(Photo Album)...(Check the Ranger 85's Schedule)

The Ranger 85 is one of the best fishing platforms I have ever had the pleasure to ride on. At 85 feet long, there is plenty of room to fish. The boat was re-powered; by state of the art Detroit Series 60 computerized diesels, just last year. The ranger also boasts new electronics, and refrigerated fish holds for the best care of your catch.

This past weekend was my first experience on the Ranger 85. And what a great experience it was.

I arrived at the dock Friday evening about 9:30, thinking I’d get there a little early to snag a great spot on the stern. Of course I was the last one to arrive, and the stern spots were all taken, but I was content just to be goin fishing again.

The 85 foot boat left from CISCO’s at just a little after 10:00, and we made the standard stop to get bait. I could already tell the deckhands were all business as they filled the bait tanks up with fresh Sardindes. Watching Victor and Alex rotate around eachother, just barely managing to not hit eachother with the bait nets, was like watching a well choreographed square dance. The two do-si-doed until the bait tanks were full.

Those who didn’t go to sleep stayed up to fish for squid. We didn’t have much luck on the squid, which meant the White Sea Bass fishing would probably not be great. The pre-dawn hours were beautiful and made me happy to be on a boat again, but we did not produce a single croaker. The Captain decided to head to the rock fishing grounds off of Santa Rosa Island.

Although the winds had kicked up substantially, Captain Frank did a great job of keeping the boat positioned over some great rock fishing spots. The fish were biting like crazy, and everyone was bringing up some healthy looking Red Snapper, Chuckleheads, and other species of rock fish. A lot of short Lingcods were also caught and released. By noon the boat had almost limits of rock fish.

About 1:00, the Captain decided to change it up by drifting for Halibut. After about ten minutes of drifting, an accomplished angler by the name of Amy hooked up on a 21 pounder. We didn’t have too much luck on the flat fish, but just as we were getting ready to leave for the day, another angler, Jason, hooked up the fish that won the money, an 18 pound White Sea Bass.

The trip was everything I could have hoped for, and I know I’ll be on this boat again this summer when the Captain moves to his summer home out of H&M in San Diego. The crew, Alex, Victor and Randy knew their stuff, and every tangle they encountered was quickly corrected. Todd kept the galley going, and the cheeseburgers are highly recommended.

Check out Captain Frank's website for reservations, and let him know that you read about his boat on my site. After the Ranger heads down to San Diego in mid-June, you can call for reservations out of H&M at:

(619)-997-9993 (Get directions to H&M)

Also, be sure to check out the fishing album for all my latest picts.

If you have any questions about the boat, or just want to post a comment just click here, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

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