Lots happening along coast

If the strong westerly winds would just back off for a few days,

fishing along the entire south coast could bust wide open. The stage

is set for an awesome late-summer fishing season that should continue

well into the early fall months. Albacore are slowly moving into

one-day range, but are hung up by massive schools of small anchovies

and sauries southeast of the 60-Mile Bank. A few of the overnight

boats operating out of Davey’s Locker and Newport Sportfishing

Landing are making runs to the fishing grounds, but the counts have

not been anything to talk about as tough conditions on the outside

are keeping the longfins from coming to the boat.

Doug Hone and this outdoor editor grew up in Newport Beach and

worked together on sport boats running out of Newport Bay back in the

late ‘50s and early ‘60s. Hone has since moved to a ranch in

Gardnerville, Nev., but saltwater has never left his blood so he

decided to put together a charter aboard the sportfisher Pacific

Queen for a 1 1/2 -day trip to the albacore grounds earlier this

week.

Don Yarnell grew up on 32nd Street and Andy Davis was raised in

West Newport and all of us attended grade school and Newport Harbor

High School. It was kind of like a class reunion but we didn’t have

to try and impress each other or get dressed up for the occasion. The

Pacific Queen operates out of Fisherman’s Landing in San Diego so

Hone picked Davis up at a relative’s house next to Hoag Hospital and

then came down to the Niemiec family beach house to pick up this

writer.

It’s been a very up-and-down season for albacore fishing off the

coast and this trip wasn’t a killer. The first stop put a few smaller

grade longfins on the deck, while a mid-afternoon stop did produce

enough fish to make most everyone onboard happy, as the captain

fished an area southeast of the 60-Mile Bank. Even though conditions

were a little on the sloppy side everything is looking good for a mix

of albies, yellowfin tuna, dorado and yellowtail to show up any day.

The water temperature in the channel is up in the high 60s and the

first marlin was landed last week off Catalina’s Church Rock.

The 22nd Annual Schock Boat fishing tournament was held last

Saturday out of Newport Bay and a total of 198 anglers, fishing

aboard either Boston Whalers or Grady-White sportfishers, competed

for awards and tackle prizes. Fishing along the coast really dropped

off and the catch for competitors was tough but some nice fish were

landed. Taking first place with all honors for this year’s event was

Jim Reiff of Fountain Valley who reeled in a 43-pound white seabass.

Second place went to Matt Saunders, fishing with his family aboard

their Boston Whaler “No Worries” caught a 26 1/2 -pound halibut. And

taking the bass division was Randy Bruno of Huntington Beach with

6.4-pound calico bass.

If was a fun day for all anglers as the weigh-in was held in the

“turning basin” in Newport Bay with a giant rafting party for all

contestants, which allowed a “live release” of most all the fish

caught.

After weigh-in everyone was invited over to the Schock

showroom/boat yard in old Newport for a fun afternoon of games, food

and to talk about next year’s tournament.

Even though water temperature along the surf has dropped and there

are ribbons of red tide and strong currents pushing along the coast,

surf fishing remains very good between the piers.

Barred perch, small corbina and yellowfin corker are biting good

on the morning tide and the bait of choice currently are sand crabs,

although a number of big perch were caught last weekend on Berkley

saltwater Gulp worms rigged Carolina style. In the best interest of

preserving our surf fishery, most all anglers are practicing “catch

and release” fishing for these small but very feisty small game fish.

There is a good supply of small sand crabs available that should keep

the surf fish around through the early fall months. Anglers should be

reminded that a fishing license is required when surf fishing.

*

Newport Beach residents are being asked to speak out in support of

the white seabass hatchery pens located in Newport Bay between the

Balboa Pavilion and the jetties. The pens have been in place for more

than a decade and have been an important factor in the recovery of

the white seabass fishery along the Southern California coast and at

our offshore islands.

A couple of residents, living on the water on Balboa Peninsula,

want the hatchery pens shut down and removed.

These grow-out pens, along with others in Southland harbors, are

responsible for the success of the white seabass recovery program.

The return of the white seabass fishery has benefited anglers,

sportfishing landings, and private boaters, and brought back a

saltwater game fish that was nearly lost some 20 years ago. There

will be a meeting of the Harbor Commission Wednesday and a show of

support for the pens and this valuable conservation program is being

asked from harbor area anglers living in Newport.

For more information call the Balboa Angling Club at (949) 673-

6316 or e-mail support for keeping the pens to Alex Samios, director

of the BAC, at o7samios@aol.com. f7