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Fish Report: Light line fishing smaller bluefin
Bananas on the boat? No worries!
Tracy Hartman, posing with anglers and a hefty bluefin tuna on the Constitution in an effort to show that bananas on the boat are not "bad luck" after all.
Dock Totals 8/3 – 8/9: 5083 anglers aboard 200 half-day to 3-day trips out of San Diego landings over the past week caught 215 barracuda, 1671 bluefin tuna (to 240 pounds), 61 bonito, 9 cabezon, 942 calico bass, 7 halibut, 10 lingcod, 1 mako shark, 1837 rockfish, 2499 sand bass, 266 sculpin, 75 sheephead, 1223 whitefish, 4 white seabass, 3 yellowfin tuna, and 2200 yellowtail.
Saltwater: The local half-days have been doing very well on sand bass on the flats, with decent action on calicos off the kelp edges. It seems the bass trade off every week: one week calicos are biting better, the next week, it's sand bass. The barracuda bite seems to have slowed a bit, but there are more legal-sized fish in the mix. Bonito mostly went away — or perhaps boats are driving by them for better targets. Yellowtail continue to bite well at the Coronado Islands, south down the coast of Baja, and out west at San Clemente. Mid-range boats from 1.5- to 5-days have been mostly fishing bluefin with some island or coastal variety mixed in if limited on bluefin before time to return. Long-range boats are nailing wahoo, yellowfin, and yellowtail down off the southern half of the Baja Peninsula.
Solid Baja coastal yellowtail caught during the return leg of the Independence Avet 7-day trip.
Almost 50 years ago, when I worked the deck on the Grande running out of 22nd Street Landing in San Pedro, we would occasionally get into a bluefin bite off San Clemente Island. If they were around, it usually wasn’t large schools of big fish holding at depth or boiling on the surface outside; these tuna were smallish new arrivals cruising close enough to the Island that our normal M.O. was to drop anchor in about 60 to 80 feet of water off China Point or Pyramid Head and soak a small bait down current as far as we could. As long as the current was out and away from the outer edge of the kelp, we had a chance.
Our bait selection was more small anchovies than sardine — pinheads, we called them — and we used #4 live bait hooks on light line. When fly-lining a bait, letting it swim out with no weight on the line, the general rule is no longer than a minute or so, then wind in and pin on a fresh bait. Line size makes a huge difference: basically, the lighter the line, the more naturally the bait will present, and it will be able to swim longer. The fish we targeted back then seemed boat-shy, and you would get the best results soaking the bait way out for maybe five minutes.
We were using line as light as ten-pound test, usually on a Penn Squidder, 500 Jigmaster, or the Jigmaster’s narrower cousin, the Penn 501. They held plenty of line; the 501 could hold well over 500 yards of ten-pound test line. When fishing light line, the tuna would run further, and it took a bit of finesse to land even a small 15- to 20-pound tuna. But the first part was getting bit. It was somewhat tedious tuna fishing for the anglers and crew; the long fight and then gaffing a fish that was on light line and a relatively tiny hook made getting the fish on the deck a struggle for all concerned — and as crew, we wanted our clients to hook up often and land every fish they hooked.
The bite was usually a slow pick on those new arrivals, and many anglers would give up and drop to the bottom for bass or the big sculpin that haunted the kelp beds ringing the island. We had hooks for numbered gunnysacks along the rail, as an overnight boat, as opposed to the brine holds most boats do now. I remember running to the bow to gaff a fish and kicking a sack full of sculpin; by the time I could take a break and pull my sculpin spine-perforated deck boot off, my foot was almost too swollen to extract. Deckhands earn their money. Back then, the fare for the overnight trips we primarily ran was $35, as was our daily pay. We relied on tips and fish cleaning to round out our pay enough to earn a decent living.
Anyhow, those new-arrival bluefin were fun, and it was during a period when albacore was the main tuna caught off Southern California. Times have changed, and migration patterns as well; albacore are no longer available to the fleet, and the average bluefin are much larger. Oh, the albacore are still out west of Point Loma, but more like 700 miles west – too far from the coast or any refuge for a sportboat loaded with passengers to take a chance. These days, you need to go to the Washington/Oregon border to have your best shot at a longfin within 50 miles of the coast. Bluefin, however, have moved closer to the coast in greater numbers and sizes over the past decade or so since the albacore bailed.
This past week, with the full "sturgeon" moon on Saturday, the daytime bite slowed a bit and more smaller fish reminiscent of those long-ago days were being caught. The difference was that now they are getting them in open water, and they do not seem to be very boat shy. The bait situation is a bit tough; today, you have fewer sardines and more anchovy, and the sardines you do have are ranging smaller. So, when fly-lining a bait, it’s those #4 live bait hooks and light line…though most will recommend 20-pound test and the old 60-second rule per bait. And there is no need to "soak" them when the fish are coming close to the boat — a fresh bait will always get better action.
There are rules, and then there are suggestions. I am an independent thinker, but even I know that it is always good to heed the advice of the crew. Still, advice is not a rule as far as terminal tackle choices go. Rules are things like navigational laws, safety standards while at sea, and our own commitment to always put the passengers first and stay positive. There were, of course, a few personal quirks from some captains; my captain had a "no bananas on the boat" policy. I always suggest folks listen to the crew; they have your best interests at heart and want you to limit out every time. That said, I did once willingly smuggle a banana on the boat, eat it, and then rig up the peel like a skirt and catch a yellow on the troll…just to buck authority. Whether the beach, bay, lake, or offshore, they’re out there so go out and get ‘em!
Here's something you might be interested in.
Fish Report: Light line fishing smaller bluefin
Bananas on the boat? No worries!
Fish Report: Light line fishing smaller bluefin
Bananas on the boat? No worries!
Tracy Hartman, posing with anglers and a hefty bluefin tuna on the Constitution in an effort to show that bananas on the boat are not "bad luck" after all.
Dock Totals 8/3 – 8/9: 5083 anglers aboard 200 half-day to 3-day trips out of San Diego landings over the past week caught 215 barracuda, 1671 bluefin tuna (to 240 pounds), 61 bonito, 9 cabezon, 942 calico bass, 7 halibut, 10 lingcod, 1 mako shark, 1837 rockfish, 2499 sand bass, 266 sculpin, 75 sheephead, 1223 whitefish, 4 white seabass, 3 yellowfin tuna, and 2200 yellowtail.
Saltwater: The local half-days have been doing very well on sand bass on the flats, with decent action on calicos off the kelp edges. It seems the bass trade off every week: one week calicos are biting better, the next week, it's sand bass. The barracuda bite seems to have slowed a bit, but there are more legal-sized fish in the mix. Bonito mostly went away — or perhaps boats are driving by them for better targets. Yellowtail continue to bite well at the Coronado Islands, south down the coast of Baja, and out west at San Clemente. Mid-range boats from 1.5- to 5-days have been mostly fishing bluefin with some island or coastal variety mixed in if limited on bluefin before time to return. Long-range boats are nailing wahoo, yellowfin, and yellowtail down off the southern half of the Baja Peninsula.
Solid Baja coastal yellowtail caught during the return leg of the Independence Avet 7-day trip.
Almost 50 years ago, when I worked the deck on the Grande running out of 22nd Street Landing in San Pedro, we would occasionally get into a bluefin bite off San Clemente Island. If they were around, it usually wasn’t large schools of big fish holding at depth or boiling on the surface outside; these tuna were smallish new arrivals cruising close enough to the Island that our normal M.O. was to drop anchor in about 60 to 80 feet of water off China Point or Pyramid Head and soak a small bait down current as far as we could. As long as the current was out and away from the outer edge of the kelp, we had a chance.
Our bait selection was more small anchovies than sardine — pinheads, we called them — and we used #4 live bait hooks on light line. When fly-lining a bait, letting it swim out with no weight on the line, the general rule is no longer than a minute or so, then wind in and pin on a fresh bait. Line size makes a huge difference: basically, the lighter the line, the more naturally the bait will present, and it will be able to swim longer. The fish we targeted back then seemed boat-shy, and you would get the best results soaking the bait way out for maybe five minutes.
We were using line as light as ten-pound test, usually on a Penn Squidder, 500 Jigmaster, or the Jigmaster’s narrower cousin, the Penn 501. They held plenty of line; the 501 could hold well over 500 yards of ten-pound test line. When fishing light line, the tuna would run further, and it took a bit of finesse to land even a small 15- to 20-pound tuna. But the first part was getting bit. It was somewhat tedious tuna fishing for the anglers and crew; the long fight and then gaffing a fish that was on light line and a relatively tiny hook made getting the fish on the deck a struggle for all concerned — and as crew, we wanted our clients to hook up often and land every fish they hooked.
The bite was usually a slow pick on those new arrivals, and many anglers would give up and drop to the bottom for bass or the big sculpin that haunted the kelp beds ringing the island. We had hooks for numbered gunnysacks along the rail, as an overnight boat, as opposed to the brine holds most boats do now. I remember running to the bow to gaff a fish and kicking a sack full of sculpin; by the time I could take a break and pull my sculpin spine-perforated deck boot off, my foot was almost too swollen to extract. Deckhands earn their money. Back then, the fare for the overnight trips we primarily ran was $35, as was our daily pay. We relied on tips and fish cleaning to round out our pay enough to earn a decent living.
Anyhow, those new-arrival bluefin were fun, and it was during a period when albacore was the main tuna caught off Southern California. Times have changed, and migration patterns as well; albacore are no longer available to the fleet, and the average bluefin are much larger. Oh, the albacore are still out west of Point Loma, but more like 700 miles west – too far from the coast or any refuge for a sportboat loaded with passengers to take a chance. These days, you need to go to the Washington/Oregon border to have your best shot at a longfin within 50 miles of the coast. Bluefin, however, have moved closer to the coast in greater numbers and sizes over the past decade or so since the albacore bailed.
This past week, with the full "sturgeon" moon on Saturday, the daytime bite slowed a bit and more smaller fish reminiscent of those long-ago days were being caught. The difference was that now they are getting them in open water, and they do not seem to be very boat shy. The bait situation is a bit tough; today, you have fewer sardines and more anchovy, and the sardines you do have are ranging smaller. So, when fly-lining a bait, it’s those #4 live bait hooks and light line…though most will recommend 20-pound test and the old 60-second rule per bait. And there is no need to "soak" them when the fish are coming close to the boat — a fresh bait will always get better action.
There are rules, and then there are suggestions. I am an independent thinker, but even I know that it is always good to heed the advice of the crew. Still, advice is not a rule as far as terminal tackle choices go. Rules are things like navigational laws, safety standards while at sea, and our own commitment to always put the passengers first and stay positive. There were, of course, a few personal quirks from some captains; my captain had a "no bananas on the boat" policy. I always suggest folks listen to the crew; they have your best interests at heart and want you to limit out every time. That said, I did once willingly smuggle a banana on the boat, eat it, and then rig up the peel like a skirt and catch a yellow on the troll…just to buck authority. Whether the beach, bay, lake, or offshore, they’re out there so go out and get ‘em!
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