Another MBMC Marlin Tournament is in the books.  I would like to thank all 12 Teams and 33 Entrants for participating.  Extra thank you to Billy Vitale for taking care of Tournament Control, updates, and ‘On the Water’ raffles.

The weather was a little bumpy, but manageable.  Marlin sign was from below the border all the way up to off of Point Vicente.  Kudos to the Doghouse for running the 50+ miles North to the 14 Bank.  Good job.  Most Teams stuck to the closer Banks/Zones.

First hookup was a Jig bite @ 8:30 a.m. on the ‘Una Mas’ captained by Jeff Winters.  The Jig stuck and angler Ryan Kohler took care of business before the flying gaff was sunk home by Captain Jeff Winters.  It was a nice fish that tipped the scale at 113 lbs.  That one has an appointment with the Smoke House!

Captain Ken Yasuda on the ‘Encounter’ was next with a 8:45 a.m. Jig bite.  That one definitely wanted the jig and stuck itself well on 80# gear.  A few minutes later Alex Edwards leadered and released a nice Marlin for happy angler Kevin Yamamoto. 

The last hookup @ 11:25 a.m. rewarded the Doghouse for their longer run.  Captain Jeff Meeker gaffed the fish after angler Tim Honick subdued the nice129 lb on 50# tackle.

There were least one or two other “Zips” on the Jigs that didn’t stick.  But that is Marlin fishing after all.  Fishy looking porpoise pods were also seen.  Surprising that no one pulled a tuna off of any of them.

The Sunday Awards Banquet at  Sardina’s was a fun event.  Over 35 bags with great items from Spreader bars to Custom Marlin heads were raffled off to lucky anglers. There was even a hot Mad Mac lure in the giveaway!  As usual, Sardina’s food was great, along with the exceptional service from them.  Teams had a chance to wind down and go over the previous day’s fishing in style. 

The lottery for Tournament Grand Prizes favored angler Ryan Kohler and team ‘Una Mas‘ for 1st prize of $1500 , followed by angler Tim Honick and team ‘Doghouse” for 2nd prize of $1000, and finally angler Kevin Yamamoto and team ‘Encounter‘ for 3rd prize of $700.  Team ‘Encounter’ scored again when team member Alex Edwards was drawn for the Tuna Prize of $500!

This Event would not be what it is without our generous Sponsors and Donors.  They deserve a big Thank You from all of us and include the following:

• John Brudvik – Frantic
• Jeff & Linda Winters @ EW Trucking
• Ken Yasuda with Yasuda Landscape
• Dana Landing & Fuel Dock – Steve Pinard / John White
• Fisherman’s Landing Tackle – Doug Kern
• Tim & Heidi McBride from the Sundowner (Hawaii)

• Jerry Lively – Lively One
• Bob & Donna Hargraves – Radar
• Kenny Shilling – Joint Venture
• Banquet Host Sardina’s Italian Restaurant
• Seaforth Sportfishing
• Fishworks

• Scott Paul – Tri-Dent
• John Overland – No Limit
• Roger Baird – Last Mango
• Paul & Gloria Himmelberger – Reel Estate
• Dan Muslin & Ann Thompson – To the Limit
• Squidco Tackle
• Bay Park Fish Company
• Slugg Fishing

We would like to again thank everyone for their participation. And special thanks to the Tournament Committee and Board members whose hard work made the event such a success.

Hope to see all of this year’s participants and more for the 49th Annual Event next year. In the meantime, there is still time to go out and get a Marlin before the season winds down.  The water is still good, go out and get yourself a catch/release before everything cools down.

Good luck out there,

MBMC Board Memebers,

Shane Hurt, Ken Yasuda, Billy Vitale, Jerry Lively, Scott Paul, Ray Fear, & Kevin Yamamoto

Greetings fellow MBMC members….I hope this letter finds you all well.

Before jumping in, I wanted to take a moment to touch on a couple reminders for ongoing and upcoming events.

• The MBMC Roy Lively Month-Long Tournament is currently under way for the month of September. It’s not too late to join if you plan on getting out on the water this month. Any Marlin catch has a good chance of taking home the winnings! Click for Entry Form and Rules
• Important reminder!!! The MBMC Marlin Tournament is taking place Saturday (Sept 24^th) with a captain’s meeting on Friday (9/23) and awards banquet on Sunday (9/25). EARLY BIRD DEADLINE is Thursday (9/15) if you want to qualify for a custom Fisherman’s Landing custom rod/reel combo. Get your entries in asap! This year’s tournament is sure to be another great time with your board members working hard to round up a number of great raffle prizes and a number of members stepping up to donate generously in support of this event. Come out and join the fun!  Click For Entry Form and Rules
  • If you are able to help out by  volunteering to assist with the actual events, please reach out to your MBMC board members for details. Always greatly appreciated!

Fishing in general has been on fire despite a brief interruption of hurricane Kay. Water temps are downright tropical with quality Dorado showing in record numbers all over the SoCal coast. The southern zone is showing some decent catches of Yellowfin Tuna while the upper zone towards Catalina and San Clemente is producing a steady bite on Bluefin Tuna. I have included an overview shot from fishdope.com below to give a general idea of the spread of current action.

And for those of you hoping to pull on a Marlin, the MBMC First Marlin Flag was claimed for a Marlin released in local waters on Sept 2^nd by member Marc Mallinckrodt on the Makaira. Member Ann Muslin just missed the honors after releasing a Marlin on Sept 3^rd. Way to go Marc and Ann!

Let’s also give a shout out to the August 2022 FOM winner – Bob Hargraves takes home the honors for his 42.8 lb BFT. Nice going Bob!

In closing, I wanted to welcome our newest member Nick Kane. Welcome aboard Nick!

I hope you are all making some time to get out on the water to enjoy some nice weather and great fishing. This year has been stellar and is showing no signs of letting up.  Until next time….tight lines and smooth seas,

Shane Hurt

MBMC President – 2022

The Marlin are here! Two have been caught and released by MBMC members already!

Don’t miss the Early Bird sign up for the MBMC Annual Marlin Tournament!  Sign up by Thursday, September 15, 2022, to qualify for the early bird prize drawing. The prize is a rod/reel combo; a marlin casting rod generously donated by Fisherman’s Landing Tackle Shop, a Shimano Trinidad 30 generously donated by Gerry Lively, and a spool full of line.   

The Annual Marlin Tournament prizes are:

• 1st place – $1,500
• 2nd place – $1,000
• 3rd place – $700
• Largest Tuna – $500

The Captain’s meeting kicks off on Sept 23^rd, Tournament fishing on the 24^th, and an amazing awards banquet capping off the fun on Sunday, Sept 25^th. Don’t miss out on the fun!  The tournament committee has been working to make this another outstanding event.  As always there will be great food, camaraderie, lots of great raffle prizes available to those that attend banquet.  Click here for Annual Marlin Tournament Entry Form and Rules

See you on the water!

Annual Marlin Tournament Committee

PS: Don’t forget the Roy Lively Memorial Month-Long Marlin Tournament is running all September. Sign up for this tournament before you go out on the water.  Always a fav for those that can make it out this time of year!   Click for Month Long Tournament Entry Form and Rules

September is upon us!  The Roy Lively Memorial Month-Long Marlin Tournament has begun. Marlin have been seen tailing high in the water, jumping, and feeding in the same areas as the tuna and dorado. You never know when a tailer or feeder might pop up.  Sign up for the tournament before you go out on the water.  Always a fav for those that can make it out this time of year!   Click for Month Long Tournament Entry Form and Rules

Tournament Co-Chairs,

Ray Fear / Kevin Yamamoto

Greetings fellow MBMC members….as always, I hope this message finds you well. 

Before jumping in, I wanted to just let you all know in case you’ve missed it, fishing has been phenomenal throughout the Southern California region. Reports of tonnage of Bluefin Tuna in as close as the 270 off Mission Bay, all the way up past Catalina Island. Same story goes for quality grade Dorado and Yellowtail and a nice mix of Yellowfin Tuna. I also heard chatter of a Wahoo taken last week. Amazing fishing…..get out there! 

Congrats to member Lou Hayden for his July FOM win with a 104 lb BFT. Well done Lou! 

I want to welcome these new and returning members….best of luck to you all this year:

• Jeff Kaiser – Drew Ann, 21′ Grady White
• Ron Reece – Hustler, 23′ Maritime
• Waynne Yasuda – Encounter, 36′ Pacifica

***UPCOMING EVENTS*** 

• Be sure to register for the Marlin Seminar – Pt II being held this Sunday (August 28^th) from 2-6 PM to include a taco bar dinner. This second round will be more focused on the knots and lure rigging aspects of the hunt for billfish in So Cal and is sure to provide quality input from a number of skilled club members. Please RSVP by Wednesday, August 24! 
• To start off the Sept 2022 month, don’t forget to sign up for this year’s Roy Lively Month-Long Marlin Tournament. Always a fav for those that can make it out this time of year! Click for Month Long Tournament Details
• To cap off Sept Marlin fishing, MBMC will be hosting the Annual Marlin Tournament with a captains meeting kicking off on Sept 23^rd, tournament fishing the 24^th, and an amazing awards banquet capping off the fun on Sunday, Sept 25^th. Be sure to sign up before September 15, 2022, to qualify for the early bird prize drawing. Special thanks goes out to John Brudwick for his generous $1000.00 contribution to the event. There are always tons of great raffle prizes available to those that attend.  Click here for Annual Marlin Tournament Details

***Dana landing fuel discount update!!! 

Important Notice! Dana Fuel Dock discount. To receive the discount, the Dana employee may ask you for your membership number. Your Dana Fuel Dock membership number is your cell phone number with area code. 

I think that about covers everything for now. Until next time…. 

Tight lines and smooth seas, 

Shane Hurt