Day at the Docks Kicks off Sportfishing Season

Thursday, 14 April 2011
Contact: Barbara Moreno (619) 686-6216

The West Coast’s largest public celebration of sportfishing is coming to San Diego Bay.

On Sunday, April 17, fishing enthusiasts, novices and the public are all invited to the San Diego Sportfishing Landings in Point Loma for the Port of San Diego’s Day at the Docks. The festival runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and admission is free.

• Parking and Shuttle Information

The 32nd annual event commemorates the start of Southern California’s spring saltwater fishing season.

“The captains and their boats are readying themselves for the Day at the Docks,” said Catherine Miller, event producer. “The fleet is ready to showcase our industry.”

Sportfishing captains will be showcasing their vessels, in an “open house” format. They will also share details about their seasonal trips. Other participants will offer introductory boat rides on the bay.

The event includes plenty to see for all ages and levels of experience, including:

• How-to seminars and secrets on fishing techniques by expert fisherman
• Action-packed videos of local and long range adventures
• Casting contests for anglers to test their talents
• Displays by marine artists and fishing tackle experts
• Raffles

There will also be kids fishing from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with expert coaching assistance by members of the San Diego Rod & Reel Club and the San Diego Anglers.

Catch, Prep & Cook demos on how to properly handle, store and prepare fresh catches will also be offered. And for $2, the whole family can enjoy San Diego Bay through boat rides from all three sportfishing landings in America's Cup Harbor: H&M Landing, Pt. Loma Sportfishing and Fisherman's Landing.

Sportfishing, as a whole, is a very important industry to the region and the state of California.

“The National Marine Fishery Service did a survey within the last couple of years statewide,” explained Buzz Brizendine, captain and owner of the sportfishing vessel, The Prowler. “This took in everything: plane flights, restaurants, hotels, fish processing fuel – anything that you could imagine that was related to sportfishing, as far as bringing in income to California. It was $2.2 billion annually. Now that is statewide. With San Diego having the largest fleet, they’re definitely going to get the largest share of that. So it’s very important to San Diego.”

For more information on the upcoming event, visit Sportfishing.org.