FISHING : Giant Seabass Are Showing Up in Area Catches

The L.A. Harbor Sportfishing boat First String was fishing off the east end of Catalina Island for calico bass last week when angler Irma Gise hooked what she thought was either a yellowtail or white seabass.

Gise, of San Pedro, battled the fish for 15 minutes and could not budge it off the bottom. She then gave her rod to captain Pat Conklin, who was finally able to move the fish. Conklin sensed the fish was a giant seabass, more commonly known as a black seabass, and alerted deckhands to stand by to release it. A moratorium was imposed in 1982 on black seabass by the California Department of Fish and Game.

Before releasing it, deckhands estimated the fish weighed over 50 pounds.

But Conklin wasn’t the only angler to hook a black seabass. Before the day was finished, several fish in the 40- to 50-pound class were hooked.

Will Zimmerman of Gardena hooked the last fish. When it finally surfaced, it was estimated to weigh over 150 pounds.

The fish was too big to release over the rail and it took three deckhands to raise it through the boat’s gate in order to remove the hook and deflate the bladder before returning it to the ocean.

The Long Beach Sportfishing half-day boat Southern Cal recently returned from a trip to the horseshoe kelp area and anglers caught and released two black seabass.

Paul Gregory of Fish and Game said the moratorium may be lifted if the growth rate of the species continues.

Gregory said if the moratorium were to be lifted, a size minimum of 48 inches would be enforced. Anglers would not be allowed to keep black seabass caught between the spawning months of June and August.

Gregory cautioned anglers that they should never gaff a black seabass. Anglers also should obtain a device to deflate the bladder of a deep-water fish before they are returned to the ocean.

Local fishing for calico bass and sculpin along kelp beds remains good and halibut and rockfish are still being caught in Santa Monica Bay.

South Bay Sportfishing boats on two-day trips to Cortez Bank have been unsuccessful in attempts to locate tuna. But boat captains remain optimistic that a tuna bite could occur at any moment.

Four South Bay anglers brought marlin to the Avalon scale during the weekend.

Bob Braine, from his boat Brain Wave, caught a 172 1/2-pound marlin.

Mike Green was aboard his boat Post Time out from Avalon Bank and caught a 155 1/2-pounder.

Hector Contras, from his boat Brandywine, caught one weighing 153 1/2 pounders.

Pete Wilson, aboard his boat Blue Moon out from Avalon Bank, caught a 128-pounder.

Don Warren of Carson returned from a three-day trip aboard the Qualifier 105. The group fished 150 miles from Point Loma and caught a limit of skipjack and a bluefin tuna weighing 50 pounds.

South Bay Catches: Mike Tagami of Gardena, aboard the Sea Spray at rocky point, caught the whopper of the week, a 38-pound halibut.

Tom Hosmeyer of Carson, aboard the Hitless Miss at horseshoe kelp, caught a 23-pound halibut.

Bobby Wokawski of San Pedro, at Cortez Bank aboard the Outerlimits, caught an 18-pound cow cod.

Bill Powell of Long Beach, aboard the Victory at the rigs, caught a 16-pound white seabass.

Sonia Monk, aboard the Southern Cal at horseshoe kelp, caught an 11-pound bonito.