Cortez and Tanner Bank Boasting Tuna and Yellowtail

Anglers have been catching substantial numbers of tuna and yellowtail on 2-day trips to the Cortez and Tanner Bank.

Excitement of game-fish catches was heightened last week when a San Pedro commercial tuna boat caught bluefin weighing upward to 675 pounds.

It lit a fire among sportsmen but the chance of catching these monster fish with rod and reel is small.

Capt. Russ Izor, who has operated sportfishing boats for 40 years, recalls that in the 1950s tuna at Catalina Island and San Clemente were so big that anglers could not land them.

Last year some 200-pounders were caught at Catalina’s west end, but this season the largest caught on a South Bay sportfishing boat was a 107-pounder.

The plentiful supply of anchovies, sardines and squid has become important to local angling.

At this time last year fishing pursuits were rock cod and sand bass, but with squid, decent catches of blue perch have added spice to fishing.

The rock fish devotees can still get their share of action when they go to the bottom with a diamond jig or squid.

There was drastic improvement last weekend at Marina del Rey Sportfishing. After several slow days, the halibut bite improved. On the half-day and three-quarter-day boats anglers caught more than 50 of the flatties weighing from 8 to 23 pounds.

Fishing aboard the private Blue Tango at the Short Bank, Bob Steele of Carson was using a cod rig with squid and anchovies and hooked a 7 3/4-pound lingcod.

After inserting live squid on his bottom two hooks he thought he had captured a larger ling when his line peeled out. Steele thought, “This fish is too aggressive to be a cod.”

Right. The scrappy fish kept him pumping and reeling. He decked a 32-pound yellowtail that had two hooks in the gills, which proved it was hooked and had broken away from fishermen, probably fishing with light tackle.

South Bay Catches: Yoshi Osha of Gardena, on a 2-day trip aboard the Outerlimits at the Cortez, caught the whopper of the week, a 36-pound yellowtail.

Bijan Hersel of West Los Angeles, fishing aboard the Queen of the Sea at Catalina Island using live squid, brought to gaff a 29-pound white sea bass that won the jackpot.

Al Contras of Santa Monica, on a half-day trip aboard the Happyman, caught a limit of halibut and won the jackpot with a 28 1/2-pounder.

Mike Hamilton of Torrance, aboard the Blackjack at Catalina, brought to gaff a 20-pound yellowtail.

Bob Clarke of West Los Angeles was in Santa Monica Bay aboard the Spitfire and caught an 18-pound halibut.

Fish Reports

At Marina del Rey Sportfishing: The Spitfire worked Santa Monica Bay and anglers sacked 30 halibut, 31 sculpin, 18 sand bass and 2 sole.

The Happyman on the morning half-day trip chalked up 45 sand bass, 20 sculpin and 15 halibut.

The Betty O rock cod trip returned with 90 reds and 1 cow cod.

At Redondo Sportfishing: The Blackjack fished Catalina with success as anglers caught 48 calico bass, 7 halibut, 2 yellowtail and 1 barracuda.

The Sea Spray worked Rocky Point on a morning half-day trip and returned with 34 calico bass, 15 sculpin, 17 whitefish and 1 halibut.

The Redondo Special on the afternoon trip accounted for 250 sculpin and 32 calico bass.

The Sharpshooter fished Torrance Beach and anglers caught 147 sand bass and 32 sculpin.

The barge Isle of Redondo had a weekend count of 850 mackerel, 12 bonito and 20 sand bass.

At 22nd Street Landing: The First String fished Catalina with live squid. Anglers caught 410 blue perch, 32 calico bass, 5 sheepshead and 15 halibut.

The Freedom tried Catalina and chalked up 39 calico bass, 6 halibut, 5 sheepshead, 2 sculpin and 1 white sea bass.

The Queen of the Sea with tanks of live squid returned with 82 calico bass, 15 white sea bass and 2 yellowtail.

At L.A. Harbor Sportfishing: The Sportking fished Catalina’s east end and anglers sacked 250 blue perch, 195 bonito, 47 calico bass, 25 whitefish, 25 sheepshead and 5 rockfish.

The Outerlimits on a 2-day Cortez trip returned with limits of rock cod and 8 yellowtail. There was a good showing of tuna with 11 bluefin hooked and broken off the tackle.

The Top Gun worked Catalina with squid and returned with 150 bonito, 6 sheepshead and 2 halibut.

The Matt Walsh on a half-day trip to Horseshoe Kelp caught a variety: 49 sculpin, 40 rockfish, 9 sand bass, 8 calico bass and 8 blue perch.

The Annie B barge found the queenfish feasting on squid, with 2,600 being sacked plus 801 mackerel, 5 halibut and 3 sharks.

At Long Beach Sportfishing: The Victory fished the Marineland area and anglers caught 126 whitefish, 96 calico bass, 58 rockfish and 29 sand bass.

The Pacifica fished both ends of Catalina and found blue perch, with 209 going into sacks plus 101 calico bass, 10 rockfish, 5 sheepshead and 1 halibut.

The El Dorado returned from Catalina with 126 whitefish, 56 rockfish and 29 sand bass.