and are all doing their part to make it run smoothly and efficiently. It's not uncommon to see even our skippers hosing down the decks, cleaning windows or helping me load supplies. By working together, we just might have a few moments of free or "downtime". If time is permitting our skippers and some of the crew just might have family and friends come down to the boat for a "short visit". Some of us might even run out and pick up a snack. You can only eat so much "boat food" besides, the galley is cleaned and there is no way that I am cooking again until the next morning.

When you purchase your ticket up at the landing they assign you a bunk and send you down to the boat for "sign in". This requires that you read a few of the regulations and disclaimers. Don't read it too closely; it will scare the heck out of you. Actually it's just what good common sense dictates when you are out on the ocean and just the legal formalities that have to be performed for each trip. Trish gives you a "fish tag" number that now becomes your identity until you leave the boat. Please remember I said the "fish tag" number not the bunk number. All your fish are tagged with those numbers, so you should keep them with you at all times. It's also the same ID that we use to keep track of your food and beverages. Then, there's the big fish Jackpot and optional contribution with the proceeds going to the fisherman that lands the largest fish of the day. This is contrary to the popular belief that the "jackpot" belongs to the fisherman that has the most "hash" marks for beer or pop. We really do want you to have a great time, but at the same time safety is our top concern, next to catching fish.

Once under way, the Skipper will give you a brief run down on the rules of the boat, which incidentally are important for your own safety. Just a reminder that we are going out on the ocean and that good common sense and safety is foremost. He will also give you an idea about what our plans are for the next day's fishing. This just might be a great time to be sure that your gear is stored properly and prepared so you can start the day fishing and not miss out on some good fishing because you weren't ready. Once this is all done, go to bed! We start fishing at dawn and it's a long and busy day ahead of us.

Some of the things that you may not be aware of are the preparations and plans that go in for each day's fishing. More than likely our Skippers have already conferred with their counterparts going over the things that worked and what didn't for that matter. Very often you might find the fleet spread out over a large area because the fish are scattered. This often accounts for the difference in fish counts on the various boats, and not necessarily the boat's proficiency. Believe me, they all know how to fish, and it's the luck of the draw, that you just happen to be there when the fish are biting and in good concentrations. Its not all "rocket science", but it's the combination of experience, knowledge, good equipment and electronics that make a successful trip. You might go up to the wheelhouse sometime when the skipper isn't too busy and just see what goes on up there. It's a busy place with everyone scanning the horizon, eyes glued to binoculars looking for birds and surface activity. The sonar is on full audio, scanning forward in a 180-degree semi-circle to see fish in front and either side of the boat. There's a note pad where the skipper is keeping notes on what he has seen, like what the "up and down" shows on the screen, where the Temp. Breaks were. Maybe not all of the information is important for "today's trip" but it all goes into that database called Experience. It's noisy up there with all the radios going off and on. Just how the skipper knows whom he is talking to is beyond me. All the skippers use "handles" and converse on various open marine channels, like "the BS channel" and "the secret channels" for the boats that belong to the "in crowd". All I know is that you name the channel, and they have a radio for it. If you were wondering, yes they do tell "tall tales" to each other and have a running banter that that keeps up a healthy and friendly camaraderie. Another way of saying it would be mutual respect and trust. They will always be fierce competitors but in the time of need, they all know that they can count on each other.

The deck crews are seasoned and experienced. New guys and "pinheads" (youngsters learning the trade) are slowly worked into the rotation whereas every trip is manned effectively. "Deck hands" all have to earn their positions. Rubin started by just doing boat work and maintenance. Jordan started when he was still in high school working weekends and holidays. Kevin just earned his "spurs" and "Squid" is doing his "pinhead" tour. It's what you might call the "rights of passage" where each one of the guys has had to prove themselves. It builds character and a healthy respect from your peers. It might be interesting to know that many of your deck hands are also licensed skippers, Jesse, John and Calvin. Each of them have completed all the paperwork, schooling, and work experience and are sort of "waiting their turn" to move up the ranks and be the "driver". As you are aware, you can have a motor vehicle driver's license, but that doesn't necessarily make you a good driver. That only happens after you have driven for a while. Every boat handles a little different. Keeping in mind that the one thing a boat doesn't have and that's brakes. So it's anticipation and that "experienced feeling" that counts. Ironic, but the faster you go, the easier it is to control the boat, but much harder to stop. At the same time, the slower you go, the more difficult it is to steer. Even Sam and Bryan, our "skippers" and the owner/operators of the Queen were "pinheads". Still in their 30's each has already put in nearly 20 years of sea and fishing experience. Be mindful of the fact that these guys are all there to help make your trip a success. They know what to do and what works best. Their job is everything and anything that needs to be done. They're the ones who clean the "heads", scrub down the decks, bait your hooks, gaff and clean your catch. When at sea, their job just never ends. It's a job with long hours and backbreaking work. In good weather and bad, it's just a constant preparation for your trip and the next one when you get off. It's not uncommon to see some of these guys do back-to-back trips up to 10 and 15 days in a row, get 2 to 3 days off and come back to do it all over again. You just have to love them for the great job they do.

Guess I've covered most of the important stuff about "day boat" fishing San Diego. Oh yeah there's the cooks, but that would require a whole story unto itself, especially if I write it. Just wanted to give you, our passengers, a little bit of insight about what goes into each and every trip. I'm just fortunate enough to be associated with a great industry and a great bunch of dedicated fisherman who have permitted me to share a part of their life on a part time basis. It's a real privilege to be the "relief" for Sara, a great cook and a true Lady of the Sea. I sincerely hope that the next time you go out, or even if it is your first trip that you will have gained some knowledge about your crew will appreciate them. They all work hard at making each and every trip you take your best one ever.

My special thanks, to Sam Patella, Brian Kiyohara and the Pacific Queen crew for helping me in putting this article together. The fish are biting so grab your gear and come out and fish a "day boat" San Diego Style.



Vic Gamboa
(Mr. Miyagi)

Copyright (c) 2000 Sportfishing Unlimited