Let's start with the Fish Report

38 Halibut, 156 Spotted Bay Bass, 70 Sand Bass, 3 Calico Bass, 30 Large Mouth Bass, 8 Rainbow Trout, 33 Sculpin & Rock Fish, 2 Bonefish, 14 Leopard & Sand Shark, 38 Ray & Angel Shark, 222 Exotics (lizardfish, croaker, jacksmelt, queenfish, mackerel, etc...)

614 total fish caught in the first quarter of 2011 from 22 trips. All but 5 fish were released.

Men Aboard: 36    Women Aboard: 7   Children Aboard: 6  Total = 49 Anglers

Total Q1 Trips: 22   Catch Ratio:  avg. 28 Fish per Trip, 13 Fish per Angler

Now on to the Events

With only 22 of the 90 days in the first quarter booked for guide trips, you would think that we had a lot of free time on our hands. Far from it. In that time, we had to take care of maintenance on the boats, the truck, rods and reels, and around the Nelson family home. There was also lots of pre-fishing, and learning new techniques for the upcoming season. Actually, from October on, we have been happy to work out ways to fish this great new lure that Western Plastics released - The Dancin' Squid. You've got to check this out. Click on the picture below to find out more.

Another thing keeping us busy was our new DVD series, 'San Diego Bay Fishing Tactics with Capt James Nelson'. Along with San Diego Bass Council president Kelly Salmans, James spent most of November filming segments for this detailed DVD series, and most of Q1 editing it. Volume 1, Disc 1 was released just in time for the Fred Hall Fishing Tackle and Boating Show in Long Beach, California. While there, Capt James Nelson gave free seminars, and had DVD copies for less than what they retail in the stores. The DVD is an instructional guide with very little on-the-water 'watch me catch fish' style of voyeurism made popular on so many fishing shows. The no frills  DVD touches on riggings, reading tide charts and current reports, and two of the most useful techniques to get you catching fish; lead heads, and drop shot. We followed it up, two weeks later, by also doing free seminars at the Fred Hall show in Del Mar, CA. You can now purchase the DVD at Anglers Arsenal (La Mesa, CA), Barnacle Bill's (Lemon Grove), or Angler's Choice (San Diego). Check out this intro video:

Blogs and Such 

In the past, we have wrestled with starting our own forum, and tried it out to find it is much more of a hands-on project than we had enough hands for. In the meantime, we have found that the best fishing forum for San Diego is SDFish.com. Capt James Nelson has been writing a blog there for sometime, and in Q1 has written some very interesting pieces. He also has written articles, and can be found within the forum at times sharing, and bantering, doing all the things fishermen do when they aren't fishing. Capt James Nelson was also one of the first to advertise his guiding services there, and is the longest lasting one to still contribute to the site. SDFish really is a great place, but don't trust our words for it, check it out for yourself. Just click on their logo to the left. 

Magazine Articles

In 2010, Capt James Nelson found himself writing for Bass Angler Magazine (BAM). Having fished bass tournaments, but now focusing largely on guide trips, and saltwater fishing, James offers a different outlook to BAM than most 'freshwater bass only' anglers do. Past articles include What To Expect From A Guide Trip; The Other Bass, Three Best Techniques For Kids 10 & Under, Change With The Changes, Listening To The Fish, The Down Low on Down Scooting, and many others. In addition to James Nelson's articles, BAM offers many useful tips on bass fishing, boating, and just being on the water in general. Plus, they have a great guide, and calendar, for tournaments, and other fishing events. It is an excellent magazine for the beginner, and the seasoned angler alike. Click on the Banner to the Right to check out Bass Angler Magazine for yourself.

Great Year So Far 

Well, we'd like to thank you for reading our Q1 2011 Report. It has been as about as much fun writing it as it was living it. We have a lot in store for the rest of the year, including The Warrior Foundation Tournament on San Diego Bay. If you missed it last year, click the Picture to the left for the details on this fantastic event. The San Diego Chapter of FOCAS, along with the Rick Robert's Warrior Foundation, has set the date for the next event  as October 29th 2011. We hope you can participate.

Thank You

On behalf of all of us at The Fish Icon, and San Diego Fishing Guides, May God's Blessings be with you always.

Some Other Cool Links:

http://sdfish.com/san-diego-bay-fishing-reports/758-bonefish-biting-in-big-bay-for-captain-james-nelson

http://www.sdfish.com/articles/tackle-gear-a-equipment/602-tippet-management-made-easy

http://www.prlog.org/11330597-still-the-best-sportfishing-value-in-san-diego.html