Author: BD STAFF

Chasten Whitfield gives us the scoop live from her backyard as snook and tarpon are feeding behind her. Spring is finally here, water is warming up and the snook, redfish, and tarpon are eager to bite. Check-in on this report to get the inside scoop from Chasten. ABOUT CHASTEN Chasten Whitfield is a 19-year-old charter captain/ angler from the west coast of Florida, specifically the Palma Sola area just the south of Tampa Bay. She’s been in the know since she was tot, and today is one of the most respected fisherwomen in our industry. Chasten is also part of…

Whether you’re new to surf fishing on the west coast or you’ve been around it for a while, you probably know about barred surfperch. They’re the dinks you catch as bycatch when you’re fishing for corbina, right? I mean, yes, if you only fish in the summertime. The truth is, there are some trophy surfperch out there. You just need to know where to fish, when to fish, and what to use for bait. For the longest time, I couldn’t quite figure out why surfperch (specifically barred surfperch) got so much attention from the surf fishing community. Nonetheless, I was…

Sportboat Roundup! Tonie’s back for your weekly update with some great news. The current bluefin fishing is phenomenal, and perhaps some of the most consistent fishing we’ve ever seen! Don’t wait, now is the time to go fishing! Along with her report, Tonie suggests some tackle and setups to bring along with you on your next trip out whether it be on a full-day boat or multi-day to target these bluefin. Hope you enjoy and we’ll see you next week, tight lines! ABOUT TONIE BANGOS Tonie Bangos works aboard the Grande and is a seasoned angler who brings us weekly…

April 26, 2022 – Miami, FL: Hook & Tackle, designers, manufacturers, and distributors of authentic performance fishing | marine apparel since 1989 has the collegiate license for apparel for the University of Miami and are currently distributing the official UM Shark Research field gear now available to the masses. Offering fully logo hi-performance shirts that are UPF 50+ sun protection, quick-dry, and are odor-resistant. Other items include straw and trucker hats and a button-front vented performance shirt available in sizes XS-XXL. Often seen on Shark Week and worn by top celebrities and pros. Hook & Tackle donates a portion of…

Season 7 of the Local Knowledge Fishing Show is here! The boys are back in the Florida Keys to kick off the new season. Ali gets to check out Rush’s new digs at the Oceans Edge Resort and take a ride on the new, Mercury powered SeaVee 340z. Rush has been preparing his Florida livebait program for the upcoming fishing season at his new home. Making live bait in Florida is one of the keys to success that Rush holds close to his belt.

The bad weather hasn’t shut down the bite, and Tonie is here to recap the Sportboat scene over the past week. In addition, Tonie shares some bluefin tackle tips with us and shows us the setups and jigs that she wouldn’t leave the dock without. Tight lines! ABOUT TONIE BANGOS Tonie Bangos works aboard the Grande and is a seasoned angler who brings us weekly updates which include reports, tips, and the most current information about what’s working in the SoCal fishery.⁠

The fishing is holding steady! Erik gives us the lowdown on the past week of fishing up and down the SoCal bight. With the exception of coastal waters and areas that were simply too windy to fish, it seems like the bad weather hasn’t put too much of a damper on the rest of the bight. Seabass, yellowtail, and bluefin all make an appearance in this week’s report, and per usual, Erik shares some of his knowledge with us and breaks down his jigging preparation and technique when targeting bluefin. About Erik Landesfeind Since getting his start working as a…

Costa grows its spring 2022 collection with a new hybrid frame built for anything the water sends your way  DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 19, 2022) –  Costa Sunglasses, manufacturer of the first color-enhancing all-polarized glass sunglass lens, brings next-level performance and style to its spring 2022 collection with the new Lido. Versatile, stylish, and packed with performance features, Lido is where form meets function.  Lido might have a laid-back vibe, but don’t let it fool you, its pro-level features compete with some of Costa’s best. The vented, adjustable nose pads help reduce fogging and provide a custom fit. Sweat channels…

It’s been 15 years since the first Yellowtail Shootout and to say we’re excited about this year’s event is an understatement. The team at BD Outdoors is looking to make this year’s event bigger and better with more prizes, bigger cash, and a coming together of some of the best anglers in Southern California for a head-to-head competition. TO REGISTER GO TO: YELLOWTAIL SHOOTOUT LANDING PAGE What you can expect: The YELLOWTAIL SHOOTOUT looks to bring together the best of the best anglers in Southern California for the biggest fishing tournament on the West Coast.  While the key focus is…

With almost all the sportboat fleet tied up to start the week due to bad weather, this week Tonie is going over an extremely effective connection knot. The Tony Pena knot is used when connecting braided line to either monofilament or fluorocarbon. It’s never a bad idea to keep building your knot arsenal, and this particular knot is the favorite of many San Diego fishermen and women. ⁠⁠The bluefin bite was still red hot before we had some weather come through, and with the fleet back out on the search today and through the weekend, we hope we’ll be bringing…

Guilty as charged!! Erik gave us this report on Wednesday night and we just got it up on Thursday night.  We’ll make sure in the future we are more on it to get the latest and greatest to you in a timely fashion.  Thankful it doesn’t sound like you’re missing much.  Erik gives it to us straight with the name of the game being WIND and lots of it.  Keep an eye on the forecast, make good decisions, and fish when you can. About Erik Landesfeind Since getting his start working as a deckhand on a ¾ day boat in…

There’s a mysteriousness to the ocean, an unknown, and unexplored. It’s shown bits and pieces of its mysteriousness to me time and time again. Just when I think I’ve uncovered most of it, I see something, catch something, or learn something from another angler and realize there’s so much more… so many more possibilities. My Story To be fair, what I’m about to tell you in the following paragraphs, wasn’t necessary for me to fall in love with the world of surf fishing. For the longest time, I’d go to the beach every Wednesday with my family and friends in…

Get ready for this killer report from Tonie, we finally got our first glimpse of good Spring weather, and with that came some good fishing. It seems like everyone’s scoring at the moment. It’s by no means wide open but it is worth getting out there with the Sport Boat fleet. Variety is the name of the game this week with bluefin, yellowtail, rockfish and bonito showing up in fish counts. Get out there! ABOUT TONIE BANGOS Tonie Bangos works aboard the Grande and is a seasoned angler who brings us weekly updates which include reports, tips, and the…

In June of last year, I was involved in a charity event called – Voyage For Vets II.  I documented that trip in my Fishing For A Cause article.  That trip’s organizer, Joe Hines, is ex-Army and he puts on these trips as a way to engage fellow veterans.  He feels that taking vets out fishing gives them that sense of camaraderie (if only for a day) that they may miss from their days in the service.  I really enjoyed the day and told Joe not to hesitate to contact me for future trips.  Friday, March 25th, Joe put on…

Tonie is a full time deckhand on the Grande Sportboat out of H&M landing, and is a seasoned angler. As the weekly Sportboat Roundup reporter, she brings us weekly updates that include reports, tips, and the most current information about what’s working in the SoCal fishery.⁠ Tonie has a unique background and education in a wide range of fisheries, in addition to being an excellent fisherwoman!

In this edit one of our BD Pro Contributors brings us back to basics to make sure we’re rounding out all of our need-to-knows. Hooks style specifically is a daunting subject, with as many options these days as there are fish species. While it’s not realistic for us to cover all styles in this short edit, Jordan will cover those styles that are a must in the Southern Califonia Bight. Make sure to check back for more Tips & Tricks from BD Outdoors.

Stay out on the water longer and fish harder with Costa’s new Tuna Alley PRO and Reefton PRO DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 29, 2022) – Costa Sunglasses, manufacturer of the first color-enhancing all-polarized glass sunglass lens, brings next-level performance to two more of its legacy frames for spring 2022. The enhanced Reefton PRO and Tuna Alley PRO feature new performance upgrades that keep your frames locked in place and vision clear so you can focus on the fish. For nearly 40 years, Costa has provided anglers with the best sunglasses on the market for long days on the water. In…

The Sportfishing Association of California and Golden Gate Fishermen’s Association would like to extend a special thanks to everyone for their support. CARB staff listened and they have proposed substantive changes to the proposed harbor craft engine regulations. Since this past Summer, over 23,000 Californians and 60 local, state, and national business organizations made the case to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) that the proposed harbor craft regulations were economically and structurally infeasible, and there were a host of unresolved safety concerns that needed to be addressed to protect passengers and crew. As drafted, commercial passenger fishing vessels would have been…

Hooks are one of the most basic elements needed to go fishing, but how often do we discuss them?   It’s probably one of the most diverse items within fishing from size, shape, length, aught, materials, and application.  It’s an endless conversation that we’ll avoid getting too deep into, but we want to address some of the basics specifically for our application here in the Southern California Bite.  One of our key contributors looks to give a rundown on hook size and what you can expect to use in our local fishery as well as bait application. As we go through…

Hook & Tackle Outfitters (HTO), introduces a new collection of men’s hi-performance MADE IN USA swim shorts for Spring 2022. Working out of a 150, 000 square foot manufacturing facility in Miami, FL, Hook & Tackle saw the demandfor more MADE IN USA product. “We are so proud to be able to design, print, cut and sew the garments in theU.S.A. The garments are sewn by many who have been with us over 40+ years.With exclusive copyrighted printed designs, the soft to the touch fabric offerssuper quick-dry with poly | spandex giving a nice comfortable stretch.” Says StanRudman, an owner…

An “Off Season” Run of Big Ones in Kona After a scratchy summer, the blue marlin fishing in Kona started to pick up in, of all months – November. Actually, November is a good month from time to time, so at first, everyone just took ‘em as they came, and enjoyed it. When fishing continued to be steady through December and January, even the old-timers started to say, “Wow. This is really something!” Now here we are in March and what was a steady stream of nice fish (which in Kona is anything over 500 pounds) has turned into a…

https://vimeo.com/687293745 Release Date: March 10, 2022 THE LARGEST ROD BUILDING COMPETITION IN THE WORLD The International Rod Building Challenge is a truly international competition with builders from all over the world taking part.  This year’s competition was the largest on record with over 80 mystery blanks being sent out all over the world from Europe, South America, and Asia.  All the competitors sent their completed rods to be initially judged at International Custom Rod Building Expo by a panel of 30 to choose the top 10.  The top 10 were then taken back to American Tackle HQ where an elite…

AND WE’RE OFF!!!! The Sportboat season has officially kicked off with several boats untying and leaving their slips to go on the hunt. Some are heading to our local islands in search of yellowtail, rockfish, and more while a couple are heading out on hunt mode for bluefin. It’ll be an exciting week to keep an eye on what’s going on. Remember if you’re waiting on reports to hit the water, you’re already too late so make sure to jump and fill those reservations so you can be the report and not listen to the report. Tonie Bangos works aboard…