Happy 4th of July!
Whoppers of the Week:
1) Dylan Nese from Ventura caught a 32lb Halibut on a 1/2 day trip aboard the Speed Twin.
2) Paul Ramos from Oxnard caught a 23lb Yellowtail on a 3/4 day trip aboard the Gentleman.
3) Robert Pino from Fontana caught a 50lb Halibut on an overnight trip aboard the Ranger 85.
4) Herbert Su from Hacienda Heights caught a 56.5lb Yellowtail on an overnight trip aboard the Mirage.
5) Frank Pimenta from Rosamond caught a 42lb White Seabass on an overnight trip aboard the Pacific Islander.
6) Andrea Snable from Ventura caught a 12lb Yellowtail on a 3/4 day trip aboard the Erna B.
Channel Islands Sportfishing Report:
The 4th of July holiday weekend ended nicely!
Much to everyones delight, the conditions from last week continued on into this week, giving us one of the best stretches of good weather we’ve seen in a while.
As it often does during a period of stability, the fishing picked up and surpassed the already exciting catches of the previous week. Our boats and the anglers on board them, were treated to some great Yellowtail fishing.
The full day and overnight boats again caught the bulk of the Yellowtail but this week even the 3/4 day and 1/2 day boats got in on the action. Most of the Yellowtail are being caught while flylining a live anchovy or squid with a 1/4 ounce sliding sinker but they are biting the surface iron as well. Mint color Salas 7x or Tady 45 jigs seem to be the hot ticket for those tossing jigs on the long rod. Most of the Yellowtail are in the 20 pound range so they are more than manageable on medium light gear.
The end of June also saw a couple days of hot White Seabass fishing but it was the full day boats that caught 90% of these elusive fish. Using either live or fresh dead squid was key to there success but getting to the islands and establishing position on the fishing grounds first was even more critical. White Seabass remain larger on average than previous seasons with no small fish being caught. In fact a 20 pound White Seabass is considered small this season where the average fish is about 35 pounds.
June and July are known to be good months to catch Halibut at the Channel Islands and this season is no exception. Halibut ranging from 30 to 50 pounds is not uncommon right now but the bulk of these flat fish are coming on our overnight trips. Santa Rosa Island seems to be the destination of choice by our outer island captains not only because of the Halibut but also because of the White Seabass. The start to the outer island White Seabass bite seems to be underway as we had a couple trips this week come back with several fish.
Lastly, Santa Rosa also brought in our biggest fish of the week. A 56.5 pound Yellowtail was caught on one of our overnight boats while fishing in the dark for Seabass. It just goes to show you never know what will bite the bait or jig at the end of your line. Just sit back, relax and enjoy the ride!
If you are interested in fishing with us, you can us at 805-382-1612. We also offer online booking. Click here for the most up to date accurate schedule.
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Let’s Go Fishing!!
