76-Pound Sea Bass Caught; Weekend Fishing Tourney

 A 76.4-pound white sea  bass was caught off the Orange County coast last week by two brothers using 20-pound test line.

The catch was weighted and certified  at the Balboa Angling Club in Newport Beach as a potential world record. The existing record of a white sea bass on 20-pound test line was in 1982 in the waters off of San Clemente. According to reports, Scott and Craig Caringella were in a 13-foot Boston Whaler fishing with sardines, chasing birds and bait boils off Laguna Beach, when they hooked the fish. 

The brothers brought the fish to the Balboa Angling Club where weigh master Tracy Villoria took the official International Game Fish Association measurements and photographs.

"They were lucky to catch it and get it into their boat. It was the largest white sea bass I have ever seen," Villoria said. "It is now a pending world record and Scott and Craig will submit photos, measurements and their fishing line and wait for the results."

Local Sport Fishing

This Saturday and Sunday is the Balboa Angling Club's 48th Annual Lily Call Bay Tournament—a 4-pound test line tournament for croaker, corbina, halibut and bass. The Grand Slam Award will go to the lucky angler with the largest total weight of all 4 species. 

The Friday and Saturday night $20 twilight special  aboard the Nautilus out of Newport Harbor will continue for the rest of April, and the Thunderbird is offering overnight trips to San Clemente Island for $99.

Last week,  and had mixed bags on their coastal trips. The landings reported daily catches of  sculpin, rockfish, sand dabs and a few sand bass. 

The Patriot out of Newport Landing on a local 3/4-day trip with 44 anglers onboard caught 1 ling cod, 12 red snappers, 61 rockfish, 12 sculpin and 104 sand dabs.

The Thunderbird, fishing at San Clemente Island with 13 anglers, caught 29 red snappers, 26 boccaccio and 75 rockfish.