Fishing Notes / Dan Stanton : Boats Docked? Try King Harbor for Bonito

What do anglers do when some of the boats can’t get out?

They fish from piers and rocks.

Fishing never shuts down. There is potential for catching bonito and perch in King Harbor.

Although the water temperature has been below normal, the harbor is heating up.

It’s thanks to the bubble hole just 100 yards from the Redondo Sportfishing pier where a 16-inch pipe from the nearby Edison plant discharges warm, clean water.

It was turned on last week after being shut down for maintenance.

Bill Welch at the pier’s office observed after the second day of bubbles that bonito started to boil and chase the bait.

Despite off-and-on showers earlier in the week, pier anglers have been limiting out on good-size bonito.

The warmed harbor water has improved perch fishing and at night the mackerel catches have gone up.

Most catches have been made with live and cut squid.

Fishing from the edge of the rocks, Lomita angler John Stembridge was casting his line using a treble hook with a torpedo lead. Attached to the hooks were strips of anchovies. The bonito would strike his bait and follow his line close to shore.

Stembridge caught a limit and his largest was a 5 3/4-pound bonehead. He said he caught several others and released them.

South Bay Catches:

Mike Gross of Torrance, fishing aboard the Sea Spray at Twin Roads, caught the whopper of the week using a halibut rig. He brought to gaff a 30-pound halibut.

Curt Brown of Torrance, on a two-day trip aboard the Admiral, won the jackpot with his 27-pound halibut.

Mark Lampson of Gardena, aboard the Aztec on a day-and-a-half trip, caught the limit of rock cod and won the jackpot with a 24 1/2-pounder.

Mike Doykos of Redondo Beach, fishing aboard the Blackjack at hidden reef, caught a 19 1/2-pound lingcod.

Fish Reports:

Fishing for halibut in the bay continues to improve after the wind and showers.

Deep-water rock cod boats fished shallow waters because of the weather and ocean swells and found salmon. Lingcod catches slowed.

At Marina del Rey Sportfishing: The Spitfire fished the bay and anglers caught 16 halibut, 12 sculpin and 6 sand bass.

The Betty O fished shallow rocks and anglers sacked 135 salmon grouper.

At Redondo Sportfishing: The Sea Spray found the halibut drifting at Twin Rocks and sacked 25, plus 22 sculpin.

The Redondo Special worked the Redondo short bank and chalked up 120 salmon grouper and 24 sculpin.

The Blackjack fished Hidden Reef with limits for anglers, who sacked 247 rock cod and 5 cow cod.

At 22nd Street Landing: The Monte Carlo fished White’s Point and returned with 130 sculpin and 5 halibut.

At L.A. Harbor Sportfishing: The Matt Walsh half-day trip worked the Rockpile for 93 sculpin and 3 rock bass.

The Grande tried San Clemente and anglers caught 325 rock cod, 12 cow cod and 1 lingcod.

The Top Gun fished Catalina Island and worked the inside kelp and shallow rocks, returning with 120 rock cod, 16 sheepshead and 2 sculpin.

The Annie B barge had a weekend count of 241 jacksmelt, 101 mackerel, 1 sand bass and 1 halibut.

At Long Beach Sportfishing: The Southern Cal fished Catalina and anglers sacked 285 rock cod, 1 cow cod and 1 lingcod.

The Aztec tried San Clemente Island on a two-day trip and limited out with 295 rock cod and 11 cow cod.