Need tuna charter advise

Hey Guys,

I'm looking to plan a tuna charter for this Fall. I want to leave from a Nor Cal port to save on some travel expense (and from what I've read the fishing can be pretty good right here at home).

I've never gone after tuna, so don't really know what to expect or where to begin. I'm open to different types of trips, but I would need a minimum of 6 spots (possibly more). I'm open to overnighters, but they may be cost prohibitive. Cost will be a consideration, but I know that you get what you pay for, so I'm not looking for the cheapest trip I can find. I will also need all gear and tackle to be included.

With that said, does anybody have Port suggestions, charter service or boat/captain suggestions, month suggestions? You can PM me if you don't want to post names. Can anybody tell me what I can expect in terms of prices, success rates etc.?

Thanks in advance fellas

You need to do some homework and get an idea when they tend to be close to a port your looking at.  Chasing albacore is hard to plan ahead for because of the weather, but more important is the temp breaks.  I suggest checking out reports on http://humboldttuna.com/smf/index.php also http://www.bdoutdoors.com/. 

Shelter Cove had some great days early in the summer with some boats getting up to 70, but there arent many charters there.  It would be the shortest run to tuna water though.  Crescent City and Eureka can be good towards the end of the summer, but you should be getting on the list now as like I said earlier it depends on water temps and weather so charter boats up here tend to decide to chase tuna a couple days before the scheduled trip because the water can be in one night and gone the next.  Basically they have a list and call the first people on it until they have a crew put together. 

If you can, I suggest going to Oregon out of Newport or Giralbaldi or maybe Charleston.  Tuna bites up there last longer and tend to be larger schools as well as more charter boats that focus on albacore.

Im not familiar with Monterey, Santa Cruz, HMB or Bodega, but I know there might be morew charter boats there.  I do believe runs out of these ports tend to be longer because the tuna water is further offshore.

Fort Bragg is another option too.

I would just do alot of homework and check out water temperatures on websites like Ripcharts.com or Tempbreak.com and plan your trip within a week or two of weather predictions.

Beware that chasing albacore can become a very expensive addiction. 

I have fished the Oregon Tuna Classic a few times and cant get enough tuna fishing.

 

Thanks for all of the info Matanaska! I was worried about the fickle nature of tuna fishing in California, but was hoping to plan a trip far in advance (to accommodate the schedules of some friends in different parts of the State).

Maybe I'll expand my search to Oregon. I'm trying to do my homework, but it's bit overwhelming, and google searches and reading company websites will only get you so far. I'm hoping people on here may have first hand experience with some "local" charters and some recommendations. I've learned the hard way that not all guides/charters are created equal.

Those sites you recommended look like good resources, I'll spend some time browsing them.

You will probably get more replies if you post in the approriate forum, perhaps Gneral forum. I take my trips out of San Diego.

Howard

Northcalsportfishing.com. Khanh tran

Nice boat, reasonable price, but only 2 tuna pictures with only 5 fish.  Not the best for advertising tuna trips.

Tuna fishing has been pretty hit and miss the past few years in the Bay Area.  If you can head north, it's been a lot more consistent.

-Allen

Keep in mind you are looking albacore here ( shiro maguro or tombo) not a hi.

Red v white meat.

If you want red meat go south.

@ Hojoman, I figured this would fall under "Fishing trips", if this is an inappropriate forum I can move it.

@ Yakuza, do you have any first hand experience with Khanh tran? I was hoping to find a bigger boat than the Connie T to accommodate a minimum of 6 people.

@ PolePole, I am not opposed to heading North, I didn't really expect to be able to plan for Tuna fishing out of the Bay Area, I was just hoping to keep it in Cali.

Thanks for the replies guys!

I have fished Alabacore with Prowler Charters out of Bandon Oregon several times.  It's a father and son operation and they run either one or two boats depending on the demand.  It's hard to make advance plans because you just never know when the water temp is going to be right to bring them within a reasonable boat ride.  That being said, Prowler Charters is a great operation and they keep you on the fish.  Both Captains are 1st class operators.  I plan to fish Alabacore with them later this year.

@ Yakuza, do you have any first hand experience with Khanh tran? I was hoping to find a bigger boat than the Connie T to accommodate a minimum of 6 people.

Yes.  I've fished with him before, but its been a few years.  Fishing is his life, his obsession.  He and I ran for tuna out of HMB, landed 9 albies lost a bunch more.  On the way in, he's like "Lets make a few drifts at Pescadero."  I'm like, dang, this guy cannot fish enough, as we got limits of rockfish and lings.  I think that may be the most hardcore day of fishing I'll ever experience.  Tiring as hell, but a great day.

He's a mechanical engineer by training, so his boat always runs good, and that's a big plus.

I think a group of six is no problem.  But more than 6, it could get tight. 

Thanks guys, I'll look into both Khanh Tran (On his web site it looked like the most they could accommodate was 4 people) and Prowler Charters. Maybe what I'll end up having to do is book a charter for the date I need, PLAN on going for Tuna, but have a fallback like bottom fishing or squid or something if the water temps aren't right when it gets close to go-time. Thanks again for the insight

A good charter captain will get you on fish, regardless of what your goals are. Kahn is in that category. He's a legend for a reason.  Quite frankly, I would go to SD and fish YT, YFT and dorado. Albacore is not that great eating,except for canned. I caught 400# of albacore 5 years ago, and will have to say it was a challenge to consume it all. I ended donating most of it to a local food shelter. If I never catch another albacore, it wouldn't break my heart.

Scott

The meat is great if properly cared for. 

I find the Alabacore damn good on the grill, not overcooked and just lightly seasoned but to me nothing compares to the taste of Yellow Tail.  Hamachi Kama is number 1!  San Diego is the only place I know of to get them.