Trip News

10.01.20 What makes a trip a Fish Village trip?

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I have been asked this question at least one hundred times. The cool thing is that I sincerely don\’t mind answering the question again and again.

We have a no compromise approach to doing business. This means that we don\’t push aside our principles, beliefs and industry best practices just to make a buck. Collectively as a team we decided that if it takes one month, twelve months or even longer to make a trip worthy of the Fish Village brand… than that is what we will do.

Our trips invoke emotions in our guests…

Our process demands that we immerse ourselves in the experience… this means that we have to live the adventure before we can sell it. Through our experiences combined with our previous adventures we start to form the unique Fish Village trip experience.

Our trips consider everything you would want us to consider… and maybe then some:

  • Local culture
  • Local cuisine
  • Fishing adventures
  • Hunting adventures
  • Eco adventures
  • Lodging
  • Meals
  • Fishing gear
  • Transportation
  • Fishing permits/licenses
  • The list goes on and on and on…

The Fish Village experience is un-like any other trip offering out there. We do not re-sell guided trips or charters, we make trip packages that consider your needs. We offer niche experiences for kayak anglers and small boat anglers alike. Every trip offering made available on our website has the stamp of approval of Mike Ponce, Nic Gadouas, Robert Field, Joseph Martinez, Ivy Harris and Sylvia Ponce.

Trip News

09.24.20 Are we giving up on international trips?

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The short answer is an enthusiastic HELL NO.

We along with the rest of the travel community recognize that the impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic are here to stay for quite some time… some are arguing it could bleed into 2022. Regardless of how long this lasts, we believe that the average person that likes to travel will still be cautious about jumping on a plane and heading to another country.

One of the many downsides to COVID is that we cannot predict when this will be over, thus we have to prepare ourselves for slow international travel interest and cautious travelers.

Thank goodness we live in America… the land of the free and giant fish! Though we will be slowing down our international trip development program for a couple of years, we will NOT be slowing down our domestic trip development program. In fact… we are speeding up.

Stay tuned for more US based fishing adventures.

Company News

09.17.20 Process + Process + Process

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What the process am I talking about? Sorry, I couldn\’t help myself.

Process, organization and logistics is creamy center within Fish Village. These processes are what creates smooth customer experiences and experiences of a lifetime. Without our processes, we have very little to offer.

Trip providers rely on us to be organized, invoice, collect payments and disburse funds in a timely manner. None of this is possible if we didn\’t have our ducks in a row. The same goes for customers… we cannot provide a seamless experience for the customer without having our processes down.

Our educational and professional backgrounds vary from finance, operations, logistics, advanced analytics and of course technology. This blend of skillsets makes for a powerful team. This team combines our technology platform, processes and commitment to rigor as a means to provide the best fishing experiences out there.

Why mention this? Because this is the Fish Village advantage!

Trip News

09.13.20 Our Dana Point Sept schedule filled up quick

Our September schedule filled up quicker than we expected with multiple trip requests coming in over the last couple of days. This means our guide Tommy Ponce will be busy… don\’t forget about Fish Village during Christmas time Tommy!

Thank you to all that have expressed interest in these trips. With a little luck this trend will continue into the fall.

Trip News

Did someone say road trip? 9/8/20

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We sure did.

This November, we are embarking on a 4,000+ mile adventure to Louisiana to reconnect with our inner vagabond. While there may be some shenanigans along the way, our objective is to build yet another amazing fishing adventure for you.

Instead of grabbing our passport, we are packing the truck and hitting the road. Over the upcoming weeks we will be sharing our route and anticipated stops for this 14+ day adventure.

Stay tuned for more on #LouisianaOrBust2020

Trip News

09.08.20 Did someone say road trip?

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This is exciting news… \”insert clearing voice sounds\”

Fish Village is heading to Louisiana… ummmm via the 10 freeway. Yup, you heard that right; we are going on a road trip.

Times are a changing… how many people do you know that drove somewhere new this year? How many people do you know that rented an RV for the first time or re-visited their love for camping? So why fight it… let\’s roll. Let\’s get out there and see America, one road, one person, one fish at a time.

This trip is focused on creating adventures for all of you in Louisiana. This means marsh kayak fishing, inshore kayak fishing and more.

Get ready for a lot of Louisiana content because we are throwing our A-game at this project!

Company News

08.05.20 Getting real about the impacts of COVID

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I write this with respect to everyone out there dealing with the impacts of COVID. As many of you already know, 2020 has been a rough year so far and we don\’t anticipate that it will get much better for quite some time.

What does that mean to Fish Village?

We have dealt with huge financial losses, major opportunities lost, disappointed customers, over 50+ refunds and nearly 100 trip cancellations. None of this compares to our friends and families that are struggling to put food on the table. Knowing people are suffering makes it hard to focus on our business.

Is Fish Village throwing in the towel? NO FREAKING WAY!

Our business is adapting to the changes and preparing for what could be a record breaking 2021 season. COVID has created opportunities to strengthen our internal processes, our technology and our internal team bonds. Though we may have had tremendous losses, we did not lose everything during the COVID pandemic, instead we took the opportunity to get better.

Fish Village will be back with the same great locations as before PLUS new domestic locations that are a road trip or short plane ride away.

Thank you for your support over the years and especially during this pandemic.

Trip News

07.10.20 San Clemente Island Season Recap

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My initial thoughts… WOW.

Re-wind to three (3) months ago… I was in a dark and gloomy place. I thought every trip in our arsenal was about to be cancelled. Sadly, that became a reality for most of our trips, however the one bright spot was the San Clemente Island 2.5 Kayak Mothership trips.

For starters, these trips almost didn\’t happen. The first trip was down to the last few days before we got the official go-ahead call that our charters were going to be able to run. Sylvia, Joe and I were frantically sending emails out to our groups trying to keep them informed.

I am so glad we fought for these trips… primarily because these trips were ultimately able to run and our guests just love them.

This year we ran four (4) mothership trips during the short six (6) week spring season and had a lot of first time anglers. People from all over California from San Diego to Redding made the trek down and even a few from out of state.

The primary takeaway that stuck with us was that this trip is essentially the gateway drug to our style of fishing trips. These trips are fun, well organized and create memories with anglers that are impactful.

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My favorite part has to be the people… we have forged so many relationships as a result of these amazing adventures. Jesse Landry (Fish Village Pro Staff) drives eight (8) hours to join our little getaway… for the same reasons as we do. Friends like Charlie Wardle, Jesse Landry and literally hundreds more make these trips extra special.

The Islander creates a feeling of nostalgia that anglers immediately latch onto. Once they lived this adventure for the first time they realize what is possible. I have had people tell me… \”I can\’t do that.\” I have also heard that only serious anglers can do what we do. Well guess what… you too can do it.

If you told me that you did something for the first time on this trip… IT DID NOT GO UN-NOTICED! That comment is music to my ears. My first yellowtail ever! My first yellowtail on a kayak! My first mothership trip! My first sheephead! My first halibut! My first chunky monkey calico bass. Keep telling me/us, it fuels me/us to keep charging!

What do I love about these trips?

  • I love that my stomach hurts from laughing and that my cheeks hurt from smiling all day…
  • I love that people experience something new and push their boundaries of what they think they can do…
  • I love that people experience something new and push their boundaries of what they think they can do…

Oh… and we eat good too!

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for fishing with Fish Village. We will continue to build the best fishing adventures so that you can continue to push your limits on what fun means to you!

Mike

Event News

06.20.20 Pygmy GOAT Kayak Fishing Tournament

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He said… \”Someone has to be the GOAT.\”

Well, Derrick is a man of his word. The GOAT will live on, but in a smaller package, dare we say PYGMY sized???

Today Derrick hosts approx. 140+ anglers in beautiful Navarre Beach Florida. What a feat considering the challenges 2020 has presented us with.

Anglers from all over the southeastern United States and even some beyond that came to Navarre to fish the newest strange in the tournament game. Cold hard cash is on the line and one sweet ass championship belt… like for realsies.

Trip News

05.07.20 COVID SCI trip update

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We have a lot of people asking about the San Clemente Island 2.5 day kayak mothership trips in June/July. As you would expect, people are asking a lot of questions about our most popular kayak mothership trip. Here is what we know as of now:

The Islander is asking us to plan on these trips proceeding as planned. Why… so that we don\’t miss out on the opportunity to go if the San Diego government authorizes the San Diego sportfishing fleet to run their trips. So that is what we are going to do. We are going to proceed as if we know for a fact that we are going on this trip.

What does this mean? Pay your bills, finalize your travel plans and gear up!

If for any reason these trips are NOT a go, we will refund your money or apply a credit to 2021 if desired. If you have any questions, please email trips@fishvillage.com.