Long Beach Boats Score White Seabass

White seabass fishing continued to be excellent at Catalina Island although at an inopportune time. While a few white seabass are caught during the daytime, the best bite has been from 4pm until sunset just off Salta Verde Point on the backside of Catalina Island.

Boats that are able to stay late have been catching their one fish limits of white seabass on a regular basis. Skipper Allyn Watson from the Dreamer out of Pierpoint Landing in Long Beach returned to port Wednesday with limits of 20-35 pound white seabass. Watson also noted that he has very good calico bass fishing.

Several private boaters also reported good fishing for these great eating members of the croaker family. Captain Jeff Jones was in the middle of some great white seabass fishing at 6 pm on Wednesday. He reported big schools of white seabass forcing bait to the surface. “The birds were all over big bunches of seabass this afternoon,” said Jones. “This is really, really good.”

After a week of slow local fishing on the Huntington Flats and off Seal Beach, big schools of barracuda moved in and started to bite again on Wednesday. “There are some mega-schools here,” said Captain Andy Siratt, skipper of the Enterprise out of Long Beach Marina Sportfishing.

On Sunday evening, the Southern Cal caught limits of sand bass of their twilight trip. These trips depart at 6pm and return around midnight. Hopes that the summer night bit is redy to bein are also running high.

Off Palos Verdes and Redondo, most private boaters have been catching rockfish. There is no doubt that the kelp line around Rocky Point is loaded with white seabass as freedivers continue to spear some real monsters. Fishermen have only been able to catch a few of the croakers and the barracuda have also disappeared so rockfish have been the rule.

The Redondo Sportfishing Pier, located at 233 N. Harbor Drive is now selling live bait for pier anglers. On Wednesday, Patrick Friedman caught and released a 3 pound calico. A recent unidentified angler fishing on the pier also caught a 16 pound halibut fishing with a frozen anchovy.

Southland anglers are awaiting the arrival of albacore tuna but so far, the closest the longfins have been in 239 miles from San Diego. The Apollo had 8 albacore last week rising hopes that the tuna season may not be far away.

Water temperatures continue to be on the cool side but according to Shawn Morgon at Big Fish Tackle in Seal Beach more corbina are starting to show up. “As the water warms, we will see more and more sand crabs and more corbina,” said Morgon.

Barred perch continue to bite from Huntington Beach to Redondo Beach. Sand crabs have been the best bait combined with 6 pound test and a number 6 hook.