Author: BD STAFF

This past week the team at BD Outdoors was in Orlando, FL for ICAST 2022. ICAST is the world’s largest Sportfishing trade show and is the premier showcase for the latest innovations in gear, tackle, accessories and apparel. ICAST is the cornerstone of the Sportfishing industry, helping to drive recreational fishing product sales year around. In this segment, we get to spend some time talking to Matt Florentino and Robby Gant of AFTCO. AFTCO is releasing a multitude of exciting new products. This includes deck boots, kill bags, and a brand new line of lures including jigs and hardbaits.

If you were to look at a Southern California Bluefin Fisherman’s tackle arsenal this summer, there is a good chance that you will find that they have a collection of spreader bars they’ve been fishing with. It has quickly become one of the most effective search baits that we use fishing for these Pacific Bluefin Tuna, and they’re deadly under the right conditions. While our fishery continues to evolve year after year, the baits that we use to target our beloved Bluefin Tuna become more specialized. As spreader bars gained immense popularity in our fishery just a few years ago,…

We’ve got another great weekend of fishing ahead of us! With seabass and yellowtail biting at multiple islands and bluefin biting in both US and Mexican waters your fishing options are endless. Check out this week’s report where Erik Landesfeind breaks down what’s happening across Southern California as well as explains the significance of the different seabirds in relation to both inshore and offshore fishing. JOIN FISHDOPE On the water conditions and charts provided by FISH DOPE. Our combination of daily fishing reports, SST & chlorophyll charts, and the latest hot bite locations will give you the confidence to know…

Tonie is back with another Sportboat Roundup and she’s got some great news for us. The weather and fishing have both been exceptional as of late and the fishing is only showing signs of getting better. Whether you’re out West chasing bluefin or fishing kelps down South, there is great opportunity throughout the Southern California fishery at the moment. The time to go fishing in now! Good luck and tight lines! ABOUT TONIE BANGOS Tonie Bangos works aboard the Grande and is a seasoned angler who brings us weekly updates that will include reports, tips, and the most current information…

Anthony from H&H Marine walks us through a basic overview of Simrad’s NSS Evo3S 3D Sonar Function. This function provides you with a 3D rendering of the ocean floor, and can track fish up to 200 feet on either side of your vessel. This function provides you with feedback that allows you to see exactly where in the water column the fish are present. Check it out and let us know what you’d like to see next!

With good weather in the weekend forecast, and the full moon having a great effect on several different fisheries, your angling options are endless. The seabass bite at the Channel Islands is off the chart and the yellowtail bite continues at San Clemente Island. Offshore you can target bluefin tuna in US waters or kelp paddy yellowtail, dorado and yellowfin tuna down south. Whatever your plan, get out there and go fishing! Tight lines! JOIN FISHDOPE On the water conditions and charts provided by FISH DOPE. Our combination of daily fishing reports, SST & chlorophyll charts, and the latest hot…

Summertime conditions are in full effect, and the kelp patty fishing is HOT! In this week’s Sportboat Roundup, Tonie shares the go-to setup for this style of fishing and also includes a tutorial on the Palomar knot. This is an extremely beneficial knot to know because you are able to quickly retie your rig since the deckhands will likely be running around the boat helping other customers during a hot bite. She wants us to know that the fish aren’t strictly under the kelp patty during these bites. They are on the boat chasing the chum so it is crucial…

Just a few weeks ago, we were lucky enough to get onboard with Christian Sekas of Sekas Sportfishing and head over to Catalina Island for some fishing. Although there hadn’t been many reports of yellowtail, we were confident that we’d have some good fishing on other island regulars such as Calico Bass, Barracuda, and Bonito. On this trip, we’d be focusing on fishing these species with your typical bait barge sardine. While there are many ways to present a sardine, there are two basic techniques that everyone should know for a day of fishing at the island. The primary and…

As fishermen, there are a couple tools we use more frequently than any others in our arsenal. Two of the most commonly utilized items for a day of fishing would have to be our pliers and our fillet knives. Enter Danco Knife and Plier Combo – Pro Series, an affordable and high-quality product anglers can rely on. As all saltwater anglers know, the elements can quickly take a toll on all of your gear, and durability is a key factor we take into account when deciding which products we are going to spend our hard-earned money on. Danco took this…

While the Bluefin bite may have become extremely finicky over the past week as they make their way around the SoCal Bight, there is no shortage of other options up and down the coast. Whether you choose to fish coastal, islands, or offshore, there are biting fish to be had throughout the bight. Erik fills us in on what’s been biting best; from Seabass and Yellowtail, to Yellowfin and Dorado, we are seeing some very typical summertime fishing starting to happen. Tight lines! JOIN FISHDOPE On the water conditions and charts provided by FISH DOPE. Our combination of daily fishing…

It’s summertime! Warm water species are moving up the line and starting to bite for a handful of Sportboats. Yellowfin Tuna and Dorado are both showing up in the counts, with a few boats getting some big hits of each in addition to Yellowtail and Bluefin. Tonie also reports that there’s some great action going on at the Coronado Islands! Yellowtail, White Seabass, Calico Bass, and Barracuda are all present and biting. Make sure to check out the report and hear what Tonie has to say about the fishing setups that are a must have if you’re heading out on…

If you’re as much of a tackle fanatic as us at BD Outdoors this new crank bait will surely catch your eye. A versatile crank bait features the action of handcrafted wood baits and runs true out of the package. The Berkley Juke is the new highly versatile crank bait for saltwater anglers with a coffin-shaped bill for maximum darting action with little effort. This flat-sided shad-shaped body, featuring a tantalizing side flash, can be cranked, twitched, or trolled with an extremely lifelike movement that entices strikes from various fish.This unique bait was designed by world-class design engineers at Berkley…

Attention all anglers! We’re calling on Southern California anglers to join us and @ccacalifornia to help our white seabass population. We’re giving away a $25 aftco.com gift card for each of the first 1,000 white seabass heads caught on a private boat and turned into @hswri between July 1, 2022 and August 31, 2022. Join the cause and find a white seabass head drop-off location near you at ccacalifornia.org/wsb. The purpose of this collection program is to encourage CPFV’s to save the heads of white seabass caught on their vessels. We hope to collect at least 1,000 heads from white seabass…

With the summer upon us and the fishing season in full swing what better time than now for us to compile a list of “must have” items to keep you dialed on the water. The following products are BD tested and approved. Take a glance and set yourself up for success! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEuBAxBG-jQ Bonefish & Tarpon Trust (BTT) and Costa Sunglasses have released a new film highlighting Project Permit, a more than decade-long permit conservation program funded by Costa, with support from the Lower Keys Fishing Guides Association and the March Merkin permit tournament. A Pathway for Permit tells the story of the collaborative efforts of Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, Costa, and fishing guides to conserve and protect the Florida Keys’ iconic permit fishery, and provide the information resource managers need to better manage the fishery. “Captured so perfectly in this film, whether catching your first or twentieth permit in the Keys,…

Shimano’s Flagship Spinning Reel Features Best-In-Class Innovations that Enhance Performance and Durability Leaders never settle while redefining innovation. Instead, they maintain a trajectory of infinite evolution. The iconic Shimano Stella family embodies this mindset with the debut of the new Stella FK, a reel packed with innovative technologies that enhance power and durability, drag performance, and line management. Loaded with industry-leading features, the redesigned Stella represents the pinnacle of Shimano reel engineering and enhances the on-the-water experience of every angler. The Shimano legacy of high-precision gear development continues to evolve within the all-new InfinityXross system, making its debut in the…

The 15th Annual Yellowtail shootout has concluded, safe to say another successful year is in the books! Fishing was tough this year but underneath all the wind and chop, our anglers managed to find some home guards to put them on the podium. Many boats experienced the rough ride home from the islands and the slow fishing out west, but the winning fish came from 12 hours of hard fishing in our local waters. Our anglers dropped lines in the water at 5 am on Saturday, June 26th. With the Bluefin close and biting, we were expecting to see more…

It’s no secret that in Southern California our fishery is pretty specialized.  As anglers on the West Coast, we have an approach that’s our own. I’ve seen it time and again when I get on Sportboat trips, you have anglers traveling from around the world with their interpretation of So Cal gear and it tends to look nothing like what the local anglers are equipped with. Thankfully, Daiwa has been paying close attention to what we as an angling community have identified as our preferences and have really stepped up to the plate and developed some great gear to suit…

The Ike Jime Catch + Care roundtable discussion explores the tool’s best practices from ocean to platter with AFTCO’s Tackle Brand Manager Robby Gant, Local Knowledge host Ali Hussainy, and Sushi On A Roll’s Chef Jeff Roberto. We’ll be discussing the steps from first catch care, to Ike Jime use, to additional elements that go into this practice in order to maximize the quality of table fare. Webinar will be held on Wednesday, June 15th, 2022 starting at 6pm PT with roundtable discussion and live Q&A session to follow. You can also click here to join the webinar and discussion.

In this week’s Sportboat Roundup Tonie discusses what the bite has looked like over the past week, and reports on some of the fish counts from across our Sportboat Fleet. Although it seems like the fishing was slower through this past weekend and into the beginning of the week, it was certainly not for a lack of fish. There is an absolutely absurd amount of Bluefin Tuna in our local waters, and Tonie lets us know that it has really started to bite! Many boats are beginning to see more topwater opportunity every day, and fish are ranging from 20-200+…

CCA CAL partners with Blue Latitudes Foundation in the hopes to convert decommissioned oil platforms to fishing habitat to benefit ocean anglers The Coastal Conservation Association of California (CCA-CAL), the largest non-profit organization tasked with looking after the interests of recreational anglers, is encouraging all recreational fishers in Southern California to participate in an online survey conducted by Blue Latitudes Foundation. CCA-CAL hopes that the information gathered from these surveys will positively influence regulators to convert decommissioned oil and gas platforms to reefs. Many environmental and political organizations have been calling for the end of offshore drilling in California in…

Shimano Renews Expride’s Commitment to Rodcraft Excellence Tournament Anglers Embrace Shimano’s Redesigned Expride B Rods Empowering elite angling professionals as they pursue a wide range of techniques and environments, the next generation of Shimano Expride casting and spinning rods offer freshwater anglers the upper hand in any fishing situation. The new lineup extends a legacy of exceptional performance leading to fishing’s biggest stages, incorporating the knowledge and manufacturing innovation that only Shimano rodsmiths can apply. The redesigned Expride series showcases several of Shimano’s premium rod-building technologies to create lighter, stronger, and more responsive tackle. Hi-Power X technology gives anglers complete…

In this week’s Sportboat Roundup, Tonie shares another piece of knowledge with us that will help increase our odds of getting bit when out on the water. With sinker rigs and knife jigs playing such a key role in the fishery this year, it’s important to know how to fish them properly and keep them in the bite zone. In addition to some fishing tips, Tonie reports on some of the exotics that the Grande has brought in over the past week while fishing for Bluefin, including a Louvar and Oil Fish!⁠ ABOUT TONIE BANGOS Tonie Bangos works aboard the…

With Father’s Day just around the corner, now is a great time to start thinking about how you can show some appreciation to the man who inspired your passion and taught you everything you know! We’ve compiled some of our favorite gear that will make your fishy Dad a happy man this Father’s Day. Danco Knife & Plier Combo – Pro SeriesBuy Now – $49.99 The do it all combo for all fishermen. Features a 7” Pro Series Stainless-Steel knife and 7.5” Pro Series Pliers, both designed with strength and durability in mind. SPY+ Optic Helm Tech with HAPPY BOOST™…