Albies and Mahi

Ryan, Jay, Patty, Luc, and I headed out to catch some mahi yesterday. We caught two mahi and we lost a few more bigger fish. We also caught a few nice sized allbies. Pro Tip: When trolling, keep your baits in the clean water in the wake. Baits in the white water are hidden from the fish's view.

Fluke

Fished with Patrick and Kirsten in the bay on Wednesday. We had a fun day catching short fluke, lots of sea bass, and some sea robins. A fun day in the bay. Pro Tip: Action is key to getting kids hooked on fishing. Forget about keepers, focus on numbers.

Mahi

Fished with Peter and friends for mahi in the ocean last Monday. We caught two mahi and jumped off a third. Pro Tip: Do not pull back on fish when they jump. It is a sure way to break them off.

Mahi on the Fly

Fished with Tom, John, and Zach on Sunday for mahi. We caught a few on the troll and then switched over to the fly rod. We hooked two mahi on the fly and landed one. Pro Tip: Using live bait to chum greatly increases your odds on the fly rod. Remember to keep the fly moving at all times.

Inshore Mahi

Fished with Jason and family last Saturday for mahi. We had another great day landing several mahi on the troll. It's been a great summer! Pro Tip: Trolling down sea usually presents the best spread to the fish.

Flyrod Stripers

Fished with Chase and Jim in the bay for stripers on the fly. We had a good tide and had several bites. We only got one to the boat but it was a very pleasant evening. Pro Tip: Keep a straight line connection from your fly rod to your fly when you retrieve the fly. Any slack will ruin the action of the fly.

More Mahi

Fished with Dan and friends last Friday in the ocean for mahi. We had a great morning and caught several mahi to around fifteen pounds. The bite has been hot. Pro Tip: Keep the boat in gear while attempting to gaff fish. The forward momentum keeps the fish lined up for the gaff shot.

Mahi

Fished with Kevin and Zach last Thursday for mahi. We had a great day and caught eight mahi up to 16 pounds. Fantastic fishing without driving to the canyons. Pro Tip: Be ready for multiple hookups after the initial strike. Drop back other lines to pick up straggler fish.

Fluke

Fished with Bill and Mike in the backbay today. We caught a bunch of short fluke, sea bass, sea robins, and sandsharks. Pro Tip: Spring tides have nothing to do with the season. They occur twice a month on the new and full moon. The result is higher high tides and lower low tides. In addition, the tidal current is stronger. Check us out on Instagram @captainjoehughes for additional pictures and videos.

Backbay Stripers

Tom, Patty, and I headed out last night at sunset for stripers. We had six or seven stripers on top water. We have good tides the next few weeks. Pro Tip: Summer stripers feed best on high tides near sunset.

Big Sharks

Fished with Mike and sons in the ocean for sharks on Saturday. We had five shark releases. We had two brown sharks, two sandbar sharks, and a dusky shark. We had three sharks well over 100 pounds. The sharking continues to be good. Pro Tip: Sandbar sharks have proportionally larger fins than a dusky of similar size. And sandbar sharks are not sandsharks.

Mahi

Fished with Dan, Patty, Ryan, and John in the ocean for mahi. We Jada nice morning and boated four mahi and two amberjacks. Pro Tip: Light drags are key for landing mahi. Too tight and you will pull the hook every time.

More Mahi

Fished with Bob, Nick, Alec, and Matt in the ocean for mahi. We had a good day and caught five mahi and a king mackerel. When the conditions are right the mahi bite has been good. Pro Tip: South west and north east winds are almost always stronger than forecast.

Mahi!

Fished with Butch yesterday in the ocean for mahi. We had perfect conditions and we made the most of it. We caught four mahi up to 12 pounds. We also jumped off a few others. It was a blast of a day. Pro Tip: Nothing beats naked ballyhoo for mahi. Learn to rig them so they swim.

Sharking

Fished with Dennis and Dennis in the ocean on Thursday morning for sharks. We were plagued by variable winds that dropped out on us. We had very little drift. We did release one brown shark and we had an epic battle with a huge stingray. Pro Tip: Ideal Sharking conditions include steadily increasing wind.

Bay Fluke

Fished with Jackie and crew on Thursday afternoon in the bay. We had fun catching fluke, sea bass, sea robins, and even a bluefish. Pro Tip: During the dog days on summer, you can find clean water closer to the inlet. The fish will be there too.