Rusty Padia, an extremely accomplished and well-respected captain in the fishing community, was born and raised in Newport Beach, and has built his entire life around his love for the ocean. Rusty grew up fishing on the local sport boats, quickly falling in love with the Freelance out of Davey’s Locker. Mentored by the industry’s finest captains, Rusty gained invaluable knowledge as a deckhand that paved the way to earning his Captain’s License at the young age of 21 and taking over the operation shortly thereafter. Since then, Rusty has created an impressive reputation amongst his peers and passengers for his experience, maturity, dedication, and joy for the sport. Rusty also has experience operating private yachts up and down the coast, both locally and offshore. Additionally, he holds an unmatched knowledge of Catalina Island, spending the large majority of his time on the water operating full-day trips to the island. From fishing the kelplines and inside reefs for Halibut, Yellowtail, and Sea Bass, to deep water rockfishing for giant reds and Lingcod, Rusty simply excels. Rusty has earned the respect of the fishing community through hard work, commitment, and love of his job.