The SFR 2 day charter aboard the Independence on May 2-3 was a big success.Thirty-two anglers jumped at the chance to fish aboard the impressive Independence Sportfisher, with San Clemente Island the backdrop for a 2 day Island freelance trip. With the weather up and the outer islands blown out, Captains Mark Pisano, Paul Strasser and Jeff BeBuys determined that San Clemente Island held the most potential for a successful catch. Day 1 saw us start out on some of the deeper water structures around the island in search of some tasty rockfish. Numerous big lingcod, red snapper and other assorted rockfish were hauled up and sacked up by the anglers aboard. We moved in tight to the kelp for some shallow water surface fishing that saw a few calicos caught as well as a nice 13 1/2 lb. flatty by yours truly that took day 1 jackpot honors. Ed Lacombe cooked up an awesome NY steak dinner that sent everyone to bed happy and full, anticipating the next days action. Day 2 had us fishing in tight along the kelp beds in hopes of some surface action. We had several good pops on the calico bass including a number of those famous San Clemente toads that we all love to catch so much. SFRs John Thompson pulled a nice flatty out of the kelp to take day 2 jackpot honors. We finished the day off in a little deeper water, filling up the sacks with a few more tasty rockfish before calling it a trip and heading for the landing. I can't say enough about the Independence Crew and the lengths they go to insure a good time by all. Truly a top notch professional operation all the way around. Check the Independence website at independencesportfing.com for their full schedule and don't forget about the upcoming 5 day SFR trip in July. Thanks again to the entire Independece Crew for another memorable experience aboard the Independence. Email me at [email protected] for any pics.