FISHING : Bonito Provide Anglers With Plenty of Action

A flow of warm water inside L.A. Harbor last weekend has helped start a bonito run.

Paul Derbue, the Annie B barge master said: “Not even during the summer months do we get a bonito bite like this with anglers catching limits. Last Sunday we sent the anglers back to shore early and closed the barge to fishing when the total catch reached over 600 and all the anglers had sacked a limit.”

Andy Kowal of Long Beach and his son Matthew, 6, fish regularly on the barge. Matthew, who had never hooked a bonito, was using a fresh-water rod and small reel with 10-pound test line when he hooked a bonito.

The fish spooled the line on the small reel and the rod was bending as Matthew tried to stop the fish from running. He handed his rod to his father and after 15 minutes the 5 1/4-pound bonito was brought to the net.

According to South Bay captains on half-day boats, they have been fishing inside the breakwater for bonito on the morning runs.

Dan Armstrong of Redondo Sportfishing Pier reports that the boat City of Redondo fished rocky point over the weekend and caught 138 bonito.

Ray Hawkes of the King Harbor Marlin Club returned Monday from a three-day fishing trip to Bodega Bay in Northern California.

Hawkes said: “It was a wide open lingcod bite, catching a five-fish limit on each day was easy.”

The fish weighed 21 1/2 to 27 1/2 pounds. Hawkes also caught a variety of rock cod that included good size cow cod.

South Bay fishermen returned from long-range trips with some big catches.

Frank Matsuhara of Gardena returned from a 16-day trip and was a jackpot winner with a 280-pound yellowfin tuna he caught off Baja using 60-pound test line.

Mike Fadely battled a yellowfin tuna for two hours and 40 minutes. The fish weighed 292 pounds.

King salmon have been seen chasing bait in South Bay waters, but Department of Fish and Game officials remind anglers that the salmon season starts March 2. Any salmon caught before that date must be released.

South Bay Catches: Bill Lanero of Long Beach, fishing aboard the City of Seal Beach outside horseshoe kelp in 200 feet of water, caught a 40-pound lingcod that was not only the whopper of the week, but only a few pounds short of the California lingcod record.

Ken Zimmer of Long Beach, fishing aboard the Diawa off of San Nicolas Island, caught a 35 1/2-pound lingcod. Gene Mildner of Harbor City, fishing off of Santa Barbara Island aboard the Pacifica, caught a 21-pound cow cod.

Arnold Washington of Long Beach, fishing aboard the Toronado at Cherry Bank, caught a 20-pound cow cod. Ben Gallgos of West Los Angeles, fishing aboard the Mirage, caught a 20-pound cow cod.