Fishing : White Sea Bass Get Hooked Heavily on an Old Favorite, Squid, at Catalina
Once again squid is the determining factor in the success of hooking that prized game fish, the white sea bass.
The El Dorado from Long Beach Sportfishing put the lights on at Catalina Island and brought to the surface enough squid to fill the bait tanks.
At daybreak 25 anglers tossed squid into the kelp and the result was a wide-open calico bass and barracuda bite.
Capt. Dave Peters urged anglers to lower the bait toward the bottom to get past the calico bass. This method worked, as rods started to bend and tackle was breaking off with big white sea bass.
The anglers continued tossing the bait and going to the bottom. This paid off as all the anglers put the one-fish limit in the bags.
Eider Martinez of Long Beach brought the jackpot fish, a 31 1/2-pounder, out of the kelp.
Don Ames of Redondo Beach caught a 29-pounder. Ames said he hooked five before he could bring one to gaff.
Ron Randy of Redondo Beach added a 27 1/2-pounder to his sack of calico bass.
Tommy Hendron of Redondo Beach had to reel his 26-pounder fast to avoid a meal for a seal.
Gerry Brianscombe of Long Beach caught a 25 1/2-pounder.
Ed Martinez of Long Beach caught a 19-pounder.
The one-fish limit on white sea bass ends June 15. Starting on the 16th, anglers may keep three a day.
The first Santa Monica Bay Top Rod Tournament was held Sunday by the Santa Monica Yacht Club. Eleven clubs and 88 anglers participated in the Heal the Bay Tournament.
Top Rod Club awards were given on a point system. The Douglas El Segundo Rod and Gun Club won the halibut division with six 12-pounders. Second place went to the L.A. Rod and Gun Club for most calico bass.
The individual Top Rod award went to Ellsworth Orr, fishing from his kayak off Rocky Point. He won with a limit of calico bass.
Eight-hundred dollars was contributed to the Heal the Bay Fund.
Don Shearing of Rolling Hills Estates returned Monday from Mazatlan. Fishing with the Bill Heimpel fleet, he caught a 94-pound sailfish.
Eleven-year-old Heather Verner of San Pedro caught her first yellowtail while fishing aboard the Grande 85. It weighed 14 pounds.
Danny Weiss of Mar Vista caught the whopper of the week, a 36-pound white sea bass, fishing in Santa Monica Bay aboard the Happyman.
Mike Franks of San Pedro, fishing at Catalina Island aboard the Freedom, won the jackpot with a 32-pound white sea bass.
Keith Birchfield of West Los Angeles won the jackpot aboard the Sea Spray, catching a 26-pound white sea bass at Catalina.
Nick Powers of Gardena won the jackpot aboard the Victory with a stray 15-pound salmon.
Bob Miller of San Pedro caught an 11-pound halibut aboard the Annie B barge.
Fish Reports:
With the barracuda fishing slow the past week, anglers have targeted the ever-reliable sand bass.
Catalina anglers with squid continue to score on all species.
At Marina Del Rey Sportfishing: The Happyman, working Santa Monica Bay, chalked up 55 sand bass, 15 halibut and 10 bonito.
The Spitfire rewarded anglers with 110 calico bass, 20 bonito and three halibut.
At Redondo Sportfishing: The Sea Spray twilight trip at the flats connected for 168 sand bass, 78 sculpin and one barracuda.
The Redondo Special tried Rocky Point on a half-day trip and returned with 245 calico bass, three bonito and one barracuda.
The Blackjack fished Catalina and anglers sacked 183 calico bass, 57 barracuda, 13 sheepshead and one white sea bass.
At 22nd Street Landing: The First String worked Catalina for 103 sand bass, 44 calico bass and two halibut.
Anglers on the Monte Carlo half-day trip to Horseshoe Kelp caught 69 sand bass, 36 calico bass and eight rock cod.
The Queen of the Sea fished the oil rigs and anglers returned with 41 barracuda, 20 bonito and eight sheepshead.
At L.A. Harbor Sportfishing: The Sportking headed to Catalina with squid and sacked 130 barracuda, 110 bonito and three white sea bass.
The Matt Walsh on a half-day trip to the Rockpile scored with 61 calico bass, 31 sand bass, one sea bass and one halibut.
The Annie B barge had a weekend count of 810 kingfish, 100 mackerel, 250 jacksmelt, five calico bass and three halibut.
At Long Beach Sportfishing: The Victory scored at Catalina with 127 barracuda, 31 calico bass and one salmon.
The Aztec fished Catalina and anglers drew a pair of 60s--60 barracuda and 60 calico bass.
The Chieftain on a twilight trip to the flats sacked 87 bass going three to six pounds.
The Channel Island Yacht Club held its first shark derby Sunday. Anglers found most of the action south of Anacapa Island’s west end. The winner of the tourney was Russ Garrison of Oxnard, fishing aboard his boat Sea Russler. He hooked an 88 1/2-pound mako shark.
Bill Crow of Oxnard, fishing on the Scuba Do, finished second with a 78 1/2-pound blue shark. Virgil Lockhart on the Ranger II landed a 66-pound blue shark to finish third.
Fishing outside the 5th Street power plant in the Oxnard Beach surf, Leo Garcia of Ventura caught a limit of perch.
Jerry Foy of Oxnard, aboard the Erna B at Santa Cruz Island, won the jackpot with an 18-pound lingcod.
Don Fuji of Panorama City, fishing the outer island, won the jackpot aboard the Eagle.
The San Fernando Valley Saltwater Angling Club fished in the Heal the Bay Tournament and was awarded a trophy for a limit of calico bass. Jim Stevenson of San Fernando received the sand bass award with his 5-pound, 7-ounce catch.
At Port Hueneme Sportfishing: The Erna B fished Santa Cruz Island and anglers caught 150 rock cod, 43 lingcod and 10 sculpin.
The Eagle tried San Nicholas Island and anglers sacked a variety of bottom fish--120 rock cod, 30 sheepshead, 30 sculpin, 16 halibut and 13 lingcod.
At Channel Island Sportfishing: The Morning Star worked the outer islands and anglers scored with 136 rock cod, one salmon, one cow cod and a lingcod.
The Island Cat on a three-quarter day trip to the Rockpile chalked up 110 rock cod, 40 whitefish, 34 calico bass and 26 sheepshead.
