Condor Sportfishing

Happy angler with a bluefin tuna caught while fishing aboard the Condor.

Dock Totals 6/11– 6/17: 3465 anglers aboard 150 half-day to 3-day trips out of San Diego landings over the past two weeks caught 78 barracuda, 2008 bluefin tuna (up to 180 pounds), 7 bocaccio, 293 bonito, 203 calico bass, 3 halibut, 11 lingcod, 1 perch, 7824 rockfish, 17 sand bass, 229 sanddab, 47 sculpin, 68 sheephead, 1 smoothhound shark, 10 treefish, 51 triggerfish, 708 whitefish, 11 white seabass, 1 yellowfin tuna, and 473 yellowtail.

Saltwater: The Fisherman III out of Helgren’s Sportfishing in Oceanside scored on some white seabass this past week during two of their ¾-day runs, which is another good sign as the year progresses. White seabass tend to come through our area in late spring between the cool winter water and the summer warm pushes north that bring the more tropical pelagic species like yellowfin tuna and dorado within reach of the ½-to-3-day fleet. That said, another lone yellowfin tuna was caught this past week during a Liberty full-day run. The fish was mixed in with bluefin tuna, which, considering they prefer different marine climes, is an indication of warm and cool threads of water mixing.

When fishing tunas, especially, temperature breaks as little as a degree or two can trap bait as though they’ve run into a wall. Thus, looking for temperature breaks is often a strategy employed by sportfishing captains as schools of tuna are often found feeding on the trapped baitfish. As of this writing, Temperatures are ranging from 64f to 68f near the banks off the coast of San Diego down to Ensenada, including the Upper Finger Bank and those out to the 1010 Trench. Bluefin are feeding well and the bite has improved for the boats in the area.

With water as warm as the high 60s, an occasional yellowfin in the mix is not all that surprising, especially considering the adaptability of the endothermic bluefin. As the water warms going forward, we will see more tropical species in the mix, while bluefin will most likely begin the move toward cooler waters 100-miles west of San Diego where they seem to settle in at the Cortez and Tanner banks area off San Clemente Island. By then, I expect to see more yellowfin tuna and hopefully a repeat of last year’s great dorado fishing if El Niño water temp predictions hold.

The Sea Jay, out of Channel Islands Sportfishing in Oxnard, sitting stern down on the bottom in Pelican Bay at Santa Cruz Island.

U.S. Coast Guard

In other news, the Sea Jay out of Channel Islands Sportfishing struck rocks off Santa Cruz Island around 2:30 in the morning on Thursday June 14th and began taking on more water than bilge pumps could handle. After calling in a mayday to the Coast Guard, the captain deployed the life raft after setting the anchor in the shallow Pelican Bay and made sure all 10 anglers and 4 crew members transferred safely from the sinking 60-foot sportfishing vessel. The Seabiscuit, Ranger 85, and DFW boat Coho aided in the rescue efforts. No injuries were reported.

The Sea Jay was successfully raised by salvage technicians in an operation that began on Friday, June 15, by utilizing lift bags, custom rigging, and de-watering equipment. Once stabilized, it was towed to a safe harbor. An oil spill team was on site with 2,000 feet of boom in case of any spills, but by Saturday the boat was recovered, and though a sheen was reported, without any spilled recoverable oil or fuel present. The cause of the incident is under investigation.

Freshwater: Santee Lakes has been reporting great catfish action for stocked channel catfish, bluegill, and largemouth bass. For those wanting a little more than fish for supper, there are 40 tagged stocked catfish worth a $25 gift card each in the lakes awaiting lucky anglers who catch them. As a great spot to teach kiddos about fishing, there are also some adult amenities, like perhaps enjoying a pizza sandwich and a beer from Angry Pete’s Pizza next to the General Store at the park while the youngsters try and catch a gift card to pay the tab. Now, that’s an enticing outing for tired parents with the youngsters out of school for the summer. Kids busily having fun learning and catching fish while washing down a pizza sandwich with a cold beer. However you go after them, fishing is really good in saltwater and freshwater right now, so get out and get ‘em!