By Rock Cod Rick Maxa
6 days of calico bliss, that’s what awaits the lucky few that make the annual Shogun skiff trip. This unique trip that Shogun Sportfishing offers is a big bass hunters dream. What sets this apart from other “big bass destinations” is the mobility and range that the skiff trip offers. Rather than being based around one great spot, the Shogun loads passengers, gear, bait and several inflatable skiffs from there home base in San Diego at Fishermans Landing. Then the point the boat to the south with plenty of time to hit any and all the the best calico bass zones on the coast. The beauty of this format, is that it allows you to “fish” your way down the beach. Then based on how conditions and fishing goes you can stay extra days and take advantage of great bites, or load up and move to more productive grounds.
The crew of the Shogun really shined during this trip. There is a lot of extra work for the boys, from of loading and unloading skiffs, to refueling the Yamaha outboards during runs, to being both the captain, deckhand, and tour guide all at the same time. All while making sure there other duties are dealt with on the mothership. Another really cool part of this trip is the crazy light load of people. To begin there are only 24 passengers on the trip. And 3 passengers + guide on the skiffs! that leaves only 15 people at the rail when fishing from the big boat! Here again is where the mobility plays such a huge roll. The skiffs are unloaded and drooped off in the most productive inshore areas. (Inner kelp beds, boiler rocks, etc) then, The big boat takes off with the remaining 15 and fishes for yellows, bass, Rockcod, or whatever else is available at the location.
Our trip started with a smooth loading at Fishermans Landing. The boys had already loaded up with bait, so as soon as our gear was on board, we untied the lines and started steaming south. Along with Let’s Talk Hookup this trip was sponsored by Cory Sanden of M.C. Swimbaits. He, along with second Captain Brian Winn, and chief engineer Russel Brazwell gave us a great tutorial of how to fish these big bass with heavy tackle and his new weedless system. Then afterwards each passenger was treated to an amazing goodie bag that Cory put together including over $100 in his brand new 8″ weedless baits, Trokar weedless hooks, shirts and much more! Follow that up with a big raffle and we were all smiles before we hooked a single fish!
When grey light cracked on our first morning we were just rounding the corner of Geronimo island. Geronimo is the crews favorite destination of the trip, and in most of there minds, the very best opportunity at a double digit calico bass. Crew member Russ told us stories of previous skiff runs where all three of his anglers had 5 fish limits of over 35 lbs!!! That’s a 7lb average of 5 fish for each angler. My skiff partners for the trip were John Christianson of Point Loma Seafoods, and his buddy Holland Fenner from Texas. We were among the lucky who had the first draw, and fished the first rotation at Geronimo. The island is pretty small, with a little fish camp on the lee side, some breaking swell on the south side, and a beautiful kelp bed sounding the west side up to the north end. Although the conditions were less than ideal for fishing (lack of current) the quality of fish was amazing. On my very first cast, burning an 8″ MC weedless, I had a giant blowup that didn’t stick! A couple casts later, and the first fish I connected with had my 7’11” heavy Terramar and Calcutta D 300 put to the test! In short order I had a hold of a 7lb. Calico bass! First fish!!! Our run would continue with quality over quantity style of day. Our numbers were slightly down, probably 12-15 fish per angler, but the size was insane. It was very rare to see a bass under 3lbs, with 5’s, 6’s, 7’s and even 8’s all being common stories among the anglers. While the skiffs fished the inner kelp beds, and boiler rock areas, the Shogun would anchor up on some outer kelp lines, throw some bait, and watch the water come alive with calicos. Most fished from the big boat with the MC weedless, or MC Viejos and a 1oz. Leadhead, 50-65# Power Pro (I prefeer the 65# Power Pro Super 8 Slick) and a short 2′ top shot of 50-80# Seaguar Blue Label fluorocarbon.
During one of the skiff rotations while I was on the big boat, Aron took us out to Sacramento Reef, just a few miles west of Gernimo Island. While there we again found a lack of current, but enjoyed nice big 2-5 lb. average calico bass, as well as some nice yellows. Holland took a 30lb yellowtail, using a Shimano Thunnus spinning reel, Terez 70MH rod, and 50# Power Pro. He was fishing a hot pink lead head, with a sardine pined to the hook! (Must be a Texas thing) after 2 days of great bass fishing at Geronimo and the surrounding areas, it was time for a change of scenery. With some heavy wind in the forecast, Aron chose Cedros island as our next stop.
Dawn broke the next morning in the lee of Cedros island, calm and protected from the wind. I had the 3rd skiff rotation for the day, and was anxious to try my hand at some Cedros yellows from the big boat. Once the skiffs were off, it only took a few minutes for Aron to sonar us up a school of willing yellows. The yo yo jigs were most effective, but at every stop, opportunities were there to catch them on both fly lined baits, and the surface iron. I had a blast easily taking my limit on the surface jig, and releasing many more! Bass fishing for us at Cedros was only 
mediocre, with pretty good numbers, but smaller fish over all. This was mostly due to the high winds keeping us from fishing the more productive “big bass” areas if Cedros. After catching limits of yellows for most of the anglers, the crew decided we would spend our next day fishing at the neighboring island of Benitos.
Just a short 25 mile run put us at Benitos in the morning. The skiffs were off, and I hopped on an open spot on the early run with Duane, Pete, and second captain Brian Winn. Due to the extremely hot water of this El Niño season, and the pounding of the hurricanes of baja this year, ALL of the kelp surrounding San Benito was gone. Not knowing how this would affect our fishing, capt. Brian pointed us to the boilers and hard bottom areas and we hoped for the best. When he pulled back the throttle of the skiff, we were treated to some of the most insane calico fishing I have ever experienced. Triples and quads were common. You began to go numb to the sight of “just another 3 pounder” you didn’t even get excited after catching a 4, the cameras were rarely broken out for 5’s it was amazing! Long drifts over hard bottom were most productive for us. Once back on the boat it seemed all anglers saw the same caliber of fishing, some caught them shallow, others deep, but all saw great fishing! As the day progressed, the weather continued to back off. I had the evening skiff run this day, and in the evening we were able to fish the “weather side” of west Benitos island. This for sure will go down as the most amazing 3 hour stretch of bass fishing one could have. Every rock, every stretch, every inch of that reef this evening was jugged with calico bass. We had one boiler rock that we must have caught and released at least 60 bass from. All big, hard fighting baja calicos! Our 3 man skiff team had well over 100 bass in just 3 hours. Weedless, traditional leadhead and Swimbaits, you name it, they ate it! This was the reason we anglers booked to go on the Shogun skiff trip. The ability to be mobile, to try different areas, to fish around weather, led us to this amazing stop. It was also at San Benitos where are largest fish came from as well. Ed Rudolph took an 8.25 calico on the 8″ MC weedless, and “JD” DeLong caught at 38lb. Yellowtail on the a dropper loop from the big rig!
This should have been our last full day, and Aron “should” have started working his way north, to fish our way up the line, but being the fisherman that he is, and not wanting to leave this 
amazing place. He conferenced with all the anglers, made sure there were no schedule conflicts, and opted to stay at Benitos for one more day. We would get (3) 2 hour skiff rotations, then have to make a banzai run up the coast to get home “a little later than planned”. Obviously we as the anglers were over joyed. The boat and crew didn’t need to go that extra mile, they didn’t need to burn the extra fuel running up hill, they didn’t need to load and unload skiffs again, but there only concern was for us fisherman, and providing the best time they could, and boy did they. I can’t begin to relate what a great job the team of the Shogun does with these trips. They are a well oiled machine, from launching and landing skiffs, guiding from the small boats, handling the fishing from the big boat, assisting with tackle, and making amazing meals night after night. There professionalism can’t be beat, from the girls in the office, to the guys on the boat this was a truly amazing trip, with not a single hang up along the way.
If you are an angler who loves catching calico bass and yellowtail, or if you love the adventure of something different, or even just love fishing a first class long range boat with a crazy light load, I highly recommend fishing the Shogun skiff trip. You will get to fish in areas that few have fished before, with the luxury that comes with long range fishing. The popularity of these trips are growing very fast, and I know next years trip is over 50% full already! Once word spreads about the fishing this trip provided, the spots WILL be gone. If you would like to join us next year, the Lets Talk Hookup/MC Swimbaits 6 day skiff trip will be October 25-31, 2015. To book your reservation, or to answer any questions please call the Shogun office at (619) 226-8030. You can also book on line at www.shogunsportfishing.com
