Category Archives: Trip News

Trip posts, updates and info. Anything we can provide to keep you up to speed on our trips.

Trip News

06.07.21 CCKF was destined for bluefin

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This morning started off with a call from the owner/captain of the Islander, John Conniff. The call felt funny… like I was going to receive bad news. It started off with talks about how little sleep he has had running these incredible bluefin trips.

The following was reported this morning (6/7) on Fisherman\’s Landing\’s website:

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The first of our six (6) kayak mothership trips were supposed to kick-off on Thursday evening, but mother nature is suggesting that we make alternative plans. John runs an incredible operation that includes an incredible safety track record. When he says it isn\’t safe, we don\’t question it. We appreciate his attention to every detail to ensure the safety of our guests.

Both John and I hate cancelling trips… so we tried something else. He graciously offered to go bluefin fishing instead… the fish gods have been answering the prayers of the San Diego fleet since early May and we have been given a special opportunity to target them with one of the best crews out there.

I threw this out there as an option to our Central Coast Kayak Fishing (CCKF) crew and the results were a resounding YES. This crew is always down to jam… THANK YOU from all of us at Fish Village.

To make this happen… we had to call in a favor to our favorite kayak fishing shop in Orange County and San Diego county… Pure Watersports. They are helping a kayak fishing couple manage the trip change while still keeping their kayak fishing trip to La Jolla alive. Thank you Tim and family… you guys are the best!

Do you want to go bluefin fishing with Fish Village and the best damn crew in the San Diego? You will never see a multi-day tuna trip priced this low again… $875 check/Venmo or $901 debit/credit card. We leave this Thursday evening and come back Sunday morning. I changed my plans to get on board this incredible opportunity… who is with me?

If this sounds like you… send trips@fishvillage.com an email ASAP. First come first serve. We will need full name, email and phone number for all bookings. Full payment will be required to book.

Trip News

06.01.21 SCI kayak mothership trip season is upon us

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We have been talking about this for months… the time is near. \”Kayakers… assemble!!!!!!!\”

The last bit of payments are trickling through which means that it is almost time to get the band back together. The Islander crew is hard at work getting the boat dialed in for our six (6) kayak mothership trips. They are even sneaking in a few tuna trips already… they will be primed and ready for us as they always are.

If you are going on this trip… here is what you can expect from Fish Village… One (1) week from your departure date you will receive an email from us with details about your trip, when to arrive, where to park and what to expect. We will also include a link to our web based Trip Guide that answers all of these questions and more.

Some of you have asked, so here is an update on COVID… There will be no COVID protocols enforced. Anyone can wear a mask if they choose to, however it will not be required.

If FOMO (fear of missing out) is setting in… don\’t worry, you can score a last second opening. We have one spot open on each of the following trips:

  • 6/10 – 6/13
  • 6/20 – 6/23
  • 7/1 – 7/4

If this sounds like you… hop on! Click here to book.

These trips would not have happened without the support of these two incredible kayak fishing communities:

These two communities share a common love for kayak fishing which is near and dear to our hearts. Without them, we would not grown from four (4) to six (6) trips during a pandemic nonetheless. Incredible support from two incredible groups!

We would also like to thank Pure Watersports, Reebs Lures, Hobie Fishing and Islander Charters for making these trips possible. We partner with the best to offer the very best experience possible. Thank you for being great at what you do!

Trip News

05.06.21 Field Trips + Louisiana = GOLD

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We needed some fresh positive energy to spark the drive to re-build from a rough 14 months. Well when Rob called me the other day and said that the Louisiana series is ready to roll… it was just the news I needed to hear to get the team fired up.

Sure Rob is our partner in crime, but that doesn\’t stop us from being fans of his show. We started as a fan of his work which resulted in us eventually connecting as business partners. With that being said… we still get excited when a new Field Trips with Robert Field drops on YouTube. And of course we get even MORE excited when his show is on one of our trips.

So… the first episode dropped on Tuesday May 4th… check it out below if you missed it:

The video starts with a stalk… Rob, Rex and Brooks were chasing redfish into the skinnies when Rob laid down the perfect cast. He gets into the food, the people, the vibe and ummmm the wind. And it wouldn\’t be a Field Trips + Fish Village series if Rob didn\’t catch me stuffing my face with fish. Thanks Rob, appreciate the \’Johnny on the Spot\’ camera work!

The next video is scheduled to be released on YouTube next Tuesday May 11th. We also have a few more Louisiana stories to tell and people to thank so stay tuned to our blog.

Trip News

04.19.20 We have 2021 SCI trip openings

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When talking about San Clemente Island kayak mothership trips… a cancelled booking doesn\’t mean bad news. No sir, no ma\’m. It means opportunity for someone else that wants to go on this trip.

Did you want to go on our trip but missed out? Now is your chance and probably the final chance of the 2021 San Clemente Island kayak mothership season.

Book Now
Trip DatesTrip LengthTrip CostStatus
6/10 – 6/132.5 days$875Sold out
6/17 – 6/202.5 days $875 2 spots open
6/20 – 6/232.5 days $875 1 spot open
6/24 – 6/272.5 days $875 Sold out
7/1 – 7/42.5 days $875 4 spots open
7/4 – 7/83.5 days $1,300 2 spots open

This message is being sent to the San Clemente Island kayak mothership email waiting list, posted here on our website and across our social platforms as well. The point being… the spots will NOT be open for long. Act now!

Trip News

02.04.21 South Louisiana Behind the Trip Part 3

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The South Louisiana Behind the Trip series continues…

Series Posts

One of the best parts of this trip for me personally was getting to meet some of the Fish Village pro staff in person. 2020 robbed us of just about every opportunity to meet with our team, our customers, our partners… basically humans. We were not alone with this… we know that everyone was basically in the same boat. So the opportunity to see even a handful of the team members was certainly one of my highlights.

The team members present for this event were:

  • Jesse Landry (Nor Cal)
  • Billy Centrone (So. Flo)
  • Sean Rigby (Mississippi)
  • Brian Nelli (So. Flo)
  • Derrick Benton (Pandhandle)

Why do we have a team? Why is that important to us? Because a team is considerably stronger than one. This trip wouldn\’t have happened without the support of a team. Every member of this group regardless of their affiliation to Fish Village acted as a member of a team. It was super cool to see.

This is why I have been taking the time to write my story about this event because everyone made it happen and I want to share my appreciation with all of you.

You guys know about my boy Jesse Landry already… I mentioned him in Part 2. Never met anyone that has a bad thing to say about Jesse… the dude is as solid as they come.

The Fish Village crew came to play, but they also wanted to help in any way possible. Billy without hesitation offered to pickup the Cali boys from the airport and then run them back at the tail end of the trip. Sean worked his ass off with Ivy to secure our incredible, custom Louisiana/Fish Village topwater lures from RD Fishing Tackle. These lures were part of the Redfish tackle packs provided by Fish Village and our partners.

I don\’t think anyone would argue that Brian Nelli was our pro among pros on this trip. His fishing knowledge leads his clients to the promise land year after year, all while competing in kayak fishing\’s biggest tournaments… and often finds himself on the podium. The best part about Brian is that you can just ask for some help and he won\’t be shy with sharing his tactics. Multiple people commented on how fishing with Brian makes them a better angler. Heck of a testimonial.

Our friend and tournament partner in crime, Derrick Benton actually wasn\’t that excited about the fishing aspect of the trip… I mean can you blame him when 3 Mile Bridge is just minutes away? Though the fishing wasn\’t foremost on his mind… the \”hang\” was. The opportunity to mingle, share ideas, talk shit, and laugh with some good kayak fishing minds was the golden ticket for Derrick. The best part about his journey was that he LOVED the fishing despite incredibly challenging conditions AND the social aspect was equally as rewarding. Why mention all of this… because I feel the same way. I wasn\’t hooked on redfishing in the marsh and I just wanted to see some of the people I respect and care about. I ended up walking away with such an appreciation for marsh redfishing and all of these human interactions on and off the water. Ohhh… he also got up before the sun rose and made sandwiches for the group, produced some BEAUTIFUL custom Fish Village rods for yours truly, my Pops and Joe. And if that wasn\’t enough, he and Ivy surprised me with an insane acid wrapped Fish Village rod just to say thank you for being a part of the journey. Simply incredible.

Thank you all for showing up in your own ways and making our team stronger.

The story continues…

Trip News

01.28.21 2021 SCI Kayak Mothership Trip Guides

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Today our 2021 San Clemente Island Kayak Mothership trip guests received our newly updated Trip Guide. This web based Trip Guide helps our customers prepare for their trips.

Imagine the number of questions people have when going on a new trip. We don\’t like anyone to be surprised or worse… un-prepared.

Our Trip Guide will provide you with answers to our most commonly asked questions. This includes insights on where to meet, what to bring, how to pack, parking, trip itinerary and more.

Below is a sample of what our customers receive (please note this is a screenshot, thus the links will not work):

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Trip News

01.14.21 South Louisiana Behind the Trip Part 2

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The story continues…

Our trip had kayak anglers from all over the country including some of our friends from Central Coast and NorCal. Throughout our trip we referenced our friends from up north as the Cali boys. The name stuck and it was appropriate.

Let\’s start with the Above the Hook Productions crew… Ryan Arguello, Paul Williams and Alex Casillas. We have been on a few adventures together including Panama, San Clemente Island and now South Louisiana. These guys love to kayak fish and film which is perfect for us because we needed to have solid camera coverage all throughout our eighteen (18) person crew.

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Ryan from the ATH crew relaxing with the rest of the team our first night in Louisiana.

The Above the Hook crew did an outstanding job of covering the trip despite the challenges that were thrown at them. The new territory, the stupid relentless winds and a new fishery make for challenging filming conditions, but did that stop them… NOPE.

At one point I had the privilege of bowfishing with Ryan, Paul and Alex (master drone operator) and got to watch them do their thing. From capturing the experience on cell phone videos and bad ass cameras, live social media updates and some of the baddest nighttime drone footage I have ever seen… these boys came to play. Watching them work as a team while we bowfished for redfish in the Louisiana marsh was rad. This moment stood out for me as a moment to remember.

Check out this teaser video they put together and released on Facebook… we love it and we want more!

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Jesse rigging up before our first day on the water.

The other member of the Cali boys crew was our teammate Jesse Landry. Jesse has been a Fish Village ambassador before it was a thing… he has been on a number of our adventures and knows the Above the Hook guys well.

Jesse is the definition of chill. He looks out for others and is a heck of a fisherman. When we were loading up the kayaks into the trailer in Oceanside shortly before we took off for Louisiana, Jesse handed me multiple coolers full of beer and fish. Not just any beer or fish… but good beer and freshly caught and processed salmon, yellowfin tuna, wahoo and halibut. Are you kidding me?

His instructions were simple… share and enjoy. So we brought that beer to Louisiana and shared with our friends and my family has some damn good fish to eat over the next few months.

The funny story behind this generosity was that he was basically a zombie as he didn\’t sleep for 24 hours+ and was hopped up on Red Bull. First thing he did when he saw me was talk shit about my shoes and then hand me a bunch of beer and fish. It was like being slapped and then hugged right after.

Ryan, Paul, Alex and Jesse… thank you for being a part of our village.

To read the first installation of this South Louisiana: Behind the Trip series, click here.

Trip News

01.11.21 SCI 6/20-6/23 TRIP IS A GO!

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Sorry that it has been quiet on the blog front lately… that ends today!

We hit the minimum threshold to guarantee the 6/20/21 – 6/23/21 San Clemente Island 2.5 day kayak mothership trip, which means if you want to get on one of our trips… the time is now. Only one (1) spot remains until we have sold out of 132 spots across all six (6) trips. This blows my mind!

Don\’t miss out… jump on this incredible trip today.

To book your spot on the 6/20 – 6/23 trip or to book your spot on a waiting list for any of our sold out trips, click on the link(s) below:

To all of you that booked or tried to book… thank you! Thank you for being a part of our village.

Trip News

12.29.20 More 2021 SCI Kayak Mothership Trips

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Would you believe me if I told you that we sold out of that newly added San Clemente Island 3.5 day kayak mothership trip? For realsies…

That means that we have sold 110 spots in less than two (2) weeks. This blows my mind. You wanna hear something else… there is still demand for these trips. We have over 60+ people still interested in our trips, including waiting list people and returning customers. So we have a proposal.

We have a sixth (6) and final San Clemente Island kayak mothership trip tentatively scheduled, creating the most opportunities EVER for southern California kayak mothership trips.

2.5 Day Kayak Mothership Trip

Sun 6/20 – Wed 6/23
2 full days of fishing

  • A $100 deposit is due within seven (7) business days of billing
  • The remaining $200 deposit is due on or before 1/29/21. You can make payments against your invoice  at your leisure.
  • Your remaining balance is due on or before 4/30/21. 

We are opening up booking once again. However, we will not bill nor collect money until we hit our minimum of sixteen (16) anglers booked. If we do not reach the minimum number of bookings in the next couple of weeks, we will be forced to cancel the trip. If we are successful, we will notify you and proceed with billing.

The time is now to book… don\’t wait until we are all booked up. Click on the trip links below to book or to be placed on the waiting list.

Trip DatesTrip LengthStatus
6/10 – 6/13 (CCKF)2.5 daysWaiting List Only
6/17 – 6/20 (Fresh n Salty)2.5 daysWaiting List Only
6/20 – 6/232.5 days12 spots open (as of posting)
6/24 – 6/272.5 daysWaiting List Only
7/1 – 7/42.5 daysWaiting List Only
7/4 – 7/83.5 daysWaiting List Only
Trip News

12.22.20 Our 2021 SCI schedule is open to the public

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Well… after a week of the busiest booking period we have ever seen here at Fish Village we can finally announce the trips to the public.

We have received feedback (both positive and negative) from many people regarding our booking process for the 2021 San Clemente Island kayak mothership season. Please know it is never our intent to exclude anyone. We are in the business of selling fishing trips and want to sell as many trips as possible. We are actively researching ways to improve our process and have already identified several areas to be improved.

Our mailer was initially intended to provide an easy way to keep you guys actively aware of our trip offering. Our website has since evolved to the point where we can drive trip news to specific trip pages. The mailer gets lost in spam folders, email servers with over zealous delivery rules and sometimes the email is delivered to an endless pit of other promotional emails. It is inefficient and as we have learned… it may cause frustration with our customers. We can\’t have that!

If anyone is wondering how we sold out so fast, we received over 250 emails in less than three (3) hours of sending out our first email. For our customers that have been on this trip before and didn\’t get a chance to get on these trips… I am sorry. We added another trip and we almost sold out of that one too. We simply were not prepared for that kind of response. We will NEVER make that mistake again.

2.5 Day San Clemente Island Kayak Mothership Trip

  • $875 per person
  • $300 deposit ($100 due within seven (7) business days, remaining $200 deposit due on or before 1/29/21)
  • Final balances due on our before 4/30/21

3.5 Day San Clemente Island Kayak Mothership Trip

  • $1,300 per person
  • $400 deposit ($100 due within seven (7) business days, remaining $300 deposit due on or before 1/29/21)
  • Final balances due on our before 4/30/21

A friendly reminder that we do not allow Hobie Pro Anglers or ultra-wide kayaks on these trips.

If you want to book a trip or be added to the waiting list, please click on the link(s) above and fill out a Trip Inquiry Form.

DaysDatesStatus
2.5 days6/10 – 6/13 (CCKF)Sold out
2.5 days6/17 – 6/20 (Fresh n Salty)Sold out
2.5 days6/24 – 6/27Sold out
2.5 days7/1 – 7/4Sold out
3.5 days7/4 – 7/84 spots