Calico bass (Paralabrax clathratus)

Dock Totals January 25-28:

293 anglers aboard 19 boats out of San Diego landings this past week caught 36 yellowtail, 39 calico bass, 73 sand bass, 145 rockfish, 122 sanddab, 2 halfmoon, 3 halibut, 43 mackerel and 194 sculpin.

Top boats of the week

(Note: no trips due to weather January 22-24.)

January 25: The Daily Double out of Point Loma Sportfishing out on a half-day trip with 8 anglers at the rail reported 4 sculpin, 5 sand bass and 6 calico bass on a tough fishing day. The Dolphin out of Fisherman’s Landing took 8 anglers out on a half-day morning run and returned with 9 sculpin, 1 halibut, and 15 keeper calico bass in the gunnysacks.

January 26: The New Seaforth out of Seaforth Landing with 27 anglers aboard for a morning half-day trip made the “best of” with 2 homeguard yellowtail reported along with 1 sculpin and 5 calico bass.

January 27: The Dominator, carrying 22 anglers out of Point Loma Sportfishing returned to the dock from a 1.5-day trip with 34 yellowtail and 110 rockfish in the hold.

January 28: The Premier out of Point Loma Sportfishing carrying 27 anglers aboard a half-day morning trip returned to the dock with 7 sand bass, 1 halfmoon, 36 sculpin and 2 calico bass in the gunnysacks. The Electra out of Helgren’s Landing in Oceanside carrying 17 anglers returned from a morning half-day trip with 33 mackerel, 85 sculpin and 51 sanddab caught.

Notable

Due to weather, the San Diego Bay Bass Open had to be pushed back a week to the 28th. Even so, some 130 teams fished the tournament on what turned out to be a tough day on the targeted basses — sand bass, calico bass and spotted bay bass — with few fish per team caught over the minimum 14”. As of today (1/29) I have yet to receive the results, but, per one of my friends that fished the tournament; “It was murder trying to get a biter over fourteen inches long. We worked the edges of eel grass and flats hard for spotties, then gave up and hit the mid-channel old-school style, heavy and keep it low, and even ran to the pilings and toward the bay mouth where we’ve caught some fat calicos- all for 3 sand bass just over the minimum size. The largest fish I saw might have been two and a half pounds. It was a strange event this year, with so many top anglers doing poor to fair in a tournament that usually produces quite a few grumpys along with some decent calicos and spotties (a "grumpy" is a large sand bass).

Fish Plants

February 6, Lake Jennings, trout (Wrights Rainbows — 1,700)