Cool temperatures slow down fishing

Sport anglers off Balboa Pavilion are hoping the area of warm water

currently holding off Baja Norte will move up into channel waters and

bring with it schools of yellowtail, albacore, bluefin tuna and

hopefully make the white sea bass bite become more predictable.

Temperatures along the coast are holding in the mid-to-high 50s

and these cooler than normal sea temps have slowed fishing for bass

and barracuda for the half- and three-quarter day trips running out

of Davey’s Locker and Newport Landing Sportfishing.

A trip early this week aboard the fast six-pack charter boat

Bongos II, operated by Bongos Sportfishing Charters (949-673- 2810)

based in Newport Beach, produced only fair fishing at Catalina Island

as the open party charter worked the front side of the island under

the helm of Captain Chandler Bell of Newport Beach.

Earlier in the week Captain Bell had anchored in a couple of the

right coves and returned dock side with a several legal white sea

bass and a double digit yellowtail taken from under a stringer kelp.

The Bongos II departed the Pavilion docks at 5 a.m. and set a compass

course right for the slide area off Avalon to meet up with the squid

boat, Little Jack. This short stop was made to top off the bait tank

with “candy” -- live squid which is the best bait for catching sea

bass.

The first couple of traditional sea bass fishing grounds only

produced a few small calico bass and assorted bottom fish of which

most were released by the group of conservation anglers on board. New

bottom fish regulations imposed by the Department of Fish and Game

also made it mandatory to release a number of large sculpin and

lingcod. A move to Junk Beach looked good from the start when a

number of sub-legal white sea bass were caught and carefully

released. Unfortunately the bite never developed for any of the boats

fishing the island but conditions look good and white sea bass

fishing could break wide open any day.

Along the coast there are some breezing schools of log barracuda

that are popping up a few miles off the beach. Artificial reefs and

stringer kelp are holding some calico bass but the sand bass bite

hasn’t gotten off to a very good start. Despite the cold water, bait

conditions are good with a mix of anchovies and sardines to go along

with squid.

The bait barge is now operating inside the east jetty for those

planning trips out to the fishing grounds. When heading out of the

harbor switch to channel 11 to make arrangements to pick up a scoop

or two of live bait.

San Diego boats are fishing yellowtail off the northern coast of

Baja and some pretty good scores were reported this week before the

wind came up. Captain Buzz Brizendine of the sportfisher Prowler,

operating out of Fisherman’s Landing, reported a recent trip produced

quality yellowtail fishing with iron and live bait for yellows in the

15-to-22 pound class. These schools of breezing tails could move up

quickly and be fishable by Memorial Day weekend.

The latest word on albacore is that schools are stacked up some

125 miles south of San Diego and they don’t seem to be in any hurry

to leave the area where water temps are in the low 60s and there is

plenty of bait. Most boats that are catching albies are extended day

trips with 1 1/2 days on the water being the minimum time required to

reach the longfin tuna.

Locally fresh water lake fishing has been very good for trout,

bass and catfish. Irvine Lake is being stocked weekly with trophy

trout and recent catches of Brook and cut-bow trout weighing over 10

pounds have been keeping anglers happy. Young Cole Misetich of

Newport Beach fished with his father, Mike, in the Lagoon at Irvine

Lake last week and both came home with limits of trout topped by

Cole’s 3.75 pound rainbow caught on Berkley Power Bait.

Fishing at the Santa Ana River Lakes has been fair for trout and

this chain of three small lakes has started stocking channel catfish

to add to the trout fishery now that the water temperature is on the

rise. Oso Lake, located in the foothills of Saddleback Mountain,

reports fair fishing for largemouth bass weighing in the 2- to

4.5-pound class and lots of action on catfish tipping the scale in

the 10-pound range.