Marina Del Rey Sportfishing — Attraction in Marina del Rey

Call me Ishmael. Some years ago--never mind how long precisely --having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world. It is a way I have of driving off the spleen, and regulating the circulation. Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off--then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can. This is about the time when I caught wind of the establishment Marina Del Rey Sportfishing, immediately I was intrigued by the one of a kind culture belonging to the crew members and watercraft I knew I had to take part in the next expedition.when I first arrived at dock 52 I was greeted by a Spanish speaking fisherman who was sporting a shirt that said cmon man, I knew then this trip was going to be interesting. At first glance the so called "sea worthy" vessel, The New Del Mar, did not look like it could couldn't stay afloat with the some 70 "people" attending this memory making outing, I'll tell you what I got quite the memories out of it, spoiler it couldn't hold 70 people. Upon arriving at the fishing grounds the captain garbled out over the loud speaker michad oopa senious, that either meant lines in or Michelle your hotdog is ready, when I dropped my line in and received a death threat from buoy boy, I then came to the realization that Michelle's hotdogs were indeed prepared for consumption. After the sick had emptied themselves of the sea sickness waste, one of which being me, the fishing began. After becoming entangled and ensnared amongst the lines of the other anglers I managed to pull in two poisonous sculpin fish. As I tried to unhook the fish I was berated by the crew members because it it seemed as unacceptable and dangerous to put the fish down your pants because your gunny sack has a hand in it and you don't want to ruin your dinner fish, I was told I would receive a sting and my trouser snake would swell and fall of and be used as bait. After hours of this "sportfishing" much of which contained no fishing, I had enough and got my yak out from the galley and made a break for land whic was a short 25 miles east, yes I mean the animal not the small canoe like boat. After 2 or so yards my yak was drowning and showed no hope of making it so I fed it to the Goliath grouper that look quite hungry. I was now officially stranded, the people aboard ignored my vulgarities and demonic like screams and cries for help, instead they continued on catching fish and drinking beer. In a panicked rage I threw my water and food at the anglers aboard the ship, then I was parched so I drank some of the plentiful sea water and ate some bait floating in the water. As I drifted further from the boat I heard mihoy minoy schooopopi hugfas, I knew then that Michelle's burritos were ready, but again I was fooled and the boat sped off towards land and left me there. It has now been 43 minutes since they left me. All in all this was the by far the worst whale watching your I have ever been on. I give it 5 stars thanks for the endless memories and new friends Marina Del Rey Sportfishing. P.s. My phone is at 12% please send help I have to tell my family that my fish I worked hard for have been stolen so they must go to the market and purchase something to eat....

Having fished all last summer on the fleet boats out of Ventura and Oxnard, my friend and I decided to switch things up and head down South which is where we were introduced to the "Spitfire" and it's fantastic crew consisting of Captain Jeremy along with his skillful deckhands; Noah, and Fabian. Upon arriving at the dock we met up with several of the fishermen who were all in good spirits and ready for the day's journey. There were about 14 fishermen on this day, some locals as well as out of towners from San Francisco, Kentucky, Alaska, and Jason from Memphis by way of China, who we genially dubbed "Soul-Man" due to the 2 beautiful halibut he reeled in. It was also our good fortune to meet a "Spitfire" regular, "Mr. Jackson" the self proclaimed "Man, Myth, and Legend" as stated on his shirt. A very kind and generous gentleman who thoughtfully shared some his smaller hooks for the Anchovy bait we were using. Captain Jeremy did a fantastic job of setting us down over schools of Rock Cod and Sculpin each and every time we stopped, always positioning the boat accordingly to avoid tangles with one-another due to drift. Not everything went according to plan as the the anchor's wench froze up on us about 3/4 way through the trip. This only served to provide added comradery between the crew and several passengers as we manually hauled up about 300 feet of rope, chain, and anchor 5 to 10 feet at a time with a mighty "Heave and a Ho" each time the bow dipped against the waves, like "sailors of old". After 15 minutes of a hard fought battle we landed the anchor and were off to our last stop, where we hit the Mother Lode. It was one strike after another as soon as the bait reached the bottom. We must have been on this location for a good 45 minutes with no slowdown in action, only abandoning our spot as we had to head back to port. This was a 6 star adventure, and by far was the best local trip I have taken in quite some time. I would highly recommend the "Spitfire" to regulars as well as novices who are looking for a great first experience. Should you book this boat, at some point make it a point to ask Fabian to share some of the "Spitfire's"...

I’ve booked a few fishing charters in the past—sometimes private, but often shared with a group of people I don’t know. I do it because, truthfully, I think I enjoy watching the joy on others’ faces when they catch a fish more than I do harvesting one myself. That’s what fishing does—it’s special. It brings people together, from all walks of life, in the most simple and beautiful way.

The crew at Spitfire curated this experience from start to finish. The moment you board the boat, you’re welcomed like family. Freshly brewed coffee warms your hands, and the scent of bacon drifts up from the galley below. One crew member—never without an enthusiastic smile—is whipping up breakfast burritos that make the early morning call more than worth it. As the boat heads out, there’s a stop at a floating bait station—an unexpectedly cool touch. With bait wells quickly filled, we set off to the first fishing spot. Dolphins trail the vessel, birds trace arcs through the sky, and a quiet excitement begins to build.

We anchor, and after a quick, friendly rundown on how to target the fish, lines are dropped—and the action begins. Fish after fish after fish! The bite doesn’t slow, and that’s when the crew’s real magic starts. They move around the boat like poetry in motion—helping land fish, re-baiting lines, correcting techniques, always with a smile and genuine passion. More than once, I found myself standing still, looking around at the joy and energy on deck—and remembering exactly why I love fishing.

It’s not just about the catch—it’s about the connection, the moments shared, and the memories made at sea....