Tag Archives: San Clemente Island

Village Talk

07.25.23 Say it ain\’t so… the last SCI kayak mothership trip?

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We have good news and bad news… let\’s start with the bad news so that we can end on a good note. Read all the way thru and scroll to the bottom for the juicy details.

Important Trip Announcement Dates

DateItem
7/25SCI 2023 announcement
7/26SCI 2023 trip page will go-live
7/27SCI 2023 booking opens up to the public

It looks likely that one of our most treasured trips is no longer an option beginning in 2024. Many of you have reached out and asked… where have the SCI trips gone? Why can\’t I book SCI? I watched Rob on YouTube and want to do the SCI trip… the comments go on and on.

First off, we love that you love this trip so much. At the peak a couple of years back, we scheduled eight (8) trips with a couple of 3.5 days in the mix as well. I even married a kayak fishing couple on the water… incredible memory!

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I am not at liberty to say why exactly these trips may no longer exist on the calendar… however I can say that nothing bad happened, no bad blood or anything negative like that. We have nothing but love for the Islander and their crew. When the time comes, it will all make sense.

I damn near begged John for one more trip this year because we never really got to say good-bye to this trip. Well, that is where the good news comes in… We have one more 2.5 day kayak mothership trip scheduled for 2023.

This trip will run in early November when the waters are still warm, the summer crowds are gone and the island should be stacked with fish. With a new time slot on the calendar, ideal kayak fishing conditions and the Islander catching up their pricing to full fare/peak season with adjustments for the current economy… the price of this trip has increased by over 20%.

Before anyone starts throwing daggers our way… we do not make-up these prices. We take a contract out with the boat to fill it up. This is not nor will ever be a money maker for us, we add a small percentage to cover credit/debit card processing fees, nothing more.

We want to gauge the interest of our audience to see if we can fill up multiple dates or just a single trip. We want to give this trip a proper send off and give people the chance to do something unique in the southern California area before it goes away.

Email trips@fishvillage.com to let us know you are interested so that we can put you on the short list.

ItemDetails
Trip Dates11/2/23 – 11/5/23
Trip Price$1,250 (credit card OK)
Deposit$500 w/no refund after 7 days
# of Anglers22
BookingBooking will open on Thu 7/27/23
We already have 8 spots booked via word of mouth.
Village Talk

01.02.23 2022 Episode 2 Part 2 Is Live

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Title: Episode 2 Part 2 (Year End Holiday Message)

Hosts: Mike Ponce, Jesse Landry and Joseph Martinez

Recorded: 12/28/2022

This conversation was a long one… so we broke it into two parts. This is the second half of our Year End Holiday Message. We get all sappy.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3BHH7MmkW1DHF5aGvXcUmu?si=1eb46afff7644520

Subscribe to any of the popular podcast platforms on our podcast home page and get automatically notified when we post new episodes.

https://atomic-temporary-181926339.wpcomstaging.com/our-podcast/
Village Talk

12.30.22 Our last episode of the year is out now

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Title: Episode 2 Part 1 (Year End Holiday Message)

Hosts: Mike Ponce, Jesse Landry and Joseph Martinez

Recorded: 12/28/2022

We wanted to end the year with a message for our partners, supporters, friends and family. We cover multiple topics including new dates for New Zealand, where are the San Clemente Island kayak mothership trips, 2023 plans and give thanks to our partners and supporters.

Episode 2 Part 2 will be made available tomorrow 12/31/2022.

https://open.spotify.com/show/5bxR2rVX9ZHK8NVrOg6bQU

Subscribe to any of the popular podcast platforms on our podcast home page and get automatically notified when we post new episodes.

https://atomic-temporary-181926339.wpcomstaging.com/our-podcast/
Trip News

08.11.22 Have you ever met anyone from Mississippi?

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For months, literally months (probably 8+ months) we have been planning to have our southern friend from Mississippi Sean Rigby join us on the final San Clemente Island kayak mothership trip of the season. We met back on our Louisiana road trip and instantly took a liking to him. Let me explain why.

First… all jokes aside. A solid dude, I mean he is thicccck. No, for realsies… Sean is a great dude that made a big impression on the Fish Village team. The night we met, he was hammering away at a MirageDrive with the bottom of a bourbon bottle as if that was normal. See, he was legitimately trying to fix something and instead of looking around for a hammer, he just used the bottle. Joe and I were like… \’what in the hell did we get ourselves into?\’ Little did we know… we would be seeing each other again after our Louisiana adventure.

When I called Sean and invited him out on our 3.5 day San Clemente Island kayak mothership trip… he immediately jumped on it. We texted each other like little teenagers telling each other how excited we were… if read in the wrong context… one would be confused.

Well… fast forward to July 5th when Sylvia and I head to LAX to grab Sean and the shenanigans began. We tracked his flight so that we knew when to pick him… it worked out perfectly. We got there right as he was coming outside from a long walk between terminals (LAX is a hot mess, more than usual with billions in construction). I called him and said… \”I am at the terminal.\” He answers… \”I am outside.\”

I look at Sylvia and say… \”he says he is outside, but I don\’t see him.\” So I get out of the car and Sylvia stays parked while I walk to the baggage areas thinking he was closer to there. He can\’t find me and I can\’t find him. Now that Sean has had a cigarette again, he can think clearly and decides to drop me a \’pin\’ of his exact location. So I followed my GPS to the exact spot which was hilariously 10 ft from where we stopped the car originally. HE WAS UPSTAIRS in the departures area damn near on top of where we parked. He needed a pull from a cigarette so badly that he just exited out the first set of doors that lead to the outside. Welcome to California.

My favorite thing about Sean is that he never shuts up… just keeps going. That was true from the moment we picked him up to the moment we dropped him off. We got back to my place at about 1 AM and we just started hitting the beers (smashing beers) as Marty would say. His high energy makes it so easy to have a freaking blast and not even know what time it is. We got a few hours of sleep and then got up and started our journey south to San Diego.

We made one quick pit stop to see my Pops… he loves Sean. They met on our Louisiana adventure and just took a liking to each other. Sean asked to see him and the stars aligned as my Dad was home and able to sneak away for a quick lunch visit. It is fun to see my Dad connect with the people that we get to meet as a result of Fish Village… a super bonus for all of us!

Sean would introduce himself to just about everyone that made eye contact with him… \”Hi, I am Sean… I am from Mississippi\” If a boat went by… \”HEY, I AM SEAN… I AM FROM MISSISSIPPI!\” He was our stateroom bunkmate… Jesse (always), Sean and myself. Let\’s just say that we had a no farting rule simply for the sake of survival. That rule was only observed when we were conscious… all bets were off when we were sleeping.

My favorite quotes (cover your eyes if you don\’t like foul language):

  • \”Hey Mike… can I put my finger in this fish\’s mouth?\”
  • \”MIKE… what are we going to do now?\”
  • \”I fucked up my first cast\”
  • \”I want to fuck that sea lion\”
  • \”Put this on his tab\”
  • \”Hi… I am from Mississippi. We fuck everything.\”
  • \”I am an extra-extrovert\”
  • \”MIKE… what are we going to do now?\”
  • \”Can you just do that anywhere in California?\”
  • \”I think he threw up last night..\”
  • \”Jesse… I can\’t see over here, will you open your mouth and shine those bright white teeth so I can see?\”
  • \”Can this fish kill me?\”
  • \”Everything you heard about Mississippi is true\”
  • Texts me a picture a tall beer in the airport… \”I am going to get kicked off a flight\”
  • \”Ya\’ll should come visit me in Mississippi… we\’ll BBQ a fucking zebra…we will do all the thangs!\”

Sean was the cherry on top of a kick ass kayak mothership season… we haven\’t laughed that hard in awhile. Thanks Sean for making the trip and helping create some super fun memories…. we are coming for that zebra!!!

Trip News

08.06.22 The SCI Trip Experience: Part 3 (Service Is King)

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I am sure most of you have heard the phrase… \’service is king\’. When service in ANYTHING is done right, it shows. It doesn\’t matter if you are flipping burgers, slinging peanuts at a ball game or providing top notch kayak mothership service to our guests. If service is done right… we notice!

The Islander crew is an extraordinary bunch because of their attitude and attention to detail. We think managing 2-3 kayakers is a lot of work… imagine 22 kayak anglers for 2-3 days at a time with a full kitchen.

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Kayak Loading/Unloading

This crew moves 22 kayaks at least six (6) times per trip. This is no easy task. They never complain, they just get it done.

Skiff Service

How many times have you kayaked and had skiff support? It feels good having a skiff out there to bring you food & beverages and grab your catch.

Safety

Safety is always paramount, keeping a eye on the herd (22 yaks) is a tough job, however they make it seem easy.

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Food Service

For those that have been on an Islander charter of any kind knows that they make great food. No one goes hungry, everything is fresh. Nom nom nom.

Fishing Support

After all… the Islander is a fishing vessel. They will tell you how to fish the area and what to look for. They will even help you rig up.

Fish Processing

You don\’t have to schedule a date with the fish processor or take it all home to do it yourself… the crew will process your fish per your instructions for a small fee.

They do all of this AND still keep it light and fun. The industry is notorious for high turnover, yet they keep the core team together year after year. That alone shows you that they love what they do. When the crew is happy, the customers are happy.

Oh yeah… they bring warm muffins out to you in the morning. Even if you aren\’t the \”MUFFIN MAN\”, it surely does not suck to enjoy a fresh baked muffin on your kayak 60 + miles offshore.

Stay tuned for our announcement about the 2023 San Clemente Island (SCI) trip schedule.

Trip News

07.28.22 The SCI Trip Experience: Part 2 (Fishing)

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I started a conversation about the San Clemente Island (SCI) trip experience last week that spoke about how much fun this trip is before anyone steps foot in their kayak. We have come to enjoy the entire trip process knowing that most are initially focused solely on the fishing. It is fun to see people get fired up for this trip especially the ones the keep coming back (which is about 70% of the bookings every year).

As much fun as the pre-fishing shenanigans can be… the fishing is the reason we are all here right? Without the fishing… there would be no reason to get all excited in the first place. So… let\’s dive in.

You can\’t talk about how amazing this trip is without talking about the food and service on the Islander. Their food is top notch, restaurant quality, smack your momma good! And where else can you get food delivered to your kayak 60+ miles offshore?

https://atomic-temporary-181926339.wpcomstaging.com/2022/07/21/07-21-22-the-sci-trip-experience-part-1-before-fishing/

Breakfast

Most wake up at the crack of dawn… maybe even shortly before that and start rustling to the smell of something delicious being whipped up in the galley. Chef Mike starts cooking up breakfast around 3:00 AM to have food ready by 5:30 AM, so that you can have a tummy full of food before you sit on a kayak all day. Breakfast will never be oatmeal and day old fruit… it is always something ridiculously delicious. Like eggs benedict with fresh blueberry pancakes (not made from a box) good. After food, coffee and a solid evacuation (pun intended)… you are ready for a day on the water.

Snacks/Lunch

The Islander doesn\’t believe in sack lunches or crappy snacks. Instead they insist on delicious fresh baked cookies, muffins, granola parfaits for kayak fishing snacks… I mean COME ON!

You can guarantee that kayak anglers will be hungry come lunch time. The Islander crew makes it incredibly easy to stay focused on your fishing and just wait for your lunch to come to you. We have had stuffed bell peppers, baked pasta with garlic bread, gyros and bacon, blue cheese hamburgers just to name a few.

Dinner

After 10-12 hours of fishing, anglers are pooped and just go to bed. Just kidding… not our groups.

Beers start popping at a faster pace, bourbon and wine start flowing as Chef Mike serves up what can only be an incredible meal. Jesse\’s favorite pan fried duck, pot roast, steak & asparagus, and sides that are hard to pronounce like befuddled blueberries are just a few highlights of his better than restaurant meals. Food is always one of the top comments we get from these trips.

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First Light

Have you ever woken up at the island? If the answer is no, you are missing out. Early mornings on the water at the island filled with thoughts of \”what will happen today\” are the best. You get settled in, you dial in your gear and get ready to go to battle. Some dart to the halibut sandy flats, others head to deep water to target rockfish and lingcod, while the bass hounds head tight to the island and kelp lines to target trophy calico bass. The pelagic hunters start trolling the waterways filled with baitfish, bonito and sea lions trying to find that yellowtail that will eat their bait, while others strike with a surface lure/iron when they breeze through. Either way… you are fishing and there is no better feeling. This isn\’t a fishery where you can\’t catch fish… the question is will it be a 5, 10, 20, 50, 100+ fish day depending on what you are targeting… the odds are stacked in your favor.

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Skiff Service

This trip, with 22 anglers, 60 + miles offshore wouldn\’t be possible without the Islander\’s skiff service. The key word in half of the Islander\’s success stories end with the word \”service.\” The is where the Islander excels. The skiff service starts about 2 hours after first launch. The crew prioritizes getting everyone that is ready into the water before bringing the skiff down from the top deck.

The skiff provides safety support, fish pick-ups, water/beer deliveries, snack deliveries, lunch deliveries and even the \”I forgot my paddle, would you mind grabbing that for me\”. The skiff can\’t be everywhere at once… however that doesn\’t stop them from doing an excellent job of supporting 22 anglers spread out 2-3 miles in two different directions.

A favorite quote from a new customer on our most recent 3.5 day SCI trips… \”You don\’t get to complain about your lunch when it is freshly cooked and delivered by skiff.\” That guy gets an invite from us every year now!

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More to come in the next and final installation of the SCI Trip Experience…

Trip News

07.21.22 The SCI Trip Experience: Part 1 (Before Fishing)

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Kayaks sit on the Fisherman\’s Landing dock waiting to be loaded on the Islander.

We have been lugging our kayaks out to San Clemente Island for seven (7) years now with our friends at Islander Charters. During this time we have played witness to some incredible memories being made. The feedback we get sometimes gives us the \’feels\’ knowing that the impact was meaningful to someone and that we played a part in that.

For some reason… this season felt different. I couldn\’t quite explain why, I just had this weird feeling that this year would be different. Whelp… for some weird reason that foresight was highly accurate. This season was different because of the outpouring of support for Fish Village, Islander Charters and these trips.

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Despite what people think, we don\’t get to go on every trip. What we do get to do is drive down from the Los Angeles/Orange County border to San Diego to hang out with all of our guests before every trip. It is honestly a highlight for Joe, Sylvia and I. We make a day of it, we pack some Pliny and some water for Sylvia (she keeps us safe) and we hang with our friends. Why do we do this??? Certainly not because we love driving through three counties during the work week… that is for sure. We do it because we love the engagement, we love hearing how excited you are and we love helping people feel comfortable before their journey. This is part of the SCI experience…

We know a lot of you travel distances to make this trip. The drive, the stops along the way, the tailgating, the shit talking and last second meals before rolling your gear down to the boat are all part of the experience. All I know is that we hear a lot of laughs at the docks every time we are down there. This is part of the SCI experience…

Loading the boat, stacking gear on the deck, hauling luggage down to your stateroom, all while most have sampled a few of California\’s beer offerings is another part of this trip that is memorable and creates part of the experience. Everyone is fired up… people are messing around with their gear, drinking, laughing, posting on social media, taking pics as everyone loads their kayaks and gear. There is always that one guy that has to whip out his rod in the harbor and snag a fish real quick before they head out. This is part of the SCI experience.

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Once the boat is loaded, Capt. Pete jumps on the horn and makes the announcement to push-off. The sun is starting to set, the magic hour for photography takes over and everyone steps into prep and chill mode. People start getting their gear ready for the morning… others start puffing on cigars and hitting the bourbon, while some just take in the scenic ride out of one of the sexiest harbors in all of America. The crew makes a quick stop and loads piles of live bait onboard exciting the anglers even more. During this time Capt. Pete runs everyone into the galley and walks them through the two (2) day itinerary and boat safety plan. The anticipation grows and people start getting sassy… This is part of the SCI experience.

What we saw and heard this year was that each part of the process IS part of your trip experience. The best part about this is… no one has gone fishing yet. People are having a good time, laughing, making the most of their trip experience before a single cast is made. All of you make up our SCI trip experience. The regulars, the newbies, the friends of a friend… we love and appreciate you all.

Stay tuned for more about the SCI Trip Experience tomorrow… we\’ll focus on the fishing side of things.

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Trip News

01.17.22 SCI pre-booking is over… It is go time

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The San Clemente Island kayak mothership trip pre-booking period is now over. That means that if you are a newcomer to this trip or have joined us in the past (just not recently)… then now is the time to book. We are at about 60% overall sold. So the opportunity to join our trips is high if you act quickly.

Fresh & Salty Trips

Both dates are 100% sold out. We are accepting waiting list bookings in the event that someone cancels. Please contact the Fresh & Salty trip leaders via the Facebook group page to get on the waiting list.

  • 6/2/22 – 6/5/22 (100% booked)
  • 6/9/22 – 6/12/22 (100% booked)

CCKF Trips

This trip is oddly not sold out yet. This is usually one of our most contested trips.

  • 6/12/22 – 6/15/22 (65% booked)

2.5 Day Trips

These trips are not sold out yet. We expect these dates to book out within the next 48 hours.

  • 6/23/22 – 6/26/22 (65% booked)
  • 6/30/22 – 7/3/22 (50% booked)

3.5 Day Trips

These trips are not sold out yet. We expect these dates to book out within the next 48 hours.

  • 6/26/22 – 6/30/22 (50% booked)
  • 7/6/22 – 7/10/22 (75% booked)

Ready to Book?

Head to the trip page to complete a booking form:

Trip News

01.11.22 Was someone asking about dates?

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Sorry about the delay folks… we had a bout of COVID run through our homes that brought everything to a halt. Fortunately, we are all better now and ready to get right back at it.

We mentioned in our last major post that we were changing how we are managing these kayak mothership trips to improve the customer experience, both behind the scenes and while you are out there fishing. As the demand grows for this trip, so do the administrative tasks such as booking, managing the roster, managing cancellations, payments, preparing our customers for their adventure and much more. We are prepared and in a good place to make the 2022 kayak mothership season the best season yet.

This is a reminder that we are not accepting any bookings from our website, DMs or text messages at this time. We are in the process of contacting every single guest from the 2021 season, including those that pushed their reservation to 2022. If you were on any of our 2021 SCI kayak mothership trips (including the trips that converted to tuna), you will have first right of refusal. Once we have contacted every single person, we will open up booking to the public.

Central Coast Kayak Fishing (CCKF) Trip

  • 6/12/22 – 6/15/22 (2.5 day) — Ryan Howell
  • Second trip is available if the demand is there

We have three community group trips this year. These trips are for their community… for their folks. This creates an environment where the group supports each other and helps each other be successful.

Ryan Howell has been running community group trips for Fish Village for years now and they consistently report back great fishing, fun times and incredible first time experiences. His Central Coast Kayak Fishing (CCKF) community is a solid group of kayak anglers that support each other, support Fish Village and support the overall kayak fishing community.

RETURNING GUESTS: We will contact you and give you first chance to book before we open up to the public. If the dates don\’t work out for you and you want to go on another trip, you certainly can choose to do that.

Fresh & Salty (Fns) Trips

  • 6/2/22 – 6/5/22 (2.5 day) — Cameron & Kei
  • 6/9/22 – 6/12/22 (2.5 day) — Junior & Ricky

Last year we introduced norCal\’s Fresh n Salty to our kayak mothership trip with Robert Field, host of YouTube\’s Field Trips show, and they absolutely loved it. They had the highest fish count of any trip.

The loved it so much, that we had to secure two (2) trips for their group because over 120 FnS anglers tried to book one (1) trip last year… so we had to up to ante for them. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

BOOKING PROCESS: Due to the high demand for these trips, we felt that it would be best to have FnS leaders organize the trip roster and help facilitate communications between Fish Village and the group. This means that Cameron, Kei, Junior and Ricky will be organizing the roster and Fish Village will manage the billing and payments.

This is a reminder that we are not accepting any bookings from our website, DMs or text messages at this time. We are in the process of contacting every single guest from the 2021 season including those that pushed their reservation to 2022. If you were on any of our 2021 SCI kayak mothership trips (including the trips that converted to tuna), you will have first right of refusal. Once we have contacted every single person, we will open up booking to the public.

2.5 day Kayak Mothership Trips

  • 6/23/22 – 6/26/22
  • 6/30/22 – 7/3/22

3.5 day Kayak Mothership Trips

  • 6/26/22 – 6/30/22
  • 7/6/22 – 7/10/22

Fish Village will once again be partnering up with Pure Watersports of Dana Point and Oceanside to bring southern California anglers four (4) more kayak mothership trips for the 2022 season. Last year we introduced the 3.5 day format which quickly sold out and ended up being one of the best trips of the season. Having the honor of marrying two people on a perfect sun kissed evening was one of the highlights of 2021. An incredible memory for all involved. Sooo… we had to add another 3.5 day trip.

RETURNING GUESTS: We will contact you and give you a chance to book before we open up to the public.

In closing, if you have been on our trips and want to come back… WECLOME BACK! We sure do appreciate your patronage and support over the years. If you have never been on this trip and want to join in on the fun, hold tight your shot is coming.

More SCI news coming on Thursday 1/13. We always post to our website first… so keep your eyes peeled for another update.

Trip News

01.09.22 Field Trips San Clemente Island Part 1 is LIVE

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Before Rob was a partner, he was the dude that was inspiring us on YouTube just like he does today for so many people. Every time there is a Field Trips episode staring a Fish Village trip it gets me all excited… like a kid waiting for Disneyland to open.

Last year Rob joined the inaugural Fresh n Salty + Fish Village 2.5 kayak mothership charter to knock another new species off his list, capture some amazing content and help share how much fun these trips are with the kayak fishing community.

This trip was overbooked due to incredibly high demand which means I was not able to join. Rob looked at me and said… \”You are not going?\” and then said \”Well that is good because I brought nothing and need to borrow everything…\”

Jokes aside… what impresses me is that he was grinding with his edits, flying all over the place, visiting his Mom, gets no sleep and sticks a 32 inch \’calibut\’ (thanks Nic, gonna use that more often) on the first day. This is why he has a show.

Oh… and thanks for sticking my kayak with my gaff. And one last thing… all of the west coast and Mexico forgive you about irons. Jesse and I are having a good chuckle about this one. Thanks to Field Trips… irons may finally catch on in southern California and Mexico.

Enjoy part 1 now with part 2 coming on Thursday.