Weather Changes and Salmon May Be Coming

There have been unusual occurrences on the fishing scene.

At the Marina del Rey Sportfishing dock Sunday, George Edwards of Mar Vista baited his halibut rig with mussel. He sent it down hoping for halibut, but before it was out of sight the line peeled off.

Edwards thought it was a bonito, but when he brought it in after a 10-minute fight it turned out to be a 4-pound silver salmon.

Frenchy Magillion said this is the first one ever caught at his Marina del Rey dock but that several were caught off his boats many years ago.

With water conditions and temperatures this winter, a salmon run could develop in local waters.

South Bay Catches: Tim Smeal of San Pedro caught the whopper of the week fishing aboard the Indian at Tanner Bank, decking a 31-pound lingcod.

Four others won jackpots for their catches:

- Danny Weiss of Mar Vista, fishing on the half-day boat Happy Man, with his 30-pound, 14-ounce halibut;

- Tom Simmon, on the Toronado, with a 27-pound lingcod;

- Mike Margrove of West Los Angeles on the Spitfire, with a 16-pound halibut;

- Jim Stein, on the Outer Limits at Catalina Island, with a 7 3/4-pound calico bass.

Freshwater Notes: Steve Myers of Torrance, fishing the southwest cove at Anaheim Lake with a night crawler, caught a 8-pound rainbow trout.

Glen Unyenura of Gardena used a rooster tail to land a 9-pound rainbow at Santa Ana River Lake.

Fish Reports: The return of anchovies has sparked surface fishing at Horseshoe Kelp with sizable bonito and bass.

The island rock cod party boats, using squid, return daily with limits of reds and lingcod.

Santa Monica Bay halibut have been good on most afternoon trips with fish going to 30 pounds.

At Marina del Rey Sportfishing, the Betty O--the landing’s rock cod special--collected 150 reds plus 40 mackerel.

The Spitfire, on the three-quarter day trip, chalked up 7 halibut up to 15 pounds, 5 sole, 15 sculpin and 55 cod.

The Happy Man on the half-day trip to the short banks returned with 25 bonito, 60 sculpin, 10 sand bass and 5 halibut to 10 pounds.

At Redondo Sportfishing, the Redondo Special on the half-day trip to Rocky Point scored with 32 sculpin and 11 legal halibut to 8 pounds. Afternoon trips are running as halibut specials.

The Challenger visited San Nicholas Island and returned with 175 calico and bull bass to 7 pounds plus 35 sheepshead.

The Blackjack fished San Clemente and returned with a limit of rock cod that brought the day’s total to 492.

At the 22nd Street Landing in San Pedro, the Monte Carlo, on the three-quarter-day trip to Horseshoe Kelp with a tankful of anchovy, had a count of 65 calico bass to 7 pounds, 17 sheepshead going to 9 pounds and a limit of bonito.

The Freedom fished Catalina and returned with 33 calico bass, 12 sheepshead, 51 perch and 1 legal halibut.

At L. A. Harbor Sportfishing, the Matt Walsh’s morning half-day trip to Horseshoe Kelp resulted in a catch of 68 bass, 30 bonito and 10 sculpin.

The Outerlimits trip to San Clemente, fishing surface kelp, chalked up 114 bull bass to 8 pounds plus 57 sheepshead to 11 pounds.

The Shogun, fishing at Cortez Bank with squid, caught 315 rock cod and 3 lingcod.

At Long Beach Sportfishing, the three-quarter-day Sea Spray fished the oil rigs and anglers caught 84 rock cod to 11 pounds and 74 whitefish.

The Reel Special trip to Catalina returned with 52 calico bass plus 12 sheepshead to 8 pounds.