The Long Run Sportfishing

Let me just start this off by saying Nate is the man
He was extremely accommodating and flexible to anything we wanted to do. He asked us what sort of fishing we wanted to do, if we wanted to fill the boat or go after some monster tuna, and we choose to do a little of both.
We had an absolute blast. You would have thought we had all been buddies for years. It was a great experience and we will without a doubt be back for another trip and might even come when it’s a little warmer to do some spearfishing. As Nate let us know that during the proper season we could get out there on the kelp and snag some really cool catches.
Nate has been in around the business for about 25 years now and is just a no nonsense sort of guy, what you see is what you’ll get, and as long as you’re clear with him about what you’re looking to do he will make it happen.

As far as «shady business» goes, these guys really know how its done.
I will start by saying that my boyfriend is an avid spearfishermen, and for a Christmas present, I thought it would be cool to get a charter boat to take us offshore to explore.
Now, I know that this company typically does traditional angling, but I messaged Nathaniel separately regarding my specific desire to spearfish. In our email correspondence, he said that it would be absolutely no problem, and that people often do this on his trips. Moreover, I asked him if it would be safe and comfortable to do so this time of year (I don’t know much about open-​water diving) and at the location we would be going to, and he said it would indeed, and that the fishing was amazing.
When my boyfriend and I showed up in the morning of the trip, we met a man at the dock who was NOT Nathan, and had ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA that we would be spearfishing. He informed us that NO ONE in his past 9 months of working there has ever gotten in the water off the boat. Not only this, but the captain said that it would be incredibly unsafe to do so because of the large current. He also told us how awful the fishing conditions would be – off to a great start!
Both employees running the ship were generally kind, but they did not explain anything about the location we were going to. When I caught the one and only fish from the whole trip, they took it away so fast that I couldn’t even get a picture with it :(
We made the best of it, and I did catch one fish, but I wouldn’t recommend this company to ANYONE due to the fact that they are not upfront with their customers and run a rather mismanaged and disorganized business.
Anyways, my boyfriend’s Christmas present was ruined. If they did not allow spearfishing, I would have rather Nathan just tell me this, and I would have just tried a different company, or waited until the summer. All I ask for is that he be honest with me about what the trips entail and what to expect. I do not appreciate being straight LIED to. Moreover, Nathan barely bothered

Fantastic trip. First time fishing. From reserving the trip, fishing, crew, atmosphere to bringing tasty fish home, this was an excellent experience. Def recommend!

This is a fun boat to fish on, especially if you don’t want to fish with 40 other people. The deck hand will show you how to use the gear and help you out if you have problems. You can bring your own beer and food as well which you can’t do on other boats. I’ll be back

Late in showing up but learned there was a mix up with whom scheduled the trip
Once out on the water you all made up for any lost hours from scheduling conflict. The review I wrote that morning was out of frustration so thank you for making it up to our group

Rick and Scott went out of their way to make this a great experience for us. My family and I have been talking about doing ocean sport fishing since we were young and I feel like we picked the right crew for it when we finally decided to do it.
We caught a lot of fish even though it was the off season, they knew the spots to go & how to get them. Although they can’t magically make the fish jump on board… I think the years of experience they had really showed. I highly recommend them.
The boat seemed older, not the high tech commercial fishing vessel that I expected… But it did have a certain charm to it. We were on deck most the time anyway. We were also able to go some places those boats can’t go. You will have to ask Rick & Scott about that, but it sure was something!
Mahalo for the day Rick & Scott.
PS say hi to our seal buddy if you see him out there and tell him he owes me three fish! ;)

Super honest! We go to San Diego about once a year. Recently, I wanted to take the family on a fishing trip, so I called the Long Run folks. The weather turned bad the day of our planned fishing trip (also our last day in town for this visit). Nathan gave me a full refund without my asking for it. I’m out of state, so he could have kept all or part of the money. I will definitely try them on our next trip to CA.

Had a less than favorable experience fishing with my family, due in large part to a deckhand that no longer works with the company.

This was my first private charter and I didn’t really know what to expect. I have read reviews about salty captains and crew members on other six packs so I was a little hesitant about booking this 12 hour trip. The captain, Brendan, and crew members John and Carson made me feel like we were old pals:) Crew was very knowledgeable and extremely helpful. Owner Nathan also provided all of the information I requested via MULTIPLE emails and texts:) He is very accommodating and I will definitely fish on this boat again. Everybody went home with fillets, whether they hooked up or not. They supply all of the gear, AND bait, AND tackle — and let me tell you, you will not be disappointed by the array of rods, reels and jigs. The boat itself is very comfy. I took a few power naps and was able to store my food and beverages in their fridge. I can’t wait to go again.

Hey Nathan, This is Sal, my wife and I had a great time fishing today. Rick and the crew were top notch and treated us like family. Truly a memorable experience and we can’t wait to do it again. Thank you very much!

Showed up at 5:45am for a 6 hour trip that was supposed to last from 6 – 12. Boat didn’t leave the dock until 8:15am due to confusion in scheduling with the captain and a maintenance issue with the engine. I don’t know anything about boats, but hearing the mechanic joke about having fixed the engine with a plastic water bottle isn’t what you want to hear when you’re running over 2 hours late.
Scheduling the trip with Nathan didn’t inspire much confidence either. Clicking on the link to schedule a trip/​check out the calendar on the website takes you to the wrong place. I scheduled my trip two weeks in advanced by phone and even got the confirmation email, but I kept getting calls from him and the captain a few days later trying to get me on the trip the upcoming weekend. It seemed like he had confused me for someone else after my scheduling.
Once we picked up the bait and got out to the kelp bed, everything went much better. The captain and the lone crew member worked hard to get us fish, and considering this was my first fishing trip, they were very helpful. I appreciated being in a smaller boat than the charter boats I saw with large crowds of fisherman (there were only 8 of us total on the boat). Out of the whole trip though, we only caught two fish, one from trolling and one from using bait (a yellow tail). We did catch a few more from trolling, but the crew guy threw them out immediately as they were too small according to him.
Even though I went home empty handed, I enjoyed the experience once we were out in the water. This easily could have been a higher rated review, but the fact that we were over 2 hours late was ridiculous, even if we were out there for the 6 hours as originally planned.

I was there to attend a bachelor party. Pretty fun experience. It was the first time I went on a semi-​private trip and first time deep sea fishing in San Diego. Only 6 paying customers with 4 people working the ship.1 was the ship captain. 1 guy lived or slept on the ship –was the ship’s engineer. 1 was in training and spent most of the time with the captain. And 1 was the ship’s captain.
Not bad. The best part about this trip is the free space you have to fish. As we were trolling the kelp beds, I saw a boat that was shoulder to shoulder packed with anglers. I had never seen so many lines cast into the water. I imagined tangled lines and it was a experience I was glad to avoid. I suppose on the lighter side, casting so much bait in the water can improve the probability of landing a catch as it can attract a lot of fish.
I did not know that the boat was primarily designed as a pleasure craft. This made the boat extremely narrow along the edges. The other thing that got to me was the fact that the rails are really low. Because of the low number of people on board, I felt it might be appropriate to chum the water a bit –in order to attract fish –this wasn’t done. My immediate thought was that Long Run is simply trying to save money by keeping baitfish in the reservoir.
Everybody that worked on the ship was casual and professional. Most of the people on the trip were newbies and the deckhand taught them techniques of catching fish.
Although everyone was professional, I wouldn’t go on this particular charter again due to personal preference. The ship seemed pretty old. The restroom –even though fully operational, had the worst smell. As stated earlier, the fact that this boat is designed a pleasurecraft with low rails, in my opinion, seems a bit too sketchy.
If you have never fished before and are a true newbie. This might be the perfect trip for you. I say this because newbies have little to no expectations to what a semi-​private fishing charter. It is very possible to have a great experience (as mentioned in previous comments)

Wow! What an amazing experience. Blake and Rick are experienced and hella cool. Only 8 people on the boat total. Better chances to catch more fish. I mean whatever we needed it was taken care of. I can’t wait to book another trip with them when the weather gets better. Thanks guys!

I appreciate the owner, Nathan’s attitude towards providing an unforgettable offshore trip.

Outstanding time. The crew was great and very helpful. Even during the offseason we caught our share.

Awesome captain & crew, great experience! We caught our yellow fin tuna limit by 11:30am. Had a great time and can’t wait to go back!

I felt fortunate to get this boat a couple months in advance of our August week-​long vacation. Everything online checked out, and the price was very reasonable. I have been fishing for over 40 years, have rented dozens of boats in a variety of sizes and locations, and I have been on long-​range trips of up to seven days. I know my shit.
I would not rent this boat again at any price. Here’s why.
First, this ISN’T a fishing boat. It was designed as a pleasurecraft, it is totally unsuitable for fishing. It has no room on the sides for walking or fighting the fish, the rails are extremely low which makes one prone to fall overboard, and there is no real platform on the back for fishing the Stern, the prime spot on any fishing boat. Because of its design, it doesn’t ride well in rough seas. If you’re prone to get seasick, this ain’t your boat.
Second, the bait well is an add-​on, and eats up much of the space that is available on the back platform. It’s in the way. What’s more, because it’s an add-​on there are no hand wells for grabbing your own bait. All bait must be scooped with the net, which, any experienced fishermen knows, reduces the overall life of the bait. Okay for very short trips, but six hours or more and the bait gets distressed. I did TWO 12 hour trips that week, and by the end of the day the bait was bloody, and lacked life. Tuna don’t like that. Neither do fisherman.
Third, because the side pathway is so narrow, one is prone to fall into the cabin if not perfectly balanced and not paying strict attention. One of my guests did exactly that. Fell suddenly and awkwardly into the cabin on his back. Ouch! Another fell on the bow because it too isnt fishing friendly.
Fourth, the crew was very pleasant and helpful, but they don’t know much about fishing. The two deckhands were very inexperienced. Gaffing skills were poor. When you have a big fish near the boat, you want the gaffe cleanly in the head. Forget about it on the Long Run. You might think I’m being a little picky here. But when the fish are few and far between, and you finally get a quality tuna to the boat, you don’t want it lost due to poor gaffing skills. The crew made several swings and misses on the same fish. That ain’t cool.
The captain on both trips, Rick, was both a very nice guy and an experienced pilot. He knew how to find fish if they were there. We had few fish on the first trip, and a very good day on the second. I never blame lack of fish on the crew. That’s just fishing.
But WORST of all, on my second full day, the boat wasn’t ready at 6 AM, the engine wouldn’t start for 20 minutes, and it wasn’t fueled up. We lost two hours screwing around with fuel and bait before we headed out to sea. When I later talked to Nathan on the phone about this problem, he made several lame excuses like it wasn’t his fault. In this case the frkn customer is right. Get a clue Nathan!
Next time I’ll fish from a panga or a sailboat before The Long Run.

My friends and I had a great first time fishing experience with Woody and Rick. This is going to be a long review because there are a few reviews that I personally believe are biased.
Since we never fished before, I put in quite a lot of effort to find the right cater fishing for my boyfriend’s birthday. At first, I was worried because of the few bad reviews, then I checked on the reviewers’ Unilocal backgrounds and realized that they are not really active Unilocalers, so I decided to contact Nathan. Long Run provides the best deal out of all the other companies that I found. It provides all the fishing equipments and baits that we need, where other companies don’t. Only thing you need to purchase is the California fishing license. Long Run also allows us to bring any food and beverages on board; others require you to buy beers on the boats.
We had the whole boat ourselves and the boat is really enjoyable. With 8 people in total (including Woody and Rick), the boat is spacious enough for us to do anything we want. The boat even has a bed for you to rest if you’re tired! One of the reviews mentions that the toilet is smelly; it only smelled a little bit for us, which I think is acceptable because we are on a fishing boat. Overall, it’s a clean boat.
With the boat ourselves, we are able to have a flexible schedule. Woody the captain asked if we have been to the ocean at all, and none of us did. He suggested to give us a short tour to the ocean, so we did, and we oversaw the beautiful San Diego Bay and Colorado Island (we could tell people that we’ve been to the international water now!). After that, we went fishing at the San Diego Bay.
We were worried that we won’t be able to catch any fish since we have no fishing experience. But Woody and Rick are great instructors! They showed us how to fish and kept an eye on each one of us at all time, so that they could alarm us when there are fish. At the end of the day, each one of us caught at least 5 fish (even I caught 7 fish! Although we could only keep one bass and one SHARK!). It was not a lot, but no one could do anything if the fish don’t want to eat the baits. Woody and Rick drove the boat to different spots if none of us caught anything for a while, and with their experience, we are able to catch something as soon as we change spots. Did I mention that we caught a shark?! Woody and Rick are experienced enough to help my friend to get the shark! We had the fishing trip from 1 – 7 pm (½ day); if we went in the morning, we could possibly catch even more, but we are satisfied with what we have!
After we got back to the dock, Woody fillet the sea bass and shark for us. We had a great dinner last night! Steamed sea bass and fried shark fillets are DELICIOUS!
I hope this review helps to persuade you if you happened to read the bad reviews because we had such a great experience with Long Run and wish that other beginners can enjoy their first times like we did! Give it a try and you will fall in love with fishing!

What a great trip. Went out on the Long Run this past weekend. I called about a week in advance to book and Nathan was very accommodating getting us booked on a Saturday 6 hour charter.
We went out in the bay on another picture perfect San Diego afternoon. One of the best parts of this boat is that they only take out 6 people (plus crew) at a time so it felt like our own boat. After moving around to a few different spots (remember, its called fishing and not catching for a reason), we finally hit on a perfect spot. Reeling in Halibut, spotted bass and lizard fish. Everyone was having a great time and we ended up keeping 3 legal halibut (about 10 – 15 pounds of fish after being filleted).
Just wanted to give a big thank you to Woody for being a great teacher. Having fished other types of fish, it took some time to get used to fishing halibut and after a while, I really got the hang of it and reeled in a few. Plus, he’s great fun and always good for a laugh.
Thanks to the Long Run for a memorable trip. I will definitely be calling you again to book more trips.
Side Note: A couple of bad reviews can ruin a Unilocal reputation. Those reviews were a long time ago and I had nothing but a good experience. Give these guys a chance. We had a blast, and you will too.

My girlfriend and I did the 6 hour charter with Woody and Cleveland. They were an awesome crew and we had a blast! Def recommend!