"The Crew"
This diverse group of guys, all with different backgrounds and lifestyles, all come together as one of the finest boat crews in the San Diego Fishing Fleet. They are all experienced fisherman, who know their jobs and are dedicated to their boat, passengers and each other. It is their collective goal to make your trip aboard the Shogun a memorable experience.

Captain Norman Kagawa
Norm, leads the Shogun crew with over 30 years of experience. He started his fishing career at the age of 15, working part time and summers with Frank LoPreste on the "Searcher" and "Royal Polaris". There he gained valuable experience and earned the respect of his peers to become the 2nd Skipper on the Royal Polaris. He holds a BS degree in Biological Sciences from USC and has a Masterís Ticket with a Zone 4 Endorsement that extends his license to cover as far south as the Revillagigedo and Clipperton Islands.

In 1980, in partnership with Frank LoPreste, they built the original "Shogun" operating one of the most successful charters in Southern California. Then in l989 along with LoPreste/Dunn Sportfishing, Norm built the new 92í Shogun, the boat that he captainís today.

Normís favorite expressions are "start a slow chum line, please" and "thereís a boil in the stern". Norm hails from the Los Angeles area, but now makes his home, with his wife Rebecca, in San Diego.

Captain Bruce Smith
Although relatively new to the San Diego Fleet, Bruce quickly earned respect and reputation as a first class leader. In just 7 years, while working his way through all of the various positions in the fleet, gained all the experience and knowledge required to hold a Masterís License. Bruceís expertise in all aspects of boat operation makes him a valuable addition to the Shogun crew. His goal in life is to be "the best he can be" and someday own and operate his own boat. You can bet that it will happen.

Bruce now resides in San Diego, though his home town is Hemet, Ca. His hobbies are fishing (you figure), surfing and snow skiing. His favorite expression is "Big Fish Happen".

Dan Griffith
If you have been on the Shogun, you already know Dan, our resident clown and prankster. Yet, at the same time, when it comes to fishing, "Danno" is all business. Dan holds a Masterís ticket, which he earned four years ago. Before coming to the Shogun he did relief "Skipper" and deck work for several of the local sport boats out of SeaForth Landing.

Keeping in character, Danís preferred expression, from his favorite movie "Airplane", is "ever see a grown man naked". Everyone is still wondering that maybe Dan has been at sea a little too long. Dan is from Escondido and still makes it his home.

Nelson Inafuku
In contrast to Dan, Nelson is all business. For the past four years, he has been Shogunís stalwart veteran. You will usually find him tending the bait tanks, keeping things in order, and helping our passengers with their gear and fish. Want your fish filleted, need some help with your equipment, or just some help in general, heís the guy to see.

Nelson has been fishing most of his adult life, starting out first, as a passenger and then deciding to make fishing his lifeís vocation. Nelson comes from the Los Angeles area.

Sean McGee
Sean comes to the Shogun with lots of experience having worked on fishing boats for the past 15 years. Some of the boats that you may have met him on, are the "Champ", "Excel", "Pacific Queen" and the 6 pack "Lydia Lee". Sean holds a Masterís ticket which, he earned 5 years ago. As an experienced fisherman, he is a "stickler" for making sure our passengers have the correct gear. His favorite expression is "you donít go after elephants with a BB gun".

He is a long time San Diego resident, whose hobbies are snow boarding and surfing.

Jason Rombotis
"Little Jason" is our youngest crew member but certainly not without his own impressive background and experience. As a youngster, he started fishing with his step father in Cabo and has not stopped. He started working on sportfishers when he was just 15 years old on the Sea Star in Oceanside and then on the Vagabond here in San Diego. He already has his masters ticket and hopes to run his own boat one day. His hobby is fishing for Marlin, so you know where he will be when he's not working on Shogun.


Jason Reese
He's called "Big Jason" simply because he's the bigger of the two Jason's that we have on the Shogun Crew. He hails from Chino Hills, Ca and is a life long resident of California. He attended UC Riverside before being drafted by the Toronto Bluejays as a Pitcher, which is why he is often up on the bait tank, only now he tosses "chum" instead of strikes. Jason spent three years on the Searcher before joining the Shogun. His background includes several years in the sporting goods industry so he knows his "stuff". His hobbies are fishing, hunting and ladies. By the way ladies, he is SINGLE.
Marc Maluda
Marc heads up our galley crew, he comes to the Shogun after 9 years aboard our sister ship, the Royal Polaris. When asked about his experience and background he said "I learned from Mark Palmer on the RP". Guess that's all we need to know. Originally from Kentucky, Marc now makes his home here in San Diego as a "live aboard" on his 40ft. power trawler. FOR THE LADIES ONLY, Marc claims to have a degree in Astrophysics, a PHD in Marine Sciences and a whole bunch of letters after his name that I couldn't understand and he couldn't explain. He is single, wealthy and "only beautiful young ladies need apply". I think he's been at sea too long !!!
John Polovick
John is a long time transplant from Boston but he still talks "funny" and it isn't because of his Russian heritage. He has an impressive work experience. Since graduating from the Johnston/Wales Culinary Academy in RI, he was the executive chef at the old Land Mark Hotel in San Diego and the restaurant La Avaneda in Coronado. His boat experience includes 6 years on the Pegasus and Grande. John makes his home in La Mesa with his family. He's even a grandpa. His hobby is animals. He has converted his entire backyard into a aviary with everything that crawls, swims and flies. He claims that it takes several hours a day just to feed and care for the place. No wonder he spends so much time at sea. His wife has to take care of the place when he is gone.
Steve Beckham
Steve hails from Southern California making Orange County his primary home. Although new to boats, coming to the Shogun in April of this year, Steve has adapted his skills to working in what he calls a "kitchen smaller than a postage stamp", maybe that's why they call it a galley. His background and experience includes graduating from the prestigious California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, the Rusty Pelican Corp., the Hyatt Regency in Monterey and Cecil's in Palm Springs. His favorite saying is "if you come back, I'll give you a bigger desert". He's a guy that can cook and he's single.
Vic Gamboa
Vic is one of the newer members of the Shogunís crew after moving to San Diego two years ago. Vic worked in Sales and Marketing most of his life, but when he decided he needed a "change of pace and a new life style" he put his hobbies of fishing and cooking to practical use. Vic feels that if it isnít cooked with soy sauce and served with rice, then its not worth serving.

Born and raised in the Hawaiian Islands, he lived in San Jose before making his move to San Diego. He now lives on his boat, a 32í sportfisher, which is moored across the harbor from Fishermanís Landing. Once a salesman, always a salesman, so be careful, heíll try to sell you something.