04-05-2016, 07:59 AM
Tuna, Tuna, Tuna!
Offshore fishing slides into ¾-day zone.
BY MERIT McCREA
WON Staff Writer
SAN DIEGO — Already, just a week after the ball started rolling, tuna, and big ones, are in reach for ¾-day fishing. Offshore the bite kicked out limits fishing. Inshore the grade was as big as you can catch, on 25-pound. The word was fish to 60 on deck, and bigger ones jumping.
Saturday it was Capt. Ryan Bostian on the ¾-day boat San Diego who proved it could be done. Running on big spots of foaming fish, the grade was better than the bite, but they managed to secure 13 fish from 40 to 60 pounds.
His words? -- “I don't think there is potential for a big score but you could catch some beautiful trophies...Our fish are 40 to 60 pounders and we see bigger ones jumping.” Surly, if you latch onto one on light line, you’re tied down for a while.
Meanwhile the grade offshore is good too at 18 to 25 pounds, but not 60-plus, and the bite is better.
The Legend made its first outing of the season over the weekend, pulling 15 fish. The Top Gun 80 was back at it too, getting 42 for 25 folks Sunday. Friday the Pacific Queen had limits-style fishing for 26 folks. Aztec also limited out, and the Eclipse managed 37 for 24 folks. The Bluefin limited too Sunday.
Fishing farther offshore Capt. Paul Fisher on the Outer Limits, which he now owns, said it was classic long drift bluefin fishing with plenty of fish on the bank. In 2 drifts his 15 folks pulled 18 fish over the rail. There was some show, fish came and boiled around tbe boat at times, a few flurries and fish hooked both close to the boat and farther up drift on the long soak too.
Capt. Buzz Brizendine of the Prowler out of Fisherman’s Landing had the full story. With the fish preferring lighter line, 20- and 25-pound mono, with a short leader of fluoro before the hook, it was long drift fishing. He said, “Yesterday out at the 60, there was almost no visual stuff, but all day long there were fish on the screen down at 20 to 25 fathoms, lighter line and good fluoro was key.”
In the last three weeks there have been tuna spotted across a wide area, from just offshore of Punta Colonet, on up to the west end of Catalina Island, and out to the 60-mile Bank, on identical spots to last spring, Brizendine called it “uncanny.” He continued, “Yesterday there was fish caught outside the Islands (Coronados), by Dana Point, out on the 60, and Friday, on the Mackerel Bank (inside of San Clemente Island). It’s a pretty rosy looking picture right now.”
Although it was limits-style fishing for big yellowtail for 2 boats fishing the Colonet area over the weekend, there was really nobody looking for yellows elsewhere, now that the blues entered the picture. Fishing Colonet, the Pacific Queen had 170 yellows for 34 folks, and the Shogun showed up with 155 in the hold for 31.
He said there was a lot of good water around and a lot of places that look really tasty that nobodies looked at yet. He called the inshore fish a dynamite grade, saying there were some guys that really got “tuned up” fishing the long rod on that stuff.
The Royal Polaris was fishing in this writer’s beat, the first day of an 18 dayer, and connected big Sunday. They were just 35 miles south of the point, below the Coronados, and it was grade large bluefin on the iron. From the photos posted, mint green cigars were sticking out of tuna mouths. A few got limits on the plug – 50- to 70-pound grade on the long rod.
60-MILE BANK BLUEFIN - The bluefin tuna bite continues on the 60 Mile Bank for sport boats running out of San Diego landings. Paul Demkiw of Costa Mesa hefts a quality grade bluefin that he caught this past Saturday on 20-pound gear while on board the Prowler based out of Fisherman's Landing. WON PHOTO BY JIM NIEMIEC
APRIL ¾-DAY BLUEFIN TUNA on deck aboard the San Diego. The grade was 40 to 60 pounds. Plenty of larger models were seen jumping, perhaps hooked too.
A SHORT-RANGE BLUE on a long range boat. The RP slid on fish just south of the islands, only 35 miles from Point Loma and it was 50- to 70- pound stuff, like this 75 pounder for John Natsume. It was long rod and surface iron, Tady 45 fishing. That’s ¾-day zone!
and…..
No foolin’, local bluefin off Dana!!
BY MERIT McCREA
WON Staff Writer
DANA POINT — The big tuna chose to bite for Capt. Calvin Cooper on his ¾-day charter boat Helena April 1, April Fool’s Day. They hooked 6, and landed a pair. And what a pair they were, with one over 50 pounds and the other just under 70, no fooling!
Capt. Brian Woolley tells the story. “So it happened on Friday. Capt Calvin Cooper, on his charter boat Helena took a swing off the beach and found a good school of bluefin up on the surface. They went 2 for 6 on their fish, on the live mackerel, with one over 50 and one just under 70! For sure they’re the first bluefin for an O.C. sport-boat for 2016 -let alone an O.C. ¾-day boat!
With all the hype this BFT garnered this week Calvin expected the grade to be in the 18- to 25-pound range like the stuff caught earlier in the week. ...the fish they saw they certainly didn't expect; it turned out to be that better grade of 50 to 70-plus fish and they were shocked that it was close to home!”
For Dana Wharf ¾-day anglers the target continued to be the bottom stuff in deeper water. With red crabs having migrated out of the depths and inshore, the bottom bite for rockfish was better than in recent week.
Both the Barn Kelp and Yellowtail Kelp, as well as other inshore spots were inundated with the woolly red buggers.
Periods of windy weather left the inshore calico bite “a bit tricky” as water quality cooled and greened.
Overnight boat Fury fished San Clemente Island, finding abundant bottom grabbers along with fire-cracker yellowtail and calico bass. Saturday’s crew of 24 scooped up 16 yellow, 27 checker-boards and plenty of bottom biters.
Just up the coast at Davey’s Locker and Newport Landings, the Freelance ¾-day ran the back side of Catalina Island Thursday, with 82 aboard. They scratched at rockfish and such there. So Sunday saw them with 83 bodies trying for bottom fish and maybe a big yellow near the rigs. It was better, close to 300 biters were bagged.
The Thunderbird overnight boat ran pretty light, by comparison, only 30 outer island anglers on a Saturday.
CAPT. CALVIN COOPER, pictured left, is the owner/operator of the Dana Wharf based charter boat Helena. He took a flyer off the beach with Mike Kerkes of Bomber Eyewear, center, and crew member TJ Dodge. They managed to catch the first bluefin tuna for the O.C. based sportboat fleet.
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Offshore fishing slides into ¾-day zone.
BY MERIT McCREA
WON Staff Writer
SAN DIEGO — Already, just a week after the ball started rolling, tuna, and big ones, are in reach for ¾-day fishing. Offshore the bite kicked out limits fishing. Inshore the grade was as big as you can catch, on 25-pound. The word was fish to 60 on deck, and bigger ones jumping.
Saturday it was Capt. Ryan Bostian on the ¾-day boat San Diego who proved it could be done. Running on big spots of foaming fish, the grade was better than the bite, but they managed to secure 13 fish from 40 to 60 pounds.
His words? -- “I don't think there is potential for a big score but you could catch some beautiful trophies...Our fish are 40 to 60 pounders and we see bigger ones jumping.” Surly, if you latch onto one on light line, you’re tied down for a while.
Meanwhile the grade offshore is good too at 18 to 25 pounds, but not 60-plus, and the bite is better.
The Legend made its first outing of the season over the weekend, pulling 15 fish. The Top Gun 80 was back at it too, getting 42 for 25 folks Sunday. Friday the Pacific Queen had limits-style fishing for 26 folks. Aztec also limited out, and the Eclipse managed 37 for 24 folks. The Bluefin limited too Sunday.
Fishing farther offshore Capt. Paul Fisher on the Outer Limits, which he now owns, said it was classic long drift bluefin fishing with plenty of fish on the bank. In 2 drifts his 15 folks pulled 18 fish over the rail. There was some show, fish came and boiled around tbe boat at times, a few flurries and fish hooked both close to the boat and farther up drift on the long soak too.
Capt. Buzz Brizendine of the Prowler out of Fisherman’s Landing had the full story. With the fish preferring lighter line, 20- and 25-pound mono, with a short leader of fluoro before the hook, it was long drift fishing. He said, “Yesterday out at the 60, there was almost no visual stuff, but all day long there were fish on the screen down at 20 to 25 fathoms, lighter line and good fluoro was key.”
In the last three weeks there have been tuna spotted across a wide area, from just offshore of Punta Colonet, on up to the west end of Catalina Island, and out to the 60-mile Bank, on identical spots to last spring, Brizendine called it “uncanny.” He continued, “Yesterday there was fish caught outside the Islands (Coronados), by Dana Point, out on the 60, and Friday, on the Mackerel Bank (inside of San Clemente Island). It’s a pretty rosy looking picture right now.”
Although it was limits-style fishing for big yellowtail for 2 boats fishing the Colonet area over the weekend, there was really nobody looking for yellows elsewhere, now that the blues entered the picture. Fishing Colonet, the Pacific Queen had 170 yellows for 34 folks, and the Shogun showed up with 155 in the hold for 31.
He said there was a lot of good water around and a lot of places that look really tasty that nobodies looked at yet. He called the inshore fish a dynamite grade, saying there were some guys that really got “tuned up” fishing the long rod on that stuff.
The Royal Polaris was fishing in this writer’s beat, the first day of an 18 dayer, and connected big Sunday. They were just 35 miles south of the point, below the Coronados, and it was grade large bluefin on the iron. From the photos posted, mint green cigars were sticking out of tuna mouths. A few got limits on the plug – 50- to 70-pound grade on the long rod.
60-MILE BANK BLUEFIN - The bluefin tuna bite continues on the 60 Mile Bank for sport boats running out of San Diego landings. Paul Demkiw of Costa Mesa hefts a quality grade bluefin that he caught this past Saturday on 20-pound gear while on board the Prowler based out of Fisherman's Landing. WON PHOTO BY JIM NIEMIEC
APRIL ¾-DAY BLUEFIN TUNA on deck aboard the San Diego. The grade was 40 to 60 pounds. Plenty of larger models were seen jumping, perhaps hooked too.
A SHORT-RANGE BLUE on a long range boat. The RP slid on fish just south of the islands, only 35 miles from Point Loma and it was 50- to 70- pound stuff, like this 75 pounder for John Natsume. It was long rod and surface iron, Tady 45 fishing. That’s ¾-day zone!
and…..
No foolin’, local bluefin off Dana!!
BY MERIT McCREA
WON Staff Writer
DANA POINT — The big tuna chose to bite for Capt. Calvin Cooper on his ¾-day charter boat Helena April 1, April Fool’s Day. They hooked 6, and landed a pair. And what a pair they were, with one over 50 pounds and the other just under 70, no fooling!
Capt. Brian Woolley tells the story. “So it happened on Friday. Capt Calvin Cooper, on his charter boat Helena took a swing off the beach and found a good school of bluefin up on the surface. They went 2 for 6 on their fish, on the live mackerel, with one over 50 and one just under 70! For sure they’re the first bluefin for an O.C. sport-boat for 2016 -let alone an O.C. ¾-day boat!
With all the hype this BFT garnered this week Calvin expected the grade to be in the 18- to 25-pound range like the stuff caught earlier in the week. ...the fish they saw they certainly didn't expect; it turned out to be that better grade of 50 to 70-plus fish and they were shocked that it was close to home!”
For Dana Wharf ¾-day anglers the target continued to be the bottom stuff in deeper water. With red crabs having migrated out of the depths and inshore, the bottom bite for rockfish was better than in recent week.
Both the Barn Kelp and Yellowtail Kelp, as well as other inshore spots were inundated with the woolly red buggers.
Periods of windy weather left the inshore calico bite “a bit tricky” as water quality cooled and greened.
Overnight boat Fury fished San Clemente Island, finding abundant bottom grabbers along with fire-cracker yellowtail and calico bass. Saturday’s crew of 24 scooped up 16 yellow, 27 checker-boards and plenty of bottom biters.
Just up the coast at Davey’s Locker and Newport Landings, the Freelance ¾-day ran the back side of Catalina Island Thursday, with 82 aboard. They scratched at rockfish and such there. So Sunday saw them with 83 bodies trying for bottom fish and maybe a big yellow near the rigs. It was better, close to 300 biters were bagged.
The Thunderbird overnight boat ran pretty light, by comparison, only 30 outer island anglers on a Saturday.
CAPT. CALVIN COOPER, pictured left, is the owner/operator of the Dana Wharf based charter boat Helena. He took a flyer off the beach with Mike Kerkes of Bomber Eyewear, center, and crew member TJ Dodge. They managed to catch the first bluefin tuna for the O.C. based sportboat fleet.
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