Fishing Report : Late-Season Albacore Catches Reported

Sixty fishermen on five San Diego-based party boats caught 161 albacore Thursday, as a late-season tuna bite entered its second week.

In addition to the albacore catch, the five boats accounted for 15 bigeye tuna, 9 bluefin tuna, 9 yellowfin tuna and 13 skipjack tuna. One boat, the American Angler, with only 12 fishermen aboard, had 73 albacore that averaged 35 pounds. The boats are fishing waters off Mexico, 50 to 60 miles from port.

Both albacore and bluefins are of considerable size. Glen Wade of Leucadia caught a 44-pound 9-ounce bluefin on the American Angler Wednesday. Fishermen also report the tuna are in an area of “flat-calm” water.

Boats are leaving San Diego nightly at midnight, with fares ranging from $71 on open party boats to $115 for limited load trips.

SAN SIMEON--10 anglers (1 boat): 1 ling cod, 105 red rock cod, 45 red snapper.

MORRO BAY (Virg’s Landing)--8 anglers (1 boat): 15 ling cod, 25 rock cod, 15 red rock cod, 60 red snapper, 20 yellow bass.

SANTA BARBARA (Sea Landing)--17 anglers (1 boat): 103 calico bass, 6 whitefish, 11 rockfish. OXNARD--140 anglers (6 boats): 1 yellowtail, 362 rockfish, 1 halibut, 51 barracuda, 135 whitefish, 113 bonito, 765 calico bass.

PORT HUENEME--54 anglers (3 boats): 255 rock cod, 330 calico bass, 40 whitefish, 3 bonito, 2 barracuda.

MALIBU--17 anglers (1 boat): 75 calico bass, 22 sand bass, 66 rockfish.

MARINA DEL REY--36 anglers (3 boats): 1 barracuda, 57 calico bass, 14 sand bass, 2 sole, 85 rockfish, 110 rock cod, 12 bonito, 85 mackerel.

SAN PEDRO (22nd St. Landing)--16 anglers (1 boat): 3 bonito, 18 sand bass, 33 calico bass, 19 whitefish, 60 sand dabs, 29 rockfish.

LONG BEACH (Belmont Pier)--21 anglers (1 boat): 1 barracuda, 110 bonito, 80 calico bass, 10 sand bass, 80 mackerel, 108 rockfish, 1 white sea bass. (Queen’s Wharf)--48 anglers (1 boat): 102 bonito, 98 calico bass, 20 sand bass, 1 halibut, 20 rockfish, 4 whitefish.

SEAL BEACH--26 anglers (1 boat): 41 bonito, 51 calico bass, 91 rockfish, 9 sand bass, 70 mackerel, 9 whitefish.

NEWPORT (Davey’s Locker)--46 anglers (3 boats): 200 bonito, 110 rockfish, 1 calico bass, 2 sand bass, 140 mackerel.

DANA WHARF--40 anglers (4 boats): 119 bass, 80 bonito, 183 mackerel.

OCEANSIDE--17 anglers (1 boat): 35 bonito, 43 calico bass, 32 sand bass, 40 mackerel.

SAN DIEGO (H&M; Landing, Fisherman’s, Point Loma)--60 anglers (5 boats): 161 albacore, 15 bigeye tuna, 9 bluefin tuna, 9 yellowfin tuna, 13 skipjack tuna. (Seaforth)--46 anglers (3 boats): 6 yellowtail, 5 barracuda, 115 bonito, 39 calico bass, 13 sand bass, 30 rockfish. (Islandia)--27 anglers (2 boats): 125 bonito, 2 sand bass, 1 calico bass, 146 rockfish.

Freshwater

Several Southland reservoir operators reported light turnouts this week because of cool weather but said that those few fishermen were catching good numbers of arm-sized channel catfish.

At Vail Lake, for example, Ray Roberts of Spring Valley, Calif., had almost the entire lake to himself the other morning when he caught three catfish weighing 47 pounds 15 ounces, the largest of which was 25-6. At Lake Casitas, Wayne Chappell of Ojai caught a couple of bookend catfish, 10-8 and 10-0.

WILLOW BEACH--Good rainbow trout fishing upriver and down. Two- to three-pounders caught from shore near hatchery, Monkey Hole, 47-mile marker.

LAKE MEAD--Good striped bass fishing at Vegas Wash, Echo Bay until wind, rain began Wednesday.

BULLHEAD CITY--Three- to four-pound rainbows on Lake Mohave reported by trollers, bait fishermen. Some largemouth bass success on points. Slow for stripers on river.

SALTON SEA--Very slow for orangemouth corvina since water temperature dropped. Good sargo, tilapia action throughout sea. Fair to good croaker results at Bombay Beach.

LAKE CACHUMA--Good for catfish in narrows, behind island with cut mackerel at 15-foot depths. Trout, bass slow.

LAKE CASITAS--Joe Burkett of Ventura caught what is believed to be the largest largemouth bass taken in California this year two weeks ago at Casitas, 17-10. On Thursday morning, he caught a 6-8 largemouth. Burkett fishes Casitas almost daily. Fishermen reported good catches of bass, trout and catfish at Casitas this week.

LAKE PIRU--Trollers and still-fishermen using cheese baits at the north end report good trout action. John Fairbain, Palmdale, 8-2 largemouth bass. Catfish fair.

LAKE SKINNER--Catfish best bet. Bass fair. Trout, crappie slow.

LAKE ISABELLA--Good catfish action, Brown’s Cove, Rabbit Island, Hanning Flats. Good trout fishing near dam.

SAN DIEGO LAKES--San Vicente opened for fishing Thursday morning in the rain, the only San Diego Lake currently open. San Vicente is open Thursday through Sunday. Miramar: Opens Nov. 1 for Saturday-through-Tuesday fishing.

VAIL LAKE--Good catfish action for small numbers of fishermen.

LAKE SILVERWOOD--Striped bass best bet, with catches ranging from 21 to 26 pounds this week. Good catfish results. Some largemouth bass in 5-pound class.

LAKE HENSHAW--Slow.

BISHOP AREA--Snowy conditions at 7,000-foot level. Good fishing this week before arrival of rough weather Wednesday. Harriet Wright, Irvine, 5-4 brown trout at South Lake. Lower Owens River running high, fast. Pleasant Valley Reservoir good bet for bait fishing.

Trout Plants

A list of waters scheduled to be planted by the Department of Fish and Game, weather and road conditions permitting, by counties:

LOS ANGELES--El Dorado Park Lake, Peck Road Park Lake, Piru Creek (Frenchman’s Flat), Pyramid Lake, San Gabriel River (East, West forks).

SAN BERNARDINO--Big Bear Lake, Gregory Lake, Silverwood Lake.

KERN--Kern River (Borel powerhouse to Democrat Dam, KR3 powerhouse to Lake Isabella).

TULARE--Kern River (Fairview Dam to KR3 powerhouse, Johnsondale Bridge to Fairview Dam).

INYO--Baker Creek, Big Pine Creek, Bishop Creek (Middle, South forks), Diaz Lake, Independence Creek, Lake Sabrina, Lone Pine Creek, Lower Owens River (Laws Bridge downstream to Stewart Lane), Pleasant Valley Reservoir, South Lake, Taboose Creek, Tinemeha Creek.