A Call for Responsible Shark Fishing

It’s “Shark Week” on the Discovery Channel, which makes it a good time to think about how we can be responsible shark anglers.

Shark populations worldwide have been decimated, and it has had a catastrophic effect on our ecosystem. A recent study cited in Science Daily concluded that with many large predator sharks declining, their prey are free to feast on lower organisms like scallops and clams depleting valuable commercial stocks.

Patrick Douglass from the Shark Diver is convinced the reason anglers now see more Humboldt squid in the local waters is the lack of sharks.

“There used to be a giant buzz saw near Cabo San Lucas in the form of lots of sharks that are gone now,” he said. “The squid have an open door now with nothing left to stop them.”

Many anglers believe the recent sand bass and barracuda drought was a direct result of large numbers of jumbo squid in Southern California. They point to the fact that there were no Humboldt squid here this year—and this has been the best local fishing year in at least five years.

Tom Raftican from the Sportfishing Conversancy in Long Beach said it’s time for anglers to do their part to help the predators of the deep.

“We need to employ our best fishing practices to help ensure a healthy shark population,” Raftican said.

Here are a few things that shark fishermen can do:

1. Take only what you intend to eat.
2. Avoid catching large, pregnant females.
3. Minimize fight time by using heavy tackle and a fighting harness.
4. Use circle hooks to increase the likelihood of a mouth hooking your catch.
5. Maneuver your boat to follow a hooked shark and gain line whenever possible.

Raftican recommends visiting the Pier Institute website for more information.

Kelp beds provide good fishing from San Clemente to Palos Verdes

Southern California anglers are lucky to be blessed with rich kelp forests, which are home to a variety of species that provide fishing enthusiasts with great action. Giant kelp is one of the fastest growing plants in the world—it can grow as much as two feet per day.

Recent windy weather and the resulting drop in water temperatures have slowed the calico bass bite from La Jolla to Malibu, however, the weather forecast through the weekend calls for far less wind, and water temperatures have already begun to bounce back.

By Wednesday, private boaters off the Orange County coast were reporting much better calico bass fishing. At the Palos Verdes kelp bed, the Redondo Special hooked three white sea bass—landing one—and reported good calico bass fishing.

Fishing the edge of the kelp line with anchovies, squid and swimbaits has been deadly for calico bass. The best bite seems to occur around the high tides. If the bass are reluctant to bite, drop down to 12-pound test line.

White sea bass hang around Catalina Island

The Dreamer from Pierpoint Landing in Long Beach returned early Tuesday with three-fish limits of white sea bass. Captain Allyn Watson reported lots of market squid for baitfish and good evidence of sea bass in several spots at Catalina Island.

On Wednesday, Toronado skipper Ray Lagmay had five white sea bass on board by 8 a.m. He was metering lots of fish, too. Water temperatures were perfect for a sea bass bite; several fish were taken later that day.

The Tradition out of has a special 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. trip scheduled for Aug. 12. The trip, which will have instructors on board, will head to Catalina unless the local fishing is better. For reservations, call 714-329-3853. The trip is limited to only 30 anglers and promises to be a great time.

Cool temperatures slow sand bass, barracuda bite

While there have been catches along the coast for sand bass and barracuda, they too have been affected by the cool water. The bite has been slower, although it is showing signs of rebounding as the water warms up.

The half-day Southern Cal out of Pierpoint Landing reeled in 120 sand bass for 14 anglers on Tuesday morning. More sand bass were caught off Huntington Beach as well as off Newport, Corona del Mar, San Clemente Island, Redondo Beach and Marina del Rey.

Surf fishing to warm up

Barred perch fishing remained good from San Clemente to the Santa Monica Bay over the week. The cooler water slowed down the corbina bite, but the bite should return with the warmer water.

Seal Beach has kicked out a few nice halibut, and spotfin croaker were spotted around Bolsa Chica and Dog Beach. Sand crabs are still plentiful and make great bait. Small chrome lures have been effective for halibut.

Missing: San Diego tuna

Fishing for tuna near San Diego is still very tough. There is a mix of yellowtail, yellowfin and bluefin tuna and some dorado 120 miles south of Point Loma, but catching any is far from a slam dunk. Rough weather during the past week did not help.