Fish Report — JD's Big Game (2024)

Fish News and other related stuff

Disclaimer: these fish reports are just that, fish stories that change daily

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From Friday— “Hello JD, I fished on my brother Bill’s boat, SHOWTIME on Friday, July 19, 2024. Bait out of HH was not there. We had a great day. Lost a solid jig bite at 11:00. Crimp slipped. My bad! Threw on a Swordy at 12:00. 6 casts with a small Bonito on 30 pound. Had a double on short corner at 2:45. One fell off. Released the other at 3:15. First Flag for DAC. Fished until 5:30. One of the rigger lures had new bill marks on lure. We did not see this fish as it got a little rough. Swagger worked the North end of bank and we worked the south side.” Thank you, Bob W

Looks like all that warm water pushed in towards the beach off and below Dana->> Lost a fish under a paddy— good sized fish— Yellow? just south of the 267

I‘ve been here all day — off Laguna —- tried baits, MAD MAX’S poppers, soaked baits, colt snipers the works they just don’t want to bite — 2:47

radio check — loud on the 14 — boat on the 14 any life—- no nothing here at all,,, OK thanks 209 chimed in nothing out here either it’s dead 74 off San Onofree

All the warm water fishes will be concentrated—

Sat and a foggy morning it is—- July the 20 and Pea Soupy in places—1/2 to a mile vis at 30 /48 6 off the beach- looks to clear off further offshore—Full Moon has the tides in full swing

Whale watchers (AKA Dolphin searchers) were sharing info on what they were seeing above and below the dolphins , saying if they were slapping their tails it generally meant there were fish under them — 31/46

Weather wise for tomorrow— 4-5 ft swell 8-9 sec period behind Cat and southwards—swelly

Dolphins, Minki whales and a mass amount of sealife there, above the Dana Harbor late yesterday afternoon—

30/54 ——23/46 20 /40, said the dolphins pods were starting to come together— some 150 of em’ and building—-21/39— 1:30 —— Slack Low tide today— 2:47 Standing by

lots of bottle nosed dolphins, 26.3 /48.1 4:42

Sun came out after noon— wind from the west developed-10-12-15 kts— light wind chop—- not much said on the radio on tunas catches nor marlins—but they were there— just hiding— Good amount of bait seen off Laguna—

Nice afternoon as that wind backed off and tide filled——

Fridays report—July the 19th— - Morning overcast again— starts to brighten up towards the noon hours— light south wind if any 2-4 kts- seas calm—

Fish report— Richard made the run this AM out and south of Newport— Dolphins everywhere with undisturbed balls of anchovies in the green water- green all the way till outside Dana- where it warms up from 67 to 71 degrees and turns blue-and even spots a Loggerhead Turtle! no tuna marks under the dolphin seen between here and there— and not many boats— a few outside Dana—- looking themselves— Slack high this AM at 9:30 this afternoon Low at 2:00 standing by-

Marlin lost this morning — and a congrats on the radio- 4:07

Afternoon incoming tide seemed to help althought yesterdays sunshine might have also helped then, oday overcast for the day- even threats of fog— wind stayed light all day-

by 5pm birds and bait again began to gather- looking better that any other part of the day -so far—

First Fish for the BAC in with Swagger—First fish released and First fish Kept- - nice catch— reported they had several fish up in the spread— one released and one kept- looking good for the Season—- Congrats— three years in a row! Says They Had and Indian attack— all you wanted—- had a Quad on- two fell off —-got one and released the other one—- all baits were covered up with multitude fish—-

Got a swordfish up—-5:44

San Clemente— the Cove is open this weekend— and very good fishing there they say— the Tunas both ends but more inside and west end of the island, Yellows and Basses and WSB too-

Thursday’s report — July 18th Still overcast — like June only a bit warmer— wind fair from the west/southwest 4-6 kts light texture on the water and a mix of swell in there - radio reports though scratchy were of chasing the dolphins and tunas— nice sized ones he said- maybe the 181 area-

It was on the natural cedar plug daisy chain— had it on for a while - got off- painful- driving around find the birds— the fish were with them—12:09

Slack Tide (low ) today 1:00pm standing by— waters 71.3 — I’ve got marks at 100 feet down— got a bait out soaking it — once you find the birds— stick with them—-foamers - you just get that fish— from here off Dan all the way down to the 14— you get that on a clear popper ?— no 135 silver and blue Halco— 4:02 lost an 80lber earlier

Yikes—Well Bruce — don’t see any flags flying as they come by the dock heading in this afternoon—- Long day he says—- —Tore the reel right off the rod!!!—- out looking for the marlins and they spot a swordfish—- make a cast to it and it eats—- 4 hours later the reel gets ripped off the rod— lugs tore out— a quick repair of Zip-ties helps for a while but the battle was lost—-est 7 ft between tail and dorsal- Est 500lbs—! Yikes—

Local boys bring in an est 150 lb Bluefin— small skiff and tough battle- congrats JD

Wed’s Report- July 17 = Overcast and cooler- wind from the south / southwest 5-10 kts— light chop building swells couple boats in early gesturing the bass catches were only fair— with hands spread only a foot or so—

Boats were out chasing Yellowfin this morning— or at least out looking for them—

A little chunky out there today— mix of swell and wind

28/ over 48 bottlenosed dolphins—

Tuesdays report — July the 16th 2024- Morning marine clouds, wind from the south fair and a short period 3-4 ft swell from the west- a little uncomfortable and there’s no Mackerels to be caught-locally— the water turned over by this mornings- water temps along the shoreline dropped 6-10 degrees— up welled and cooled— tells us the Thermocline is shallow this season— cooler water underneath and a pocket of warm water on the top— easily disturbed from wind and swell — on the plus side the bait won’t be as deep and more surface action to be seen —

Filling moon and tides this weekend -

Light west this afternoon - 6- 10 kts + skies cleared off— still some marine haze seawards—

Not much said on the radio today—

Closed on Mondays —— Lot’s and lots of yard work- no fishing

Sunday July the 14- 24 - Calm morning - light overcast - nice day on the water — wind is from the west 2-4 kts seas calm- light texture to it with the light wind-

We were just following the birds when they came up — big boys — tied on a popper - 40? 10:35

Just left em— 30.2/49.00

I wont be able to sleep tonight thinking about that one that got away— 11:05

Marlin — marlin — Released on 20 lb tackle — 28/ 54 1:45pm — came up on the teasers, got a dropback ballyhoo bait to it— missed it first then came back on it — kai Kane, Connie and the dog

5 outside Laguna — chasing birds and tunas — got slammed one — missed it —12:45

Saturday July the 13 2024 — coastal marine clouds seems to be fading away early- we’ll see- wind still out of the south 4-5+ Kts seas okay-Lots of boats out fishing today — from bass to bluefin and all in between- Good Luck- JD

Not really a early start — getting out of the harbor towards the 8 am morning hour — got a mile and a half out- water still on the green side- lots of bait metered— dolphins with tuna marks below them— sardines dropped down quick— no bites— fast moving dolphins - Catalina had no shortage of bass- lots of em

reports of Tom B with a giant Bluefin tuna two hour battle on 30 lb Dacron!

work schedule- finished up with a collection of rods and reels— all cleaned up, new line and ready to fish the season

RIP Hammer — JD

Full News day — Friday’s report July the 12th —Starts out overcast and glassy seas— Nice- stayed pretty much overcast for the day— wind picked up around the noon hours west , backed off southwest 3-5 kts afternoon,

Radio stayed quite till mid afternoon as that tide started to top off-

“Right here— right here— right by you—- yellowfin here—- on your port side— 2:40 pm they’re here—- Slack tide today 3:17 pm—- 25/52 3:24 pm

Been a while since we’ve seen tuna flags flying as boats head back into the harbor

Swaggers flying one this afternoon— down outside the Domes— had it all to ourselves—- 50lber climbed all over the jig—

Pair of sleepers spotted in the precautionary area just outside the port of Los Angeles on Monday. 70.0* water. Had to serve to miss em! Woke them up as they went down the side of the boat at 20kts.Tyler on “La Dorada”

Thursday’s Report- July 11 2024—-Still overcast here on the shoreline— wind light from the south ;west seas calm— some marine haze seawards—

Fish report from Hoose- yesterday—- Hey JD, Off Newport 4 miles yesterday at 4:30pm testing a power steering issue when one of the @newportcoastadventures boats pulls up next to us and says there are yellowfin on the dolphin just outside us…

Quickly deployed a couple Tailchaser daisy chain jet heads and on about the third pass had yellowfin come up busting bait amongst the dolphin and one of the trolling outfits gets ripped. Had the fish to deep color and pulled the hook – looked 30-40 lb. grade. Got back on the hunt but unfortunately a couple pleasure boats managed to break up the school. Was fun to see some tuna local

Water was 71-72 and blue. Tight linesBob Hoose

half a dozen boats out there today—- searching finding baitballs, birds - but no tunas reported caught — yet— Stayed overcast all day—

Wed’s report July the 10th 2024 — June Gloom — July Junk— overcast and light drizzle this AM— wind from the south 3-7 kts light wind chop on it—

Weather forecasted to stay steady N/W outer waters for at least the next 10 days— that N/W wind continues all the way down the Baja peninsula ( might curtail some of the California Current from pushing too hard while coming up the beach)

The next ENSO Diagnostics Discussion is scheduled for 11 July 2024.

Today’s projects, work / service a dozen various reels from baitcasters to Internationals, they all have problems- sometimes they look good on the outside and inside— rubbish! one at a time- clean and replace a couple guides on the matching rods. sell Hats and T- Shirts- help a have dozen kids with there all-tangled up rods and reels and set them up correctly- Anchovies and squids to most of em’ and a few bay lures to boot .

SD tuna boats w/ images of breaking schools of Pacific Bluefin Tunas - hope they move closer to Newport one day—

Tuesdays Reports July 9 — Coastal still a bit on the overcast weather —till around noon - seas calm but there’s a swell in there- some from the south , deeper and some from the west good visibility from the gray skies

Coastal waters above newport— making mackeral and sardiens no problem— between the piers , above there the art reefs and structuire spots all the way to Long Beach should be active with the sand and calico bass— tossing plastics or using the baits should all be good - waters are warm and pleanty of bait in it—

Good Yellowtails off the backside/ east end of the island 20-25lbs fish

Closed on Mondays— Went Broadbill Swordfishing and looking for marlins— saw none- a couple Mola Molas and a small shower of 2-3 inch sauries- waters blue a mile out ended up with half a dozen nice calios on the beach- nice day-

Sundays report July the 7th —- the mornings sun trying to break through the coastal marine clouds— wind from the south/southeast 3-5 kts- seas okay-

Well it’s not totally unexpected— the reports of Striped Marlins in out local wartes—- it just needed further conformations—- they’re there— but unwilling to strike the lures or baits yet—- —- and so are the White Sharks,, Just had one go under the boat!! ( he needs a bigger boat) 6-7 fter

Marlins— their migratory travels, still in question ? are they up from Mexico or coming around from the Northwest via the waters off Hawaii following a clockwise path in the Eastern Pacific.? Probably both ways—

Coastal halibut fishing off Long Beach good- smaller fish but fun—

Even a reported 488 lb Swordfish caught—yesterday— just below Clemente— and reported Tunas big ones near the east end of Clemente—today—

Slack tide ( Low tide) today—- 4:33 , 3:33 we just had one of your kind up—- Marlin— 19: 07 lot — Lots of mackerels up between the 152 and the 14 mile bank today—- 3:35

Marlin or a swordfish just baited - swam away—-didn’t take it 3:37

Elephant seal just popped up his head— aught to be one fining shortly 3:41

Stand by for action—-! JD

Saturday July the 6th overcast a light drizzle- wind from the south 5-7-9 kts— seas a bit bumpy light wind chop- not as much fun as one would want for July weather—

Bass on the HB flats were biting— offshore there were a couple of boats out searching for swordfish and —— marlin?? tunas were up off the west end of Clemente

and there may be a few yellows under what paddys that were found— even a dorado reported-—

After searching for most of the day— criss crossing likely looking areas— radio chatter were of kelps and maybe yellows— a splash here- there—- the 2:00 pm hour and the lowering of the tide— got a meatball up here— terns likely looking— standing by for a billfish report—-2:02

So far— 12- 15lb yellowtails and were seeing dorados! 100 yards off my starboard— you wont miss it— its loaded—

Warming water temps up to 73 degrees, and the report of a Dorado off the Domes/oceanside being caught- catalina OK but many boats the calicos bit well thats about it— and what commercial squid boats there were were reluctant to help the sports-

The fifth of July- Friday and still lots of folks out and about—

Dolphin hunters finding a large pod of them 31/ 40 outside Dana—heading north

Some larger but mostly smaller 2- 5 footers Makos in the water—- taking trolled lures—- mad maxs—

We got called in on one— got withing 200-300 yds of it and it jumped twice and never fined after that—— you seeing anything— only a couple more of those smaller makos—

Reports of those bonitos were around the 14— I think- 5-6 off the island (cat) boats reported good signs of sealife-terns hovering around etc- the bass were biting at the islands too

no whales around these days—

And the Forth Of July!!! and typical coastal marine clouds morning and afternoon hours—- wind light form the S/W 2-5 kts —seas some mix to them—

Lots of folks out —lots of em'‘

Wizz—- Bang—- Boom!!!! —-all night long—-

Wed’s Report July the 3rd — Standing by for the fireworks— todays coastal weather — overcast and staying that way for the better half of the day— wind light from the south this AM turned SW - West afternoon hours.

AIS shows several boats working west of the end of Clemente Island—the tribute checking in. 14 Bluefin up to 180 pounds last night from that area— 33:02 / 118:46 —-33:04 / 118:54

Lots of boats heading to the island this AM—

and returning from SCI with need of a fillet knife -

Tue- Wed busy

Closed on Mondays

Sunday June the 30 and it’s June Gloom— soon to become July Junk— wind light from the west/southwest 4-7 kts seas okay

Cleared off towards the noon hours- westerly pick up to a light wind- the oceans covered with —???Salps are related to sea squirts, they're not jellyfish. They're ... Salp, they feed on algae blooms and phytoplankton.

And it’s Saturday— June the 29th— We’ve lost 2 minutes of sunshine so far— mostly in the morning minutes, coastal marine layer backing off towards the mid morning hours leaving sunshine— light south wind - seas okay- folks everywhere- Radio reports of both sand and calicos being caught

Mexico weather a weak pressure gradient over the area will generally maintain mostly gentle breezes and moderate combined seas across the Mexican offshore waters through Mon. By Mon night through Tue, moderate to fresh winds and moderate to rough seas are forecast to affect the Baja California offshore waters. A surface trough along the Baja Peninsula and a tighter pressure gradient will lead to moderate to fresh SE winds along the Gulf of California Tue afternoon through Wed

It’s Eastern Pacific Hurricane Season—May 15 to November 30.——Lots of moisture building up in the Central America’s— Standing By— (See Below)

I wouldn’t be surprised if there weren’t schools of Bluefin making their way westwards up the backside of Clemente— Cherry Bank?

Several boats back into the harbor this afternoon flying yellowtail flags—- !! west wind in the PM

It’s Friday the 28 of June— my it went by fast— for many it starts a long extended time off all the way until after the 4th! - Wind again from the south a bit stronger this AM 5-7-10 kts seas comply with a light wind chop from the south and there’s a short period swell moving in from the west— enough to milk up the waters off the backside of cat and some backwash from the swells, - AIS shows the tuna fleet- working outside of SD towards the 43 and the Corner, US/MEX reported schools of Pacific Bonito on the 14 mile bk,-5-6 lbers—

Went back to an pleasant overcast sky today wind still from the southwest 5-kts- radio is quiet- this coming week things will get busy all ready boats headed to Avalon to snage an anchorage while they can— Boats were saying Mola— Molas were everywhere!

Whalers say a couple of Blue Whales coming up the line from San Clemente, bait schools and bird life revealed the areas 24 over 42.5 weather improved again later in the afternoon-

June the 27 Thursdays report——- a little more overcast today—wind from the southeast 2-5 kts seas calm — we’ll take the calm weather anytime— oceans’s still warming up day by day—

Party boats fishing the sculpins and bottom stuff to help fill the bags—

A gathering yesterday at the “Coop”- a bunch of old salts calling themselves “Goats” — sorry I missed it— Guess I’m a Goat too- Next time—

Waters warmed up considerably- with the thoughts of yellows under the paddies and the possibility of Bluefin tunas or whatever‘s out there to show up— Note; the advancement of the pelagic red crabs-working thee way up from Cedros Island

Boats off Oceanside reported— looks real good— 12/ 38

while other were headed out towards the West end of the islands

Wed’s June the 26, Southerly this AM, 5-7,8,9 kts, deeper marine layer seawards , light wind ripple on the waters surface-
Approaching strong gale from the Northwest due to bring 30-40 kts of wind Central Calif. with a swell behind it
The upcoming weekend Clemente Islands looks open from Midnight Friday on through the weekend and into Monday— Tuesday and Wed’s there’s some day time activity then the Cove and SHOBA is open through the 4 th of July on through the following weekend = check with the San Clemente Island Security’s Web site to confirm— have fun—

Reported good Yellows and some Sea Bass off the East end of the Island—

Coastal fish reported slow today by a couple of boats, WSB and Halibuts were sought after— but not found nor hooked nor caught— Sardines were around but the green-backed backed were scares

Tuesdays July/ sorry June the 25th Warm and hot too!!! early morning sky brought clear blue above- coastal light west/ southwest wind early- heat from the land draws it in— waters warming nicely- bait seems to be abundant— even anchovies schools around —

On the backside of the moon now— see what that delivers in the way of fish actititivy-

Bottle nosed Dolphins outside Laguna— a whale there too-

warming water—- making bait tougher —sardines and smaller mackerels hard to find this morning—

Rummer has it there were marlin seen out by the oil rigs

Coastal fish picking up with the warmer water— Bass seem to be on the spawn with some orange under their jaws , aggressive bites— fun fishing—

~Closed on Mondays ~ House painting- Yikes! Still not done— more to do! yikes

It’s Sunday and that day of rest— or go fishin instead- lots of folks out and about— Morning clear with a few high tropical cloud aloft— coastal wise still good with a light marine overcast offshore—

Ah— not much now— saw some fish earlier, dragging a Mad Max around now— about a mile off the East end— 11:37

We were out to the 277 looked dry—- 14 was looking good yesterday lots of sealife— we got about a 40 lber Yellowtail out by the Farnsworth , yea were out near there also trolling a mad max,, got hooked up—- probably a shark lost it -— 27 45.7 dolphins - Yep - it’s summer again— from radio talks on the VHF to sailboaters, kayackers and boats going by blaring out Disco music or Pontoon boats w sun shades and alcoholics - Ahaa- it’s Summer again-

Reported yellows under a paddy 14 others found bait—

Squid boat was at the island still had some left,

Another week of good weather in front of us=-= Good Luck- JD

I wouldn’t be surprised if there were more and more of those big tunas around— late afternoon trolling- Stand by—

Ahaaa its Saturday June 22 and Summers here with a heat wave—-no appearance of fog here on t he beach this morning— light marine layer backing off by 9 am- Tides were very low this AM a minua 1.2 and an evening high at 6.6 almost a 8ft tide swing— lots of weight off the earths coastal plates— just saying— stand by—

“The one we got was 140 lbs— there were 200 lb’ers in there — so be aware”— either it’s great VHF reception this morning ( could be) or they were closer than we think—but it was loud and clear— “the ones we saw yesterday were big— we had Yellowtail gear and it wasn’t enough— Bring the heaver stuff”— 277? 10:22am

Morning’s Slack Tide at 11:30 standing by— this afternoons low slack at 3:30 then a good rise after that— stand by —- And another nice day here at the beach—- looks like everyone’s having fun—

Friday—June the 21st—- Clearing earlier and a bit more from the west this morning— Nice day forecasted as the first Summer’s weekend starts—- from now on the days get shorter— sorry—

Radio checks this morning on the VHF— many boats headed to the islands, From the fish counts on SD it looks like more smaller fish than larger— 30-60lb stuff- two a day limit.

SAT...(It's not listed but fog, heavy also on the radio broadcast)-- Wind variable less than 10 kt. Seas 3 ft. Wave Detail: W 1 foot at 4 seconds, W 3 ft at 7 seconds and S 2 ft at 14 seconds. . SAT NIGHT... Wind variable less than 10 kt. Seas 3 ft. Wave Detail: W 1 foot at 4 seconds, W 2 ft at 8 seconds and S 2 ft at 15 seconds. A slight chance of tstms after midnight. .SUN...Wind variable less than 10 kt, becoming W 10 kt in the afternoon. Seas 3 ft. Wave Detail: W 1 foot at 4 seconds, W 2 ft at 8 seconds and S 2 ft at 17 seconds. A slight chance of tstms.

West wind returned this afternoon but not so strong as expected, 10-14 , Spoke to a customer- who was heading out tomorrow morning— for a good distance run— the thought of fog, even though he had the radar- , gave him second thoughts, We’ve all been there — should I go or not— ?

With the opening up of the cloud cover able to get a one day water temp images from 61 to 73 degrees, that warm eddy of waters has rotated up into the lee of Catalina,, effects of that strong eddy condition we’ve had the past weeks, more to come - see below right

Good luck this weekend — moons filling water’s warming fish are on the prowl — have fun - watch the fog-

Thursdays June 20th and feels like or looks like summers here— warm inland- beaches are crowded and the freeways are packed - what marine coverage we had this morning left by noon still hazy seaward- wind light to fair from the south— seas have a little wind chop on them small swells

Lots of folks getting ready for the weekend- filling up boats and getting tackle ready-

South of the border-- fresh to strong NW winds and rough seas are expected near Baja California Sur, including the waters near Cabo San Lucas and off Cabo Corrientes through Fri morning due to tighter pressure gradient. During the weekend, fresh to strong southerly winds might develop at the northern Gulf of California.

Scott came by—- no seabasses for him today— must not like his boat— but the butts were there— a nice 30+ lber on a mackerel - Weather was good for the day— a little mid day stuff but it backed off Nice day — Moons filling quickly — Nice summer day—

-Wed June the 19 2024 Overcast and calm,, water’s getting warming by the day now— reported towards the 70 degree mark this morning off Newport and fish are biting- or at least a few of them— reports of one angler having hooked three White Sea Bass one, two, three , first one hook got turned into the bait, missed it- second took off 150 yds straight out- backed the drag off it while the third rod had gone off and the fish tried to climb under the boat— had it on for a while, hook came loose while fighting the other fish — only landing one of the est 30-35 lbs—

Tides are filling w Full this weekend-

Woulda Coulda Shoulda , on second thought a shoulda have, thought about it last night about 2 am— made an exploratory run down towards the 43 this morning— , ya see any kelps or yellows—- humm now that I think about it— Nope don’t recall seeing any kelps at all, had the Mad Max out, a diving plug and a cedar plug—- saw good sighs of life- some birds, terns around— waters blue and clean- warm think I even had 70 degrees,, —- I think I metered tunas—- should have dropped down a jig ! Hind site !

Report from Clemente— OK fishing some yellows to be caught the fleet was there in the Cove after the Navy’s exercises were over- sardines and the squids were both good for the bass and yellows, bottom grabbers , not much in the way of sea life seen in crossing back to Newport- water temps there 67 degrees clean

Closed on Mondays-

June the 16th Sunday and it’s POP’S Day- a little breezy from the south this AM due to swing around later this afternoon west- nice day lots of folks out walking dogs and riding bikes and a few sailors too — Windy—

June the 15th— Regular Summer day here at the beach this morning— coastal marine clouds lingering befor they go away- sunney inland, wind is very light from the west/southwest 2- 4 kts + a little wind and swell there- but pleasant - Lots of folks out- many headed to the islands yesterday -

Radio checks and it seems a new breed on the water this season- boats that dont looks like boats, speedboats 50 -60 ft long with 5 giant 250 HP outboards mounted them and outriggers too! and then there’s the old Boston whalers and volkswagen parkers everywhere, added goofy looking canoe electric boats and sailors too - yep summer’s here-
SD waters still producing some tunas—both big and med- small- from inside the border line southwards to the 60 and beyond, getting windy out there later today and tomorrow- S/E here on the beach tomorrow ( Sunday) morning— better afternoon-
Catalina— spots of squid showing up— but weather picking up on the backside—

Welcome to the Summer Months—

Earlier this week it was posted, Steve, ‘Hammer passed ~ RIP” - he caught his share!

Friday the 14th— hazy blue sky this morning—more marine haze seaward, wind light from the south, southwest 3 6 kts- light wind ripple on the water-

Several boats headed to the island early today— the halibuts and bass fishing still reported good there— shallow water (20-30 ft) or less for the butts- not much in the way of tide currents movements — it goes slack just before noon. Swordfish might pop right after that or the tails at the islans if thears any current wrapping around the island, at Clemente Island for those hoping for the tails or tunas or bass— looks like the SHOBA/ Cove to be Active “ Hot” between 7 am and 5 pm Friday, Sat and Sunday check the web site San Clemente Island Security the following weekend it’s open— Gold Bluff to Wilsons look’s open

Whalers found dolphins about 500 of them off Laguna— and a Humpback spotted towards Dana—

Nice day— sunny most of the day- and a light to med west afternoon wind- Good luck this weekend if you get out—

Thursday’s Report- June the 13th- almost half the months already gone by- not so gloomy here on the beach this morning— wind up early from the west— see what that brings— seas have a bit of light wind cap to them- 10 more days till the days begin to shorten!

Navy’s got some live fire exercisers going on asking marines to exit the waters behind Clemente Island- —

And sunshine today— we should be able to get a better satellite water temp and chlorophyll images this week-

West all today- the weekend weather looks good Sat , stronger south wind in the morning on Sunday

Scott fished the local spots today— not much for him— no halibuts, nor basses or anything else— long days— looks good but no bites on the bigger stuff

The good news was that Billy got out this week— way to go Billy——- the sad news is the reporting of Steve “Hammer” passing —-may he rest in peace

Wed’s Report-June 12 Still overcast some morning drizzle seas calm some light wind 3-5 from the southwest- all’s fine on the western front—

Afternoon sun apeared- turns nice with a bit of blue skly before the evening marine clouds comes it— not much said on the radio except— if I heard it right sounded like the life guards had used a drone to help spot a shark off 18h street? thats it— more tomorrow

Spent the day mostly working, scrapping off that outer bark/ skin of those bamboo blanks I’ve been working on— 5 days, 18 razor blades so far and six blanks finished with their first stage of production-

Tuesdays report- June the 11th and the beat goes on— still gloomy on the water this morning though calm and good visibility on the gray slick surface -some sea ruffle on the surface from a light west wind there’s a low swell there too that hides low flying pelican.

Whalers out on numbers — they cover the water so fast and communicate with each other on the whereabouts of the sealife— exposing the many to the ocean.

Looking ahead this coming weekend— looks breezy— and at Clemente Island for those hoping for the tails or tunas or bass— looks like the SHOBA/ Cove to be Active “ Hot” between 7 am and 5 pm Friday, Sat and Sunday check the web site San Clemente Island Security the following weekend it’s open. Quiet day on the waterfront—

Closed on Mondays Caught a bass- boat runs well-

Sunday—- and the day of rest— June the 9th- Coastal marine clouds looks to be opening up early , looking better light wind from the south/east 3-5=6 kts- seas okay some light wind chop on it- no swell to speak of.

Whale watchers report Blue off Aliso 3-4 miles—

Long days— what with the Trump boat Parade with 'I’d guess 200- 300 boats of all sizes and makes tooting horns and waved flags - a good show of patriotic expression , and working on several reels that needed attention, rigging lines for kids to go fishing in the harbor with and winding line on reels for a guy headed to Loreto for some yellowtails—selling hats and tee -shirts and some anchovies and squid-

sounded like the Bluefin tunas south of the border were reluctant to bite , some smaller 50+ stuff but the bigger fish- off feed for a few days— Foe boat making the run— reported good claicos and yellows at Clemente— keep up with the navy’s request to watch there activities schedules

It’s approaching the middle of June don’t be surprised if a marlin or the swordfish shows up— standing by— and speaking of marlins— and billfish there is an upcoming billfish studies in SD- a life time experience of knowledge available there- check it out— JD

- Sat June the 8th Drizzly day again—

A few sand and calicos were being caught this am— tides low this morning —filling till noon—

Lots of patriotism here in Newport today and tomorrow \!!!

Coastal fishing ok some nice sand or calicos fou;nd in the deeper water— 60- +

Sardines and smaller mackerels being caught in abundance off the local piers, makes good bait for the halibuts that are around, there’s a few big ones around-

Lots of boat traffic today here in the harbor— and even the sun came out for half the day— nice day coastal marine stuff building towards the late afternoon- nice on the water today— another quiet day on the waterfront

-Fridays report—- Still overcast and drizzly this morning—- it’s June the 7th —- Quakes and Moon phases— there is a relationship -

Thursdays report— hasn’t changed much still overcast here on the beach, yesterday sun only for an mid day show- today’s about the same— maybe a bit brighter- wind still from the southwest 3 5 kts seas calm-

Local Whalers say much of that sealife that was off Newport has vanished - to the south outside Dana and below it’s moved
Quiet Day on the waterfront- again sun stayed behind the cloudcover— wind stayed steady calm from the south— whales watchers still seeing whales today- baits still there- stronger currents with these major Tide Swings over the next week— low tide tomorrow dawn am- -1.5 , Sat- -1.2, Sun -.8

Wed’s report— Still overcast here on the beach, wind southwest 3 -5 kts- seas good-

Busy on tackle today- winding line on reels repairing them and new guides on a rod—

over a thousand Dolphin —a mega pod sightings —outside Dana to Laguna heading south 11:07

Late afternoon report from Catalina,, divers did well on a pair of 50 WSB, back side towards the west end of the island good crossing back this afternoon flat calm some bait mid channel

Tuesdays Report—- June the 4th - Only a month away from the 4th of July—and the days will still get longer for another 18 days - Overcast this morning light wind from the south 2-4-5 kts, still feels a bit on the cool side— and the Red Tide still remaining along the coastlines— Reports say there were spots of Bluefin on the 14 yesterday—

Tides will increase this week as that New Moon approaches. Some real lows and real highs, if your going to launch a boat this weekend - be aware of that morning low- low tide—

The Royal Polaris called in with 41 Bluefin Tuna. 37 over 100lbs all in local waters(60 mile bank)

Yellowtails at Clemente it’s reported the Thunderbird did very well there today-

Best afternoon weather we’ve had i a long time mild south wind sunny with some marine stuff coming in from the sea, tides are filling and some of that red tide as cleaned up-

Closed on Mondays— Fished the bay with Grandson yesterday- red tide drove us towards the Lido area where it was much cleaner, caught three smelt and turned on of them into a 15 inch White Sea bass— good times

Sunday, June the 2nd— still overcast and a bit of drizzle- wind light from the south/southwest, 2 3 -5 kt's seas calm, The eastern Pacific hurricane season runs from May 15 to November 30- we’re already into June- Stand by-

Tuna fishing still on the fair side - night time bites doing well, sinkers/ baits and jigs, some daytime smaller stuff and the kites/ flyers for bigger fish is beginning to see action- , a fellow came by the shop the other day representing HB Propane, which has Helium tanks for sale and exchange (714) 375-5701 good to know—-

That dirty water makes it uncomfortable to fish in— it may be clear down below but probably not— just about the time you get set up somewhere where not to bad— the current changes and here it comes— and of note the report coming out of Cedros Island has Red Crabs there— we’ll probably see them this coming summer too! — stand by—

Saturday June the 1st—- It’s June !!!! and still gloomy- light drizzle in the overcast sky this morning—- by noon it’s still hung around gray- wind and seas light from the south- nice traveling inner waters— for those coming up from the Cape— it’s been a steady 12- 18 knt in the face ride, travelable but sloppy - small windows of ok weather allowing them to come up the line—

The tuna boats out of SD reported this morning -the Pacific Dawn called in with 10 Blueifn Tuna (30 to 50 lbs.) for 17 anglers on day 1 of their 2 day trip. and The Pegasus called in with 16 Bluefin Tuna for 11 anglers on their 1.5 day trip, Bluefin Tuna are within50 to 60 miles. All of them ranging from50lbto 180lbs! 60 Mile Bank

There were 6 Blue Whales outside Laguna/ to Dana today— krill and plankton tight against the coastlines

Ryan calls in today— the were out scouting around near the 209— 312 looking for kelps and yellows—-found em’— 5-7 lb yellows but there were reluctant to bite anything— bait , sardines out of Newport was very good- lively and no losses, chummed the paddies, tossed lures, nothing - they even came under the boat curious,, but not hungry— yet—

Up welled , off colored brown colored water has developed along the coastline. it’s plankton transferring from zooplankton ( animal) to phytoplankton ( plant) plankton in the warming (62-63) sunlit waters, it’s blooming , stretches along the coastline from LB southwards - plankton —-it’s the grass for the krill to feed on, that the baitfish feed on, that the whales and fishes feed on.

Friday May the 31st 2024, The End is Near!!!- this month— tomorrow starts the Summer months, and maybe more June Gloom, still Coastal cloud cover this morning trying to open up- wind and seas are light, what wind we have is a light south an 3-4 kts, Generally weak onshore flow will continue through Monday, with an intermittent coastal eddy circulation.

SAT...Wind variable less than 10 kt, becoming W 10 kt in the afternoon. Seas 3 ft. Wave Detail: W 1 foot at 4 seconds, W 2 ft at 8 seconds and S 2 ft at 16 seconds. SUN...Wind variable less than 10 kt, becoming SW 10 kt in the afternoon. Seas 4 ft.

Whales everywhere— he said—- what kinda whales??—- Blue Whales— everywhere— outside Dana- below there and up off newport - An abundance of krill along the dropoff has brought them in— 11:31 Use discretion and be respectful when approaching these whales, keep your distance and try to time their dives-

The Navy giving instructions of boats to stay out of the Live Firing Area an 35 mile radius , 31 / 19 till 1600 this afternoon , or may be a bit longer

Fri, Sat, Sunday Good tides for that afternoon evening tide- weather looks good for the inner waters this weekend- go catch a seabass or a swordfish!

From earlier last week— Swordfish are around , boating from the mainland to the islands— it’s time to put at least one heavy outfit in the boat—— things change out there that we know nothing about- yet—undersea currents up-well from years past bringing with them all sorts of things- we’ve had a Fall and winter season of changing currents, winds and rains from predictions of heavy El Nino to La Nino - - Either way, the trips offshore from now till late fall leave open for some of the bigger gamefish-, pull out that 50 lb gear and a belt too, frozen squid? or a cedar plug will keep you in the game.

Tue and Wed - not reported

Monday Memorial Day May the 27 2024- Starts a bit on the overcast side- due to become sunny later on- wind is light from the west/southwest 4 5 kts+ seas okay. Lots of folks out , boaters of just about anything that floats were out-Generally weak onshore flow will continue this week, with a coastas

Water north of us , Huntington area reported to be off-colored dirty looking color— lots of boats out and not much in the way of solitude fishing for the day-

Lots of folks out , boats of just about anything that floats was out

Weather stayed Southwest 5-8kts for the day and the sun really never came out a little on the cool side

Sunday, May the 26 Memorial Weekend - a time of thought , morning hours brings a stronger marine layer with clouds behind it- wind, a bit stronger from the south— eddywise- light wind chop with it- seas ok-

Fun day on the water mid day the sun came out — so did the west wind- couple of boys in the shop today— saying they caught bonito here in the harbor— 4-5 lb fish !

Rest and relax tomorrow - good day to spend some time with family

Sat’s report May the 25th- Nice day— early morning clouds left us with sunshine!— lots of folks out and about— wind light to fair from the west- seas good, yet still a bit offcolored green and cool at 58-60 degrees here locally— clearing sky will give us a better water temp/ Chlor images.

Boats below the border chasing the bluefin-looks like the fish are traveling up the line towards U.S. Waters! 60 mile bank and beyond fair catches some of them upwards to 150 lbs,
The Condor called in with 2 BluefinTuna (100 lbs. and 140 lbs.) for 13 anglers on day 1 of a3 day trip.
The Islander called in with 11 Bluefin Tuna (100 to 130 lbs.) for 16 anglers on day 1 of a 3 day trip.
The Pacific Queen returned this morning with 19 Bluefin Tuna (up to 100 lbs.) for 23 anglers on a 2 day trip.

Regular Summer type day— lots of folks out—- sunny for most of the day- those afternoon summer marine clouds came in with calming weather— it’s changned , the weather— atmosphere has changed, waters’ s still cool but show signs of warming- 62 mid channel , fish should starting biting soon- , backside of the full moon- grunion should still be running at night 10:45pm - during the day they school 30- 50 ft deep off the sandy shores -

Friday’s report—- missing— got too busy— JD

Whalers, scattered common dolphis off main Beach / Laguna,, no large ones seen yet- 10:33 am

I would be surprised if a boat traveling this weekend didn’t came across good sighs of sealife mid channel -

Catalina was 62 63 degrees and they were biting”— sounded like Benny on the radio coming back from the Island- 10:37

Give the Club- BAC a call if you want to be a weekend weigh-master- free fish if they give you some ! the BAC is looking for an part time weekend help - it’ll give you something to do and meet cool people!

San Clemente Island Security- San Clemente Island Security Note to pay attention to- starting May the 24 for a month much of San Clemente Island will be restricted—Check with their web site https://www.scisland.org/

1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS WILL TAKE PLACE ON THE FOLLOWING DATES AND
TIMES: 010800Z MAY 24 TO 010800Z JUN 24

2. HAZARDOUS OPS (FLETA HOT) AREA

3. HAZARDOUS OPS (SOAR) AREA

4. HAZARDOUS OPS (SHOBA WITH BOTH EXTENSIONS) AREA

5. HAZARDOUS OPS (MOORED BUOYS IN PYRAMID COVE) AREA

6. MARINERS ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO AVOID THESE AREAS DURING THE SPECIFIED DATES AND TIMES.

May the 22- Wed’s Report——— Okay day- light overcast early on- sun and hazy sky for the rest of the day- wind light to fair towards the afternoon hours—- seas okay early on too—- mix of seastate

Christians’s photo of the huge Yellowtail got everyone all excited- that’s a big fish for local waters— Joel Zide caught it on a flyline sardine in 58 degree water off the coast; we were fishing for seabass, but he just felt like fly lining a bait. And it panned out! No seabass, but we’ll take the yellow, it was 54” long and fat bastard

———— May the 21 2024- Tuesdays report- light overcast sky- wind light from the west 3 - 5 kts seas ok- there’s a 3-4 f swell or better from the south- mix it on the light west wind wind and some calm seas - is what’s there- for now-

Fishing locally— the reef ( Newport artificial reef) takes a lot of pressure— one it’s relatively close to the harbor and can only take so much- from there north there’s a multitude of other structure spots to fish- they all can hold sealife to them- Without much kelp to them— if you can get the fish out of their hangout when hooked you’ve got a relatively good chance to land them- not much out there except sand and mud bottoms to deal with- a 50 lb Yellowtail came from one of them yesterday!!

Waters still cool- some of this swell will also upwell some cooler water from underneath- red tide?

Closed on Mondays - shopping and afternoon bay fishing with grandson

May 19 Sunday’s late report— Nice day - with mornings clouds leaving sunshine- wind stayed light to fair for the day mostly west to southwest and back to west later in the day- seas were cold- with a 58 degree morning water temps by —2 pm up to 60 degrees— still cold for the Middle of May— Best years in the past were the May and June’s for Salmon— the coldest waters of the year- with an abundance of anchovies— they, the anchovies are not here so far this year—

Boat traffic was tight in the restricted waters we have left— MLAP’s have squeezed all the boats together

Fishing fair today—the T/C’s twenty boat tournament for three days - 3 fish total- two at Catalina one locally—

May the 18th Saturday— started off a bit on the overcast side ends up nice and sunny— still a little cool here on the beach— water temps and air low to mid 60’s

Lots of folks out today-doing everything imaginable- biking, walking, boating, fishing. nice day-

Toms WSB tops out over 60 lbs on light tackle vintage gear ( bamboo rod, linen line and the reel pre- 1950s and I think he was solo too !!! Congrats —JD
bay fish Ok with the bass on the chew — afternoon westerly wind and small wind chop on the water

May the 17th the month just keeps rolling along— still what’s called May Gray- and it is— calm seas and a light west/southwest wind at 2-4 kts-

T/C having thee Annual White Sea bass tournament, started last evening will runs through Sat, boats scattered from Clements Island to the beach and to the Channel Islands - fish in all spots , one taken locally this morning— Nice big fish 64 lbs on vintage tackle — congrats— BAC’s top light tackle record stands at 53.2 lbs— challenged by this fish!

Wind stayed west for the day and still mostly overcast for the length-

Long day today— worked on a dozen or more rods and reels, replacing broken guides, re-epoxy 4 rods , service clean, lube and replace drags in 10 reels, new line on all of them from 130 braid to 15 mono with F/C leaders on them. Added service on a Shimano Torsa 30 and kept up with the shirts and hats sales and various fishing tackle sales, full day—

Sun really never made it out today— stayed west 6- 10 for the day

May the 15th Wed’s Report— Nicer day except the light drizzle this morning— seas were good and a bit of sunshine later in the mid days sun. Not much in the way of local WSB catches today— lot’s of efforts but not much if any caught— a few mystery bites - maybe blacks Sea Bass-or a sharks , not may bat rays so far this season— if any- halibut fishing fair at best—

Inside the harbor — right as he was bulling his Luck Craft lure out of the water— something charged it— the battle was on— what was it it’s big and strong—— guess what it was?—— a Yellowtail about 7-8 lbs! —

Down South the tuna were here, then gone for the most part-

Mayo the 14th- Tuesday almost half the months gone by all ready- be the Forth of July before you know it— Light cloud cover this AM- starting to burn away by noon- wind is light from the south- a swell from the west comes in once in a while,

Abundance of smaller green back mackerels and sardines along the coastlines—- anchovies— that’s another story- bait haulers were up to Monterey looking for it- and improrts from Mexico for the frozen stuff- Squid—? starting to see small spots of it , but not enough for commercials catches—

White Sea bass fair along the coast here- fair at Catalina and Clements— Yellows at Clemente, and a few at Santa Barbara island- and the WSB are eating sardines up at Santa Rosa Island—- no squid there and they were hungry-

A look at the San Clemente Security’s web site shows the “Cove” to be basically off limits for the weekend San Clemente Island Security

Tuna still being sought after outside Ensenada ‘s lower 500 area— mostly night time fishing but there’s fish there during the day too- and probably WSB on the beaches

Nicer day today- sunshine here along the coastline—

Tides will build this weekend
Closed on Mondays — went fishing- had a good time —good exercise rowing about- dragging a green backed mackerel around for a few hours—- had one good bite and a seal bite— water’s green close to the beach- early morning lots of smaller dolphins pushing the bait schools of mackerel and sardines

Sundays report—- mayo the 12th 2024—Happy Mom’s day

- Different day— more overcast and the lack of that west wind— back to a south wind at oly a few kts- 1 - 2 seas calm- glassy in areas— nice stayed nice all day-

The WSB fleet out again- the word had gotten out—- the bite’s slowed down— maybe it’s the number of boats or- noise —or—- the few fish that were here got caught?- could be—- there’ wasn’t many here before last week— maybe that was it?— naw —there’s more to come- JD

With the appearance of baitfish— Humpback Whales are about— right out front of Dana 10:34 a big breach— that was a great one— !

Paul H. out of Newpoet takes the 1st fish Flag for the Tuna Club this morning—- nice fish on 20lb Dacron— Congrats—-

Tuna fishing , night time stuff as good for the bigger fish last night— 50- 150lbs baits and the deep jigs

May the 11 2024- the days are long now enjoy them— soon the shorten again—

Light overcast again this morning- wind light to fair from the southwest—4-7 kts small caps on it, no swell to speak of.

Lots of folks out and about— good incoming tide this morning and later this afternoon-

Happy Mon’s day on Sunday—- take her out for a boat ride—

Vick’s white sea bass weighed in at 64 lbs! 2 more pounds and he’d have a world record fish on 12# line. His current 12# Club record is 64 lbs. 11 oz. He also holds the WSB world records in 6# and 8#. Don’t forget to bring the head to enter your name in the raffle. #balboaanglingclub

Despite the number of boats out fishing today— on the whole it was slow - only a few bites here and there—

Sun came out later in the day- still that west wind for much of it—

Thursdays May the 9th 2024-

Better weather today- light overcast seems to be going away with some hazy blue behind it— wind still from the southwest 2-5 kts- seas good Tides still strong

El Nino report— it’s going cooler—

ENSO Alert System Status: El Niño Advisory / La Niña Watch

Synopsis: A transition from El Niño to ENSO-neutral is likely in the next month. La Niña may develop in June-August (49% chance) or July-September (69% chance).

During April 2024, below-average equatorial sea surface temperatures (SSTs) emerged in small regions of the eastern Pacific Ocean. However, above-average SSTs prevailed across the rest of the equatorial Pacific . Below-average subsurface temperatures held steady during the month with negative anomalies extending from the Date Line to the eastern Pacific Ocean Convection was near average overall across the equatorial Pacific Ocean and Indonesia Collectively, the coupled ocean-atmosphere system reflected the continued weakening of El Niño and transition toward ENSO-neutral.

The most recent IRI plume favors an imminent transition to ENSO-neutral, with La Niña developing during July-September 2024 and then persisting through the Northern Hemisphere winter The forecast team continues to favor the dynamical model guidance, which suggests La Niña could form as early as June-August 2024, with higher confidence of La Niña during the following seasons.

Fish report from SD with good Bluefin Tuna fishing Great fishing right now! Bluefin Tuna are within50 to 60 miles. All of them ranging from50lbto 180lbs! The American Anglercaught 44 Bluefin Tuna,PolarisSupreme caught28 Bluefin Tuna and the Shogun caught 18 Bluefin so far. Heavy loss due tolight gear. Boats were working outside Ensenada 30 miles weather fishable— 31:38/ 47 and 117:28/31

Coastal fishing improving— at least a few WSB are in the area— there’ bait both sardines and mac’s and the barge should have bait too-

Weather looks OK for tomorrow- blowing up on the outside this weekend—

Wed’s Report May 8th , clear hazy sky- wind light to fair from the south- seas about the same-

waters still cool-

Expected 2024 Runs - Closed Season (Observation Only) Wed 5/8- 9:50 p.m. - 11:50 p.m.

Tuesday’s Report May 7th- — Clear sky- wind from the south-, eddy from the outer watrerly winds— seas ok mixed, still a bit of lump for that outside swell and the S/E light wind chop— waters cooler and a bit more green-

Boys are in the shop early today— fishing the smaller barracuda here in the harbor—

The Newport’s Bait barge is back in the harbor— try on Ch 79 if their open or have bait ,

New Moon (Dark) tonight

This past week a friend dropped off a collection of the older vintage reels, Pflueger Templars, Ocean City, a rare 1930 Shakespeare Miller Autocrat 4/0, and a couple what appears to be very old English line winders. They all have been under the stress of wear and tear over the years , they’ve been used a lot! Now I get to refurbish them back to usable shape-

Saturday Mayo the 4 2024- broken cloud cover- sun trying to come out— wind light from the S/W seas good- lots of folks out and about .

Only radio checks so far on the VHF

Weather turned westerly and more clouds getting ugly out here— —- BAC weaighted in the First White Sea Bass of the Year for them 50+lb fish— secret spot-

U.S. Border patrol in and out the harbor today— back and forth—- back and forth—-

Friday Mayo 3 2024- Gray again- but warmer— wind light to fair from the Southeast 4-6 kts— light wind chop with it— couple of boats came in early?

Generally weak onshore flow and a coastal eddy will continue into Saturday. Gusty west to northwest winds late Saturday through Sunday evening are likely to generate hazardous boating conditions, especially in the outer waters. Weaker onshore flow follows Monday and Tuesday. .TODAY...Wind variable less than 10 knots...becoming southwest 10 knots this afternoon. Wind waves around 2 feet or less. Mixed swell west 2 to 3 feet at 9 seconds and southwest 1 to 2 feet at 15 seconds. .SATURDAY...Wind southwest 10 to 15 knots. Wind waves around 2 feet or less. Mixed swell west 2 to 3 feet at 8 seconds and southwest 1 to 2 feet at 16 seconds...SUNDAY...Wind west 15 to 20 knots with gusts to 25 knots. Wind waves around 4 feet. Mixed swell west 5 to 7 feet at 7 seconds and southwest 2 feet at 15 seconds.

Approaching northern front due to get windy and a bit choppy-

Local kids in the shop today— casting and catching inside the harbor barracudas, almost legals lengths- casting shallow running plugs- Lucky Crafts flash minnows- -

tomorrow’s mornings, southwest 5-8 kts wind- Sunday’s AM up to 12-15 kts West , tides building as the New moon nears—

Sea Bass—- report of a 50-60 lb fish caught locally today—-

Thursdays report— the 2nd- Gray sky for the day— overcast and a bit cooler— light southwest wind today 3- 5 kts- seas calm , seems some of that whaling activity has quited down a bit— more dolphins around today- a Minki and a few Fins so far— off Main beach Laguna—

Sky brightened as the afternoon hours took on the sun-

And this weekend Saturday 8:30- 2 pm The BAC will be hosting their Tackle Swap Meet- at the — Schock Boats Huntington Harbour located 16214 Pacific Coast Hwy Huntington Beach, 92649 United States

Weather this weekend look ok for the inner waters ( blowing west outside) on Sat morning mid day- it turns west, Sat night into Sunday all day strong west winds and seas-

Cinco de Mayo on Sunday— tacos and beers!

Today’s work included finishing up on a pair of older reels, Torium 30 and a Avet- clean and lube all bearing - replace/ re-lube drag washers , new line ready for the trip to Cedros Island.

Help out a customer today with his tackle, his baitcaster casting techniques improved and knots explained. such simple things that help alot.

Wed’s report the 1st of May— should be lots of May flowers around— inland its warming under the sun — coastlines and seaward still some of that marine haze - Seas are good and calm— light south eddy wind 3-4 kts- Still lots of that green algae lot’s of it now-

Blue Whale at 28/48 heading north 301 degrees a 2 kts- 10:36am— takes a short blow and a short 2 min dive then 4 or 5 big blows then down 10 minutes

Those elsuive Bluefin Tunas—- latest reports say comerical rock cod fishermen working the 100 fathom ledge above Morro bay report seeing Bluefin Tuna— and probally so- it’s May they should be on the move by now—

White Sea Bass fishing— still on the slow catching side, Channel Islands has a few being caught there— meter marks show many more, just a right time issue they say- closer to our local waters, a few bites on the smaller greenback mackerels, art reefs and structure spots.

Earthquakes and fish— studies show there’s a pause in the feeding schedule during the quaking event—

Tuesday’s Report- April 30 last day of this month- Mostly clear sky - marine haze seaward- wind is light from the South- as a eddy from stronger outside West winds—and it looks like that for another week or better— coastal south for the next few weeks—

Generally weak onshore flow and an occasional coastal eddy will occur this week.

Today’s excitement—— not much except a couple, three (5) Fin backed whales off Aliso 28/48 heading offshore 4-5 kts, not shy- waters very green out there, bands of off-colored water offshore and a Blue Whale at 28. 5/ 34 and Humpback inside off Salt Creek! - coastal fishing— might be a sea bass or two around???

Closed on Monday— Picked weeds!

Sunday-the 28 of April— Blue sky again, nice— again light marine haze seaward— wind light from the south- 2 4 kts seas are good—

radio reports of anglers catching a few calcos and a sculpin, he kept them, coastal bay and harbor waters still with that green algae but it seems to be short lived and much of it can be seen drifting in mats and broken loose from the bottom , starting to fall apart.

Water’s flat, clean and green, good amount of smaller bait around, 59 degrees

Sat April the 27th , clear sky this am— some marine haze seaward with the south eddy 6-10 kt wind this morning, light wind chop on it. Vela-Vela’s lots of them appearing in the waters— Stand by for the Mola-Mola’s to be here too-

A look at this year ( Left) and last years ( below) water temps from 50 to 75 degrees for the Month of April

April the 25th Thursdays report— Broken cloud cover wind still light from the west— stronger west offshore— light eddy from the south is expected during morning hours this weekend,

If your up to it— 10:30 this evening and about an hour later each night thereafter for a couple nights— Grunion Hunting— find a secluded sandy shore beach, ( many city’s close the beaches after 10 pm) - Salt Creek is open as is some other beaches , no nets or traps only hand catching

Note to pay attention to- starting May the 24 for a month much of San Clemente Island will be restricted—Check with their web site https://www.scisland.org/

1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS WILL TAKE PLACE ON THE FOLLOWING DATES AND
TIMES: 010800Z MAY 24 TO 010800Z JUN 24

2. HAZARDOUS OPS (FLETA HOT) AREA

3. HAZARDOUS OPS (SOAR) AREA

4. HAZARDOUS OPS (SHOBA WITH BOTH EXTENSIONS) AREA

5. HAZARDOUS OPS (MOORED BUOYS IN PYRAMID COVE) AREA

6. MARINERS ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO AVOID THESE AREAS DURING THE SPECIFIED DATES AND TIMES.

April the 24th still trying to figure out this new web site— not in favor of it but it works so far— to continue- Mornings coastal clouds left early light west wind cleared it out- hazy seawards— light wind chop- 10- 15 2025 Small Craft outside waters

Tides are strong full moon tonight- waters still on the cool side-

This weekend, small fishing tournament between the yacht clubs here in Newport— with all that green algae growing on the bottom, makes trolling those deep diving lures become fouled quickly, try to keep them closer to the boat and only 7-8 ft deep- it might help- there’s a few halibuts in the bay- bass fishing okay , baits also will do better if suspended off the bottom a few feet— good luck JD

Facebook shows that Turtle bay fueling is back in business- that helps those who are planning to head south this coming fall for the Mag bay fishing.

Today’s work brings a pair of Pflueger 1419 3/4 Templar reels for restoration, one of them held 300 yard length of 50 lb nylon fishing line, stretchy line like a rubber band the other reel filled with Linen six-thread. Both reels still in good shape- manufactured in 1935!!

April the 23 2024 - Tuesdays and overcast, slowly clearing- wind fresh from the west— light to mild wind chop -not much of a swell - hazy marine layer forecasted- not much said so far on the radio —

April the 22 Sunday - light westerly this morning as that cloudcover starts to evaporate, seas ok with a west small wind chop against that swell coming in from the S/W , a little cross swell to it, not bad— bait was a little ought to make this morning— Newport’s bait receiver still yet to come—

Cloud cover came back in early— cooler—-

couple of boats went out to the rock cod grounds, AKA 14 mile bank— did well— noted why they taste so good—, coming up from the depths as the did, just like their air bladder all the body’s tissues expand, the fish physically gets larger- everything get’s tenderized and the flesh flakes easier—

Closed on Mondays—-

Sat April the 20th— Still overcast- but more and more boaters and folks out today— it’s Saturday— Newport’s Boat Show is on- lots of $$$ Boats and yachts, Whale watchers are out - gray 60 ft of water off Laguna heading south?- Barge workers still on the VHF as is the regatta sailors.

Fishing??- stand by—

VHF radio brings many things— 12:35 the squelch breaks— calling Newport harbor patrol— as we were just heading out the harbor whale watching boat spots a 36/36 ft vessel with very bow heavy coming into the harbor— went towards it to check it out— it makes a U turn and pulls into M Street dock- offloads about 30 people-and abandons the boat ! Yikes—

Friday again—— April the 19th , high overcast ,light south wind- seas good with a S/W swell far apart

— Fin Whale off laguna and Humpback not far behind it—both going south— a few spots of dolphins too-

tides mellow will increase next week as that moon fills—

It’s a slow process figuring this new system out— more tomorrow JD

Thursday, April 18th 2024

Well we’re back online. Thanks for your patience. New website - fresh start to the fish report.

Back in January we lost website, old programs and new servers - it’s taken a while to get it all sorted out, and not all together there yet— slowly one step at a time.

April the 18 and we’re still waiting for the fish to start biting well- a few sand or calicos, halibuts at the islands and hopefully as that moon fills we’ll see a seabass bite, — The lack of squid off the west coast all the way down from Monterey southwards is holding off much of the bite of the seabass and yellows for this time of year.

Anchovies, one of the other staples of bait, also has been retarded, a few spots of 2-inch stuff seen by spotter planes also has been scattered and not often.

The past weeks and months I’ve been working on the bamboo rods, mainly fitting the hardware, reel-seats and gimbles to the wooden handles they’ve been reinforced with a sleeve of a fiberglass rod, wooden foregrips were hollowed out to fit the stronger tip sections of med and heavy blanks and then epoxied , they look nice.

And todays work included refurbishing and older 14/0 Ocean City reel, cool old reel!

More to come— welcome back

JD

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