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Boat & captain

Twenty-two feet. Four anglers. One captain.

A restored Westcoaster Bayrunner, the electronics that find the fish, and the man who runs her.

The Graphic Slayer, an aluminum Bayrunner, under way in the harbor
Under way in the harbor

The boat

The Graphic Slayer.

A 22-foot Westcoaster Bayrunner cuddy cabin, built in 1989 and restored in 2020. Small enough that it is only ever your group, and set up so four anglers each have room to fish.

The electronics are the serious part: a Furuno TZT3 with DFF3D and a satellite compass, a Furuno DRS4D-NXT radar I use to find the birds — and to get home in the fog — a NAVpilot-300 autopilot and an SI-TEX AIS transponder.

The helm of the Graphic Slayer
At the helm
The Graphic Slayer running out, flag flying
Boat
Graphic Slayer
Hull
22′ Westcoaster Bayrunner cuddy cabin
Built / restored
1989 / 2020
Cruise
20 kts+
Electronics
Furuno TZT3 + DFF3D · DRS4D-NXT radar · NAVpilot-300 · SI-TEX AIS
Deck
1½-scoop bait tank · fillet station · washdown · porta-potty
The fillet station on the Graphic Slayer
The fillet station — where the magic happens
Graphic Slayer Sportfishing badge

The captain

Capt. John “JT” Lepien

I’ve been fishing since I was a teenager, and fishing the Channel Islands for decades. The most rewarding part of running charters is the moment someone catches one of their very first fish — I see it on their face and I remember my own. You can’t put a price on that.

Out there I’ll teach you the region’s fish and how to read the birds to find them, bait your hook or let you bait your own, and share the techniques that help beginners and seasoned anglers alike. Along the way we’ll likely see playful dolphins, California sea lions, and sometimes migratory whales.

Off the water I wrap my own fishing rods and make my own fishing tools.

4
Anglers, max — always private
3
Islands: Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa
6:00 AM
Every departure

活け締め

Ikejime

Every fish, done right.

My other passion is cooking, so bringing home the best possible fillets isn’t a choice — it’s my obsession. Every fish that comes over the rail is ikejime’d: the Japanese fishmonger’s humane way of dispatching a fish, then bleeding it, so the meat keeps its quality.

A California sheephead straight after it was landed, its color already fadingLanded

Straight off the hook. The color is already fading — a stressed fish is filling its own muscle with lactic acid and ammonia.

Umami you can taste when aged.

The same California sheephead after ikejime, its red still vividIkejime’d

The same sheephead after ikejime and a bleed. The color stays, the fillet tastes better, and it keeps long enough to age.

An angler holding a bright red ikejime'd sheephead
Sheephead, ikejime’d
A cooler of rockfish, every one ikejime'd
Rockfish, all ikejime’d
A plate of skipjack sashimi with soy
Skipjack sashimi
“He takes care of your catch, so you go home with the best tasting fish possible!”
Wc Mike · FishingBooker · March 2020

Book or ask

Got a day in mind?

Call or text (805) 302-1901, or send the form. Say which trip, which day and how many of you — and whether you’ve fished before.

That’s with JT. He’ll come back to you as soon as he’s off the water.

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