Weekly fishing report

Inshore: The ½ boats concentrated on rockfish, sand bass, calico bass, and sheephead on the near-shore bumps and kelp edges. Most of the local ¾-day boats went back on the prowl for yellowfin tuna this past week due to some large schools showing well within range. The Dolphin switched from the up-and-down bottom fishing normal to this time in the season and ran tuna beginning on the 21st. Even though bad weather kept them off the water for three days, they managed 828 yellowfin, 70 skipjack tuna, 18 yellowtail, and 1 dorado for 211 passengers in 5 trips.

Outside: With all the good fishing close to home and the reduced angler count, not many of the 1- to 4-day trips are getting out. The winter long-range season is just getting under way for the 8- to 16-day trips south to Bahia Magdalena and beyond. The Shogun is running trips to Guadalupe Island with good results on their first two of the 5-day runs to the fantastic yellowtail and yellowfin tuna fishery also known for the large resident great white sharks that like to hang out for an easy snack of a 50+ pound hooked fish. Though it’s all a part of the game, losing a fish to a great white is something a little more thrilling and less annoying than when the more common sea lion takes a nearly-caught trophy. Out of respect, anglers call losing a fish to a shark “paying the taxman.”

11/22 - 11/28 Dock Totals: 1,348 anglers aboard 67 boats out of San Diego landings this past week caught 2,233 yellowfin tuna, 116 yellowtail, 30 dorado, 474 skipjack tuna, 91 calico bass, 395 sand bass, 45 spotted sandbass 1,874 rockfish, 61 sheephead, 43 bonito, 30 whitefish, 1 lingcod, 1 white seabass and 6 barracuda.

Freshwater: Lake Jennings hosted their season-opener for trout this past week with good weather and good results, with most anglers taking a few rainbows and many limits caught. The fish were hanging in the shallows and cruising the edge as they tend to do when planted. The lake received 3,500 pounds of “Sierra ‘bows” from Mt. Lassen, including several trophy-sized fish. Lake Poway received their first plant of trout for their opener on December 3rd. Santee lakes is reporting good catches on rainbow trout to 6 pound as they continue with their stocking program.

Scheduled trout plants (lbs): 12/4/15: Santee Lakes (800),12/8/15: Cuyamaca (1000)