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SAN DIEGO offshore scene gets with it!, Live squid...into yellows...more
Live squid keeps translating into yellows...
SOCAL SALT UPDATE
Mixed bag fishing on bluefin,
By Brandon Hayward/Western Outdoor News Staff Writer
Yellowfin and jumbo albacore looks to be the future…
SAN DIEGO – Could this be it? The offshore scene is getting with it and the end of the season is going to go out with a bang? Given some of the scores and reports coming out of San Diego, it looks like yellowfin tuna, bluefin tuna and a scattering of jumbo albacore are going to give boats something to run for in September.
The best overnight score of the season on bluefin, yellowfin and albacore was posted on Sunday when the Apollo out of Fisherman’s Landing turned in 57 bluefin, 34 yellowfin and 4 albacore. The good score — for once this season — was on an overnight trip.
“What was really cool about it was that we were not chasing these big, beefer schools that don’t want to bite,” reported Apollo owner/operator JJ Gerritsen on a call with WON. “It was scattered, small schools that wanted to bite and build around the boat as we drifted. It was like bites from the days of old — those bluefin plunkers where you can just drift along and have one to five going and get some little flurries for like eight or 10.”
Gerritsen said that two drifts made the overnight trip. The first was from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and the second was on a school he got on right after pulling out of the first drift. The second good stop went from 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
What really is special about the fishing in the “upper zone” in one-day range is the grade of the bluefin, yellowfin and albacore. “The bluefin were mostly 12 to 18 pounds, and the yellowfin were 30 to 40 pounds, with about 10 percent in the mid to high 40s,” added Gerritsen. “And the 4 albacore we had were all that 35- to 40-pound albacore.”
While not every boat connected (do mainly to the fact that some boats missed on the yellowfin that showed up late in the week) it seems like the zone that Gerritsen is talking about is going to be where it’s at this week.
The Legend wrapped up a 2-day trip Sunday night out of Seaforth Sportfishing and it got into its best mixed-bag fishing of the season as well.
“Our season is far, far from over,” reported Legend skipper Shawn Trowbridge on a call with WON. “More of this yellowfin is going to push up, and there’s reports of yellowfin out to the west where no boats have been looking.”
What Trowbridge was really excited about are the upcoming prospects given the action just experienced on the 2-day trip that he was wrapping up when he called WON via satellite phone.
“We got on a different area of fish Saturday and got on some porpoise that had 18- to 22-pound yellowfin on it. We had 60 yellowfin to go with about 25 skipjack out of it,” reported Trowbridge. “Today (Sunday) was just excellent. We had a drift for 25 bluefin, then we got out of the drift and slid on a spot of straight bluefin that turned into a bluefin, yellowfin and albacore plunker. The yellowfin were all those 25 to 45 pounders, and we had a couple of those 25 to 40-pound albacore to go with the 25 yellowfin and 41 bluefin.”
The 2-day trip’s total was 86 yellowfin, 42 bluefin, 2 albacore, 2 yellowtail and 25 skipjack.
Prospects first started growing late in the week when the Producer got on some yellowfin to start its 21⁄2-day that returned to H&M Landing on Sunday with 130 yellowfin, 2 bluefin, 3 yellowtail and 45 skipjack for 19 anglers. The Bright and Morning Star also returned from a 21⁄2-day on Sunday with 71 yellowfin tuna, 4 yellowtail and an opah.
Other scores coming out of the best week of the season included a Sunday 11⁄2-day on the Pegasus scoring 76 yellowfin tuna, 6 yellowtail and an opah for its trip with 17 anglers out of Fisherman’s Landing. The landing also had the Shogun return from a 11⁄2-day with 44 yellowfin and 11 skipjack. Before the Apollo’s big trip on Sunday it had a 2-day return Saturday with 76 yellowfin, 15 yellowtail and an opah. The opah was a 124 pounder caught by Warren Ota.
Aside from the Legend’s big hit for the 2 day that returned Sunday, there were some other great scores. The Voyager had 51 yellowfin and 11 skipjack for 14 anglers on Sunday’s 11⁄2-day. A 2-day on the Pacific Voyager returned with 116 yellowfin, 2 bluefin and 16 skipjack.
Live squid keeps translating into yellows, seabass for the L.A. overnight fleet
By Brandon Hayward/Western Outdoor News Staff Writer
LONG BEACH – It’s the type white seabass fishing that if it was going on in April or May, anglers would be scrambling to get on a trip.
But now it’s September, and prospects of catching white seabass and maybe a yellowtail on the live squid at Catalina and San Clemente islands just isn’t drawing the crowds. It’s a great thing for sportboat anglers, as the crowd factor just hasn’t been there, even thought the prospects at getting a nice shot on seabass at both Catalina and San Clemente islands is defiantly there.
“It’s a full-on mix. Some trips we get limits of seabass and some yellows, and others we just get one or two shots,” reported MarDiosa owner/operator Tony Saldivar on a call with WON.
The boat had its best shot of the week on Wednesday when it was limits on the white seabass (24) for 6 passengers and 2 crewmembers. Also in the mix were 7 yellowtail and a handful of barracuda and calico bass. “You didn’t know if you were going to get a yellow or a seabass when it was biting really good in the dark,” added Saldivar.
The Dreamer also had limits of white seabass (18) for 6 anglers at Catalina to end August, with trips on both Wednesday and Thursday getting the number.
While its been exotics that have kept the overnight six-pack trips going, there’s only been the very occasional yellowtail or white seabass for the 3⁄4-day fleet. The bass fishing has been fair, and there are enough bottom biters in the mix to keep everyone busy. The Freelance out of Davey’s Locker in Newport Beach found 1 white seabass, 47 calico bass, 3 barracuda, 5 sheephead, 8 whitefish and 12 perch on Sunday’s trip with 35 anglers. Next door at Newport Landing, the Nautilus did in 1 yellowtail, 29 calico bass, 4 barracuda and 54 bonito on Sunday. A 6 a.m. full-day on the Pursuit ended up with 49 calico bass, 37 sheephead, 54 whitefish, 108 rockfish, 6 sculpin, 198 perch and 4 sargo.
San Clemente Island’s yellowtail bite on the squid in Pyramid Cove has backed off some, but there’s still good signs of yellowtail out in the deeper water to go with at least a few shots at seabass.
“I looked at 200 plus big 25- to 30-pound yellowtail out in 100 fathoms… we hooked two and got one and then they were gone,” reported Sea Horse skipper Todd Nelson on a call with WON after an overnight trip out of Dana Wharf Sportfishing on Sunday.
What bit on Sunday at Clemente was the white seabass for the Options. It had 8 of the king croakers in the early morning hours on Sunday.
“We had really good bass fishing in the dark, and then the current changed so I set us up on the other side of the reef,” reported second skipper Wes Flesch. “We ended up getting bit and getting 8 out of it… there’s still really good opportunities around going into September.”
Live squid and white seabass heading into the new moon in September. Who’d of thought…
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SOCAL SALT UPDATE Mixed bag fishing on bluefin, By Brandon Hayward/Western Outdoor News Staff Writer Yellowfin and jumbo albacore looks to be the future… SAN DIEGO – Could this be it? The offshore scene is getting with it and the end of the season is going to go out with a bang? Given some of the scores and reports coming out of San Diego, it looks like yellowfin tuna, bluefin tuna and a scattering of jumbo albacore are going to give boats something to run for in September. The best overnight score of the season on bluefin, yellowfin and albacore was posted on Sunday when the Apollo out of Fisherman’s Landing turned in 57 bluefin, 34 yellowfin and 4 albacore. The good score — for once this season — was on an overnight trip. “What was really cool about it was that we were not chasing these big, beefer schools that don’t want to bite,” reported Apollo owner/operator JJ Gerritsen on a call with WON. “It was scattered, small schools that wanted to bite and build around the boat as we drifted. It was like bites from the days of old — those bluefin plunkers where you can just drift along and have one to five going and get some little flurries for like eight or 10.” Gerritsen said that two drifts made the overnight trip. The first was from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and the second was on a school he got on right after pulling out of the first drift. The second good stop went from 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. What really is special about the fishing in the “upper zone” in one-day range is the grade of the bluefin, yellowfin and albacore. “The bluefin were mostly 12 to 18 pounds, and the yellowfin were 30 to 40 pounds, with about 10 percent in the mid to high 40s,” added Gerritsen. “And the 4 albacore we had were all that 35- to 40-pound albacore.” While not every boat connected (do mainly to the fact that some boats missed on the yellowfin that showed up late in the week) it seems like the zone that Gerritsen is talking about is going to be where it’s at this week. The Legend wrapped up a 2-day trip Sunday night out of Seaforth Sportfishing and it got into its best mixed-bag fishing of the season as well. “Our season is far, far from over,” reported Legend skipper Shawn Trowbridge on a call with WON. “More of this yellowfin is going to push up, and there’s reports of yellowfin out to the west where no boats have been looking.” What Trowbridge was really excited about are the upcoming prospects given the action just experienced on the 2-day trip that he was wrapping up when he called WON via satellite phone. “We got on a different area of fish Saturday and got on some porpoise that had 18- to 22-pound yellowfin on it. We had 60 yellowfin to go with about 25 skipjack out of it,” reported Trowbridge. “Today (Sunday) was just excellent. We had a drift for 25 bluefin, then we got out of the drift and slid on a spot of straight bluefin that turned into a bluefin, yellowfin and albacore plunker. The yellowfin were all those 25 to 45 pounders, and we had a couple of those 25 to 40-pound albacore to go with the 25 yellowfin and 41 bluefin.” The 2-day trip’s total was 86 yellowfin, 42 bluefin, 2 albacore, 2 yellowtail and 25 skipjack. Prospects first started growing late in the week when the Producer got on some yellowfin to start its 21⁄2-day that returned to H&M Landing on Sunday with 130 yellowfin, 2 bluefin, 3 yellowtail and 45 skipjack for 19 anglers. The Bright and Morning Star also returned from a 21⁄2-day on Sunday with 71 yellowfin tuna, 4 yellowtail and an opah. Other scores coming out of the best week of the season included a Sunday 11⁄2-day on the Pegasus scoring 76 yellowfin tuna, 6 yellowtail and an opah for its trip with 17 anglers out of Fisherman’s Landing. The landing also had the Shogun return from a 11⁄2-day with 44 yellowfin and 11 skipjack. Before the Apollo’s big trip on Sunday it had a 2-day return Saturday with 76 yellowfin, 15 yellowtail and an opah. The opah was a 124 pounder caught by Warren Ota. Aside from the Legend’s big hit for the 2 day that returned Sunday, there were some other great scores. The Voyager had 51 yellowfin and 11 skipjack for 14 anglers on Sunday’s 11⁄2-day. A 2-day on the Pacific Voyager returned with 116 yellowfin, 2 bluefin and 16 skipjack. Live squid keeps translating into yellows, seabass for the L.A. overnight fleet By Brandon Hayward/Western Outdoor News Staff Writer LONG BEACH – It’s the type white seabass fishing that if it was going on in April or May, anglers would be scrambling to get on a trip. But now it’s September, and prospects of catching white seabass and maybe a yellowtail on the live squid at Catalina and San Clemente islands just isn’t drawing the crowds. It’s a great thing for sportboat anglers, as the crowd factor just hasn’t been there, even thought the prospects at getting a nice shot on seabass at both Catalina and San Clemente islands is defiantly there. “It’s a full-on mix. Some trips we get limits of seabass and some yellows, and others we just get one or two shots,” reported MarDiosa owner/operator Tony Saldivar on a call with WON. The boat had its best shot of the week on Wednesday when it was limits on the white seabass (24) for 6 passengers and 2 crewmembers. Also in the mix were 7 yellowtail and a handful of barracuda and calico bass. “You didn’t know if you were going to get a yellow or a seabass when it was biting really good in the dark,” added Saldivar. The Dreamer also had limits of white seabass (18) for 6 anglers at Catalina to end August, with trips on both Wednesday and Thursday getting the number. While its been exotics that have kept the overnight six-pack trips going, there’s only been the very occasional yellowtail or white seabass for the 3⁄4-day fleet. The bass fishing has been fair, and there are enough bottom biters in the mix to keep everyone busy. The Freelance out of Davey’s Locker in Newport Beach found 1 white seabass, 47 calico bass, 3 barracuda, 5 sheephead, 8 whitefish and 12 perch on Sunday’s trip with 35 anglers. Next door at Newport Landing, the Nautilus did in 1 yellowtail, 29 calico bass, 4 barracuda and 54 bonito on Sunday. A 6 a.m. full-day on the Pursuit ended up with 49 calico bass, 37 sheephead, 54 whitefish, 108 rockfish, 6 sculpin, 198 perch and 4 sargo. San Clemente Island’s yellowtail bite on the squid in Pyramid Cove has backed off some, but there’s still good signs of yellowtail out in the deeper water to go with at least a few shots at seabass. “I looked at 200 plus big 25- to 30-pound yellowtail out in 100 fathoms… we hooked two and got one and then they were gone,” reported Sea Horse skipper Todd Nelson on a call with WON after an overnight trip out of Dana Wharf Sportfishing on Sunday. What bit on Sunday at Clemente was the white seabass for the Options. It had 8 of the king croakers in the early morning hours on Sunday. “We had really good bass fishing in the dark, and then the current changed so I set us up on the other side of the reef,” reported second skipper Wes Flesch. “We ended up getting bit and getting 8 out of it… there’s still really good opportunities around going into September.” Live squid and white seabass heading into the new moon in September. Who’d of thought… |
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