FISHING / DAN STANTON : Warm Water Lures Plenty of Bonito to Anglers’ Lines

Ocean fishing over the holiday weekend gave anglers something to celebrate.

Drawing the spotlight for surface action was an invasion of big bonito that ranged upward from 11 pounds.

What contributed to the new run after they had vanished from Rocky Point for several days was the water temperature jumping from a low of 58 back up to 66 degrees.

As quickly as they vanished from the cold water, the boneheads returned to take up residence from Rocky Point south.

Heavyweight lobster catches are improving.

Randy Beaver of San Pedro was diving from the Wild Wave for lobsters in 80 feet of water off San Nicholas Island when he located a cave that harbored two. Trying not to scare them off, he backed into the cave slowly and managed to grab the larger of the two. He reached for the other but it broke away.

At 22nd Street Landing the lobster was weighed at 9 1/2 pounds.

Anglers who have booked fishing trips on New Year’s Eve and Jan. 1 should get a 1990 fishing license to avoid being fined.

Effective Jan. 1, the resident sportfishing license fee will be $21. The cost of a one-day license is $6.75. Lifetime licenses are also available.

South Bay Catches: Bob Tyler of Long Beach, fishing at Catalina Island aboard the Southern Cal, used a chrome jig and cut squid to catch the whopper of the week, a 30-pound lingcod.

Owen Smead of Culver City, aboard the Spitfire at Venice reef, was the jackpot winner with his 28-pound halibut.

Paul Nielsen of Redondo Beach, on the Blackjack at cherry Bank, won the jackpot with a 21-pound cow cod.

Sam Morgan of Long Beach, fishing aboard the City of Seal Beach, caught a 18-pound lingcod at the oil rigs.

Fish Reports: At Marina del Rey Sportfishing: The Spitfire worked the Venice Beach area and anglers scored with 300 sculpin, 48 calico bass and two halibut.

The Happy Man fished Santa Monica Bay on a half-day trip and returned with 30 sculpin and 15 sand bass.

The Betty O rock cod special went deep and anglers cranked up 267 rock cod and three lingcod.

At Redondo Sportfishing: The Blackjack rock cod trip to Cherry Bank chalked up 330 rock cod and 13 cow cod.

The Redondo Special on two half-day trips to Rocky Point returned with 600 shallow rockfish and 325 sculpin.

At 22nd Street Landing: The Diawa rock cod trip to San Nicholas Island scored with a variety of rockfish and seven cow cod.

At L.A. Harbor Sportfishing: The Matt Walsh worked Rocky Point on a half-day run and returned with 54 bonito, 36 sculpin and three sheepshead.

The Outerlimits headed to San Clemente Island and found a variety--166 bull bass, 71 rockfish, 31 sheepshead, 15 sculpin and four lingcod.

The Annie B barge had a weekend count of 720 kingfish, 415 jacksmelt, 12 assorted bass and one halibut.

At Long Beach Sportfishing: The Victory worked White’s Point and anglers caught 91 bonito, 39 sculpin, 21 calico bass and three halibut.

The Southern Cal rock cod trip to Catalina, fishing deep, scored with 315 rock cod and four lingcod.

Freshwater Notes: At Santa Ana River Lakes, Hideto Kikuchi of Lawndale landed an 11-pound trout and John Gobart of Carson caught a 10-pound trout.