Fishing Notebook / Dan Stanton : Squid Bait Good News for Anglers Seeking Bass

South Bay sportfishing landings now have squid for bait.

Redondo Sportfishing reports a supply of squid in the live bait wells for this week. Party boats last week set the squid lights and anglers with squid jigs caught the candy bait.

The squid that spawn along the coast and outer islands will provide excellent fishing. Winter months also are productive for catching big bass, yellowtail and fabulous shallow and deep-water rock cod.

With the use of squid at this time of year anglers catch quality bass that seem to be absent in the spring and summer.

This was in evidence when the First String, on a two-day trip from the 22nd Street Landing, caught squid and the 20 anglers caught a full limit of bull bass going to six pounds plus a full limit of rock cod.

Fish Reports: At Marina del Rey Sportfishing, thanks to the abundance of live squid, anglers fishing on the half-day and three-quarter-day boats for halibut caught 51 going to 25 pounds from Friday through Tuesday.

At Redondo Sportfishing, the Blackjack, fishing Santa Barbara Island, got 125 rock cod, 48 calico bass, 5 yellowtail and some sheepshead. The half-day boat fishing rocky point limited out on bonito and took eight leopard sharks Tuesday.

At the 22nd Street Landing, the First String on Monday got 367 rock cod, 29 calico bass and 2 ling cod.

At San Pedro Sportfishing, the Matt Walsh, on two half-day trips, had a full limit of bonito plus sand bass and sheepshead to 10 pounds fishing the rock pile.

The Explorer, fishing Catalina, had 100 calico bass plus limits of big bonito. The Shogun, fishing San Clemente Island, had 300 rock cod plus three big cow cod.

At Long Beach Sportfishing, the three-quarter-day Victory anglers limited out on bonito; 110 calico bass and 6 sheepshead to 10 pounds rounded out the catch.

South Bay Anglers Catch: Mike Hagery caught whopper of the week honors. The South Bay angler, fishing on the Blackjack at Santa Barbara Island, battled and brought to gaff a 28 1/2-pound yellowtail.

Ray Menick of Redondo Beach, fishing shallow rock cod with squid on the Blackjack, hooked two big yellowtail. He landed one that hit the deck and his 22 1/2-pounder won the catch of the day.

Erik Kinosta, fishing at Santa Barbara Island, won the jackpot on the Blackjack on Tuesday with a 21-pound ling cod. The Redondo Beach angler took a full limit of rock cod.

Richard Cooper of Redondo, aboard the three-quarter-day Sharpshooter fishing for shallow-water rock cod, was doing a yo-yo act with his jig when he hooked a 21-pound ling cod that won him the jackpot.

Fishing on the Spitfire with live squid on the bottom, Clint Creed of Hermosa Beach caught a 28-pound halibut to win the catch of the day.

Redondo angler Gene Polic, fishing with squid on the Sharpshooter, caught a salmon grouper that checked in at nine pounds.

Carl Sugerman of Lomita, on the half-day boat Matt Walsh, won the jackpot with a 13-pound halibut Tuesday.

Fresh Water Notes: Richard Arnold of Gardena, using a two-pound test line and fishing close to shore at Santa Ana Lake, battled for more than an hour and landed a 23 1/2-pound sturgeon. The brute measured 48 inches.

Department of Fish and Game trout will be stocked at El Dorado Park, Peck Road Lake, Little Rock Reservoir and Puddingstone Lake.

Fish and Game News: Gov. George Deukmejian has appointed Pete Dontabelli director of the Department of Fish and Game. Dontabelli has been interim director since the departure of Jack Parnell.