Pro Team


Ryan W. Chan — Deck Boss, Highliner (Southern California)

Fly-Line Authority • Knife-Jig Closer • Hundreds of BFT Over the Rail

Runs the rail like a tuned metronome. Ryan’s edge is ruthless presentation discipline—40 lb Opsin keeps sardines burning when other lines stall, while instant swaps to 80 lb sinker rigs finish the job once the school slides. He reads foamers on approach, drifts the boat to set perfect casting cones, and moves anglers without raising his voice. In uphill current he bumps hook wire and opens drags; when the downhill set hits, he short-leads and pins fish tight to color. Each move is deliberate: leader diameter, rod angle, gaff call—all timed to seconds. Deck classes run terse: “Grab a hot bait, find your angle, let the rod talk.” If a bite window snaps shut, Ryan strips variables—bait, weight, leader—until numbers climb again.

“Presentation gets bit; execution puts meat in the hold.”

Quick Specs

  • At-a-glance: SoCal Waters • Fly-line & Knife-Jig • Bluefin, Yellowtail

  • Home Waters: San Clemente Island • Tanner & Cortez Bank

  • Specialties: Bait handling • An

    trong>Shop Ryan’s Line Picks

     

    Instagram: @freedomoffshore

    Nathan Gunkel — Night Program Specialist, Offshore (Southern California)

    Rail Pressure • Knife-Jig Night Bite • 300-ft Hook-ups Nightly

    Flips the switch when everyone else yawns. Daylight sees Nathan soaking 30–40 lb with micro hooks, feathering drags for the first nervous bump. Once the sun dies, he rigs 80 lb Opsin with 300-gram knives, times his fall to the second, and walks fish up from 400 ft like freight on an elevator. Cadence is king: two fast lifts, one hover, watch the tip quiver—crank hard, no mercy. Students get low-talk, high-signal coaching: log your drop, mark the bite, leave the drag alone until the blank loads. If currents cross or fish pin low, he adds grams, lengthens leaders, and resets lift tempo until steel sticks.

    “Wait for the window—then hammer it wide open.”

    Quick Specs

    • At-a-glance: SoCal Offshore • Knife-Jig, Slow-Pitch • Bluefin, Yellowfin

    • Home Waters: Butterfly • 43 Spot • SC Perimeter

    • Specialties: Depth control • Cadence tuning • Drag discipline • Clean finishes

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    Instagram: @gunk_dogg

    Ray Sharifi — Surface-Iron Specialist, Dirty Hookers (Camarillo, CA)

    Surface & Yo-Yo Stick • Long-Cast Finisher • 23-lb Yellowtail on Home-Wrapped Iron

    Lives where chrome meets current. Ray slings surface and yo-yo iron with surgical rhythm—half-thumb the spool, drive the swing, breathe the swim. In flat glass he trims leader to 30 lb for max flutter; when wind bumps, he scales to 40 lb and speeds cadence to keep the kick alive. Deep structure gets 60 lb for bruise-proof yo-yo drops. Casting lessons focus on body lines and load timing; gaffs stay in racks until tails wag at color. If current dies, Ray repositions the boat, angles the cast past pressure points, and changes iron shade or weight until he feels that thump again.

    “Cast long, swim true—let the iron eat.”

    Quick Specs

    • At-a-glance: SoCal/Baja • Surface & Yo-Yo Iron • Yellowtail, Calico, School Tuna

    • Home Waters: Ventura Line • Coronado Islands

    • Specialties: Cast mechanics • Angle control • Iron selection • Yo-Yo cadence

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    Instagram: @raysharifi

    Capt. Dave Marciano — Captain, F/V Hard Merchandise (Gloucester, MA)

    Giant Hunter • Kite & Anchor Systems • Decades on the Banks

    Patience sharpened by paydays. Marciano drops twin anchor hooks on tide turns, builds a disciplined chum curtain, and waits for the mark he wants—no run-and-gun show. School fish eat 80–100 lb Opsin with stickbaits; giants get 130–200 lb bite leaders and kite baits spread wide off helium balloons. Wind-against-tide? He resets drifts, re-weights baits, and shortens leaders until baits ride naturally. Crew drills are commercial-clean: bridle baits, clear deck, talk only when needed. When radio chatter spins chaos, Marciano stays quiet; one right bite beats ten wrong ones.

    “Hold the line, trust the tide, cash the fish.”

    Quick Specs

    • At-a-glance: Gulf of Maine • Kite Baiting, Anchor/Chum • Atlantic Bluefin

    • Home Waters: Stellwagen • Jeffreys • Georges Bank

    • Specialties: Kite deployment • Tide timing • Traffic management • Bait rigging

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    Instagram: @captmarciano

    Israel De La Cruz — Fly-Line Specialist (Southern California)

    Simple & Clean • San Diego Jam Master • Double-Digit Yellow Days

    Turns picky water into numbers. Izzy selects the hottest sardine in the tank, pins a downsized hook, and swims it on 25 lb Opsin until the rod answers back. Cross-wind? He bumps to 40 lb sinker rig with a pea weight to keep baits honest. Teaching stays calm: cradle the bait, soft-pitch the cast, never rush the bite. Drag starts light and climbs only when fish commits. If current stalls, Izzy swaps hook wire, leader thickness, or soak angle—one variable at a time—until the bite restarts.

    “Keep it simple; let the bait do the talking.”

    Quick Specs

    • At-a-glance: SoCal Inshore/Offshore • Fly-Line, Light Sinker • Yellowtail, Yellowfin, School BFT

    • Home Waters: La Jolla • Point Loma • 9-Mile Bank

    • Specialties: Bait handling • Hook sizing • SD Jam • Drag finesse

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    Instagram: @izzydlc

    Capt. Casey Johnson — Captain, Reel Zen Charters (Southern California)

    Charter Mentor • Kite & Fly-Line Systems • 200-lb Bluefin Closer

    Quiet decks, loud reels. Casey stages a Double Trouble flyer on 130 lb Opsin, feathers the kite past a breezer, and triples before the boat behind him even sets up. Clients start with light drag and wet knots—because you can always tighten. When fish slide off the kite, he drops to 50 lb fly-line; if they pin low, 80 lb sinker rigs with quick-change rubber cores get the nod. Spread management is ballet: clear lanes, planned gaff angles, finish smooth at color. Problems? Casey diagnoses leader length, bait breath, spread spacing—fixes, then fishes.

    “Start light, stay smooth, earn the heavy finish.”

    Quick Specs

    • At-a-glance: SoCal Offshore • Kite, Fly-Line, Sinker • Bluefin, Yellowfin, Dorado

    • Home Waters: 302/371 • Coronado Canyon • SC Perimeter

    • Specialties: Kite deployment • Client coaching • Spread management • Deep-color finishes

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    Instagram: @reelzencharters

    Capt. Mark Hotze — 30A Light Tackle (Destin, FL)

    Flats-to-Gulf Switch-Hitter • Stealth Drift Guru • Destin Captain of the Year ’20

    Reads tide and clarity like bar codes. Dawn finds Hotze sliding along grass flats with 20 lb Opsin, long-leaders and quiet hulls for speckled trout. Two hours later he’s bouncing 40 lb reef jigs for snapper, teaching clients to load rods and control lifts. Nearshore kings need 60 lb bite shock and steady boat angles to keep trebles planted. Family trips stay fun, but every cast carries a lesson: line angle to wind, leader length to water color, drag set before the bite. When bay water muddies, he hunts clearer lanes; if reef current races, he bumps leader weight and shortens drops until hooks stick.

    “Light gear, smart angles, clean water—deadly combo.”

    Quick Specs

    • At-a-glance: Florida Panhandle • Sight-Cast, Live Bait, Reef Jig • Redfish, Trout, Snapper, Kings

    • Home Waters: Choctawhatchee Bay • Destin Pass • Nearshore Gulf Reefs

    • Specialties: Tide/clarity reads • Stealth drifts • Casting lessons • Family coaching

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    Instagram: @30alighttackle

    Jeff Sullivan — Writer/Guide, Northeast Night & Tuna (New England)

    Pattern Finder • Night-Tide Technician • Published Strategist

    Turns messy intel into repeatable moves. Jeff logs moon phase, tide height, and bait depth, then proves it under red headlamps. On stripers he fishes 30 lb Opsin and swimmer plugs, lengthening leaders when water cleans. If the bite fades, he changes one variable—retrieve speed, lure profile, line angle—never two. When offshore rips load with tuna, he swaps to 40 lb stickbait leaders or 80 lb jig buffers, mapping current seams to keep baits in feed lanes. Clients leave with notebooks full of data and muscle memory.

    “Find the pattern, strip the noise, repeat the bite.”

    Quick Specs

    • At-a-glance: Northeast Rips • Night Plug, Jig-and-Pop • Stripers, Albies, Bluefin

    • Home Waters: Cape Cod Bay/Canal • Rhode Island Rips

    • Specialties: Reading rips • Lure selection • Structure angles • Tide timing

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    Instagram: @j.sully_fishing