By Paul Lebowitz

“We’re going to have some fun today!” says Jason Diamond as he steers his tidy 65-ft Stardust out of Santa Barbara Harbor on a recent fall morning.  He points the bow at gap between Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa Islands, where, despite the sizable marine reserves established five years back, the fishing is still great.

“We have lots to fish for,” says Diamond, counting off the species: rockfish, lingcod, halibut, white seabass, calico bass, and on and on.

Diamond normally makes the 3/4-day run to the Channel Islands on Fridays and Sundays, departing at 7 am nearly year-round. The rest of the week he fishes local Santa Barbara waters on a 9 to 3 half-day schedule. His tight, longtime crew of Casey Vaccarezza and Sal Silva – “I’ve known them since they were kids,” Diamond confides – is especially enthusiastic about the coastal calico fishing.

“We fish the shallows and weeds” says Silva, who further adds that a squid strip laced onto a jig can be especially productive in the colder months, a time that’s not far off.

But on this fine, sunny day, the Stardust is after the CI’s bountiful and reliable rockfish. That suits the anglers on board just fine, among them a group of sportfishing scribes in town for an Outdoor Writers Association of California conference. Rather than focus on work while others fish (ok, any job based around fishing and boats can’t be too tough), this time it’s all about hook-ups.

Diamond slides in on one of his ridiculously long catalog of structure spots in the deeper water outside the Carrington Point reserve, compiled over some twenty years. Soon we’re roping a colorful assortment of tasty bottom dwellers.

I’m content to pluck ‘em two at a time on live anchovies and squid strips dangled on braid. The line’s so sensitive its’ like choosing dinner from the tank at a seafood place. “I’ll take that one right there!” Up on the bow, Ron Ballanti grinds away with the iron, sticking some choice vermilions. Bass specialist Carol Martens hooks one suspended black ‘bass’ after the other. But none of us manages to outdo David Morgan, visiting with wife Kathie from up north. He lands a chunk to claim the jackpot.

And just like that, the Stardust is limited out. Diamond steers a course back to the barn. Ballanti just can’t get enough. “I think I’ll come back tomorrow,” says the writer who’s covered nearly every form of saltwater fishing, including long-range trips on the finest boats. Diamond nods happily. He’s proved his point: “This boat is all about having fun.” 

SANTA BARBARA-BASED STARDUST LOADS UP – Fall finds the 65-ft sportfisher at the Channel Islands twice a week, where rockfish limits are typical. A recent trip to the gap between Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa yielded this jackpot winner for David Morgan.