Kids, get your fishing tackle out

The inaugural Kids Fishing tournament sponsored by Davey’s Locker

Sportfishing in Balboa is underway for the local summer fishing

season. Children will compete for monthly awards in two age groups

and specie divisions during the months of July and August. According

to Captain Norris Tapp, spokesman for Davey’s Locker, the tournament

is designed to get youngsters involved in fishing and show them just

how much fun a little friendly competition can be.

There are two separate age groups in the tournament. Children 10

years of age and under will be among the younger contestants and

older boys and girls in the age group of 11-to-15 years will compete

in the senior division. Prizes will be awarded each month for the

three heaviest fish in each category. Species of fish that are

eligible include: Bass category (sand, calico and spotted bay bass),

barracuda, and other (yellowtail, white seabass, halibut, tuna,

bonito, dorado and marlin). Not included in this tournament are

sharks, rays, eels, lizard fish, mackerel, cod or rockfish.

All fish must be caught on a Davey’s Locker sportfishing boat or a

skiff rented from Newport Harbor Skiffs. Rules and regulations of the

California Department of Fish and Game apply to the legal size of a

fish that can be weighed in. Entry cards for the tournament are

available at the Davey’s Locker Sportfishing office and on fleet

boats and must be turned into the main office or handed to a crew

member after the fish has been officially weighed. Contestants will

be limited to placing a qualifying fish only once per category each

month. In the event of a tie, the prize will be awarded to the

contestant who caught the fish first. For more information call

Davey’s Locker at (949) 673-1434.

Fishing is on the upswing for coastal waters, at Catalina Island

and it looks the albacore are finally starting to move up to within

one day range of the Newport based sportfishing fleet. Catalina has

been wide open for calico bass, log barracuda and a few big white

seabass. Thierry Sanglerat of Newport Beach decked a 43 pound white

seabass in action early this week while fishing aboard the six pack

charter boat Bongos III, captained by Joe Bairian of Newport.

Catalina has also been producing quality yellowtail fishing on both

the front and back sides of the island. Don Domingquez of Huntington

Beach sacked a 23-pound yellow while fishing off the stern of the

3/4 day boat Freelance running out of Davey’s Locker.

Along the beach, limits of sand bass are still being caught off

structure with the average bass weighing in the 2- to 3-pound class.

As the sea temp continues to rise look to sandies to move into

shallower water and begin their annual summer spawning ritual over

the mud flats off Huntington Beach.

There is good news for deep sea anglers who have been patiently

awaiting the arrival of longfin tuna. Big schools of albies have

finally moved to within one day range for the San Diego boats and

they should be in fishable waters for the sport boats and private

yachts running out of Newport and Huntington harbors by this weekend.

Water temps are holding in the low to mid sixties, there is plenty of

bait and everything is pointing to a good summer of albacore fishing

this season.

Surf fishing is also getting good between the piers and north up

to the Santa Ana River jetties. Small barred perch and yellowfin

croaker are being caught on both in coming and out going tides and

the bait of choice are small sand crabs pinned on a size No. 12

snelled hook. Back up baits include: mussels, clams and shrimp which

are also good for corbina and bottom feeders.

Pick up a tide book at Angler’s Center, located on old Newport

Blvd., before heading out to any surf fishing spot to make sure you

have the latest information on where surf fish are biting and when

the best tides will be. Robert Furman of Newport spent an evening

surf fishing off 16th Street earlier this week and on an out going

tide caught perch and croaker weighing to 1.5 pounds.