Outdoors column: Albacore move within range

Jim Niemiec

Big schools of albacore have moved within the one-day range for

Newport-based party boats and private yachts. Longfins are spread out

over a large area and the bite was wide open on Tuesday for most boats

trolling outer-channel waters.

The “Bongos II,” captained by Chandler Bell and Jon Taylor of Newport

Beach, called in a catch report of 44 albies fishing an area 62 miles

from the jetty. Seas were calm, there were lots of breaking fish, meter

marks, jig stops and the albacore charged up the chum line pretty good to

eat almost every anchovy that hit the water.

The “Pacific Star,” operating out of Davey’s Locker -- (949) 673-1434

-- was into solid albacore when Captain Mike Bullard called in his fish

report Tuesday. According to landing spokesman, Captain Norris Tapp, the

count was in the upper 70s and they were still fishing with lots of jig

stops and plenty of bait fish being hooked.

There was a similar report coming over from Newport Landing

Sportfishing -- (949) 675-0550 -- with the sport boat “Amigo” decking

over 100 albies and still fishing while boxing an area some 70 miles from

Newport.

Fishing has been good for Bongos Sportfishing -- (949) 673-2810, for

the past week as the fast six-pack charter boats are enjoying a great

albacore season.

Late last week, Jim MacMillan of Newport Beach was on board the

“Bongos II” with a charter group and they got into a mixed bite on

albacore and yellowtail fishing over a deep canyon about 10 miles

southeast of San Clement Island. MacMillan’s charter found the albies to

be eager biters on anchovies and the yelllowtail jumped on sardines

fished under floating kelp.

Anglers fishing coastal waters are doing very good now that the water

temperature has jumped back up into the low 70s off the beach.

There are breezing schools of barracuda being fished by anglers on

board half-day and three-quarter-day boats just a couple of miles off the

beach and the calico bass bite has been limiting fishing for all anglers

between Abalone Point and Laguna.

Captain Richard Ruffini of Costa Mesa took a group of novice anglers

down the coast to Crystal Cove, aboard the deluxe sportfisher “Bongos,”

earlier this week and limited out on legal calico bass as the bite

exploded just outside stringer kelp with the best action coming on

anchovies. There are still white seabass and yellowtail being sacked on

the back side of Catalina Island along with lots of bass, bonito, and

some big barries.

Mid-channel waters are blue and warm and these ideal fishing

conditions have triggered a movement of sharks onto high spots. The hot

spot appears to be the 14-Mile Bank, where a number of mako sharks were

hooked over the weekend.

Most sharks are on the smaller side, ranging between 30 and 60 pounds,

but there have been a few fish gaffed that weighed easily more than 100

pounds. Slow trolling live green back mackerel with down riggers has

accounted for the bulk of mako hookups.

Bass and catfish highlight local fresh water fishing

Good fishing for warm water species and carry-over rainbow trout are

keeping fresh-water lake anglers happy. Good bass fishing is reported by

Oso Lake, located in the foothills of the Saddleback Mountains, where

anglers are “catching and releasing” good numbers of bass, weighing in

the two- to four-pound class. One of the largest bass of the season was

landed this past week at Irvine Lake when Russ Davis, head women’s

basketball coach for Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, landed an

eight-pound bass. It was the first bass that Davis has ever caught and he

hooked it on a black Power Worm fished in the shallow core near the boat

dock.

Laguna Niguel Lake has been a good spot for evening catfishing trips

as have weekend night fishing trips to Irvine and outings to local county

parks that are being stocked by the Department of Fish and Game.