Go Fish! And if you take John Anderson’s GetSome lures with you, you’ll catch more than just some rays. They can help you bring in some hefty yellowtails and burley bluefin from our local waters. 

John’s popular SeaRaider 4-1 lure is among the most innovative lures available. The bodies for the lures are made right here in San Clemente by the Filger Manufacturing and the skirts are fabricated by Cousins Tackle in Huntington Beach, and everything is assembled here in San Clemente by John and friends. 

“They’re 100 percent American-made, just like me,” laughs John. 

Aerospace technology combines with old world craftsmanship in a stainless steel Jet head lure with quick change sleeves to customize the color and action. It combines the durability of metal with the performance of acrylic heads. 

“They are not only built to last, but offer the most flexible approach to customize your lures on the fly, to catch all the pelagic species. They can be fine tuned to the conditions or targeted to species; tunas, mahi, wahoo and even billfish,” he says.

“We recently pulled in a 300 pound bluefin tuna using my 9” lure on one of our offshore fishing trips. It was some fine eating. Nobody in my family buys fish at the store anymore.”

Who are these guys?

 John and his cohorts are … by their own admission … “a bunch of extreme dudes from SoCal who grew up surfing, fishing, off-roading and trying other extreme sports, guys who simply came up with a cool name for a brand and are making a go of it.” 

But who are they, really? 

They are John’s friends and family. Some are disabled veterans, parents to autistic children, business men and environmentalists working on their passion for fishing. John’s dad, respected three-time former San Clemente Mayor and businessman Joe Anderson, helps John with much appreciated business advice. Brother Robert mans the marketing end of the company. 

An avid fisherman by the age of five, John’s dream was to fish every day of his life. Growing up in Southern California, he enjoyed his childhood, loving and respecting the outdoors, and doing what he believes all kids should be doing: fishing; surfing; taking off to Baja; and living their dream. And he still does.

In 2009, John was an active duty Marine stationed in North Carolina. After 15 years of saving money and teaching part-time, he bought his first boat, a 1990 Grady White Sailfish 25. It wasn’t running then, but he spent every spare moment of the next year bringing her back to life. GetSome also began to take shape during that time.  

John discovered that his neighbor, Don Phelps - who became a lifelong friend - had spent the better part of his adult life as a mate in Ocean City, Maryland, making good money fishing the billfish series of tournaments. A bond immediately formed and soon the two were out-fishing the entire fleet as weekend warriors. When Getsome became a reality, Don became the head of the East Coast office of GetSome Sports. 

Seeing room for improvement on the commercial lures they were using, John began designing and building his own. They seemed to work well and soon the other captains noticed his high fish counts. Requests began coming in fast and furious for his custom-designed lures. While he saw the opportunity for a potential business, he was still on active duty so it remained more of a hobby for the time being. 

In 2012, John retired from the Marine Corps with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, after serving his country for 26 years with four deployments. After suffering a number of injuries, he found that his only remaining career option was a fifth deployment or retirement. As a career Marine, his decision was a tough one. But with a family facing some health issues, his path was clear. 

Following his retirement, he moved back home to California. The higher cost of living meant that he had to put his dream of becoming a name in the sport fishing industry on hold. So in the interim, John became a financial planner. He did very well but it simply wasn’t fishing. And even though his wife Tanya, a Branch Office Administrator for Edward Jones, doesn’t care for fishing, she loves to eat fish, so she supported him through the transition to his passion and GetSome Sports LLC was born. 

Today, John focuses his business on developing fishing equipment, apparel, and accessories. If you’re very lucky, you might even have the opportunity to join one of GetSome’s sponsored fishing trips to Baja or San Clemente Island. John recalls one of his recent trips out to San Clemente Island on board the Outer Limits.

“We went out for the elusive 100 pound-plus bluefin tuna but deterred  to San Clemente Island to raise some squid and get some nice sized yellowtail at 20 to 30-plus pounds. I caught a nice 20-plus pounder, in the cove at San Clemente Island, using one of my SeaRaider Stealth Sleeves with a slider weight over live squid.” 

With the waters of the Central Pacific warming up so much, he doesn’t have to go far to catch these beauties, a trend he expects to continue for a few years, based on scientific forecasts. 

Several times a year, John makes it a point to take disadvantaged kids from the Friends of Rollo organization out on day-long fishing trips. Many of these children come from inner-city environments and have never even seen the ocean.

“The look on their faces is priceless when they first see the ocean,” John said.

Wounded Warrior groups are also some of John’s favorite guests. His hope is to one day become a big enough company that he can donate a larger percentage of his income to their activities, but for now he delights in having them on board for a day of fishing.

John isn’t the only person in his family who likes to help people. His13-year-old son Cooper, a student at Marco Forster Middle School, recently spent 10 months growing  his hair long enough (10 inches) to donate to Locks of Love for cancer patients.

 

The best place to find out more about John’s lures is to call him directly. Or you can wander over to Hogan’s Bait and Tackle in Dana Point where you can see John’s lures in the flesh, so to speak. 

“There are no tackle shops in San Clemente. Maybe I’ll start one someday.” In the meantime, watch for GetSome sponsored sport fishing trips in the fall and spring. You might even have some big fish tales of your own, but they won’t be about the ones that got away!b

Contact GetSome Sports @ (949)326-3418 or visit www.getsomesports.com.