Heavy Wind and Surf Hamper Fishing, But The Barracuda Are Biting in Some Places

The boat Options out of Pierpoint Landing in Long Beach had limits of white seabass on consecutive days earlier this week giving hope to fishermen that a slow starting season might be on the verge of picking up. Friday and Saturday produced great fishing on for the elusive members of the croaker family at Catalina Island but the bite was short lived again.

This time last year, the Catalina white seabass bite was in full gear with several boats limiting out on a regular basis. Windy weather and rough seas brought the current bite to a screeching halt by Monday and once again had anglers wondering when the island bite would take off.

“It’s been a tough start to the year for island fishermen,” said Don Ashley from Pierpoint Landing. “All we need is to get away from the wind and weather and it should be game on.”

One of the biggest problems for Catalina Island anglers has also been the conspicuous lack of live squid for bait. Normally, the island would have market squid spawning in several parts of the island now, but very little squid has been detected recently by commercial squid boats scouring the island nightly.

The Western Outdoor News white seabass tournament is being held this weekend at Catalina Island, so the island will be thoroughly covered. That will tell anglers a lot about where the 2011 white seabass season really stands.

The Toronado from Pierpoint Landing made the long run to San Nicolas Island Saturday where anglers on board found excellent rockfishing including 25 lingcod. On Sunday, the Toronado was at San Clemente Island catching a beautiful 35-pound halibut. There have been lots of yellowtail seen at San Clemente Island, but there have been few takers. Rockfish and a few calico bass have rounded out the sacks here. 

Fourteenth Street in Seal Beach was good again this week. Fishing between the pier and the navy jetty has produced barred perch, corbina and spotfin croaker and yellowfin craoker.

Please remember that fishing from rocks and jetties can be extremely dangerous when there are high winds combined with large swells.

The local barracuda bite has been excellent in the Santa Monica Bay. Captain Jeff Jones reports huge schools of the razor-sharp toothed creatures swimming just off the Palos Verdes kelp.

“The barracuda are actually swimming with the white seabass at times,” said Jones.

On Monday and in rough seas, the ½ day boat Redondo Special had 170 barracuda for 17 anglers; limits. The Redondo based ¾ day boat Tradition had over 100 barracuda on both Saturday and Sunday and prompted skipper Steven Konrady to say that this is the largest quantity of barracuda he has seen in the Santa Monica Bay for at least 5 years.

Barracuda fishing was excellent around the Huntington Flats a week ago, but those fish vanished. Boats from as far away as Newport Beach have been running all the way to the Santa Monica Bay for their barracuda fix.

Free-diver’s continued to pick off some giant white seabass to over 50 pounds this week. Spearfishing has been exceptionally productive this year as the kelp forests around Rocky Point and Point Vincente have been home to copious amounts of these fine-eating members of the croaker family.

Surf fishing has been good on beaches from Huntington Beach to Torrance Beach. Barred perch have dominated catches but more corbina continue to move in with the warmer water.

Bolsa Chica State Beach has produced excellent barred perch and yellowfin croaker fishing. Good fishing at Dog Beach at the Huntington Cliffs for some barred perch to 2.5 pounds as well as some corbina. There were also some halibut and leopard sharks taken here as well.

The rocks around Palos Verdes continue to provide good opaleye perch fishing along with some calico and sand bass. Torrance Beach is producing barred perch, a few corbina with some leopard sharks to 25 pounds.