Let’s Go Fishing!
The time we’ll all been waiting for has arrived! We got the green light for re-opening and our fishing operations will begin this week, just in time to get offshore for some tuna and yellowtail fishing. Thank you for your patience while we waited until we had something to report, and now we suggest that all passengers review these two documents so you can see how we plan to keep you safe with us aboard Searcher. Some things will feel different, but the fishing, crew and our vessel will feel just like you remember.
Procedures for Passenger Safety
Passenger Information on Covid-19 (signature required at check-in)
We have scheduled some open-party trips through Fishermans Landing here: Fishermans Landing trips on Searcher
For these trips, the landing does all the booking, check-in, and their payment and post-Covid procedures apply.
We will reach out to all anglers booked for our 2020 season just as soon as we can. Land crew are still working remotely. Thank you for your patience!
Mystery Outing
Hello anglers,
Celia organized an outing for us over Memorial Day weekend, on Sunday, May 24. She didn’t say where we were going until we got in the car. We were heading to Costa Mesa and Newport Beach to explore where Searcher (original name Cape Polaris) was built 50 years ago, and then retrace the journey from the boatyard to the launching. For general directions, we were going by remembered information from those that were there, old photos, and information from a journalist who was writing a column about the local maritime activities in Orange County back then. He comes from a sportfishing family who operated a large landing in Newport through the 1950’s.
Things have changed since 1970, but it was great to see the street where the Dittmar and Donaldson marine architects and boat builders had their boat yard (Sea Boat Co) on 16th Street in Costa Mesa. Then we drove down Newport Blvd to Lido Isle and imagined Cape Polaris on the back of a truck at night, arriving to its launch site at Lido Shipyard (now Newport Harbor Shipyard). I got to walk beside the ways where she may have been launched into the water for the first time. The photo at the top of this post is her launch day.
It was a great day with lots of nostalgia. We may be learning even more as time goes on. We are so privileged to be a part of this great boat’s history and we are looking forward to the future years of being its owners and caretakers!
Capt Art
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- New boat building company!
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- Richard Dittmar obituary
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- West coast sportfishers article in Daily Pilot
More information and fun facts:
Costa Mesa’s notoriety for boat building
Dittmar and Donaldson scrapbook, including smaller original Searcher
Catching up with Anglers!
Welcome to a new segment we are calling “Catching up with Anglers!”
We love stay in touch with our Searcher family aka anglers, to share 🎣fish stories, recreate the excitement, swap tackle tips, reunite with old friends and maybe make new ones. We thought it would be fun to see how our anglers are holding up and share some of their stories. Hopefully they can give you ideas of things we can be doing with your time or help you feel better. Let’s catch an angler.
Today we have a special angler who is a staple on the Searcher. She is a great angler and she knows what she is doing on deck.
Name: Anne
From: Redondo, CA
Job Titles: Former Doc
Day in the life during quarantine: Checking fishing chit chat and landing sites; thinking about next trip
Challenges during quarantine: Patience while waiting to get back out to sea.
Tackle Tip: Sharping hooks, fresh line.
Benefits: Confidence when you get hit.
What’s on tv: Ozark
New stuff you dig: still looking online for the “ultimate” jig stick.
Positives: Getting Enough sleep
Weird thing you’ve done: Will not overshare, thanks for asking.
What’s in/must have in your tackle box: Blue tape and sunscreen.
Anything you are stocked up on: Iron (way overstocked)
Favorite fish dish: Grilled yellowtail with salsa
Motivation: Surviving intact with family and friends
Fish you are looking forward to catching: WAHOO, crazy fun!
Thank you so much Anne! We hope to see you on the water🌊soon!
Tackle Tip Thursday Vol. 102 (Spectra)
Tackle Tip Thursday is all about Spectra. (Hollow vs. Solid) Rick from Fisherman’s Landing Tackle Shop and Let’s Talk Hook Up talks about spectra! The difference between Hollow and Solid spectra.
Huge thank you to Rick and Fisherman’s landing tackle shop for the tackle tips.
Do you want to win an 8 day trip on the Searcher? Team Searcher and Let’s Talk Hook up have teamed up and you could be a winner of an 8 day trip 🎣 spot. All you have to do is go and you could be a BIG WINNER. Hook all the details Here or tune in to Let’s Talk Hook up and hear all the details as well.
Tackle Talk Live Recap (Surface Irons 6/2/20)
Our 6th Tackle Talk Live was a hit. We talked all things surface irons! We talked all about the must-have for your tackle box for 
surface irons. We had a lot of fun and even better questions. We have tons more tackle tips. For even more tackle tips and fishing videos hook them here. Here is the full video and you can hook all the fun in case you missed it. Thank you to Accurate, Seeker, Tady, Salas, JRI Custom Lures and Fisherman’s Landing Tackle Shop for letting us use your products. Want more tackle tips, hook them here!
Tackle Tip Thursday Vol. 101 (Hooking Bait)
Tackle Tip Thursday is here! We have Captain Art who gives us a great Tackle Tip. He shows us all the ways to hook a live bait for fly-lining for yellowtail, tuna, dorado and wahoo. Fly-lining a live bait is a great technique when fish are at the surface. Bait from Everingham Bros Bait Co. Did you miss our Tackle Talk Live? We have the full video posted on our YouTube channel or click here to hook all the Tackle tips. (Our Instagram has close ups of the ways too hook if you need a better view.)
Thank you so much Captain Art for the great Tackle Tip and all the information.
Tackle Talk Live!
We will be going Live and Talking tackle. Tackle Talk Live! Tuesday, June 2nd at 5pm PST!
Join us to talk tackle 🎣with the Team Searcher crew. We will be talking all tackle and must-haves for the upcoming season! Must Join us live and let’s talk tackle.
Tune in this Tuesday at 5pm pst on Facebook and Instagram for a live demo with Capt Art. Send questions now or you can also ask during the live feed and we’ll try to answer them live.
Catching up with Anglers!
Catching up with Anglers!
Welcome to a new segment we are calling “Catching up with Anglers!”
We love stay in touch with our Searcher family aka anglers, to share 🎣fish stories, recreate the excitement, swap tackle tips, reunite with old friends and maybe make new ones. We thought it would be fun to see how our anglers are holding up and share some of their stories. Hopefully they can give you ideas of things we can be doing with your time or help you feel better. Let’s catch an angler.
Today we have a special angler Mike Townes a long time Searcher family member. We had to check in with him and see how he is doing.
Name: MICHAEL “BIG MIKE” TOWNES
From: Lodi, California “Zinfandel Capital of the World.”
Job Titles: Retired, work part-time as a Background Investigator for the City of Stockton
Day in the life during quarantine: Currently, I am working from home on my investigations. I go into the office two times a week to check mailbox and do interviews over the phone…At home, I have plenty of “honey do’s” to complete. My focus now is to clean out the garage, building shelving and prepping for painting inside the house. I am a multitasker.
Challenges during quarantine: My mother who is 90 yrs old. Making sure she is doing fine daily. She is a very independent lady for her age.
Tackle Tip: Well, I have cleaned out my tackle box and bags several times. I took inventory on what I have regarding fishing stuff (Please don’t tell my wife, I have a tackles store). Everyone should check those hooks in your tackle box/bags on your lures for rust. Replace them if they are rusty. Also, check your guides on your fishing rods and make sure they are not damaged and seated properly on the rod. Overtime, the epoxy around guides tends to deteriorate due to stress and time. Repair them. You do not want the guides to unhinge while fighting a fish.
Benefits: Losing weight! I walk 4 times a week 5 plus miles bad knees and all since being shelter in place…It gets me out of the house
What’s on TV: Not much. All re-runs of everything. I am a big Pig Man fan.
New stuff you dig: Fishing rod building. I am refurbishing some old rods I have before I start building my new ones. Practice makes perfect or less mistakes.
Weird thing you’ve done: Statute of limitations are not up yet. I can’t tell you.
Positives: I would say keeping a positive attitude during this entire situation.
What’s in/must have in your tackle box: Wahoo Lure Nomad DTX Minnow Trolling Lure. I prefer the Gold color.
Anything your stocked up on: Hooks in all sizes. I prefer Mustad, Owners and Eagle Claw Trokar hooks. Leader materials such as fluorocarbon, mono and wire. I prefer Kinky 2 Kinky leader wire.It will not twist or get knotted up. I stock up while at the Fred Hall Show every year.
Favorite fish dish: Fresh water, fried Crappie and Catfish. Saltwater, fried Ling Cod, grilled Wahoo, Yellowtail, Halibut and Tuna with plenty of garlic and plenty of cold beer(s).
Motivation: My family and my faith!!!!
Fish you are looking forward to catching: In April 2019, I caught my personal best YFT 215lbs. Well, I would like to catch a 300lbs Tuna.
