Hey all, I know this is late today, out webmaster, Erik Landesfeind and Rachel Baker are getting married tomorrow... We wish them good luck and no stress!
Good Morning!
I would like to thank those who have sent in their photos so far, please continue to send us pictures of the fish you catch on Long Beach Bait Company bait to get your picture on our website and for a chance at great prizes. Please send photos to longbeachbaitcompany@yahoo.com
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This is our bait and fish report for Friday 7/20.
Our receiver is currently loaded with chum sized anchovie with a limited amount larger ones, nice bait sized sardines and bait sized mackerel. No matter what you're targetting, come by the receiver and we will have the bait you need this weekend. As usual, Martin will be on the receiver all weekend and you can call him on Channel 11 or at (562) 455- 9928. He will be able to give you the lastest bait and fishing information when you talk to him.
The Long Beach Carnage is at Catalina and has plenty of live squid. They plan to be there all weekend and will make as much bait as they can every night, so if you're heading across give Paul a call on Channel 11 or at (562) 714- 8103.
Now to the fish report...
Offshore
The local offshore bite has dropped off again. There are still some fish in range of Long Beach, but the weather has been up outside and it's a long haul for not wide open fishing. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and the fish will start to bite. If you are dead set on running offshore this weekend, I would angle out towards the butterfly as there have been some yellows on the patties out that way, so if you miss on the albacore, you still have a chance to put some fish on the boat. In my opinion, with the availablity of yellows at Clemente and Croaker and Yellows at Catalina, it's not worth the run offshore. If you are looking for more information about offshore fishing, please refer to my report from 7/13.
Catalina
The good news is that with another wave of squid moving into the island, the seabass and yellows are biting again! Several sportboats have posted good scores on yellows in the last couple of days and some friends of ours reported limits of nice sized seabass yesterday at the island.
If you are looking to make a big score on the exotics, you need to have live squid, so make sure and stop by the Long Beach Carnage who is anchored just east of Avalon and pick up a scoop from Paul. Paul can give you the current dope when you pick up your bait, but here is what I know.
There is still a bite on the big yellows happening early on the squid grounds just outside the V's. These are the same fish that have been biting the last couple months, so please refer to my post from 6/22 for info on how to fish this area. If the morning bite doesn't pan out or if you get to the island after dawn, I would head to the west end. There have been big schools of 8-15 lb yellowtail cruising around the deeper water spots on the west end from Ribbon Rock up to the West End High Spot. If you want to fish these yellows, I would look around the area for bird activity and meter marks. If you find fish and good current, anchor up and start a chumline of squid chunks with a few live every now and then. You should either flyline or fish with a light slider (1/8 to 1/4 oz). If you are marking fish and have good conditions, don't be afraid to give the spot some time as it takes the fish a while to bite sometimes. The seabas that have been caught have been coming off the beaches and kelp lines tight to the island. I would start looking at Salta Verde and points west. This is your standard Catalina seabass fishing. Look for conditions (current, junk, structure) and fish the tides (incoming, full slack, outgoing and low slack) for your best chance at a croaker.
The bite on the frontside is getting better and better! There is now steady fishing on calicos that are readily eating the sardines, swimbaits and iron. The yellows are finally starting to activate with private boats consistently coming back with a handfull of yellows in the boat.
Most of the spots from the Isthmus to the west end have been biting well, so check out your favorite kelpline or reef. Most of the better scores on yellowtail have come from the areas to the west. The yellows on the front side tend to cruise up and down the island following the deeper ridges that run along the frontside of the island, so remember to check some of the deeper ridges in 70-90 feet of water before anchoring too close to the kelp. If the fish are in the deeper water, you should meter them when you are checking out the spot. If not, they will sometimes find your chumline. The most productive method to catch fish at this time of year is by flylining (sardine, anchovy or squid).
San Clemente
The yellowtail are still biting at Clemente. I hate to just say the same thing over and over, but boats fishing Clemente in the last week have been doing well on the yellows on the front side east end of the island. The yellows are readily taking the sardines and jigs, but if you get a chance to run across with some live squid, take it. If you're heading across, I would check out the area from Purse Seine Rock up to White Rock. You can refer to any of my reports in the last month for more info on the bite at Clemente.
Coastal
Palos Verdes Penninsula
Not too many reports coming from up the line, but the few that I've gotten indicate that the fishing continues to be good on nice sized calicos in the kelp. Please refer to my report from 6/22 for more information on how to fish this area.
Horseshoe Kelp
Continued sporadic fishing on barracuda good fishing on calico bass. The bite on the horseshoe has been tough for the sportboats, but it has been biting well for private boaters. If you head out there, spend some time looking around for rocks and reefs and try to anchor properly on them. If you need help finding spots on the shoe, you should pick up a spot locator book at your local tackle store. Once you find and anchor on a spot (position your boat about a hundred feet upcurrent of the spot), start a chumline of chovies and fish the sardines, swimbaits and iron. If you are on a spot that is holding fish, you should immediately start to get bit. The bite will get better and better as you sit there. If you carry a chum bucket, this is a situation where it works well.
Huntington Flats
The sand bass are finally starting to muster and the twighlight boats have started to post big scores. This pattern is indicative of the beginning of the normal sandbass migration so let's keep our fingers crossed that this bite gets going soon. If you are heading down to the flats, I would look around for meter marks in 70-90 feet of water and drift over them to see if they bite. If you catch fish, drop your anchor and start a chumline of anchovies. The sandbass will bite the chovies, small sardines, swimbaits and whams, so don't be afraid to try different techniques to get bit.
That's about it for this week.
Now get out there and catch som fish!
See you on the water...
Friday, July 20, 2007
Friday, July 13, 2007
Report for Friday13th
Happy Friday the 13th!
The way this week is shaping up, the only bad luck is going to be for the fish...
As a side note, please send us pictures of the fish you catch on Long Beach Bait Company bait to get your picture on our website and for a chance at great prizes. Please send photos to longbeachbaitcompany@yahoo.com
This is our bait and fish report for Friday 7/13.
Our receiver is currently loaded with perfect anchovies for Albacore fishing (4-6 inch), nice bait sized sardines and bait sized mackerel (for you shark enthusiasts.
No matter what you're targetting, come by the receiver and we will have the bait you need this weekend. As usual, Martin will be on the receiver all weekend and you can call him on Channel 11 or at (562) 455- 9928. He will be able to give you the lastest bait and fishing information when you talk to him.
Now to the fish report...
Offshore
There is finally some substantial amounts of albacore within range of Long Beach![/B] If you want to head offshore, but don't feel like fighting the crowds in the parking lot formerly known as the 182, there are some options... [B]Several of our friends have reported good albacore fishing in the last few days as close as the 209.[/B] If I was going offshore, I would load up with a scoop of chovies and a handful of mackerel (there have been some marlin seen in the albacore area) and head out to either the 209 or the 181. The 181 kicked out about a dozen fish for one of our clients on Tuesday and the 209 gave up 5 fish for another client on Wednesday. For those of you that are inexperienced in offshore fishing here is a little rundown on how to catch albacore
There is more to successful offshore fishing than running out to a set of numbers and dropping back the trollers. Although there is no obvious structure to attract fish offshore (like an island or reef), there is still structure that needs to be located. This structure is usually a deep offshore bank (like the 181 or the 209).
Albacore do most of their feeding at night deep in the water column (thus the big eyes for finding food in low light conditions). The albacore are often caught around these deep water banks because the banks cause upwelling fronts where the albacore are able to feed on the small fishes, squids, and crustaceans that are plentiful in these areas. During the day, the albacore will come to the surface and feed on the bait that is on the surface (including your Long Beach Bait Company anchovies).
Anothe type of structure can be a defined temperature or water color break. Usually temperature and water color breaks in open water are caused by upwellings or conflicting currents. These areas, much like the deep water banks, tend to be areas where the bait aggregates and thus attracts the pelagic game fish.
Before you head offshore, it's definitely worth your while to check your Terrafin and Chloropyll charts for defined temperature breaks near an area that there have been albacore caught. Once you decide on an area to target and have made the trip to get there, keep an eye on your water temp gauge and try to find temperature breaks. A temperature break can be minor (1 or 2 degrees) or significant (3 to 4 degrees) the more significant the temperature break, the more likely the area is to hold fish. Once you start trolling, it is a good idea to use your GPS to track your trolling pattern and make sure to mark the spots where you get bit or meter fish so that you can go back through those areas again. When trolling, it is important to pay attention to what you are doing as trolling 10 miles in a straight line is probably not going to be very productive. Once you are in the area you want to fish, try trolling in a zig zag manner and if you see fish or mark them on the meter, you should box the area before driving on. If you are fishing a temp or color break, you should try trolling along it and also try trolling across it from different directions.
There is no magic trolling jig that catches albacore, but there are some basic patterns that work. Early in the morning, it is best to troll dark colors like black and purple or Mean Joe Green. As the sun comes out, switch to lighter colors like Mexican Flag or red and white. You should troll multiple rods with different size and color lures when you start out, but be willing to try different patterns if other boats in the area are hooking up and you're not. If you get bit consistently on one color or size, you should switch out your other lures to that color or pattern.
A mistake that a lot of private boaters make is stopping the boat the second that they get bit. Often the fish that bites your troller is the first fish in the school. If you continue to troll for another 30 seconds after you hook up, you will often have more fish come up and bite your other lures. Once you're hooked up, it is imperative to get some chum in the water immediately, so whoever isn't hooked up should throw a scoop of bait before putting their own line in the water. A lot of times this can make the difference between catching one troll fish and catching a bunch of fish on bait.
If you are hooking troll fish and seeing them on the meter but not getting any bites once you stop the boat, try dropping a yo-yo jig down while you are drifting. The albacore will often bite this jig on the sink and if they don't, use a jerky stop and go retrieve when you bring the lure back to the boat. For some reason, the albacore really like this retrieve.
There is a lot more to albacore fishing than I've written here, but you'll have to wait till next time to read more...
Catalina
The seabass bite has pretty much ended, but there are still a few fish to be caught. You can refer to my post from 7/6 to get more info about what has been happening. I would look for another bite at the end of the new moon cycle and if not then hopefully by the next full moon (just a prediction)...
The calicos are biting well on the front side of the island and there are still quite a few yellows on that side as well. Most of the spots from the Isthmus to the west end have been biting well, so check out your favorite kelpline or reef. Most of the better scores on yellowtail have come from the areas to the west. The yellows on the front side tend to cruise up and down the island following the deeper ridges that run along the frontside of the island, so remember to check some of the deeper ridges in 70-90 feet of water before anchoring too close to the kelp. If the fish are in the deeper water, you should meter them when you are checking out the spot. If not, they will sometimes find your chumline. The most productive method to catch fish at this time of year is by flylining (sardine, anchovy or squid). If you fish with a sinker, you are going to catch mostly bass, which is a good thing, unless you are targeting yellows.
San Clemente
The yellowtail are biting at Clemente Sportboats fishing Clemente in the last week have been doing well on the yellows on the front side east end of the island. I haven't heard any reports from private boaters fishing the island, but I am sure that they are catching fish as well. Our good friend Tim Messmer fished Clemente earlier in the week on a sportboat and reported good surface iron fishing on the yellows. He ended up with 9 fish up to 35 lbs fishing a mint and white 7X. If you're heading across, I would check out the area from Purse Seine Rock up to White Rock.
Coastal
Palos Verdes Penninsula
Still some really good bass fishing to be had up the line with fish reported to 8 lbs this week on surface iron and sardines.
Horseshoe Kelp
There have been some spotty catches of baracuda on the horseshoe, but there hasn't been any consistent bite this week. The rocks around the horseshoe are starting to load up with calico bass which are readily biting the anchovies, sardines, swimbaits and surface iron. For more info on fishing the horseshoe, check out my report from 6/29.
Izor's Reefs
The bass (sandbass and calicos) have been biting at the Izor's reef as are a few scattered seabass. The bass have been biting the plastics really well, so if you are heading out there, I would suggest taking along a selection of 4-6" swimbaits (key lime has been the most effective color). For more information on fishing the Izor's Reef area, please refer to my report from 6/29.
Huntington Flats
The sandbass are late this year, but there have been some good catches in the last few days at the south end of the flats. With the availability of good calico bass fishing on the horseshoe and mixed bass fishing at Izor's, I don't think that it's worth the run...
That's about it for this week.
Now get out there and catch som fish!
See you on the water...
The way this week is shaping up, the only bad luck is going to be for the fish...
As a side note, please send us pictures of the fish you catch on Long Beach Bait Company bait to get your picture on our website and for a chance at great prizes. Please send photos to longbeachbaitcompany@yahoo.com
This is our bait and fish report for Friday 7/13.
Our receiver is currently loaded with perfect anchovies for Albacore fishing (4-6 inch), nice bait sized sardines and bait sized mackerel (for you shark enthusiasts.
No matter what you're targetting, come by the receiver and we will have the bait you need this weekend. As usual, Martin will be on the receiver all weekend and you can call him on Channel 11 or at (562) 455- 9928. He will be able to give you the lastest bait and fishing information when you talk to him.
Now to the fish report...
Offshore
There is finally some substantial amounts of albacore within range of Long Beach![/B] If you want to head offshore, but don't feel like fighting the crowds in the parking lot formerly known as the 182, there are some options... [B]Several of our friends have reported good albacore fishing in the last few days as close as the 209.[/B] If I was going offshore, I would load up with a scoop of chovies and a handful of mackerel (there have been some marlin seen in the albacore area) and head out to either the 209 or the 181. The 181 kicked out about a dozen fish for one of our clients on Tuesday and the 209 gave up 5 fish for another client on Wednesday. For those of you that are inexperienced in offshore fishing here is a little rundown on how to catch albacore
There is more to successful offshore fishing than running out to a set of numbers and dropping back the trollers. Although there is no obvious structure to attract fish offshore (like an island or reef), there is still structure that needs to be located. This structure is usually a deep offshore bank (like the 181 or the 209).
Albacore do most of their feeding at night deep in the water column (thus the big eyes for finding food in low light conditions). The albacore are often caught around these deep water banks because the banks cause upwelling fronts where the albacore are able to feed on the small fishes, squids, and crustaceans that are plentiful in these areas. During the day, the albacore will come to the surface and feed on the bait that is on the surface (including your Long Beach Bait Company anchovies).
Anothe type of structure can be a defined temperature or water color break. Usually temperature and water color breaks in open water are caused by upwellings or conflicting currents. These areas, much like the deep water banks, tend to be areas where the bait aggregates and thus attracts the pelagic game fish.
Before you head offshore, it's definitely worth your while to check your Terrafin and Chloropyll charts for defined temperature breaks near an area that there have been albacore caught. Once you decide on an area to target and have made the trip to get there, keep an eye on your water temp gauge and try to find temperature breaks. A temperature break can be minor (1 or 2 degrees) or significant (3 to 4 degrees) the more significant the temperature break, the more likely the area is to hold fish. Once you start trolling, it is a good idea to use your GPS to track your trolling pattern and make sure to mark the spots where you get bit or meter fish so that you can go back through those areas again. When trolling, it is important to pay attention to what you are doing as trolling 10 miles in a straight line is probably not going to be very productive. Once you are in the area you want to fish, try trolling in a zig zag manner and if you see fish or mark them on the meter, you should box the area before driving on. If you are fishing a temp or color break, you should try trolling along it and also try trolling across it from different directions.
There is no magic trolling jig that catches albacore, but there are some basic patterns that work. Early in the morning, it is best to troll dark colors like black and purple or Mean Joe Green. As the sun comes out, switch to lighter colors like Mexican Flag or red and white. You should troll multiple rods with different size and color lures when you start out, but be willing to try different patterns if other boats in the area are hooking up and you're not. If you get bit consistently on one color or size, you should switch out your other lures to that color or pattern.
A mistake that a lot of private boaters make is stopping the boat the second that they get bit. Often the fish that bites your troller is the first fish in the school. If you continue to troll for another 30 seconds after you hook up, you will often have more fish come up and bite your other lures. Once you're hooked up, it is imperative to get some chum in the water immediately, so whoever isn't hooked up should throw a scoop of bait before putting their own line in the water. A lot of times this can make the difference between catching one troll fish and catching a bunch of fish on bait.
If you are hooking troll fish and seeing them on the meter but not getting any bites once you stop the boat, try dropping a yo-yo jig down while you are drifting. The albacore will often bite this jig on the sink and if they don't, use a jerky stop and go retrieve when you bring the lure back to the boat. For some reason, the albacore really like this retrieve.
There is a lot more to albacore fishing than I've written here, but you'll have to wait till next time to read more...
Catalina
The seabass bite has pretty much ended, but there are still a few fish to be caught. You can refer to my post from 7/6 to get more info about what has been happening. I would look for another bite at the end of the new moon cycle and if not then hopefully by the next full moon (just a prediction)...
The calicos are biting well on the front side of the island and there are still quite a few yellows on that side as well. Most of the spots from the Isthmus to the west end have been biting well, so check out your favorite kelpline or reef. Most of the better scores on yellowtail have come from the areas to the west. The yellows on the front side tend to cruise up and down the island following the deeper ridges that run along the frontside of the island, so remember to check some of the deeper ridges in 70-90 feet of water before anchoring too close to the kelp. If the fish are in the deeper water, you should meter them when you are checking out the spot. If not, they will sometimes find your chumline. The most productive method to catch fish at this time of year is by flylining (sardine, anchovy or squid). If you fish with a sinker, you are going to catch mostly bass, which is a good thing, unless you are targeting yellows.
San Clemente
The yellowtail are biting at Clemente Sportboats fishing Clemente in the last week have been doing well on the yellows on the front side east end of the island. I haven't heard any reports from private boaters fishing the island, but I am sure that they are catching fish as well. Our good friend Tim Messmer fished Clemente earlier in the week on a sportboat and reported good surface iron fishing on the yellows. He ended up with 9 fish up to 35 lbs fishing a mint and white 7X. If you're heading across, I would check out the area from Purse Seine Rock up to White Rock.
Coastal
Palos Verdes Penninsula
Still some really good bass fishing to be had up the line with fish reported to 8 lbs this week on surface iron and sardines.
Horseshoe Kelp
There have been some spotty catches of baracuda on the horseshoe, but there hasn't been any consistent bite this week. The rocks around the horseshoe are starting to load up with calico bass which are readily biting the anchovies, sardines, swimbaits and surface iron. For more info on fishing the horseshoe, check out my report from 6/29.
Izor's Reefs
The bass (sandbass and calicos) have been biting at the Izor's reef as are a few scattered seabass. The bass have been biting the plastics really well, so if you are heading out there, I would suggest taking along a selection of 4-6" swimbaits (key lime has been the most effective color). For more information on fishing the Izor's Reef area, please refer to my report from 6/29.
Huntington Flats
The sandbass are late this year, but there have been some good catches in the last few days at the south end of the flats. With the availability of good calico bass fishing on the horseshoe and mixed bass fishing at Izor's, I don't think that it's worth the run...
That's about it for this week.
Now get out there and catch som fish!
See you on the water...
FRIDAY the 13th Report.....
Provider went to find squid lastnight.... I will have the report in a couple of hours.
As of Lastnight, Martin is on the receiver and reporting 2 wells of NICE LARGE ANCHOVIES. Great for Albies! Of course there are plenty of sardines.
Stay tuned for more.....
As of Lastnight, Martin is on the receiver and reporting 2 wells of NICE LARGE ANCHOVIES. Great for Albies! Of course there are plenty of sardines.
Stay tuned for more.....
Friday, July 6, 2007
FRIDAY BAIT AND FISH REPORT 7/6
This is our bait and fish report for Friday 7/6.
For the second weekend in a row, the Provider went to Catalina last night and made a full load of squid. Our receiver is currently loaded with live squid, really nice sardines, mixed size anchovies and bait sized mackerel. No matter what you're targetting, come by the receiver and we will have the bait you need this weekend. As usual, Martin will be on the receiver all weekend and you can call him on Channel 11 or at (562) 455- 9928. He will be able to give you the lastest bait and fishing information when you talk to him.
The Long Beach Carnage is at Catalina and has full tanks of squid as well. They plan to be there all weekend and have lots of bait, so if you're heading across or you're already across and run out of squid, give Paul a call on Channel 11 or at (562) 714- 8103.
Now to the fish report...
Catalina
The seabass broke wide open again last Friday after I reported that the bite had died off. Well, I am reporting that the bite has died off once again. so let's hope that the seabass rally to prove me wrong again. Just because the big ripper bite on seabass at the squid grounds has ended, doesn't mean that there aren't still plenty of exotics to be caught at the island.
If I were heading across on a private boat this weekend, I would depart at such a time as necessary to get to the island before dawn. The first order of business (of course) would be to pick up some live squid from our receiver or from the Long Beach Carnage at the island. I would run over to the east end and set up for the graylight bite at the squidgrounds outside the V's in 80-100 feet of water. There have still been a few seabass and slug yellows coming out of this area each morning. Please refer to my 6/22 fish report for information on how to effectively fish this area. If the bite doesn't happen (or even if it does), I would start looking again an hour or two after dawn. I would spend the middle of the day hitting up some of the larger reefs and hardbottom areas along the backside from Salta Verde up to the west end. There are quite a few schools of yellowtail cruising around the island right now and the best way to catch them is by having your boat set up at a spot that they are likely to cruise through. When anchoring on these spots, I would avoid anything that sits in less than 40 ft of water or is too thick with kelp as your chances of landing a hooked fish go down significantly in these areas. Once you anchor on the spot, start a chumline of chopped squid. If you don't have enough squid to chunk, you can use a chum bucket (available at most tackle stores). Chum buckets are great because they attract all of the forage fish to your boat which in turn attracts the predatory game fish that you are after. Anyway, when anchoring on these spots, try and find one that has some decent current. You should have several set ups working at these spots. A flylined squid, a squid with a 1/4 to 1/2 oz slider and a heavy jig with a squid on the bottom in a rod holder (you never know when the croaker will make an appearance). 25-30# test is usually sufficient for this type of fishin. I wouldn't go any lighter than 25#, so if you aren't getting bit tie on a fluorocarbon leader.
I would finish up the day at one of the ends of the island (probably the west end for a nicer ride home). Here you would go back to classic seabass fishing. I have given detailed information about how and where to fish in my 6/15 or 6/22 report, so please reference the information there.
The calicos are biting well on the front side of the island and there are still quite a few yellows on that side as well. Most of the spots from the Isthmus to the west end have been biting well, so check out your favorite kelpline or reef. Most of the better scores on yellowtail have come from the areas to the west. The yellows on the front side tend to cruise up and down the island following the deeper ridges that run along the frontside of the island, so remember to check some of the deeper ridges in 70-90 feet of water before anchoring too close to the kelp. If the fish are in the deeper water, you should meter them when you are checking out the spot. If not, they will sometimes find your chumline. The most productive method to catch fish at this time of year is by flylining (sardine, anchovy or squid). If you fish with a sinker, you are going to catch mostly bass, which is a good thing, unless you are targeting yellows.
San Clemente
The big seabass bite has relocated to Clemente there have been fish coming from both the frontside and backside east end of the island. The biggest bite has been on the backside of the island. There are some seabass on the front side of the island as well, but there haven't been the consistent numbers that have been coming from the backside. If you are targeting the seabass at Clemente, it is very similar to targeting them at Catalina. There is no secret information or guaranteed set of numbers that I can give you (regardless of what some people would have you believe). What success breaks down to is; finding areas to fish, trying them out, paying attention to what you see and learning from your experiences.
Here is how to catch seabass in a nutshell...When anchoring, you want to look for structure (hard bottom, a rock, a reef), cover (kelp, off color water) and conditions (current, tidal movement, forage). If you find all of these thing together and there have been seabass in the area, you have a very good chance of getting bit. The yellows have spread out across the frontside of the island with schools of fish cruising along the island in shallow water. If you are heading across and want to target yellowtail, I would suggest starting at the east end and motoring west. Cruise just outside the kelpline and keep your eyes peeled for breezing fish and meter marks. You can also try slow trolling a sardine or mackerel as you cruise up the island. You need squid to catch the seabass, but he yellows seem to be in a transitional mode, prefeing squid over sardines one day and sardines over squid the next. The yellows are also eating the surface iron readily when you first slide up on a breezing school. If you're headed to Clemente, I would take a some squid and some finbait. If you only have the capacity for one or the other, I would take the squid.
Offshore
There have been more and more albacore, with a few bluefin and kelp patty yellows caught in local waters. The majority of the fish this week have come from the 43 and the Butterfly. It's still early in the season and the fish are really starting to stack up out of San Diego, so get ready for some serious offshore fishing this season.
Coastal
The coastal fishing is starting to pick up again!
Palos Verdes Penninsula
The good bass fishing continues, with lots of nice fish (to 6 lbs) being reported. If you do decide to fish these big bass, please keep only what you will eat and try to release any fish over 4 lbs so that it has a chance to spawn and sustain this wonderful fishery.
Your best bet in targeting these bass, is to load up with a scoop of sardines and some smaller anchovies to use as chum. Head up the line and look for areas of cleaner water (doesn't have to be blue, just cleaner than surrounding waters). If you're interested in more information on how to fish this area, check out my report from 6/22.
My friends Jovan Gore and Erik Landesfeind to my advice last week and took some live squid up the line with them. They anchored up at Marineland Reef and had a seabass follow a squid up to the boat and they had some bigger yellows (30 lb +) come up in their chumline. Sadly, the yellows were more interested in the mackerel that were built up on their chum bucket than they were in the hooked baits. After giving it an honest effort, they switched over to calico mode and ended up with limits of calicos from 3 to 6 lbs on sardines and surface iron.
Horseshoe Kelp
The baracuda have made thier triumphant return to the Horseshoe Kelp! If you are interested in targeting the gar, get a tank of sardines and chovies and start looking for birdschools outside of the east end of the breakwall up to Point Fermin.
Izor's Reefs
The bass (sandbass and calicos) have been biting at the Izor's reef as are a few scattered seabass. The bass have been biting the plastics really well, so if you are heading out there, I would suggest taking along a selection of 4-6" swimbaits (key lime has been the most effective color). For more information on fishing the Izor's Reef area, please refer to my report from 6/29.
That's about it for this week.
Now get out there and catch som fish!
See you on the water...
For the second weekend in a row, the Provider went to Catalina last night and made a full load of squid. Our receiver is currently loaded with live squid, really nice sardines, mixed size anchovies and bait sized mackerel. No matter what you're targetting, come by the receiver and we will have the bait you need this weekend. As usual, Martin will be on the receiver all weekend and you can call him on Channel 11 or at (562) 455- 9928. He will be able to give you the lastest bait and fishing information when you talk to him.
The Long Beach Carnage is at Catalina and has full tanks of squid as well. They plan to be there all weekend and have lots of bait, so if you're heading across or you're already across and run out of squid, give Paul a call on Channel 11 or at (562) 714- 8103.
Now to the fish report...
Catalina
The seabass broke wide open again last Friday after I reported that the bite had died off. Well, I am reporting that the bite has died off once again. so let's hope that the seabass rally to prove me wrong again. Just because the big ripper bite on seabass at the squid grounds has ended, doesn't mean that there aren't still plenty of exotics to be caught at the island.
If I were heading across on a private boat this weekend, I would depart at such a time as necessary to get to the island before dawn. The first order of business (of course) would be to pick up some live squid from our receiver or from the Long Beach Carnage at the island. I would run over to the east end and set up for the graylight bite at the squidgrounds outside the V's in 80-100 feet of water. There have still been a few seabass and slug yellows coming out of this area each morning. Please refer to my 6/22 fish report for information on how to effectively fish this area. If the bite doesn't happen (or even if it does), I would start looking again an hour or two after dawn. I would spend the middle of the day hitting up some of the larger reefs and hardbottom areas along the backside from Salta Verde up to the west end. There are quite a few schools of yellowtail cruising around the island right now and the best way to catch them is by having your boat set up at a spot that they are likely to cruise through. When anchoring on these spots, I would avoid anything that sits in less than 40 ft of water or is too thick with kelp as your chances of landing a hooked fish go down significantly in these areas. Once you anchor on the spot, start a chumline of chopped squid. If you don't have enough squid to chunk, you can use a chum bucket (available at most tackle stores). Chum buckets are great because they attract all of the forage fish to your boat which in turn attracts the predatory game fish that you are after. Anyway, when anchoring on these spots, try and find one that has some decent current. You should have several set ups working at these spots. A flylined squid, a squid with a 1/4 to 1/2 oz slider and a heavy jig with a squid on the bottom in a rod holder (you never know when the croaker will make an appearance). 25-30# test is usually sufficient for this type of fishin. I wouldn't go any lighter than 25#, so if you aren't getting bit tie on a fluorocarbon leader.
I would finish up the day at one of the ends of the island (probably the west end for a nicer ride home). Here you would go back to classic seabass fishing. I have given detailed information about how and where to fish in my 6/15 or 6/22 report, so please reference the information there.
The calicos are biting well on the front side of the island and there are still quite a few yellows on that side as well. Most of the spots from the Isthmus to the west end have been biting well, so check out your favorite kelpline or reef. Most of the better scores on yellowtail have come from the areas to the west. The yellows on the front side tend to cruise up and down the island following the deeper ridges that run along the frontside of the island, so remember to check some of the deeper ridges in 70-90 feet of water before anchoring too close to the kelp. If the fish are in the deeper water, you should meter them when you are checking out the spot. If not, they will sometimes find your chumline. The most productive method to catch fish at this time of year is by flylining (sardine, anchovy or squid). If you fish with a sinker, you are going to catch mostly bass, which is a good thing, unless you are targeting yellows.
San Clemente
The big seabass bite has relocated to Clemente there have been fish coming from both the frontside and backside east end of the island. The biggest bite has been on the backside of the island. There are some seabass on the front side of the island as well, but there haven't been the consistent numbers that have been coming from the backside. If you are targeting the seabass at Clemente, it is very similar to targeting them at Catalina. There is no secret information or guaranteed set of numbers that I can give you (regardless of what some people would have you believe). What success breaks down to is; finding areas to fish, trying them out, paying attention to what you see and learning from your experiences.
Here is how to catch seabass in a nutshell...When anchoring, you want to look for structure (hard bottom, a rock, a reef), cover (kelp, off color water) and conditions (current, tidal movement, forage). If you find all of these thing together and there have been seabass in the area, you have a very good chance of getting bit. The yellows have spread out across the frontside of the island with schools of fish cruising along the island in shallow water. If you are heading across and want to target yellowtail, I would suggest starting at the east end and motoring west. Cruise just outside the kelpline and keep your eyes peeled for breezing fish and meter marks. You can also try slow trolling a sardine or mackerel as you cruise up the island. You need squid to catch the seabass, but he yellows seem to be in a transitional mode, prefeing squid over sardines one day and sardines over squid the next. The yellows are also eating the surface iron readily when you first slide up on a breezing school. If you're headed to Clemente, I would take a some squid and some finbait. If you only have the capacity for one or the other, I would take the squid.
Offshore
There have been more and more albacore, with a few bluefin and kelp patty yellows caught in local waters. The majority of the fish this week have come from the 43 and the Butterfly. It's still early in the season and the fish are really starting to stack up out of San Diego, so get ready for some serious offshore fishing this season.
Coastal
The coastal fishing is starting to pick up again!
Palos Verdes Penninsula
The good bass fishing continues, with lots of nice fish (to 6 lbs) being reported. If you do decide to fish these big bass, please keep only what you will eat and try to release any fish over 4 lbs so that it has a chance to spawn and sustain this wonderful fishery.
Your best bet in targeting these bass, is to load up with a scoop of sardines and some smaller anchovies to use as chum. Head up the line and look for areas of cleaner water (doesn't have to be blue, just cleaner than surrounding waters). If you're interested in more information on how to fish this area, check out my report from 6/22.
My friends Jovan Gore and Erik Landesfeind to my advice last week and took some live squid up the line with them. They anchored up at Marineland Reef and had a seabass follow a squid up to the boat and they had some bigger yellows (30 lb +) come up in their chumline. Sadly, the yellows were more interested in the mackerel that were built up on their chum bucket than they were in the hooked baits. After giving it an honest effort, they switched over to calico mode and ended up with limits of calicos from 3 to 6 lbs on sardines and surface iron.
Horseshoe Kelp
The baracuda have made thier triumphant return to the Horseshoe Kelp! If you are interested in targeting the gar, get a tank of sardines and chovies and start looking for birdschools outside of the east end of the breakwall up to Point Fermin.
Izor's Reefs
The bass (sandbass and calicos) have been biting at the Izor's reef as are a few scattered seabass. The bass have been biting the plastics really well, so if you are heading out there, I would suggest taking along a selection of 4-6" swimbaits (key lime has been the most effective color). For more information on fishing the Izor's Reef area, please refer to my report from 6/29.
That's about it for this week.
Now get out there and catch som fish!
See you on the water...
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
HAPPY 4TH!!!
From the Long Bech Bait Company-
We hope everyone has a happy and safe fourth of July!
Enjoy good food, friends and family, and take a second to be greatful for all that the freedom that living in this country allows us.
The receiver is open and has sardine and some anchovies.... Jim is out there, so stop by and say hi on this fourth of July.
THank you for your patronage.... See you on the water!
We hope everyone has a happy and safe fourth of July!
Enjoy good food, friends and family, and take a second to be greatful for all that the freedom that living in this country allows us.
The receiver is open and has sardine and some anchovies.... Jim is out there, so stop by and say hi on this fourth of July.
THank you for your patronage.... See you on the water!
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