Fishing / Dan Stanton : Spawning Sand Bass Leap at Any Bait at When It’s Twilight

It’s twilight time.

The popular trips for sand bass have started from South Bay sportfishing landings with departure times at 6 and 6:30 p.m.

When the party boats turn on their floodlights it looks like a city at the fishing grounds.

Spawning sand bass bite anything thrown at them, feathers or bait.

Some individual boats had limits of 4- to 5-pound fish on most trips this past week.

What does a boat do when the 10-fish limit is reached?

A short move from the sandy bottom to deeper water and a steady anchovy chumming bring the barracuda up.

That’s not to overlook the daytime wide-open barracuda bite at Rocky Point. In one instance a half-day boat returned early with a limit.

Ed McLure, fishing aboard the Spitfire, caught the largest barracuda of the spring run. The West Los Angeles angler weighed in at Marina del Rey and his fish hit the 10 3/4-pound mark.

Larry Warkins of San Pedro, trolling in his 18-foot skiff and not having any anchovies, used jigs and caught a limit of barracuda in 35 minutes.

Fishing from his boat the Exta-Sea, John Schweitzen of Manhattan Beach was trying for sharks outside Santa Monica Bay. Using 12-pound test line, he caught a thresher that weighed 54 pounds.

The third annual King Harbor Marlin Club’s Sadie Hawkins Tournament will be held Saturday.

The club’s lady anglers will compete for prizes and trophies while male members skipper the boats. Fishing will be in Santa Monica Bay.

The second annual Two Harbors Catalina Mako Tournament will be held Saturday and Sunday for cash prizes.

Anglers can weigh in the catches at Marina del Rey or Two Harbors Catalina until 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and final weigh-in is at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

South Bay Catches:

Alan McFetridge of Venice, fishing at Catalina aboard the Blackjack, caught the whopper of the week, a 40-pound white sea bass.

Ron Hayden of Inglewood, aboard the half-day boat Happyman, brought to gaff a 26 1/2-pound jackpot halibut.

Tom Kelley of Long Beach, fishing aboard the Aztec at Catalina, caught a 25-pound yellowtail using anchovy.

Chuck Garabedian of Palms, aboard the Happyman, won the jackpot with a 24-pound halibut.

Jim Woodrum of Long Beach, aboard the Victory at the oil rigs, caught a 16-pound yellowtail.

Fish Reports:

The unsettled weather front this week failed to halt a good barracuda bite.

Catalina’s yellowtail and sea bass bite is slow.

At Marina del Rey Sportfishing: The Betty O rock cod special had to get to the bottom to escape the barracuda. Anglers reeled in 224 rock cod and 60 barracuda.

The Happyman on a half-day trip to the bay returned with 43 sand bass, 34 sculpin and one halibut.

At Redondo Sportfishing: The Sea Spray returned early from Rocky Point with 147 barracuda.

The Redondo Special on two half-day trips caught 155 barracuda and one white sea bass.

The Blackjack worked Catalina for 62 calico bass, 52 blue perch, 12 halibut and one sheepshead.

At 22nd Street Landing: The First String fished the oil rigs and found the barracuda bite wide open, with anglers catching 227 barracuda and 40 bonito.

The Monte Carlo fished White’s Point on a half-day trip and returned with 97 barracuda and 28 sand bass.

At L.A. Harbor Sportfishing: The Sportking found the barracuda at Horseshoe Kelp. Anglers reeled in 211, plus one white sea bass.

The Matt Walsh on a morning trip outside Point Fermin returned with 156 barracuda.

The Annie B barge had a weekend count of 317 mackerel, 245 kingfish, four halibut, five sculpin and two sand sharks.

At Long Beach Sportfishing: The Chieftain headed to the oil rigs and chalked up 147 barracuda.

The Victory worked the inside oil rigs and anglers reeled in 412 barracuda and five bonito.

Freshwater Notes:

Chuck Nanmana and Dean Sasiki of Torrance landed 10 trout at Irvine Lakes.

Fred Mackelratch of Hawthorne, using marshmallow, caught a limit of trout at Bishop Creek.