Provided by Dana Wharf Sportfishing
We had another solid two weeks of fishing here and had a lot of fish caught. Water temps were pretty stable, staying in the 72°-74° range.
The offshore scene focused on yellowfin tuna. We saw and caught mixed grades of fish on kelps, meter marks and dolphin.
The kelp paddy fish were 3-15 lbs., while the fish on the dolphin were a much better 20-40 lb. grade. Light-line approaches for kelp paddy fish were best, with 15-20 lb. mono and small No. 2 and No. 4 hooks being perfect.
Plenty of fish were caught on sniper jigs in the 40g-60g range, which have been a great alternative to live bait. On those same kelps, we saw a few dorado in the mix and some skipjack as well, along with tons of bullet tuna.
Along the coast, the bass and bonito fishing was good too. There was plenty of surface action on the bonito while fishing a fly-lined bait or jig. A 15-20 lb. line was perfect for this fishing as well. There were a few smaller yellowtail in the mix, with fish in the 5-10 lb. range. Calico bass fishing was good, with rubber lures and live baits being the best bet.
This week, conditions have really been key for us. Some wind made for tough offshore fishing on a couple of days, and the swell that pushed in did a number along the beach here again.
Water temperatures have been 71°-74° along the coast. The calico bass and sand bass catching slowed a bit with the warmer, dirty water. However, fly-lined anchovies and rubber lures have still been the best bet for the bass. Lots of bonito in the half-day area have also been a player in the fish counts, with sniper jigs working best for them.
On the offshore side of things, we’ve had some great days. Kelp paddy fishing for mixed-grade yellowfin has been the main focus. A lot of sub-5 lb. fish have been in the counts, but this week we’ve started to see many more 5-12 lb. fish in the mix on the kelps too. Not every kelp has held fish, either, which is a change from what we’ve been experiencing in prior weeks.
There are also a lot of skipjack around, with some nice sonar schools and jig-strike stops producing fish in the 5-15 lb. range. There are plenty of bullet tuna and some nice dorado on the kelps too, especially if you’re first on them in the mornings.
The Fury has been fishing its overnight and two-day trips offshore and has found some great-quality yellowfin this week, with standout fish pushing 50 lbs. They’ve also been finding kelp paddy tuna in the same size range we’re seeing 10-20 miles off the coast. The Fury fished San Clemente Island one day this week and found bass, bonito and sheephead, with some rockfish mixed in.
Lobster hoop net trips have also been good over the last two nights. Saturday night’s trip produced 30 legal lobsters, while a couple hundred shorts were measured and released over the first two trips. There have been lots of opportunities early in the season for sure.
More good fishing looks to be ahead this week.
