Fishing Notes / Dan Stanton : Angler May Have Set Sea Bass Record for Four-Pound Line at 14 Pounds
South Bay anglers continue to rewrite the record book.
Dr. George Bogen of Marina del Rey had just returned from a two-week fishing trip at Cebu in the Philippines where, he said, fishing was poor because of water conditions and weather. Game fish were scarce.
Bogen learned of the white sea bass and halibut bite going on at Rocky Point and headed there aboard the Cabalito to fish for halibut with 4-pound test line.
Baiting his hook with a live squid, he dropped it into 60 feet of water and after several minutes his line started to peel out. He set the hook. Knowing it was no halibut and being experienced at fishing with light tackle, he played the fish for 15 minutes. It surfaced, and he pulled aboard a legal white sea bass that measured 36 inches.
Bogen headed for Marina del Rey to have it officially weighed at 14 pounds. Bogen has submitted his catch to the International Game Fish Assn. for consideration as a record on 4-pound test line.
The Marina del Rey angler is also awaiting word from the IGFA on the 77-pound, 12-ounce albacore he caught in the 13th annual IGFA tournament.
Because of the current warm water, all kinds of game fish are offshore at the Cortez.
Tom Good of Palos Verdes, fishing with live squid aboard the Aztec, used 40-pound test line and hooked up with a bluefin tuna that changed directions several times as Good followed it around the boat for 45 minutes. It took two deckhands to gaff the 107-pound fish.
“I thought it was going to pull me overboard when it moved so fast,” recalled Good.
The fish is the largest tuna that has been checked in this year at any South Bay sportfishing landing.
South Bay Catches: Willis Hadrold of West Los Angeles, fishing for albacore on a two-day trip aboard the Admiral, caught the whopper of the week: a 49-pound albacore that battled for 22 minutes.
Kim Robson of Torrance, on a half-day trip at the Cortez aboard the Blackjack, caught three yellowtail on squid, with a 45-pounder awarding him the jackpot.
Jim Slivkoff of Torrance, fishing at Rocky Point aboard the Sharpshooter, tossed a squid at a yellowtail only to have a white sea bass get hooked. It weighed 28 pounds.
Bob Click of Santa Monica, aboard the Spitfire, caught a Santa Monica Bay halibut that weighed 25 pounds.
Chris Azar of Wilmington, on the Freedom at Catalina Island, caught a 18-pound bluefin tuna.
Freshwater Notes: Leonard Green of Long Beach bagged a limit of catfish weighing 46 1/2 pounds at Santa Ana Lake.
Marge Gibson of Carson used mackerel for bait and sacked 27 pounds of catfish at Lake Hodges.
Fish Reports
At Marina del Rey Sportfishing: The Happyman found halibut biting in Santa Monica Bay and returned from two half-day trips with 41.
The Spitfire, fishing the Sunset Beach area, had a count of 50 calico bass, five sheepshead and two halibut.
The rock cod special Betty O worked the shallow rock area for 120, plus one ling cod.
At Redondo Sportfishing: The Blackjack fished Catalina with success. Anglers caught 215 calico bass, 400 blue perch and one white sea bass.
The Sea Spray worked Rocky Point with squid and chalked up 16 white sea bass, 18 sculpin, 11 bonito and eight rockfish.
The Redondo Special on a half-day trip to Rocky Point fished the bay and returned with 30 calico bass, 26 sculpin, 17 bonito and 11 rockfish.
The Sharpshooter had a big sculpin count on squid, sacking 210, plus 37 calico bass and 12 sand bass.
At 22nd Street Landing: The First String fished Catalina and returned with 147 bonito, 70 calico bass, six halibut and five sheepshead.
The Freedom tried the west and of Catalina and anglers sacked 45 calico bass, 38 bonito and 12 sheepshead.
At L.A. Harbor Sportfishing: The Sportking fished Horseshoe Kelp and the rigs and had a catch of 103 calico bass, 85 blue perch, four barracuda, three sheepshead and one white sea bass.
The Matt Walsh worked the Rockpile area for 37 calico bass, 46 sculpin, 10 rockfish and four sheepshead.
The Grande 85 fished Catalina and caught 160 bonito. After a short move up the island, anglers scored with 44 white sea bass.
At Long Beach Sportfishing: The Victory worked the rigs and flats and bagged limits of bonito, 65 calico bass, 25 sand bass and one yellowtail.
