Anglers Tune In to Channel and Find Schools of Yellowfin Lurking About

It’s not quite southern Baja, but then you don’t need to travel 1,000 miles to catch the same thing.

Dorado? We’ve got them. Yellowfin tuna? They’re out there. Skipjack tuna? Like it or not, there are plenty not far off the Southland coast.

South Bay-based boats have had quite a week on the exotics, the most notable of which are schools of yellowfin breezing about the channel between Santa Catalina Island and the mainland.

The Blackjack out of Redondo Sportfishing had the best run, as 23 fishermen boated 23 yellowfin to 50 pounds, according to Matt Sullivan at the landing. Less desirable but no less powerful, skipjack kept Blackjack anglers busy, as they put 46 in the sacks. They added a few dorado for good measure.

On the hook, the dorado may be acrobatic, but off it the dolphinfish are downright elusive.

The last big count locally on the fish was Thursday, as 12 anglers landed 52 dorado on a three-quarter-day Sport King out of L.A. Harbor Sportfishing. Meanwhile, it has been pick one or two from beneath a kelp paddy and move on to another.

Also on Thursday, 25 passengers on a half-day trip aboard the L.A. Harbor Sportfishing’s Matt Walsh landed 42 skipjack to 25 pounds.

“Not bad for a half-day boat,” said Darren Wilson at the landing.

Catch of the week: a 23 1/2-pound dorado by Alex Van of San Pedro, aboard none other than 22nd Street Landing’s El Dorado.

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Nearest the activity is Avalon, and the weighmaster at Avalon Sea Foods had a busy week.

“We’ve had quite a few fish brought in this week,” Rosie Cadman said. “We’ve had a 21 1/2-pound yellowtail, a 20-pounder, a 37-pound yellowfin, a 6 1/2-pound dorado and 13 3/4-pound dorado and a 35-pound bigeye tuna, so we’re getting what you would call a variety.”

The best news, Cadman says, is that a local marlin season finally seems to be getting under way.

“We’ve had five brought in in the last week, so we’re up to 13 now,” Cadman said.

One of those was a small but acrobatic striped marlin caught Saturday by Avalon resident Bob Lee next to cheering spectators aboard a cruise ship.

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Barracuda, which had all but disappeared in the past couple of weeks, are back in force.

Skipper Keith Brewer of the Reel Special out of Long Beach Sportfishing put his 15 customers atop a huge school on Wednesday; they limited out with 10 barracuda apiece by 10:30 a.m., according to Brian Smith at the landing.

Anglers aboard the Matt Walsh, on a morning run to Horseshoe Kelp, had a run-in with the slender-but-speedy fish, landing 89.

“We haven’t seen these numbers in three weeks,” L.A. Harbor’s Wilson said.