Fransisco Aguirre with his chunky 34.10-pound catfish caught at Lake Wohlford.

Dock Totals 1/28 – 2/3: 325 anglers aboard 15 half-day to 3-day trips out of San Diego landings over the past week caught 27 calico bass, 34 perch, 275 sand bass, 128 sculpin, 4 triggerfish, and 663 whitefish.

Saltwater: Typical winter fishing punctuated by yet another front passing through kept the numbers of anglers and trips to a minimum. Boats made it out five days last week, and the counts indicate very localized fishing with no rockfish trips into Mexican waters. No lobster trips made it out, either. The majority of fish caught were whitefish, sand bass, and sculpin. That said, reports just down the line indicate a strong spring ahead, considering they are finding yellowtail on the nearshore banks off San Quintin, and some long-range boats are seeing signs of bluefin as they move south. Typically, yellowtail are more active in January further south along the Vizcaino Peninsula. That they are biting well as far north as San Quintin is a good sign.

As for the bluefin, Tim Ekstrom of the Royal Star puts it into perspective: “We did see quite a bit of scattered bluefin while heading south, consistent with the past few years. Sharing info with the commercial fleet, they mentioned the incredible distribution of fish this winter that is currently spread from outside Ensenada all the way down past Cedros island. To say the least, this bodes well for the spring, summer, and fall to come.” 

Personally, I got a taste of bluefin action without setting foot on a boat or holding a rod in my hand. Two large seiners were parked in the lee of the weather inside of Punta Mazo off San Quintin, and some friends went out and bought a dozen fish from them, ranging from 50 to 150 pounds. I reckon those guys on the seiners needed a little pocket money for their shore leave while sitting out the storm. Either way, they said the bluefin tuna were thick, and they were fast approaching their quota. The fish we bought were fresh and packed in crushed ice, and I managed to bum a chunk and enjoyed a dinner of seared medallions of bluefin. I expect that as conditions soften up and more boats out for winter maintenance come online, we will soon see bluefin in the counts for the full-day to 3-day fleet. The fish are there; boats just haven’t been able to get to them. Yet.

Folks targeting the surf and the bays between the blows have been finding hit and miss action on surf perch, halibut, and spotted bay bass. Those fishing the surf have been having the best success on small plastics on a Carolina rig, as sand crabs are still in their winter mode and tough to find. Tube baits and swim baits have been the productive go-to lures in the bays for the bass and halibut. All in all, and in spite of the strong systems pushing through, 2024 is looking very promising for both inshore and offshore fishing.

Freshwater: As we are smack in the middle of trout season in Southern California, that has been the major focus in our local lakes. Anglers are doing well on Powerbait and mini jigs, as is the usual, but with the extra rain and runoff, catfish have been more active as the influx of runoff stirs up the water enough to trigger their scent-driven feeding. Several nice cats have been caught from Santee Lakes and Wohlford in recent weeks, especially during the periods just after the strongest rain. This past week was no exception, with another standout caught at Wohlford at 34.10 pounds by Fransisco Aguirre, using a chunk of mackerel. That is less than half the size of the 71.2-pound lake record cat caught on December 30, but still a hefty specimen that would thrill any angler. 

Brown pelicans pounding baitfish in the shallows. Thankfully, these masterful dive-bombers do not target stocked trout in area lakes.

Along with the rain runoff, trout plants can also stir up the action, as the smaller trout in the mix are tasty morsels for larger bass and catfish…as well as from above by the white pelicans that winter in our lakes. Thankfully, brown pelicans tend to stick to saltwater. Brown pelicans are the only of the seven species of pelicans that “dive bomb” to feed, and often do so in large squadrons that can decimate a school of sardines in short order. As fresh-stocked trout tend to swim the shallows along the shorelines in schools, large numbers of dive-bombing pelicans would quickly consume the freshly-planted trout. I really enjoy watching brown pelicans at work, but I sure am happy they tend to stick to the ocean. 

On the other hand, white pelicans tend to feed by herding the fish, with a handful of pelicans working together before plunging down and scoop up a meal. White pelicans are also more driven by the winter conditions in higher altitudes and migrate, as do birds of prey like the bald eagles we see in area lakes in the winter.

Along with bass and catfish from below, white pelicans, bald eagles, and even cormorants tend to take a few stocked trout every season, but with the consistent stocking schedules, there are still plenty of fish left for anglers. Upcoming plants include 1500 pounds February 8 at Lake Poway, 1000 pounds at Santee Lakes on February 9, 1500 pounds between February 11-17 at Lake Wohlford, and 1500 pounds at Lake Jennings on February 19. They’re out there, so go get ‘em!