Make-A-Wish Tuna Challenge Seminar Set Aug. 9

Byline: The Log Staff

Make-A-Wish Tuna Challenge Seminar Set Aug. 9

SAN DIEGO — Make-A-Wish Tuna Challenge Tournament will host its 11th annual Fishing Seminar from 7-9 p.m. Aug. 9 at West Marine’s Shelter Island flagship store, at 1250 Rosecrans St. The seminar is free and open to the public.

Attendees will get a rare opportunity to get useful tips from Southern California sportfishing experts — and find out about the latest techniques and equipment available for catching tuna aboard small or large private boats. Tournament registration begins at 5 p.m., with a casual dinner available from 5 to 7 p.m. from Devilicious Food Truck, for a nominal fee.

Seminar participants can also take advantage of the opportunity to look for extra crewmembers, or to find a boat to participate on in the tournament.

Special guests include Bob Hoose, expert tuna fisherman and Western field marketing manager for Pure Fishing; Ron Maggi, electronics manager at West Marine, Shelter Island; and representatives from Fishdope.com, who will share information on how to find fish.

Bob Hoose has been part of the Southern California deep-sea fishing scene for the better part of three decades. He grew up in Orange County, and early in his fishing days worked for Newport Bait Co. He then worked as a deckhand on various local charter boats, eventually making his way to Cabo San Lucas as a deckhand and fine-tuning his craft. Upon returning to Orange County, he became manager of the tackle department at Bisbee’s Sportfishing.

Hoose then transitioned to a West Coast marketing and sales position at Sevenstrand, a well-known California-based fishing lure manufacturer. Sevenstrand was acquired by Pure Fishing — a large global family of fishing tackle brands including Berkley, Fenwick, Abu Garcia, Spiderwire, Stren and Shakespeare — and Hoose became Pure Fishing’s Western field marketing manager.

Hoose’s years of experience, both on the water fishing and in marketing and sales of leading fishing products, make him a treasure trove of fishing information. He periodically shares his expertise in print, as author of many how-to articles in a variety of publications.

Ron Maggi is the electronics manager and resident marine electronics guru at the San Diego flagship West Marine store. His job is to know and understand the vast array of marine electronics, to better assist his customers in maximizing their ability to catch fish, as well as optimizing their safety.

Because of his expertise in the field, he is often used as a support resource by electronics installers. Maggi will share his knowledge and insight on how anglers can optimize electronic depth sounders and fish finders to successfully find fish.

Fishdope.com offers “need-to-know info” that helps anglers find fish. With ever-increasing fuel prices, knowing where the “hot bite” is can pay off big dividends in savings. But knowing where the fish are is only half the battle. Once anglers find fish, knowing when, how and what the fish are biting can make the difference between a hugely successful trip (not to mention a tasty dinner and possible tournament win) and a long, boring boat ride.

Representatives from Fishdope.com will share the latest information on the tuna bite with seminar participants. While the seminar is scheduled two weeks prior to the tournament, seeing the patterns that Fishdope.com experts see can help anglers plan their tournament trips and stack the odds in their favor.

West Marine’s Shelter Island store has designated the entire day — from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 9 — as Make-A-Wish Tuna Challenge Community Day. West Marine will donate five percent of the proceeds from all in-store purchases made that day (at this location) to Make-A-Wish Tuna Challenge, helping fund wishes for children battling life-threatening medical conditions.

For more information on this year’s Make-A-Wish Tuna Challenge Tournament — scheduled Aug. 24-26 — visit tunachallenge.com.

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