Long Range Fishing Report – 8/6/08

Bill Roecker for FishingVideos.com & the San Diego Sportfishing Council – Net Update August 6, 2008

Fishing’s Close Now

With half-day boats as far north as Oceanside running out to fish kelp paddies as close as four to five miles from the beach, you’d expect even multi-day boats to be fishing close, and you’d be right.

“It’s all up here now,” said Royal Star skipper Randy Toussaint Sunday. “It’s almost time to start looking up by the Cortes Bank. And it’s time for the next wave to come up from the south.”

Albacore have surprised some anglers by remaining 15 to 20 miles south of the Coronados Islands. The numbers of longfin being caught aren’t great, but the fish are mostly of good quality, at 25 pounds or more.

One angler who got out recently was Jack Nilsen of Accurate, who sent these photos and a report:

From Jack Nilsen’s Fishing Log

Bart Hall of Fred Hall & Associates hosted a day and a half fishing trip August 4 on the Eldorado out of Point Loma Landing in San Diego. Captain Eddie Moreno took us south about 40 miles in search of kelp paddies holding dorado and yellowtail.

The trip was very successful for all of the approximately 30 Hall guests. Dorado and yellowtail were landed up to and over 30 pounds.

Combo Charter Tests Islands

Joe Crisci brought Qualifier 105 back to Pt. Loma Sportfishing August 6 after a five-day charter trip with Pacific Coast Fishing and Delbridge.

“We got near-limits of yellowtail,” remarked Joe at the scales. “We found a great grade of fish at Benitos and Cedros Islands, and we also got near-limits of dorado off kelps.”

Mike Harvey of Concord won first place for a 30.4-pound yellowtail. Her said he bagged it with a sardine on a 3/0 Eagle Claw hook. He used 30-pound Izorline on a Torium 30 reel and an eight-foot jigstick.

Roy Risk Jr. of Benicia took second place for a 32-pounder, and Joe Zambataro of San Jose was third, for a 30-pound yellow.

Young Stick Is Hot

Tanner Huffer of San Clemente is 15 and already a waterman, on the surf team at San Clemente High. He took a ride on the Searcher with skipper Art Taylor, and came back to Fisherman’s Landing with a first-place fish.

The trip was an Izorline Open, and chartermistress Shauna Barton was aboard as a rep. She presented Tanner with the Izorline Trophy, after Searcher regular Mark Seals of Cambria made a generous offer.

The pair were tied for first place, with identical 35.2-pound albacore. “Let Tanner have it,” said Seals. “He earned it.”

Tanner said he fished a sardine on 20-pound Izorline, an Avet SX-2 reel and a Kencor seven-foot rod.

Tanner and Seals posed with Steve Kiro of Camarillo, who had the third-place fish, a 33.6-pound albacore. The albacore bit better for Searcher anglers than they have for anyone else just recently, so there may be hope yet that they’ll stick around through the fall months.

“Best On The Kelps”

An Intrepid five-day trip with 26 anglers returned to Pt. Loma Sportfishing August 6. Skipper Kevin Osborne docked the boat and weighed the fish.

“It was best on the kelps,” he said. “We got limits of dorado and had good yellowtail fishing. Yesterday we have a little bite for 38 bluefin. There’s great water at 150 miles, with lots of marlin in it, but we didn’t see any fish. This one was a Larry Brown charter.”

Don Hatch of Lemon Heights nabbed a 30.4-pound yellowtail for first place. He said he took his prize-winner on a sardine and a 2/0 ringed Super Mutu hook. He used 30-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon leader and 25-pound Izorline on a Trinidad 12 reel and a Calstar 700 LX rod.

Blaine Burnette of Bakersfield won second place for a 26.6-pound yellow that he fooled with a Salas 6X Jr. jig in scrambled eggs color, and Matt Hoover of Phoenix won third place for a 26.4-pound yellowtail.