Rocky Point and Bay Produce Plenty of Halibut, Sculpin

Fishing came back strongly after blustery winds slowed the action last week.

Anglers caught their limits of halibut and sculpin at Rocky Point and in Santa Monica Bay.

The Sea Spray out of Redondo Sportfishing put anglers onto a halibut bite that produced a limit for the light passenger load. The flatties weighed up to 17 pounds.

Dan Armstrong at the landing’s office said the four boats had at least 2,000 sculpin.

Henry Church of Wilmington had an unusual experience fishing on a two-day rock cod trip aboard the Phila Donna at Santa Barbara Island over the weekend.

He needed just one fish to complete his two-day limit.

Church sent a jig down with a strip of squid and waited for a strike.

The current was moving the boat, and as his line started to stretch he tried to reel in but was unable to move his jig, which he thought went under a rock with a fish.

Letting out more line, he freed the jig. Reeling in, the line became much heavier as it moved closer to the surface. Church was sure he had a big lingcod, but a large rock surfaced, clinging to his jig.

With only a few minutes of fishing time remaining, Church went back down to 300 feet and all was not lost: He brought up a 24 1/2-pound cow cod.

South Bay Catches: Ron Adams of San Pedro, fishing aboard the Top Gun at Cherry Bank, caught the whopper of the week, a 30-pound cow cod.

Ben Jackson of Carson, on the Hitless Miss, caught a 19-pound rock cod at Catalina Island.

Herman Wohlford of Manhattan Beach, aboard the Sea Spray at Twin Roads, won the jackpot with a 16-pound halibut.

Yong Chong of Manhattan Beach, on the Top Gun, won the jackpot with a 14 1/2-pound sheepshead.

Fish Reports: Water conditions improved at Catalina Island with good catches of calico bass. Yellowtail fishing at the island remains slow.

Island rock cod fishing remains excellent.

At Marina del Rey Sportfishing: The Spitfire fished the bay and anglers returned with 45 sculpin, 27 sand bass and 19 halibut.

The Happyman, fishing shallow rocks on a half-day trip, scored with 50 sculpin, 16 sand bass and nine halibut.

The Betty O rock cod special worked the Rockpile and anglers cranked up 224 rock cod, 15 whitefish and four lingcod.

At Redondo Sportfishing: The Sea Spray found a hungry halibut bite at Twin Roads with anglers sacking 28, plus 133 sculpin.

The City of Redondo on two half-day trips to Rocky Point caught 650 sculpin, 107 rockfish and two halibut.

The Blackjack worked Cherry Bank for 188 rock cod and 16 cow cod.

At 22nd Street Landing: The First String checked out the west end of Catalina and 220 blue perch, 21 calico bass, 10 bonito and one white sea bass went into the sacks.

The Monte Carlo on a half-day run to White’s Point garnered 41 rockfish, 23 calico bass, seven sculpin and two halibut.

The Daiwa, with tanks of squid, found a wide-open bass bite, catching 150 calico bass and 25 Catalina blue perch.

At L.A. Harbor Sportfishing: The Top Gun on a half-day trip to Cherry Bank scored with 101 rock cod, 30 sheepshead and 25 whitefish.

The Matt Walsh on a half-day run to the Rockpile returned with 52 calico bass, 35 perch, 17 sculpin and one halibut.

At Long Beach Sportfishing: The Victory fished Rocky Point and anglers caught a variety--152 calico bass, 91 sculpin, 22 sand bass, six whitefish and five sheepshead.

Freshwater Notes: Tom Gaston of Carson took the limit of trout at Irvine Lake, weighing a total of 15 pounds.

John Dobart and Terry Darrah of Carson each caught trout that averaged 7 1/4 pounds.