FISHING : As the Water Warms, So Does the Surface Action for Bonito and Barracuda

The continued rise in water temperature has helped bring bonito and barracuda to the surface in the past week.

The fish have been caught off Palos Verdes, Rocky Point and Catalina Island. Anglers have been able to catch their limits on most trips.

After all but disappearing last year, bonito are returning to all kelp areas with some of the legal-sized boneheads reaching eight pounds.

Alfred Jayme of Redondo Sport Fishing reports that fishing has been particularly good off the Isle of Redondo Barge, which is at its new location on a reef two miles offshore.

Jayme said that during a run last week, anglers caught 854 fish.

He said with the new location of the barge and warmer water temperatures, this could be a record year for bonito.

Last weekend, the L.A. Harbor Sportfishing boat Sportking returned with a one-day catch of 190 bonito.

Gardena fisherman Nick Gold caught a seven-pound bonito.

Catalina residents continue to catch white seabass and halibut according to Doug Oudin, harbor master at Two Harbors.

David McElroy, aboard his boat Skipjack, caught a 38-pound seabass off the west end of the island.

Don Ochs, aboard his boat Goose, caught a 24-pound white seabass.

John Vaughn, fishing for halibut aboard from his boat Reel Gamit, caught two seabass that averaged 15 pounds each.

San Clemente Island update--Yellowtail are plentiful in and around the island’s kelp patties, but the fish have been difficult to catch.

South Bay boats working the area last weekend were able to catch some fish on jigs with small sardines.

Redondo fisherman George Uzzo did catch three whopper yellowtails, but he traveled to La Paz, Mexico, to do it. Uzzo’s three fish averaged more than 40 pounds each.

South Bay Catches--Rene Romero of West Los Angeles, using a small sardine for bait while fishing aboard his boat the Three Hour Total at Horseshoe Kelp, caught the whopper of the week--a 41 1/2-pound white seabass.

Larry Wild of West Los Angeles, aboard his boat Two Mules off Catalina, caught a 36-pound white seabass.

Kathy Citron of Santa Monica, aboard the Del Mark at Venice Reef, caught a 27-pound halibut.

Bill Price of Long Beach, aboard the Freedom off Catalina, caught a 23-pound halibut.

Ray Meyers of Long Beach, aboard the Victory, caught a 13-pound sheephead at Horseshoe Kelp.

Freshwater Notes--Bruce Koh Mann of Torrance, fishing at Castaic Lake, caught a 13-pound bass.

Kurt Trump of El Segundo, fishing at Santa Ana Lake, caught a five-fish limit of bass that totaled 14 1/2 pounds.

David Quintana of Long Beach, fishing at Irvine Lake, caught a 6 1/2-pound bass.