Don’t put that tackle away yet

Even though it has been an “on and off “ early fall fishing season,

it’s not time to put your gear away. There are schools of yellowtail,

yellowfin tuna and skipjack holding under floating kelp in channel

waters and marlin to be caught off Catalina Island. Locally, half-day

boats are targeting sculpin and limit catches are being sacked daily.

Harbor area angler Jay Murray was fishing aboard the yacht

Pionero, a 33-foot Dawson, captained by Hilde Bryant of Newport

Beach, when Murray landed a 125-pound striped marlin that he hooked

off Catalina’s Church Rock late this past week. The billfish struck a

trolled marlin lure in an area of blue water on the back side of the

island.

Ed Dillon of Newport Beach, speaking on behalf of the Balboa

Angling Club, (949) 673-63416, reports that there is a little good

looking water around some of the high spots in the channel. “The 14

Mile Bank has 68.5 degree water and it’s warm. There also appears to

be a push of warm water up from the 9 Mile Bank to the 267 Spot where

private boats are seeing marlin and also getting in on the yellowtail

and yellowfin tuna fishing,” stated Dillon.

Davey’s Locker spokesman Captain Norris Tapp reports mixed fishing

for the all day boats, the Cat Special and the Bongos six pack

charter boat fleet. This week saw some good “Whopper” catches made by

local anglers who included: Jim Landis of Newport Beach with a

21-pound yellowfin tuna caught on the Bongos III, Greg Vin York of

Newport with an 18-pound tuna decked on the Bongos II and Don Frazier

of Costa Mesa sacked a 7.75 pound halibut while fishing locally on

the half-day boat Western Pride.

This outdoor editor joined up with Pete Williams of Costa Mesa on

a trip aboard the New Lo-An running of Point Loma Sportfishing.

Captain Nick Cates was targeting yellowtail, yellowfin and skipjack

in California waters off Point Loma during a trip last Wednesday. A

northwesterly kicked up early in the day and forced the boat to move

up and inside the 302 Spot. Conditions were ideal and a big kelp

exploded with yellowtail and yellowfin tuna.

The kelp was located only 18 miles due west of Point Loma and

produced a good count of yellowtail weighing in the 7- to 15-pound

class. A mix of sub-peanut sized yellowfin and a couple of bigger

tuna topped off the late evening stop. Williams caught a couple of

yellows in the double digit class along with skippies and this writer

was fortunate to land the biggest tuna of the day trip when deckhand

Travis Vaughan put the gaff to a 25-pound yellowfin that topped off a

good trip for everyone on board.

Trout season opened locally with both Irvine Lake and the Santa

Ana River Lakes posting good fishing in these two heavily stocked

fisheries Irvine had stocked 32,000 pounds of trout prior to

Thursday’s opener and anglers were rewarded with outstanding fishing.

Five fish limits were common for most every angler on the water and

there were a number of trophy rainbows and steelhead trout caught

also. Jeff Talbert of Costa Mesa checked in with a limit at Irvine by

7:30 a.m. and headed back out for more fishing after obtaining a

“second limit” fishing permit. Trout fishing was wide open for

rainbow and steelhead trout, while trophy German brown and Brook

trout were a little tougher to come by for the average angler. Irvine

will continue to be stocked weekly with 5,000 pounds of trout. For

more information on fishing this heavily stocked lake phone (949)

649-9111. Fishing at the Santa Ana River Lakes was also rated as very

good with lots of limits and some big trout reported by shore

anglers.