Dana Wharf Sportfishing and Whale Watching

It was suppose to be squid frenzy but no squid to bring home.

Not for those with a weak stomach. I saw a lot more vomit than squid, and the small children suffered dearly with the cold and the sea sickness.

If landing could provide recommanded outfit for the trip will be helpful.

It was pouring down rain on the drive down to the dock but we brought rain gear so no problem. The folks at the counter were very helpful processing our reservation and getting our rental gear. By the time we boarded the Clemente, the rain had stopped and the clouds were thinning out. The captain and crew were very considerate and helpful, explaining what to expect and even helping my teenage daughters rig up for giant squid. On the ride out, the 4 to 5 foot swells were pitching the boat pretty vigorously. Half a dozen people or so looked pretty green! Eleven squid up to 40 lbs. were boated, then we headed in as a moderate wind was threatening to turn nasty. The exiting storm revealed a crystal clear view of the coast accented with all the lights and framed by the stars from Newport all the way down past San Clemente. It was worth the money just for the gorgeous view. Unfortunately, the whole trip was marred by someone who stole my brother-in-laws' squid fillets! I guess someone who probably didn't catch anything felt like they needed to bring something back by stealing someone else's catch. I think someone was also stealing those large squid jigs on the way back as well...maybe the same? Watch your gear closely folks!

great crew -got a little hectic when people were reeling in all those giant squid though

This was a great activity. Great Crew aboard the Reel Fun

The squid were not biting as hard as other years. I like the $25 price for the squid only boats. No screwing around with other fish. Just go get the squid and come home. I'll try again if the squid are still around.

Went on the Twilight Giant Squid Fishing Trip aboard the Dana Pride. Wide open on the giant squids. The crew did a spectacular job assisting us with getting the squids onto the boat. Very friendly, hepful and efficient. I will definitley go back on this boat!

Twilight Squid Fishing was a bit crowded but the crew did their best to service everyone.

I suffered food poisoning effects early Tuesday morning, Happily, my friend was OK. We both boarded the boat, but I spent all of the trip belowdecks. She thoroughly enjoyed the voyage, under the circumstances and I was impressed with the concern of the crew and the facilities which were available and needed. We had planned to take two trips, the 10 to 12 and the 12 to 2. However, I couldn't make the second trip. I was pleased to be granted a gift certificate which I will definitely use in the near future.

Went 2-1-10 after hearing about it on FNN and the news Monday morning. You gotta go. Its the best $25 ive spent in a long time. Boat was full with 55 anxious anglers. Went out maybe a mile or 2. There were about 6-10 other boats all in the same area we went to. Captain said we are metering lots of squid, time to fish! Dropped my squid jig down, down, and down some more. "Where are they I thought?" as everyone lowered and lowered their jigs deeper and deeper into the water. Then about 2 minutes in, BAM! Then another one, and another. In less than 5 mins everyone on the boat was battling one of these monsters! Gaff! Gaff! Gaff! thats all I heard. As soon as they started biting they moved up to the surface. Right when you would drop the jig in the water, BAM! another one. Squid on! After about an hour of fishing and 3 Giant Squid later the captain announced, "Please dont drop anymore lines in the water". He was sure to ask if everyone caught what they wanted and that everyone caught atleast one squid. The captain explained that with so many anglers on board and so many squid being caught if we had fished any longer we would not get back to dock until after midnight. They have to clean all the squid before returning to the dock. It did end up taking longer for the crew to clean all the squid then it did to catch them. That though was a show all in its own. The unofficial count was around 375 for the boat. Im sure I coulda caught more but I was also helping my 9 year old daughter and my wife. All together we caught 7. Anyone who is even considering going has got to go while it last. The crew and captain were really nice and helpful as were the people in the shop. Hope I can go again later this week if theyre still biting.......... TaperSteve

The day was beautiful and we saw a few dolphins but no whales. Liked the boat (much quieter than expected). The test of a good company is not when everything goes as hoped and/or planned. We chose this company because of their policy that if no whales are seen, you get a "whale check" (free trip in the future during whales season). There is no expiration date. You just have to have the ticket. The policy was honored. We may or may not be able to go again since we're from out of town but we're impressed with the handling of it. We did not have to ask. It was told over the loud speakers before we docked. Pleasant crew just an uneventful trip. Only suggestion is that there be disclosure that the "online purchase discount of $2 per person" is offset by the service charge of $2 per person (resulting in no discount at all). This is interpreted as a "smoke and mirrors" trick out of character for the company and not appreciated.

We went on the noon departure on 1/29/10. It was like glass and we could see for miles. If there was a whale within 20 miles, we would have seen it. We did see seals, dolphins, sea lions, and some guy reel in a nice size halibit (not from our boat). The captain was kind enough to give us out tickets back. The boat was clean, the day was bright, and the scenery breathtaking. Looking forward to using the returned ticket.

I always have a good time on the trips. I have brought home dinner from each of my trips. I will keep coming back.

We didn't catch much, but that's not something the crew can control obviously. Most of the deckhands were great in helping us untangle lines and unhook the fish, but one crew member almost ruined our trip. The cook, of all people, gave us sh*# because we didn't order our food together. Are we suppose to all get hungry at the same time? The cook complained that we were ordering separately and that he didn't want to keep having to go down to turn on the grill. He even yelled out sarcastic remarks so the entire boat can hear. Aside from the annoying cook, the experience was good. If I decide to come back to Dana Wharf, I may think twice about coming on board hungry.