By Zach Cavanagh
Action at the surface continued to improve this week in Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching expeditions.
In his weekly report, Captain Brian Woolley said that the days of sunshine last week activated the fish near the surface, with bass jumping on fly-lined sardine bait.
The kelp areas haven’t truly taken off yet, so the half-day trips are still trying to find the right bottom spots to fish. The fish like to find a hard bottom or rocky spot to center around. When the boats get there, they’ve found some good sheephead and sculpin in their catch.
The three-quarter-day trips are also fishing deep. Those trips saw some solid rockfish hauls this week and hit the catch limits on vermilion rockfish on a couple of days. Woolley said that colt sniper jigs were the best at bringing in the vermilion rockfish. Sculpin was also a good catch on the three-quarter trips.
On the overnight trips, it was the Fury again over at San Clemente Island. Anglers ended their Saturday morning on May 11 with 20 yellowtail from 12-20 pounds. Woolley said that fly-lined sardine and surface irons pulled in the yellowtail. The Fury ended the day anchored, fishing for kelp bass, sheephead and whitefish.
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Here are the latest fish counts out of Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching:
May 15 – 4 boats, 85 anglers: 5 bonito, 30 calico bass, 8 sculpin, 11 sheephead, 43 whitefish, 85 rockfish, 128 vermilion rockfish, 4 blue perch, 2 Spanish jack, 185 bass released.
May 14 – 3 boats, 65 anglers: 13 calico bass, 43 sculpin, 21 whitefish, 127 vermilion rockfish, 17 bocaccio, 60 bass released.
May 13 – 3 boats, 63 anglers: 10 calico bass, 38 sculpin, 2 sheephead, 12 whitefish, 30 rockfish, 104 vermilion rockfish, 90 bass released.
May 12 – 3 boats, 100 anglers: 5 calico bass, 64 sculpin, 34 rockfish, 20 vermilion rockfish, 37 bass released.
May 11 – 4 boats, 126 anglers: 20 yellowtail, 26 calico bass, 57 sculpin, 14 sheephead, 60 whitefish, 90 rockfish, 158 vermilion rockfish, 12 bocaccio, 5 barracuda, 2 bonito, 1 blue perch, 58 bass released.
May 10 – 2 boats, 40 anglers: 4 calico bass 25 sculpin, 6 whitefish, 140 vermilion rockfish, 35 bass released.
May 9 – 6 boats, 55 anglers: 8 calico bass, 40 sculpin, 2 sheephead, 15 whitefish, 40 rockfish, 207 vermilion rockfish, 176 bass released.
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