Hot Fishing Cools After Water Temperature Drops 3 Degrees

A little upwelling, a shiny full moon and fishing goes down the drain.

So it went over the weekend, as what had been a fantastic bite for most species turned average at best.

The water dropped from 70 to about 67 degrees off the South Bay coast, causing the sand bass that had been so cooperative to turn sluggish and causing some skippers to turn to rockfish as an alternative.

At the outer banks, conditions seemed more than adequate, with baitfish showing in abundance. But the full moon apparently lighted up the night sea enough to allow the fish to feed uninhibited.

“The lights on our boats just can’t compete with the full moon,” said Jim Mellin at 22nd Street Landing in San Pedro.

Anglers aboard the Indian out of 22nd Street fished offshore Monday and managed only one bluefin tuna, 29 yellowtail, some bonito and skipjack. Other landings reported similar results.

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The good news is that the moon is disappearing, the water is stabilizing and fishing is improving by the day.

Rocky Point and the kelp off Malibu on Tuesday yielded limits of calico bass for some, and schools of bonito began breezing about.

“And the (Santa Monica) Bay is loaded with yellowtail,” said John Glackin at Redondo Sportfishing. “We’re looking at them, but not catching too many.”

The Victory out of Long Beach Sportfishing on Tuesday had a fair run on yellowtail, as anglers put five on the boat to go with limits of calico bass for 20 people.

“It’s pretty much back to status quo,” Glackin said.

Not quite, but it seems to be getting there.

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It’s anything but status quo as far as local marlin fishermen are concerned. A season that should be well under way in reality has yet to begin.

Total count at Avalon Sea Foods, one of a few official weigh stations, was three striped marlin.

“We’re about 100 below normal,” said Janet Fullmer at Avalon.

The largest of the three is a 131-pounder caught by Richard Anderson of Palos Verdes on July 26.

Theories as to why the billfish have yet to fill the bill?

“One theory is that no one can afford the gas (to troll) and hardly anybody is out fishing for them,” Fullmer said.

Another is that the fish remain concentrated farther south in the vicinity of the Coronado Islands across the border.

Fullmer’s scale hasn’t exactly been gathering rust, though. Fishermen recently brought in two bigeye tuna, the largest weighing 169 1/2 pounds.

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The Venice Anglers held their annual mako shark tournament last weekend and anglers aboard 26 boats plied South Bay waters in search of a mako that would make one angler’s day.

Ray Perkins of Marina del Rey hooked into that special mako, landing a 117-pounder that earned him the winner-take-all prize of $2,200.

Second place went to Ron Smothers of Marina del Rey and third to Ray Cano of Venice.

The group released all fish under 70 pounds and weighed a total of nine.

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Other catches: Jay Latham of Redondo Beach, a 38-pound bluefin; Bill Beal, Long Beach, 32-pound halibut; John Jordan, San Pedro, 30-pound yellowtail; Jim Slivtoff, Redondo Beach, 16-pound white seabass, and Charlie Hecht, San Pedro, 15-pound halibut.