FISHING : Conditions Were Rough for Derby

Rough seas made the 17th annual Marina del Rey Halibut Derby challenging for 1,037 anglers entered in the derby.

The top three individual fish were caught by West Los Angeles anglers.

Fishing aboard Marina del Rey Sportfishing’s Sumo, Stephan P. Craig was first-place winner with a 24-pound, 8-ounce halibut. He won a week’s fishing trip to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

Second place went to John Walker for an 18-pound, 6-ounce halibut. Walker won a fishing trip to Alaska.

Third place was won by Tracy Wilson for an 18-pound halibut. He will receive a long-range fishing trip aboard the Royal Star.

In the two-man team events, Marina del Rey anglers Barney Brown and George Bogen won a fishing trip to Costa Rica for their first-place finish.

Finishing second in the team event were Tracy Wilson and Gary Rozsa, who will receive a fishing trip aboard the Bongos.

Third place went to Venice anglers Barney Brown and Skip O Dell, whose prize is new Penn reels.

Indications for an offshore salmon run appear good.

Last weekend, breezing schools of salmon surfaced around the Isle of Redondo barge and gave anglers a sample of what could build into a local salmon run.

Only one of the hook-ups was landed when West Los Angeles fisherman Hai Chan brought a 25-pound salmon to the barge’s net.

Barracuda fishing slowed over the weekend as winds curtailed fishing, with less than half-limits per angler.

Action picked up again on Monday and Tuesday morning for barracuda off Catalina Island.

Long Beach Sportfishing’s Victory had more than 100 fish and L.A. Harbor Sportfishing’s Sport-king anglers had a limit.

Morry Gold of West Los Angeles caught the largest. Among his 10-fish limit was a fish weighing nine pounds.

Outer island white sea bass and yellowtail fishing slowed over the past weekend, with mostly calico bass and sheephead being sacked.

Anthony Soto, 17, of Long Beach was fishing for the first time aboard the Cheri off Catalina.

Soto’s rod was set up with a jig and squid and on his first cast he got a strike.

He said when the fish struck it pulled the rod from his hands and the rig fell to the deck. Another angler standing by handed the rod to Soto and he continued to battle the fish when the line became wrapped around the reel. But the deckhand was able to reach over and gaff the white sea bass, ending the 45-minute battle.

The sea bass weighed in at Long Beach Sportfishing was one of the largest caught recently in local waters. It weighed 65 pounds.

South Bay Catches--Noah Lehr of Catalina Island, fishing from his boat the Gray Seal off the Catalina Isthmus, caught the whopper of the week a 42-pound white sea bass.