Summer is finally upon us, and with it comes the many choices of where to do some fishing.
Joe Davis and his wife, Dawn, were fishing just outside of Newport Harbor when Joe's sardine was inhaled by something really big. Davis fought the fish to the surface and saw that it was a big halibut. Dawn scooped the 30.2-pound halibut up in a net to the cheers of many anglers fishing on the rocks. “It’s one thing to catch a trophy like this, but to have the roar of the crowd too—priceless,” she said.
Shawn Morgon from Big Fish Tackle in Seal Beach is reporting some excellent thresher shark fishing for anglers from the Huntington Beach Pier.
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“One guy hooked and lost four [thresher sharks] because they were so big,” Morgon said. “He went back the next day with heavier tackle and caught two.”
Morgon said many of the tasty sharks exceeded 100 pounds, and 40- to 60-pound threshers were common. He recommended at least 40-pound test line with a 5/0 hook and a mackerel or sardine for bait. Because there is no live bait on the pier, Morgon recommends that anglers snag baitfish with a sabiki rig to be kept alive in a bucket. “It’s not often that a big-game opportunity presents itself for pier fishermen.”
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Barracuda fishing has been good off Huntington and Seal Beach for boats from Newport to San Pedro. There are some slow days, but for the most part, fishing has been good. The half-day boat Westerly out of Long Beach Sportfishing has recorded excellent catches of barracuda all week.
The Westerly is offering a special white sea bass trip with captains Jeff Jones and Larry Moore on board, in addition to the regular crew, to act as sea bass mentors. The trip is limited to only 16 anglers and is $130. You can call captain Moore at 714-329-3853.
Catalina Island white sea bass remain inconsistent for most boats. There have been some excellent hits for the smaller six-pack fleet at times, with some boats catching their three-fish limits. For the most part however, it has been very hit-and-miss. Stew Suenga from Los Angeles caught a giant 63.7-pound white sea bass aboard Options out of Pierpoint Landing in Long Beach on Saturday. It was Suenaga’s biggest sea bass ever. Earl McVicar from Torrance also caught a nice sea bass on the Toronado.
Surf fishing has been good most everywhere. The beaches in front of the Huntington Beach power plants have been good for corbina and barred perch. The bite has been as good around the Seal Beach Pier, as well as at the jetties nearby. Surf fishing near the Redondo, Hermosa and Manhattan Beach piers has also produced some excellent results for barred perch and corbina. Ghost shrimp and sand crabs have been the best baits.
Palos Verdes anglers have been catching opaleye perch, as well as sand and calico bass, off the rocks; free divers continue to spear some big white sea bass in the kelp forests. Anglers fishing near the rich Palos Verdes kelp forests have been catching a few white sea bass, some barracuda and more and more calico bass. There have even been a few yellowtail cruising around.
Anglers fishing out of Redondo and Marina del Rey have been catching a few barracuda and sand and calico bass. When the surface fish don’t cooperate, rockfish have been plentiful. There seem to be a lot of barracuda around, and with time, they should starting biting again with greater intensity.
Other Sportfishing News
- Pierpoint Landing in Long Beach and Long Beach Marina Sportfishing start their kids-fish-free program June 27. Kids under 16 years of age fish free on half-day and three-quarter-day boats, Monday through Friday for the next month.
- Captain Brian Dull passed away this week from undisclosed reasons. Dull attended USC on a baseball scholarship and was well known as captain of dive boats and fishing boats, such as the Liberty.
- Long Beach captain Lance Stuart Ekberg lost his battle to multiple sclerosis on Sunday. He once survived a hurricane at Socorro Island and was saved by a passing ship. He was also a well-known captain around the Long Beach area.
- Tonight at 9 p.m., the controversial Ted Nugent joins Philip Friedman to talk hunting, fishing, the great outdoors, and clean and sober living. Nugent also takes on Paul Watson and Whale Wars. The show can be heard on Angels Radio, AM 830, or on AM830KLAA.com.