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

As we roll on through prime So Cal fishing season, I wanted to take a moment to convey some important reminders and updates to keep you all abreast of the latest developments. 

To begin, a reminder that this Sunday (Sept 5th), from 2-5 P.M. is the MBMC Marlin Seminar featuring Mike “The Beak” Hurt. So far, attendance is expected to be above 20 members so there is still room if you find you can make it. There is sure to be plenty of good info provided to benefit the novice angler as well as those that have spent some considerable amount of time on the water. See you there!

Next up, a reminder that the Roy Lively Month Long Marlin  Tournament has kicked off as of Sept 1, 2021. Enroll now to make sure your catch qualifies for this annual MBMC tournament! (Rules and Entry form )

Later this month, we will be hosting the annual MBMC Marlin Tournament. Scheduled for Saturday, September 25th, 2021. There will be a captain’s meeting on Friday, September 24th and an awards banquet on Sunday, September 26th; all events will be held at Marina Village this year. The MBMC board is working hard to gather raffle items and prizes so if any members have suggestions or contributions to the cause, please contact a board member with details. As a reminder, this tournament is open only to MBMC boats and their guests. (Rules and Entry form ) 

Also of note to those that would like to participate and support a fellow club….the Balboa Angling Club is hosting it’s annual Ladies Billfish Tournament the same weekend as the MBMC Marlin Tournament. From what I can see there should not be any conflict in dual participation so any of you ladies that are interested in getting out there to flex your muscle and take home an award for both, I wanted you to be aware. See flyer….. 

Now onto the meat and potatoes….for those of you that aren’t aware, there has been a rather good showing of marlin right on the doorstep of Mission Bay. In as close as 4 miles, the lure fishing behind the boat, as well as a decent show of sleepers and tailers throughout the day. Some days have been better than others with the fish showing in off color water. Also of note has been the White Sea Bass off the roller coaster (I think the squid may have dried up there at this point) and Yellowtail at La Jolla. Making bait has been sporadic but my intel is saying that off Scripps Pier has been decent with some being found off the Roller Coaster and most recently as a last resort it is wide open at the NW end of the San Diego bait barge. 

Special congrats goes out to Dan Muslin and Ann Thompson aboard To The Limit for MBMC First Released Marlin, caught in late August  just off Mission Bay.  Also of note was the August FOM award going to Billy Vitale for his catch of a 50.5 lb White Sea Bass. Well done Billy!

I think that covers it for now. Get out and enjoy some time on the water and get on what has been some great local fishing.

Tight lines!

Shane Hurt

Greetings fellow MBMC club members,

As we roll into August, I hope this message finds you all well and able to find some time to get out on the water. There has been some amazing weather allowing us all the opportunity to enjoy some excellent Southern California fishing. 

To kick things off I wanted to convey a heartfelt thank you to John White for presenting what turned out to be a great Tuna Seminar at the end of July. With 22 MBMC members and guests in attendance, John did a great job passing down lots of local knowledge and tips to help us all succeed where it counts….putting fish in the boat. I also wanted to thank your MBMC Board for arranging a great venue and meal line up.

We have several notable events coming up in September 2021 starting off with the Roy Lively Month Long Marlin Tournament. Entry Forms and Rules links, posted to the club website, as well as available at Dana Landing in hard copy. Be sure to get your entries in asap!

Next up for September is an event you won’t want to miss. MBMC is honored to welcome Mike “The Beak” Hurt as our September Marlin Seminar guest speaker. The Beak is well known in Southern California and Baja circles as being one of the most proficient Marlin fishermen of all time garnering him a place in the IGFA captains and crew Hall of Fame. Save the date for Sunday, Sept 5 @ 2 PM. See attached flyer for additional details. ***To ensure we offer club members the details they are after, please feel free to respond to this message with any requests or questions that you would like to have covered. 

And in concluding the month of September, be sure to save the date and sharpen your hooks for the 47th Annual MBMC Marlin Tournament (a.k.a. the Heart Tournament). This years event will take place on Saturday & Sunday, September 25th & 26th and is sure to be a stellar event as always. Additional details to come as your MBMC board works to finalize details.

Sign-up for the Roy Lively Month Long Marlin Tournament and the 47th Annual MBMC Marlin Tournament will be available at the Marlin Seminar!

I wanted to take a moment to put out a warm welcome to new club members: Nicholas DeRuyck  aboard Lever Up; Ken Hood  aboard SeaBear; Richard Beswick  aboard Screamin Seaman; and Ron Tinney and Irene Zink  aboard Rusty Gun.  Welcome and we look forward to seeing you on the water and at club events.

Special congrats to Dan Banks for his 60.9 lb BFT which garnered him the July 2021 FOM award. Well done Dan!

***Important reminder when weighing fish for club badges, awards and tournaments, including Fish of the Month (FOM). All fish you intend to qualify MUST be weighed on an IGFA certified scale with details of the catch being conveyed to the MBMC board within 3 days of the catch and a weight certificate provided within 10 days. Same timelines apply to release catches. In addition, all fish must be weighed in a NON-MUTILATED state meaning that gilled and gutted fish will be disqualified. See MBMC fishing rules and regulations for additional details. 

In closing, I hope to see you all out on the water at some point soon. Lots of kelps are holding Dorado and Yellowtail and squid is prevalent inshore along our southern coast. Tuna are scattered all throughout the SoCal bight ranging in size depending on the zone. For any of those looking to make Mackerel for bait, we were able to do so pretty easily in the dark off the roller coaster last week in ~50 ft of water.

Good luck and tight lines out there!

Shane Hurt

Greetings club members,

I wanted to take a moment to remind you all that the Awards Banquet celebrating the 2020 fishing season is fast approaching: Sunday, June 27, 2021 @ 2:00 pm! As previously mentioned, we are combining the annual membership meeting with this event. 

So far we have received 27 RSVPs and we are limited in space, so if you would like to attend, please send in your RSVP as soon as possible!  Click on this link to view the Awards Banquet Announcement  and RSVP details.    

Hope to see you there!

Shane Hurt

Greetings fellow club members,

I hope this email finds you well. A belated Happy Memorial Day to you all and a special thank you to all our veterans out there. As summer unfolds, I hope you are all finding some time to make it out on the water. I know it has been a long off season for myself personally, but I did manage to make it out on the water at the start of the holiday weekend for some decent Bluefin Tuna (BFT) fishing.

With that said, it seems the BFT bite has been rather consistent. As is usually the case there are slow periods but overall the bite seems to be going well from down below the border all the way up the line towards San Clemente. Now is the time to go as the fish are closer compared to the later season bite at Clemente and beyond. Our best action on Friday came at 32.09 & 117.10 with scattered breezers and foamers. Flatfalls on meter marks in the early AM followed by frozen flyers under a balloon kite as the day progressed. There are also mixed grade Yellowtail under the random kelp paddies to be found. Keep an eye on the AIS websites to track the sportboat fleet unless you get info otherwise. I use marinetraffic.com for that purpose but know there are lots of options.

Moving on….the May FOM winner was yours truly, Shane Hurt aboard the Chiqelin with a 108.7 lb BFT. That fish also took home the honors for the First Tuna Flag for the 2021 season. Full disclosure…..battling that fish had me walking funny for a few days! Ahaha.

REMINDER!!! This weekend is the MBMC Halibut / White Sea Bass tournament scheduled for June 5th & 6th. Link here to Entry Form and Rules on the MBMC website or via hard copy at Dana Landing. Hope to see you all there!

REMINDER!!! REMINDER!!! I expect you have all received email notification regarding the upcoming MBMC 2020 Awards Banquet/Membership Meeting, June 27, 2021. As promised, we are making every effort to bring normal club activities back on line and this is just the start of making that promise whole. Aside from a great venue at Bay Park Fish Co, we are also planning to raffle off some great prizes in an effort to show all members how much the club has missed you all! Hope to see you there! Please RSVP asap to help us plan accordingly. Club directories will also be handed out to attendees. A special congrats to all the 2020 award winners!!! 

Welcome to new members Dan and Kim England  aboard the SALT SHAKER  48ft Searay.  Glad to have you aboard!

In parting, I hope this letter finds you all well and hopefully finding some time to get out on the water to enjoy what we all love.

Tight lines and smooth seas,

Shane Hurt

[President 2021]

Greetings Members,

It is with great pleasure to announce our first social gathering since activities were suspended due to the onset of Covid. Our Annual Awards Banquet will be held  on Sunday June 27th at Bay Park Fish Co. We are very excited to return to some normalcy with the rollout of this event!  The details are in the 2021 Awards Banquet Announcement.   Please RSVP as indicated.

Hope to see you there!

Shane