2002 Fishing News Archive

October 14 - Final Report

Marlin, oh marlin - wherefore art thou, marlin ...

I don't know where they art, but they art not here.

I'll admit it - when the fishing is bad and I get bored, it's really hard to knuckle down and write these reports. After all, how many different ways can you say "the fishing sucked again this week." So, I'll cut to the chase and get right to the latest marlin news:

 

 

 

 

 

That's right - there is no news. We didn't receive a single marlin report over the weekend, and I don't know of anyone who saw anything. Now, I'm not ready to declare the season over, since there' have been some epic late season flurries before. But the conditions just don't seem right for it this year. We just might be done ...

There is one piece of good marlin news this week, and it will certainly improve our local fishing in future years. If you've spent any time around me this season, you know that I blame the crappy marlin fishing on two things - cold water and the Mexican government. The last few years have seen an increased fishing pressure on the striped marlin as they pass through Mexican waters on the way to Southern California. Longlines, gillnets and a "who cares" attitude on the part of the national authorities has resulted in huge marlin bycatch. With a new set of rules, the so-called "Shark Norma" about to let those non-sustainable fishing methods expand to within 1 mile of shore on the Pacific side and enter the Sea of Cortez for the first time, things were looking grim.

A funny thing happened on the way to the Senate, however. Actually, two things. First, the people of Mexico realized the importance of their marine environment and that it was up to them to do something about saving it. Conservation groups and grass-roots movements combined efforts to lobby the government to stop the new regulations

Second, and most important, President Vicente Fox remembered that a), he ran as the environmentalist president and b), the same people who elected him could replace him. After months of claiming that he didn't even know about the regulations his own government was putting in place, Fox finally committed to keeping non-sustainable fishing methods out of Mexican waters. This past week, the Shark Norma was quietly tabled, where it will die a well-deserved death.

The elimination of the Shark Norma is a great victory for the Mexican environmental movement, as well as for anyone who benefits from the creatures the action will save. The battle is never over, however, and it will remain to be seen if Fox will continue down this path once the people are no longer looking.

Now, of course, it is our turn to show we are serious about banning destructive fishing methods such as gillnets and longlines. The Pacific Fisheries Management Council is finally going to decide the fate of the Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan in the next few weeks, and it is more important than ever that we show how important we feel it is that the plan ban longlines. If you belong to The Billfish Foundation or United Anglers, you probably already received postcards to send. if not, check out the letters at antilonglining.com. Recall that the commercial interests on the Council were able to postpone this decision from last spring. They wanted to include language that would, in return for the elimination of certain types of gillnets, allow a "pilot program" of longlining to determine if there was a viable fishery for bluefin tuna. You don't need a crystal ball to see where that was going. I'm sure we haven't heard the last of the longline supporters, and we cannot slow our efforts now. Be sure to visit the Conservation Forum often to see the latest on this critical issue.

October 10

Your courageous correspondant has been sick as a dawg the last week or so, so this report is liable to be a little on the short side. Not as short as Monday's, though, since I was in a NyQuil stupor ...

I guess this was probably as good a week as any to miss a report. The striped marlin fishing remains spotty, and only a few were reported over the weekend. Most notable was BILLJOY, with angler Kelly Sischka releasing her first ever marlin on the 209. You might remember Kelly as the enthusiastic ticket seller at the Pesky BBQ. She made quite an impression.

Several other boats reported seeing marlin on places such as the 181, 277 and 14 Mile Bank, although none were taken. Swordfish continue to be seen in record numbers as well, and the crew of the 6-pack boat BONGOS landed their third of the season this week. They are the exception, however, as the increased sightings does not seem to translate to an increase in sport-caught broadbill. The commercial swordfish harpooners are having a field day, however.

One stickboat had to face a little reality this weekend, as a spotterplane working for FAITH crashed at the 152 off the east end of Catalina. Several boats, including FAITH and our own HOOKER were on the scene immediately however, and were able to render assistance until the authorities arrived. The pilot is banged up, but will be OK.

I certainly didn't expect to be talking about it at this time of year, but they're still getting albacore off Southern California. The really big ones are geing taken off Morro Bay, of course, but there are still boats heading to the Butterfly and Tanner Banks and scratching out a few. The really nice yellowtail we've been seeing all season are still hanging out under the kelp paddies, if you find the right one. Jeez - albacore in October. No wonder we're not catching any marlin!

For the past year or so, patriotisim in America has been very popular. that can be good or bad, depending on the fervor and depth of the feeling. Fortunately, patriotism is nothing new in this country. In December 1775, "An American Guesser" anonymously wrote to the Pennsylvania Journal:

"I observed on one of the drums belonging to the marines now raising, there was painted a Rattle-Snake, with this modest motto under it, "Don't tread on me." As I know it is the custom to have some device on the arms of every country, I supposed this may have been intended for the arms of America."

"First, it occurs to me that the Rattle-Snake is found in no other quarter of the world besides America. The rattlesnake also has sharp eyes, and may therefore be esteemed an emblem of vigilance. Furthermore, she never begins an attack, nor, when once engaged, ever surrenders. She is therefore an emblem of magnanimity and true courage. She never wounds 'till she has generously given notice, even to her enemy, and cautioned him against the danger of treading on her."

"Finally, I confess I was wholly at a loss what to make of the rattles, 'till I went back and counted them and found them just thirteen, exactly the number of the Colonies united in America; and I recollected too that this was the only part of the Snake which increased in numbers. 'Tis curious and amazing to observe how distinct and independent of each other the rattles of this animal are, and yet how firmly they are united together, so as never to be separated but by breaking them to pieces. One of those rattles singly, is incapable of producing sound, but the ringing of thirteen together, is sufficient to alarm the boldest man living."

Many scholars now agree that this "American Guesser" was Benjamin Franklin. As we find ourselves tonight on the precarious footing of war, it is good to remember that America has long been feared by her enemies. They might want to reflect on that in Bagdad before heading off to bed ...

Hmm ... I just realized that the two pictures used to illustrate this week's report together represent another fine American tradition - T & A! As they say, some traditions die hard. I guess if we can't have fish, it's good to know we still have boobies and butts... :-)

October 3

As sharp-eyed MNAC'ers certainly noticed, there was no Monday report this week. It was not, as one wag suggested, because I has having a sympathy strike is support of the longshoremen, although I did have to cross their picket lines coming back on the boat from Avalon Sunday night. No, I was just plain beaten down after seven straight weekends of unsuccessful fishing. Anyone who's been out there with me should understand.

I was sitting here a few minutes ago trying to think of an appropriate lead-in for this week's report, something that would show the absolute futility that has been billfishing in SoCal this year, when I was saved by the bell - literally. The "New Mail" chime went off, and I found salvation courtesy of Rich Palys and Pat Holmes. Seems they've been keeping track of all the fish caught on a map of our offshore waters. The results are to the left. The yellow pins represent marlin caught in August, the red ones September marlin, and the two green pins are swordfish. By my count, there's just under 80 pins - not the worst season ever, but certainly an off year. While I certainly remain optimistic for a late season flurry of catches, I think those of you who picked "under 100" in our survey look safe ...

The tournaments and the marlin drought both continued unabated this past weekend, as large numbers of anglers chase small numbers of striped marlin. Just how bad is it? Consider these results from the weekend: Tuna Club tournament - 2 fish; King Harbor Marlin Club event - 0 fish; Finnseeker tourney - 0 fish. It's so slow, that even the jokesters are having a hard time finding something funny to say.

The only two tourney fish taken were both in the Tuna Club's event. PETE'S SAKE landed a marlin, and BILLJOY released one, both near the 277. Not surprisingly, both of these boats are near the top of the list of high boats for the year. This is truly turning into a season where the cream rises to the top. Pete Whitehead on PETE'S SAKE, in particular, is having a breakout year. They've made three trips, and have three fish to show for their efforts.

Of course, if we're going to talk talent, we'd better talk WILD BILL. Once again this weekend, Team Kingsmill demonstrated why they area head-and-shoulders above the rest of us. While the rest of the fleet could only muster 3 marlin (the two tourney fish and one released by OFFSHORE on the 267), the WB crew hooked and lost two swordfish on Saturday and released 2 of three marlin hooked in a flurry of tailers on Sunday. Oh, and they wedged in a 35-lb yellowfin tuna, as well. Perhaps it is the measure of how far they are ahead of the average crew that the story of the weekend was not their accomplishment, but that they lost more fish than they caught. Enough to make you think they're not really supermen, after all ... :-)

There has been talk of marlin seen during the week, at places as varied as the Mackerel Bank, the 209, the 181 and off the Slide and East End of Catalina. However, I've not gotten any reports of catches since Sunday.

Many of us who fish the local marlin tournaments spend time in Avalon, and I personally love the place. Unfortunately, all too often my time there is limited to a quick walk down Cresent Avenue and a bland tournament banquet meal (I don't consider the "nutrition" I take at the Marlin Club to be a "meal" *smile*). So I'm happy to be able to report on a new restaurant in Avalon, Steve's Steakhouse. I had heard the buzz about the joint, and took the HOOKER crew there Sunday night to celebrate a season that was wonderful save the lack of fish.

The view from the second story eatery is simply excellent, as you can see at right. The owner is a graduate of Armstrong's Seafood, and he couldn't have found a more contrasting concept. The food is outstanding. I had a end cut prime rib that will be hard to top, and the rest of crew was equally thrilled with their choices. They serve lunch and dinner, but you'd better make reservations, especially if you want the killer view!

As should be obvious to all, we're having a poor marlin season. While there are various natural causes that are at work, I don't thin anyone can miss the connection between the off seasons we've had the last few years and the presence of longlines in Baja California waters during that same time. While the Mexican conservation organizations are working to solve that problem (up to the point of attacking President Vicente Fox in the San Jose del Cabo airport and forcing him to commit to action), we now must take action to keep the same thing from happening here in Southern California.

The Pacific Fisheries Management council has been working on a fisheries management plan for highly migratory species (which includes marlin, tuna, swordfish and other pelagic species) for several years. A big effort was made late last year and earlier this year to insure that the plan included a ban on longlines within the 200-mile Economic Exclusion Zone. Unfortunately, when the commercial interests on the council saw how things were turning against them, they were able to postpone the final vote, which had been scheduled for last spring. Now, the council is once again preparing to act on the plan, and those same commercial interests are hoping the recreational anglers have lost interest. We must show them just how wrong they are. The HMS Plan Development Team is meeting later this month in San Diego, and the Council itself will meet to consider the plan October 28 in Foster City. If you can attend any of these meetings, I urge you to do so. The meeting schedules can be found in the Conservation Forum, or at the PFMC website. There is also a new site, antilonglining.com,. which has been established to help individuals compose and send mail and email to the council and their elected representatives letting them know how important it is that longlines remain banned from our waters. I urge you to do whatever you can to make your voice heard on this vital matter.

September 23

Ah, the Pesky. Just thinking about it makes my liver quake ...

We're deep into the local tournament season, and this past week saw the successful completion of two more events. Unfortunately, while the number of anglers trying to catch marlin continues to increase, the number of marlin being caught remains frightfully low.

As we reported in our last update, the Zane Grey Invitational concluded last week with FIRE HATT catching the only striped marlin to beat the size limit and, therefore, taking first prize. Four other marlin were landed, but none could meet the 165-lb/84" minimum requirements. AFTER MIDNIGHT and CAPTAIN HOOK took second and third places with 2 released marlin each. I find this ironic, since the point scale is so totally skewed towards dead fish that only in a one-fish event could released marlin even place in the standings.

Friday and Saturday, it was time for the Thirteenth Annual Los Pescadores Next To Avalon Invitational Not So Light Tackle Billfish Tournament or, as it's better known, The Pesky. 48 boats joined in the fray, and while the marlin were scarce, it was nonetheless a classic event.

Everyone knew that with the lack of marlin, the winner would likely be someone with a single fish. Since the tiebreaker in the Pesky is not tackle size or time to catch but rather first scoring of points, it came down to getting the first fish and making sure you got the maximum points possible - and that means getting the bagel on the bill!

At eight on a foggy Friday morning we threw on our first sleeper, but our hopes for tourney glory were crushed at 10:30 when Dara Fry on WAIT N SEA bagelled and released the first marlin of the day at the 209. An hour later, John King on 5C'S bagelled his fish, and at 2 in the afternoon Chuck Robertson (that's him with the dorky hat and bullhorn below) bagelled a tailer at the 267 while fishing on SHOWDOWN. And that was it. no more marlin were caught on Friday or Saturday, and the placings stood, with our own ChickWhoFishes being crowed champion.

If you know the Pesky, and the Peskys, then you know we never get bored by the lack of fish - we just make our own! The example at right was fished out by a chagrined SHELLBACK crewmember. More than one mackerel was hurled at the PVC billfish that were surreptitiously scattered about. I'm told the mild weather this week had kept them in play for the Catalina Classic, as well. Sweet!

The post-tourney festivities were first-rate, as usual. The swordfish at the Descanso Beach Club was outstanding, and the raffle prizes (which included the unclaimed awards for fourth place on) were better than many of the awards from so-called "money events". Pete Gray of the "Let's Talk Hookup" radio show made an appearance, as did Mike Hurt, who probably wanted to know why so many people were calling him over the weekend (for the unknowing, the required call to report to tournament Control was "1-2, Beak, you pickin' me up?").

As usual, the town bore the brunt of the Peskies after the banquet, and once again Armstrong's Seafood was Ground Zero. The Watermelon Bank was wide open once again, courtesy of Mike Blower, and the various billfish displayed in the restaurant were successfully bagelled, much to Russ Armstrong's chagrin. At least we didn't knock any off the wall ...

I have received many pictures taken at the various functions, and I'll be putting them up over the next few days. Some are serious, some are funny, and some are just plain strange - you can't believe the places on a woman's anatomy where Pesky tattoos ended up! If you have any shots you'd like to add to the mix, be sure to send them to me.

Today was day 1 of the Drambuie On Ice Catalina Classic, traditionally the largest event of the year in terms of boats and anglers. This year's version didn't disappoint in that regard, as there are 108 boats plying the local waters in search of tournament glory. Unfortunately, there's a lot more searching going on than there is finding. At the end of the day, there were only two fish weighed in and one more released. PURITAN is in first place with a 186-lb fish taken on the 277, and AFTER MIDNIGHT in second with their fish from off Pyramid Head that weighed in at 182-lbs. THE OFFICE released their marlin on the 277, but releases do not place in the general classification for this event.

It sounds like the fleet was split between the two locations where fish were caught, with more boats heading for the lee of San Clemente Island once word got out about the AFTER MIDNIGHT fish. Earlier this year, there were some 200-lb+ fish taken there, so it could make tomorrow very interesting. Stay tuned ...

While everyone else was chasing tournament marlin, the crew of PIZZA MIND managed to get the first sport-caught swordfish of the season. It's a peanut at 107-lbs, but that's the perfect size for the BBQ. Congrats to all hands.

During tourney season, I'm always finding myself at odds with many who fish in the events, primarily over the dead marlin that will inevitably result from the competition. We've had poor success with all-release events on SoCal, and even the two tourneys I fish in allow for weighed marlin (although their point scoring format tends to favor the released marlin). I realize that our local events have long histories of tradition - although, in the case of the Classic, it's only 10 years. I will at least give the organizers of the ZG props for considering conservation in their event. They do have size limits in place, although I think 165 is a little on the small side. The fact that 4 undersize marlin were landed (with only two accruing penalties for their teams) tells me the penalties need to be higher for undersized fish - something along the lines of disqualification. And while it is commendable that they allow released marlin to compete alongside those weighed in, the point scale (100 points for a released marlin versus 330 for a minimum size dead one) insures the released fish will be relegated to "also-ran" status. Of course, that's still a lot better than you'll find at the Catalina Classic, where the released fish are placed in a separate classification where the anglers will have the chance at a drawing for some unnamed "fabulous prizes". Sounds a lot like the consolation prizes given to those game show contestants that can't even earn a single dollar on the show. Most often, those "parting gifts" consisted of the home version of the game show - I can't wait to see the board game version of the Classic ... :-)

Sometime in the next 24 hours, SCMO will receive its 500,000th visitor. Now, I long ago decided the path to take was quality over quantity when it comes to visitors, but this number catches my attention. Half a million visitors to a website about as obscure a sport as marlin fishing - one that doesn't even advertise! It boggles the mind. Not bad for what started as a humble little homepage.

Along the way, we've seen competitors come and go, new sites pop up and disappear. We've made a lot of friends and learned far more than we've ever been able to teach. Hopefully, we've started some dialogs and opened some eyes about the need for billfish conservation. Most of all, we've been able to share with our visitors the sense of joy and magic that is marlin fishing.

Allow me a short moment of personal pride. This site has come a long way since that first visitor in 1996, and it is as much a reflection of those who support it as it is of those who create it. Many words have flown from these fingers and onto your screens, and I thank you once again for the opportunity and privilege you have given me.

September 16

"Always look on the bright side of life ..."

Monty Python, Life of Brian

OK, here's the bright side - this isn't the worst marlin season on record. We've actually had much worse, although most of us will deny it ... :-)

The striped marlin made a brief appearance in local waters over the weekend, and it only took the cream of the local fishermen to bring them out. The real question now is whether or not they'll stick around.

The Balboa Angling Club held their annual Master Angler Billfish Tournament on Friday and Saturday, with 58 boats and 240 anglers stepping up to take their best shot. Following the same secret dope we reported Friday in the MNAC War Room, the entire Masters fleet ran down off Oceanside to a spot about 9 miles offshore (33.10/117.36). There had been a lot of swordfish boats working this area during the week, and they'd seen quite a few marlin. 4 boats released marlin on the first day - REEL TIME II (16-lb tackle), KAWAKAWA (20), PESCADOR (20) & WREN'S NEST (30). Day two saw more of the same, with the few tourney boats that hadn't fished the area joining the fleet, along with the weekend crowd. 5 more marlin were released on Saturday - POCO LOCO (12), BREATHLESS (30), FIGHTING LADY (30), BOUNDER (16), & PETE'S SAKE (30). Congrats to all the successful MABT anglers.

The weather had been at odds with fishing all weekend, and Sunday was the worst day yet. With most of the Masters boats in port for the tournament banquet, the much smaller fleet found little success. I heard of several being hooked, but none caught. The amazing this about this spot is that it is not at or near any particular "spot" - we all joked that the same fleet could be dropped pretty much anywhere and have the same success. It's clear the water is finally heating up, though, so maybe this is just the vanguard of the marlin.

This being the heart of the local tournament season, we rolled today right into the next event, the Zane Grey Invitational. There are 38 boats in this event, and they all made a beeline for that same spot off Oceanside once the gun went off. There were 5 fish caught for 9 hookups today. EXTA-SEA and MARTUNI each caught a marlin, and TRINACRIA, CORSARIO and CAPTAIN HOOK each released one fish.

Three of the fish came from the same spot off O-Side, and two more from about 10 miles further down the line. However, the fish were a little more scattered than they had been over the weekend, and 2 were taken on the 267, one on the 209, and one between the 209 and Oceanside. In a change from recent days, all but one of the fish were taken on bait. Once we have the rest of the results, we'll post them in the War Room.

Probably because everyone was off Oceanside, but we got very few reports from the offshore banks. There was a rumor of marlin seen in the lee of San Clemente Island, but that is unsubstantiated. We did get quite a few reports of swordfish sightings, and several were fought and lost. Hot spots were the 14 Mile Bank and the 267, but there were boats working up and down the coast.

Thanks in part to the publicity garnered here, we have 30 boats entered in the Pesky - our biggest turnout ever! The kickoff is this Wednesday at the Villa Nova Restaurant in Newport Beach, and I highly recommend you attend if you're in the event. It might be the last time you see all of us sober for a couple of days, and you don't want to miss out on the goody bucket.

I've talked in these reports in the past my emotional connection to the events of September 11 in New York. Many books have been published in the aftermath, and most aren't worth the paper they're printed on. I just finished one that I thought was fantastic, however, and you might want to consider adding it to your reading list.

Dennis Smith is a retired FDNY firefighter who wrote the outstanding Report From Engine Company 82 back in the '70s. He is still heavily involved with the department, and was many of the retired brothers who reported to the WTC immediately after the attack. His access and knowledge of the FDNY, and his skills as a chronicler of the department, made him the perfect person to bring to life the massive rescue efforts. The results were Report From Ground Zero. Half interviews with those affected and half his personal diary of the days and weeks after the attack, I challenge you to read this without being deeply affected - or to put it down.

I'm leaving for the Pesky on Thursday afternoon, so there will probably be no report. I'll try to get the very latest posted in the War Room before I leave, however.

September 12

In times of distress, many of us seek divine guidance. The absolute lack of marlin might not quite qualify as "distress", but I sought answers from the Bible anyway ...

"Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, we also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing." - John 21:3

Oh, great ...

At this point, I will admit it - I have no idea what is going on with the striped marlin. Yeah, the water's been on the cold side (El Niño my a$$ ... ), but not that cold. For a while, a lot of marlin were being seen, but not biting, and we all assumed that it was just a matter of time until they were on the chew. But it's just not happening.

How bad is it? We had two tournaments earlier this week. The results? ILTT - 1 fish. Rosie's - 1 fish. And these guys are supposedly the cream of the crop - what chance to the rest of us have! The ILTT fish was taken (single handedly!) just off Dolly Parton near Oceanside, and the winner for the Rosie's was from the 181. Few are being seen, which makes every chance all the more valuable. You can't afford to lose them the way I did a couple of weeks back, or as JOKER did last weekend, when they sank 2 gaffs into a marlin and still couldn't get the fish into the boat. It's a very frustrating situation, made all the worse by the absolute dearth of information that is available during tournament season. If we hear anything, though, look for it over in the War Room.

If there's a bright spot in this season, it's the amazing number of swordfish being seen and hooked. Notice that I don't say "caught", since most have been lost save a few caught by "committee" with anglers taking turns on the rod. The broadbill are being seen pretty much everywhere, but there is a large number of swordfish boats working the inshore banks - the 14 Mile Bank, Avalon Bank, 267 - and they're not going to be there unless this is the best place to be. Quite a few have been hooked, most on squid but a few on mackerel. Just yesterday, KEN-DAN lost one when it tip-wrapped after a nine-hour fight. That's a painful experience for Marty Morris and his crew, but a good lesson for the rest of us. If you're gonna tangle with one of these beasts, you need to be ready for the long fight, and you can't let your guard down after spending a lot of hours on the rod. The fish will burn you for a mistake after 9 hours just as completely as after 9 minutes.

For those who find the billfishing just too damn frustrating right now (and I certainly empathize), there is still a smidgen of tuna to be caught. Large albacore are being caught on the 390, and they're still catching a few south of the 295. Closer to home, the Tanner Bank is said to be holding both Bluefin Tuna and Yellowtail. We seem to be between hurricanes right now, so maybe you'll be able to make that long run.

I really don't have much advice on where to go this weekend. The Masters is tomorrow and Saturday, and the Marlin Club's Small Boat event is this weekend, so I'd keep my eyes and ears peeled for where the tournament anglers go. Other than that, I think I'd probably work the 267 and see if I couldn't lasso one of those swordies. If you find any success - or even if you don't - be sure to let us know via the Trip Reporter!

September 10

That sound you hear is me writing 100 times on the blackboard ...

"I will not update my software during marlin season"
"I will not update my software during marlin season"
"I will not update my software during marlin season"

As an IS guy, you'd think I'd know better. Bottom line is that it's taken me 3 days to get my Mac back to its old self. Not the fault of the software - rather, because I am anal and need to know everything about an operating system before I will use it. Good thing I was unexpectedly left on the beach this weekend. (BTW - you Mac users who haven't upgraded to OS X should - it rocks!)

Of course, as many of you know, there is no news to report of worth mentioning. Very few marlin were seen (and even fewer caught), and the tuna fishing is essentially over. I'll cover what little action there was in the Thursday report.

Frankly, tonight I'm not in the mood to think about fish or fishing, or much else for that matter. Tomorrow is September 11, the one-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, DC. I can't imagine that there is anyone who has not been affected by those senseless acts. So much death, so much destruction, so much grief. The real irony is that most people can't even tell you what point the terrorists were trying to make, other than to tell us that nowhere is safe any more.

I guess everyone reacted in their own way to the tragedy. I turned to the two things I know best - the Internet and fishing. The first weekend after the attack I was entered in a tournament, and there was a lot of talk about whether to cancel the event. In the end, we decided to celebrate life and freedom the best way we knew how by continuing with the event. I never saw so many flags streaming from tuna towers! I also collected images and video snippets from around the world. I told myself it was to put together some kind of multimedia CD-ROM, but I guess it was really just my own way of trying to make sense of it all. After all, if I can catalog the images and video, then I ought to be able to make sense out of the events themselves, right? Wrong.

I live all the way across the country from the attack sites, but I felt as if it was my own neighborhood that had been attacked. Of course, I did feel it personally - two people I worked with were on the plane that slammed into the north tower. I also had the opportunity to sit in on a presentation by a member of the FDNY to the members of the Redondo Beach Fire Department. He described things in the unvarnished tone of one firefighter to another, and he pulled no punches. The things he saw would literally make you sick. Because of those two things, I feel a very strong sense of pain from the event, stronger I suspect than those who simply watched the endless replays of planes hitting buildings

More than anything else, my heart goes out to the firefighters and their families. While many people lost their lives, most were just unfortunate victims, someone on the wrong place at the wront time. But the members of "New York's bravest" were there by choice, doing what they do best, trying to save lives. Running up the stairs as everyone else ran down. Many make the ultimate sacrifice that day, but many more were saved because of them. Because of them, no one will ever look at a firefighter the same way.

In the next 24 hours, there will be lots of teary speeches and glitzy programs to tell about the event and the heroes and the aftermath. They'll do a good job of putting it all into a slick package that will make some forget the magnitude of the tragedy. Don't be one of them. Never let yourself forget the real costs of September 11, 2001. Entire planeloads of people incinerated. Entire fire companies crushed to death. Nearly 3,000 dead. Nearly 13,000 body parts found. Feel the pain, feel the anger - and never, ever, let yourself forget.

September 5

I have good news for anyone hoping to chase the marlin this weekend - the weather is clearing, and there's fish on the 267.

Got you attention now, don't I!

Turns out our old friend Hurricane ... er, Tropical Depression Hernan ain't the man he used to be. Truth be told, he ended up not being much of a man at all. He lost power before he could make the right hook that would have brought him into our part of the world, and is dying a slow death far from shore.

We might see a couple of rain drops and a little bit of surf, but none of the storm weather we were all expecting. The forecast is for a 6 foot lump out of the south that should be replaced sometime tomorrow by the traditional northwest swell. Naturally, as I write this, we're getting some of that tropical moisture falling from the sky here at the Home Office ...

That means we can go fishing!

If you're fishing in the ILTT tomorrow and Saturday, you already know where to go, since your phone and DSC radio have probably been going strong for the last 48 hours. But, for the rest of us, here's the latest ...

I had said that there probably wouldn't be much to report by Thursday since no one would be likely to challenge the weather gods. Fortunately, not everyone listens to the ol' MarlinNut! Someone headed out, since we received several reliable reports of striped marlin seen on both the 267 and 14 Mile Bank. Most notable, TOUCHE released a pair of jigfish yesterday on the 267. This is real news we've been waiting for. I expected the storm to chase the fish we'd seen off San Clemente Island up to the 499 or Osborn Bank, but hearing that what are presumably a new group of fish are on the banks closest to port is a real treat. Needless to say, there'll be quite a crowd there this weekend. If you are determined to make the run out to SCI, you should know that we received a report (as yet unsubstantiated) of a marlin being released off Fishhook ...

There's still a little tuna left for those who need it. The 390 is holding both bluefin tuna and albacore, and we have heard of boats getting albacore on the ridge 15 miles south of Pyramid Head. The 302 has both dorado and bluefin tuna hanging under the kelp. The best part is that the seas are mellowing enough that the smaller boats are able to get a crack as these fish.

That's all for now from the Home Office. If I hear anything more before the weekend, I'll post it in the MNAC War Room. You should get in the habit of checking there periodically, since that's where all the breaking, between-the-reports info will be. It's also the place to tell me what you like or don't like about these reports. Be kind ... :-)

September 3

This report is a day later than usual to accommodate the holiday weekend. Of course, that means the Thursday report will be a little short, but with a hurricane bearing down on us, I don't think there's a whole lot of fishing going on, anyway.

So, I keep hearing rumors that there's gonna be a marlin season this year, but, much like the thusfar-MIA El Niño, we're just not seeing it. There were a few striped marlin taken over the weekend, but they were few and far between. I can vouch personally for the fact that there are some really big ones among the few out there (you can read my tale of woe over in the Trip Reporter - I'm currently on step 5 of the 12-step program for marlin loss), but weather past and future keeps us all guessing about where the real concentration is.

The lack of any real information left the marlineers with difficult choices going into the weekend. Should they stick with the traditional albeit underperforming Catalina or take a chance on someplace further. Most opted to start at Catalina, concentrating on the areas that had seen some limited success during the previous week. On Saturday, there was a nice showing of fish south of the East End, roughly 3 miles off Church Rock. Unfortunately, they were not biters, and we had many reports of anglers repeatedly baiting marlin to no avail. We did get one reliable report that indicated that two marlin were boated in this region on Saturday, but as yet I don't know by whom.

Those captains feeling adventurous - or antisocial - tried their luck as several spots further offshore, with mixed results. We had heard for several days that the areas around the 499 were looking appealing, and a couple of boats went up there on Saturday. While commendable in effort, they were not rewarded with fish, and soon joined the lower fleets.

The same cannot be said for those who fished in the decidedly tiny lee of San Clemente Island. The weather limited boats to a small slice of ocean 1 to 3 miles off the island, but a total of 6 fish were pried from the strip between the windmills and Pyramid Head, with the majority of the action coming off the Dome. WILD BILL released two on Saturday, one on a drop back and the other a traditionally baited tailer. I should have made it three for the day, but that's another story. Sunday saw three more caught, one by Bill Urone fishing with Dave Dennis on Dave's DOUBLE D and another by Greg Tinney onboard HORALE. Top honors for the day, however, go to 9-yr old Grant Garrett, who landed a 128-lb marlin on 12-lb Dacron while fishing with proud dad George on JOKER. A 10-to-1 fish is always an impressive feat, made all the more so by a young angler catching his first marlin.

The weather had been the biggest story for the first two days of the holiday weekend, and fears of being pinned for another day led many boats to head towards home early on Monday. Randy Wood on OFFSHORE might have had the same idea, but a marlin hit his jig early Monday before he could act on it. The fish was successfully released, and was the only fish reported for Monday. The irony is that Monday was beautiful in the SCI lee, but practically no one was there to enjoy it.

Among the more interesting stories from the weekend was the adventures of Sevenstrand's Electronic Acoustic Lure, otherwise known as "Ol' Beepy". It is designed to be a marlin attracter, but this weekend, it was mako candy. I heard of at least a half-dozen of the lures being lost this weekend, with most of them going to shark attacks. I know that makos are attracted to electronic fields (remember the "Mako Magnet"?), but is it possible these new lures are having the same effect? Perhaps Sevenstrand should rig them with some of their heavy cable and market them to the sharkers ...

If you've been in LA for the last couple of days, you know how strange the weather has been. Triple digit temperatures with rain? That's what happens when a high pressure cap traps the remnants of a hurricane. Our hurricane woes aren't close to over, either, as Hurricane Hernan (yes, with 2 N's) is churning his way towards us. See that spot in the picture where he's aimed? That's the Home Office. Needless to say, the only people happy to see Hernan are the surfers, who'll be getting some killer rides (you might want to check out our WeatherCams, since in real life they're actually SurfCams). While we'll continue to look for marlin reports during the week, I'm not expecting too many.

This wasn't a good week to be a tuna fisherman. For our local anglers, tuna season is essentially over. A few hardy (as in "foolhardy") souls tried the Airplane and Butterfly Banks, and got their butts kicked for their efforts while scratching out a meager few albacore and bluefin tuna. At least two boats were lost out of San Diego. There might be fish out there, but damned if we'll know this week with the impending weather. The inner banks that had produced earlier have dried up save the occasional dorado and some straggling yellowtail.

As you move up the coast in hot pursuit of tuna, you'll have to run all the way to Morro Bay before you find any to speak of. Both the 311 and Rodriquez Seamount are said to be fruitless. The Avila fishermen are scoring a few, but they're paying an even higher price - one was killed over the weekend when a whale landed on his boat. I'm not kidding - check it out for yourself!

Since the fishing hasn't been great, and we're having to report on fishermen being killed pursuing what they love, I thought I'd end on a happier note. I don't know about you, but, as a fisherman, I'm an eternal optimist. I think most of us are. How else can you explain the amount of time and money we spend just in the hope of being able to come home stinking of fish guts?

The shot at right pretty much sums it up (click on it to see it full size). Sunrise at Pyramid Cove on Monday morning. It's a new day, and the fish are just around the corner. It just doesn't get any better.

August 29

Ah, tournament season! The time when the money gets big, the fishing gets hot, and the anglers get quiet. At least that's normally how it works.

Monday and Tuesday saw the first open event of the season, the Churchmouse Invitational. The Churchmouse is always a popular event, since it supports several charities and is run "by Avalon for Avalon." Unfortunately, their connection with the town doesn't guarantee there'll be fish to catch and, for many of the nearly 100 boats that was the case. Only 11 marlin were taken or released during the event; congratulations to Team Club Ted who took first place with a 150.5-lb fish.

As is typical for a tournament, there were those who ran a long way looking for striped marlin, and there was some action Monday at the 181 and 289. But the majority of the fish came from the traditional marlin grounds at the east end of Catalina. The hard luck award goes to AFTER MIDNIGHT, who hooked a swordfish at the 289 on 40-lb gear shortly after noon on Monday. They lost the fish early Tuesday morning (or, "after midnight" *groan*) after having it to the leader several times. You hate to see it, but it's a common occurrence on lighter tackle.

The good news is that the marlin are right where we like them to be, in tight to the east end. Most of the sightings have occurred within 3 miles of the island, with several within a hundred yards. Remember, the island drops off quickly, particularly near the Can Dump. It's not uncommon to see marlin while hanging on the hook there. Most of the sightings have come from Pebbly Beach around to Church Rock, with the usual afternoon tailer show just offshore.

Unfortunately, the fish simply aren't biting. All but one of the Churchmouse fish were taken on a lure, and I can't tell you the number of reports I've gotten in the last week from frustrated baitfishermen who threw their entire tank of bait at a marlin to no avail - and wanted to throw the tank itself! As several have indicated, this is not uncommon for early season marlin, especially considering the amount of squid we've had in the region. But it's getting a little late in the year for them to be so picky ...

The marlin fishermen may be complaining because the marlin aren't biting, but at least it's the beginning of their season. The tuna guys have the same problem, only for them the end is near. We got scattered tuna reports of bluefin tuna and albacore at the 60 Mile Bank, and larger bluefin (as large as 100-lbs) at the 213. To the north, anglers are running out to the 311 and the Rodriguez Seamount in the hopes of scoring their share. Man, the Rodriguez is so far offshore, I don't even have it on my chart!

Tournament season always brings me mixed emotions. I love the competition, the color, and the camaraderie the events bring. But I hate the dead fish, and the kinds of actions that the money can bring out of some people. Most tournament anglers are dedicated, honorable sportsmen. But as the money rises, so does the temptation to do things in the tournament you would never do otherwise.

Some years ago, I was looking over the entry list for one of the big money events held in Avalon and commented to a friend that while there were dozens of boats fishing for marlin each weekend, very few were entered in the tournament. The entry list consisted of angler and boat names with which I was unfamiliar, other than seeing them on entry lists for other similar lists. "It's the same reason you don't see professional poker players in a friendly game," my friend said. "Without the big money, the incentive just isn't there." The guys who come out just for the money events aren't fishermen, they're gamblers whose game happens to be on a boat. They want to win the tournament - period. If that means sportsmanship needs to be sacrificed (along with the marlin), so be it.

To the left is an example of what I mean. This is the weightboard for one of the marlin weighed in the Churchmouse. Notice the fish weight - 134.8 pounds. Now notice the line class - 130# Spectra. Maybe you see that as sporting, but I certainly don't. Neither I suspect would any of the recreational billfish anglers who fish our waters. No, this was an attempt to give the fish no chance whatsoever to escape - to remove any vestige of sportsmanship from the act. It is akin to planting corn in your backyard so you can shoot the deer when they come by for lunch. Is it legal? Apparently so, under the rules of the event. But is it sport? Not even close. When you remove the sporting element from these tournaments, you reduce them to a simple lottery to see who gets the lucky jigstrike. Worse, you reduce the role of the angler to that of a common gambler.

It's not just the ones killing the fish who let sportsmanship be forgotten. Everyone who's ever fished a release tournament has heard at least one example of a "two-minute release," where someone calls in a released fish in a ridiculously short time. We all know how it happens - they hook the fish, run up to it at full speed, and grab and cut the leader. Again, it's legal, but hardly something you'll be proud to share with your friends.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not against tournaments. I support several, and am fishing in two this year - the King Harbor Marlin Club's annual event, and the 13th annual Los Pescadores tournament. In fact, it's almost Pesky time, so let me make my yearly pitch. The Pesky is unlike any tournament you'll ever fish. You might want to think of it as an anti-tourney, since it was originally started to make fun of the serious nature of the tournaments in existence at the time. Decorum prevents me from going into too much detail of the event and its notorious after-party, but if you've ever wanted to fish with the best without the stuffiness, this is your chance. Even if you don't want to enter the tourney, you owe it to yourself to visit the tournament website just for the pictures. If you do enter, look for me at Armstrong's after the awards barbecue - I'll be the one with the silly grin. But don't wait too long, because after a couple of rounds at the "Watermelon Bank", we'll all be looking pretty silly.

August 26

Whether targeting billfish or tuna, this was a tough weekend for the local offshore anglers. The combination of nasty weather and a lack of clear direction kept many on the beach, and those who ventured out often returned home with more scars than scores. The first of the major billfish tournaments has started, however, so we should soon know whether worries of a substandard marlin season are justified.

While smooth seas this time of year are always a pleasant surprise, I think everyone was caught off guard by the ferocity of the weather. The combination of wind chop and elevator-like swells forced many to rethink their offshore plans (when 50 footers are running for shelter, it’s rough). As a result, most of the marlin fleet opted to work the familiar waters off Catalina that have produced marlin for the last century. Those boatmen of a hundred years ago might not have our technological advantages, but they certainly had a lot more fish, as it was once again demonstrated this weekend. Between the Tuna Club event on Friday and those pre-fishing for this week's Churchmouse tournament, the best of the best were on the water – and did pretty much nothing.

Several boats opted to run to distant spots (including at least one that ran all the way up to Hidden Reef beyond Santa Barbara Island, which was reported to be "holding life and looking fishy"), but most hung in the "comfort zone" in the lee of Catalina and down the ridge off the East End. On Friday, the only striped marlin taken was by PETE’S SAKE on the 181, but an afternoon tailer show off the East End confirmed for most that they were in the right place. Saturday saw an expanding fleet plow a triangle between the East End, Avalon Bank and 277 for naught, although the tailers once again made an appearance. Like most of the marlin seen thus far, however, they weren’t hungry.

Sunday morning saw a lot of boats headed towards a spot 6 miles east of the Slide, based on spotter plane reports of large numbers of marlin seen – presumably underwater and beyond the gaze of even the most ardent bino jockey. HOT REELS was soon wired on a jigfish, (another black and purple lure) which they successfully released. A few zips and momentary sightings occurred, though no other fish were taken there. Nearby, however, Dave King on REEL TIME II released a marlin off the Can Dump (on a homemade lure, no less!). We’re in negotiations to get pics of the weapon.

A funny story about the HOT REELS fish. John Doughty, of JD’s Big Game Tackle, has been running a "first release fish" promotion on his website for the last few weeks. Register your name and send JD a buck, and if you release the first fish among those registered you get a $100 gift certificate. Anyway, the following was heard over the VHF Sunday afternoon:

HOT REELS: JD, are you still running the contest?
JD: Yep!
HOT REELS: Could you go ahead and put in a dollar for me?
JD: Sure!
HOT REELS: Great – we released one this morning. I win!
JD: Uh ... (blank air) ...

According to his site, they won, and he paid up. Man, I wish the Lottery worked retroactively, too ...

Today is Day One of the two-day Churchmouse event, which marks the beginning of the tournament season. There'll be events running nonstop for the next 5 weeks or so, which is both a blessing and a curse. More anglers will be on the water, but many will develop a form of competition-induced "lockjaw" that will limit their reporting ability. You can count on the crack staff at SCMO to pry out as much info as we can. We'll have a full report on the Churchmouse on Thursday, but I can tell you that something like a half-dozen marlin have been taken or released today. In addition, AFTER MIDNIGHT hooked a swordfish on light tackle early this afternoon; as of this writing, they're still fighting it. Unfortunately, swordfish aren't counted in the Churchmouse :-(

It sounds like the end might be near for our tuna fishing friends. They faced the same weather, and it was particularly nasty at some of the favorite fishing grounds. The only place that seemed to hold any real promise was the 390, where anglers were scratching out a mix of albacore, bluefin tuna and yellowtail. Apparently, several boats reported picking up a few yellowfin tuna, which does represent some promise. Elsewhere, a few paddies produced yellowtail (although not in the quantities seen a few weeks back), and there were reports of scattered albacore and bluefin jigstrikes. But it would appear that the main body of tuna has moved on, and only a serious appearance of the warm water yellowfin tuna will extend the season.

So ... did you see the SST chart yesterday? Did you notice the three hotspots? I can almost hear the guys in Channel Islands Harbor revving their engines ...

When I'm not fishing or writing these news blurbs, I'm working on the long-promised Marlin Tutorial. I'm happy to say it's going well, and I'll be posting an updated topic list soon, along with the first few chapters. Since you have to start at the beginning, I've been writing the history of billfishing in SoCal, which has made me nostalgic for things gone by. It is, therefore, with a heavy heart that I report to you the current condition of the S. S. Catalina. For over a half century, this ship crossed the channel from San Pedro to Avalon, creating memories for every passenger. She also had a proud war career during World War II, ferrying more than 800,000 troops across San Francisco Bay.

Time has not been kind to the Catalina. Since her retirement from regular service in 1975, she has been the subject of lawsuits and failed enterprises, the latest of which was as a floating nightclub in Ensenada. When that effort failed in 1997, she was abandoned by her owners and left to sink at her mooring. All is not lost, however, as several groups are working to refloat and refurbish this historic vessel. I question if she can be saved, but if they can at least provide her with a more dignified end that this, they have my support. You can learn more about the efforts of the S. S. Catalina Preservation Organization here.

August 22

I was just getting ready to write about how bad the fishing had gotten, and how long the odds looked for a successful weekend. That was before I heard about PESCADOR getting a fish this afternoon. But let's not get ahead of ourselves ...

Last Saturday's explosion of striped marlin off Pyramid Head gave everyone hope for a good marlin season, and they may still be right. But the naysayers looked at the single fish taken on Sunday as a sign that Saturday had been an aberration. Monday saw BILLJOY scoring their second released fish of the season near the 289, and on Tuesday HOOKER lost one 8 miles south of the Head. Then ... nothing. Some of the best boats in the fleet pounded the area for two long days as a pre-fish for this weekend's tournaments, but no action was found until this afternoon, when PESCADOR was able to release a marlin 3 miles west of the 289.

So, what does it all mean, you ask. More importantly, "where should I go this weekend?" The obvious choice would be San Clemente Island, where the only real action has been. In addition to those caught or hooked, some have been seen close to the island in its lee. Years past have seen awesome bites inside SCI up towards Wilson Cove, and perhaps that is what is forming now. Unfortunately, the decision is complicated by the fact that the Navy has a closure in effect for the entire southern half of the island through the weekend. That means anchoring at Catalina and running over to Clemente to fish. That's a lot of miles to have to cover without any solid knowledge of where the fish are.

Another complicating factor is the weather. For the last week to ten days we've had a stationary front that has held a thick marine layer over the region and provided swells from the southeast. In the last day or so, however, that pattern has been broken, and more traditional August conditions are beginning to be seen. Add to that the presence of a moon that will be full in about 30 minutes from this writing, and the only certain thing is the uncertainty.

I think if it was me, I'd hit the areas closest to my home port that traditionally produce marlin. That means the 14 Mile and Avalon Banks for boats coming from Los Angeles and Newport, the 267 for those coming out of Dana and the 181 and 9 Mile Banks for the San Diego boats. With no real concentration of fish, weather conditions that are sure to cause changes in the water conditions, and a continuing lack of good SST charts, there's no point in trying to run over the horizon for fish that may or may not be there. If the fish are found, you can always change your itinerary. And, of course, if you find them, we want to hear about it! Hmm ... I really need to work out a secret code so we can tip MNAC members on the VHF without letting the whole fleet in on the secret. If any of you have any ideas, let me know!

If you're not into beating your head against the wall trying for marlin (understandable, I suppose), there are tuna to be caught - if you're willing to put in the miles. The 390 is wide open right now for both albacore and bluefin tuna. The numbers of each are about the same, and they are a nice grade of fish, with the bluefin running over 30 lbs. There are also some yellowtail and a couple of dorado being caught there. The story is the same for the 213, albeit somewhat less. If the seas are smooth, expect to see a lot of private boaters there this weekend. Elsewhere, tuna are being caught south of the Butterfly towards the Mushroom Bank. Most of the action that had been seen on the northern edge of the Butterfly and at the 43 has tailed off, although a few are still being scratched out. The interesting thing is that the big yellowtail that had been hanging under the kelp paddies have fled for the most part. One exception to that is the 182, where several boats reported limits of big yellowtail.

To the north, the tuna come closer to shore and are more accessible. One hot spot this week was the 311, south of Santa Rosa Island, where both albacore and bluefin tuna were caught. Unfortunately, as soon as anyone knows there are BFT in an area, the seiners move in. One boat working the 311 reported being wrapped by a seiner who patiently waited for them to complete fishing before letting them out of the net. Seiners have been chasing the BFT to the south as well, but I don't think they've had as much success.

When I founded the MNAC, one of the stated goals was to use part of the revenue generated to improve the technology used the create and maintain this site, which in turn results in a better product for our members. I'm happy to announce that I took the first step towards that goal with the purchase of a Canon PowerShot A40 digital camera. In the past, I've had to depend on traditional photographic means to provide images for the site, and that means developing and scanning hard copy images. Inevitably that leads to fewer images, because of the effort required, and prevents me from the immediate publishing of photos to go with our news stories. This new camera will change all that. I'll have it out with me on HOOKER this weekend, so look for immediate results.

August 19

The doors were kicked wide open to the local billfish season this weekend, as nearly a dozen marlin were caught and/or released, and one swordfish lost after a hard battle. The question on the minds of all local offshore fishermen - is this the beginning of good things, or just a hint of what could have been ...

I delayed the last report until Friday morning in the fruitless hope of having more to report. Too bad I couldn't have held out for a couple hours more, because I could have told you about the three striped marlin released that day by BILLJOY, PESCADOR and SIDEKICK. PESCADOR's story is particularly interesting. Earlier on Friday, they hooked a swordfish only to lose it when the hook pulled while leadering the fish. I guess it's not a bad day when releasing a marlin is considered the consolation prize!

Based on the successes of Friday, it was easy to predict where the fleet would be at dawn Saturday. The boats were divided between two places, both of which has seen action the day before. The northern fleet was centered just south of the 289 at roughly 32.59/118.02, while the remainder headed south to a point off Pyramid Head at approximately 32.48/118.10. They started as tight groupings, but as the day progressed, the area covered by the anglers grew and eventually most of the northern boats ended up with the southern fleet.

I don't know the final count for Saturday, but I think it was at least 8. WILD BILL and CHRISTINA LYNN each released one and kept a second. The WILD BILL fish was notable in that it weighed in at a whopping 257 lbs at Rosie's scales in Avalon. That's the largest striped marlin I've heard of in these waters in many, many years. Among those with single releases were SIDEKICK (for the second straight day), TYEE and ONO. Jim Madden of ONO certainly wins the Stud of the Weekend award. Fishing well after most of the fleet had left for shelter, Jim got a jigstrike quickly followed by a second hookup on a dropback bait. Oh - did I mention he was fishing by himself? Jim buttoned down the drag on the jigstick & fought the baitfish to a successful release. He thought he might get a shot at both fish, but the 2nd fish broke free before he could attend to it.

At least as many fish were lost as were caught as the boats ranged over a wide area in search of the marlin. In contrast with recent seasons, most of the fish came on jig strikes, as the ones that were seen were primarily afternoon tailers and not all that hungry. Among the lure colors gathering the most attention were purple and black, and Mean Joe Green (green and black). Some numbers for fish either caught or lost: 32.55/118.05; 32.55/118.07; 32.47/118.11; 32.47/118.14, and 32.48/118.12.

The weather and sea conditions maintained the status quo for Sunday, but the same could not be said for the fishing. Very few were seen and, so far as I know, the only one caught was released by Marylin Stephens on EXTASEA (not a bad follow-up to her 5th place HIBT showing!). Notable about this was the fact that the fish was a big one - well over 200 pounds. In the tournament in which they were competing, they could have been awarded more points for killing it, but opted to release it instead. Hear, hear! It seems that there are a lot of large fish in the area right now, so those of you using light lines might want to reconsider ...

The big question now is whether this weekend represents an isolated incident or is the beginning of a good season. Lately, SCI bites have tended to be short term in nature, but they are also later in the season. I know of several boats that will be out midweek (including HOOKER), so I should have a good update for you Thursday.

Beyond the appearance of the marlin, there were several unique elements to the weekend. The weather was iffy, with intermittent rain and no sun at all. The water was pancake-flat, however, allowing a lot of boats to make the run out to the marlin grounds - including several that should have thought twice! In addition, the area was absolutely packed with mola. Singularly and in groups of up to 10 fish, the finned dinner plates could be seen sunning themselves on the surface or doing their best marlin imitation, slowly finning downswell. I'm sure more than one mackerel was hurriedly tossed only to see the target was a mola - a staunch vegetarian. I heard of at least two instances of mola being snagged by marlin lures, and I don't think either got the lure back :-)

For those without an interest in billfish (and the door is over there *smile*), there are still tuna to be had. The hots spots from last week, the 213 and 390, remain a target for albacore fishermen who found a nice grade of fish up to 30 pounds. One number to check: 31.39/117.53. The seas were calm down there as well, and a lot of people got out on the water in hopes of finding the elusive bluefin tuna. Many were rewarded for their efforts, as BFT up to 25 pounds were found mixed in with the albies at the 213 and 390. In addition, there was a nice school of bluefin at the 1010 Trench, although I've heard the seiners have moved into the area. So much for that.

Yellowtail continue to be found under the kelp paddies, although it seems that they have thinned out somewhat. The best spot for the YT was the area around the 43, which was hit hard by those who scratched a few tuna out at the Butterfly before heading north for the marlin. Also, the large Humbolt squid continue to be caught. I had heard that they were being caught primarily near the beach, although the marlin fleet anchored at Pyramid Cove Saturday night were able to catch plenty for dinner and even a few to keep as swordfish popsicles.

You know, in the competitive frenzy of offshore fishing, it's easy to forget sometimes how lucky we are just to be out on the water. Fortunately, the gods understand this, and help us to keep things right. Sunday, after two long days of pounding for marlin, HOOKER was approaching San Pedro. About 11 miles out, the call comes down from the bridge - "Swordfish!" Now, I've had my shots at broadbill in the past, so maybe I'm a little nonchalant about it. After all, I knew how it would go - a couple of tosses, a flip of the tail, and we'd be headed towards port once again.

I got the gear together and was headed to the casting pulpet when I got a site of the brute - 350 if it was a pound, and high and dry. Twice I flipped it a mackerel, with no show of interest whatsoever. After the second cast, I followed the bait to the back of the boat and was winding it in to try again when there was this explosion in front of me. Not 30 feet away, the swordie has spooked and had taken flight - fully out of the water. Now, I've heard of the so-called "butterfly swordfish", but I'd never actually seen one jump. While I stood there awestruck, the fish made a loop of five massive jumps interspersed with gigantic white splashes. As quickly as it started it was over, but I knew that I'd witness something awesome. I've been on the water for over 30 years, and it's the most incredible thing I've seen. Don't worry, though - I won't be renaming the place Swordfish Online ...

Now that we're starting to see marlin releases, it's a good time to remind everyone about our Online Gamefish Release Reporting System. The goal of OGRRS is to provide the kind of recognition for released fish that is usually reserved for those killed. If you release a fish, or witness one released, drop by OGRRS and record the details. Tell your friends, too, since OGRRS is open to everyone!

August 16

Well, I delayed this report as long as I could because, frankly, there's not much to say!

After last weekend's excitement, I think we all figured there'd be some kind of local marlin action to report on. The fact is, there isn't. Between rough weather and cold water, the marlin are still scarce - and the reports even scarcer (hmm ... is that a word?).

Several people reported seeing striped marlin on the 181, site of one of last week's catches, and at least one was seen on the 209. Beyond that, however, there is no real billfish news to report. As we mentioned a couple of reports back, the warm water layer is very shallow, and it doesn't take much in the way of weather or wave disturbance to roll it over and turn it cold. I think that's what's preventing us from having any real quantity of marlin so far this year.

The SST charts (when available - more on that in a minute) show warm water in two places - the Mackerel Bank off San Clemente Island, and the leeward side of Santa Catalina Island, particularly down towards the Isthmus. Whether that means there will be marlin there or not is another thing, but it might be a good place to start.

As far as the other pelagics go, there is still tuna to be had. Two places rose above the others this week as destinations for both the party boats and the private boaters. The region south of the 390 bank produced some nice fat albacore, and it stretched down towards the 213. Some numbers: 32.01/117.47; 31,59/117.46. South and a little west of there, a smorgasbord of eating fish were being caught about 5 miles north of the twin 220's (numbers: 31.39/117.37). Albacore to the mid 30's, yellowtail to the high 20's and even some nice quantities of bluefin tuna were being caught. The thinking is that these represent a new wave of tuna to come into the region, and not some of the earlier fish just hanging around. You can bet these ones will be on the move as well, so keep your ears and eyes open for signs of their next stop.

Two targets of note heading into the weekend. The giant squid are back and hanging in a large band just off the beach from Huntington Beach south to Oceanside. Remember to wear old clothes :-) Also, the kelp paddies continue to hold some really large yellowtail. The warm water is making the kelp harder to find, but it's really worth it if you can boat a 35-lb broomtail. Make sure to have a few mini-macks in the tank - just in case.

As we mentioned earlier, the SST charts have been a problem of late. This time of year the weather and cloud cover usually interferes more often with the satellite's ability to collect the data needed to produce the charts, and lately the interference has been pretty bad. Our staff check the data about every 6 hours, and whenever it is good enough to make a worthy chart we do, and post it on the site. We use the same data set as the commercial services, so everyone is hurting right now. If you're a real geek, and want to know how the manage to measure the water temperature from a satellite (hint: they don't really measure the temperature), here's a technical paper on how it's done. In the meantime, we'll get you the best charts possible.

If you're a local marlin fisherman, or fish for any of our local pelagic species, you probably know about longlines and gillnets, and the damaging effect they can have on our fishing resources. You should know that there is currently an effort by the Pacific Fisheries Management Council to develop a fisheries management plan for the so-called "highly migratory species" of fish - marlin, tuna, swordfish and such. It's been a long, contentious fight, with emotions running high on both sides as recreational and commercial fishermen square off over the future of the fish. In November, the Council is scheduled to take action on the often delayed plan. If you're a member of United Anglers (and you should be), you already received postcards to send in voicing your opinion on this very important subject. I'll be posting the text of those cards in the Conservation Forum later today for you to use to write your own letters. In the meantime, you should check out the draft management plan and form your own opinions on this very important topic.

August 12

They're heeeere ...

The striped marlin have moved back into SoCal waters, and several were taken over the weekend. Unfortunately, it was very hit and miss. I guess it could best be summed by by the old Cat Stevens lyric:

"If I could meet 'em, I could get 'em;
As yet, I haven't met 'em.
That's how I'm in the state I'm in."

A couple of guys met 'em this weekend, and they got 'em. On Saturday afternoon, Jim Kingsmill, fishing as usual on WILD BILL, spotted a group of 5 tailers while working of Pyramid Head. He got one to take a mackerel, and the fish became the first release of the year for the Dana Angling Club. The numbers were 32.46/118.14, which is about 5 miles down the ridge from the Head.

Sunday, Jerry Troyer was working the 181 when he spotted a marlin that quickly turned into a pack of 4. He worked the patient pelagics with bait for 45 minutes with no success, so he decided to troll a lure spread past their noses. BANG - one of them hits a Mean Joe Green Doornob, and 25 minutes the fish is landed. Let the records show that this is the first fish caught by an MNAC member!

Unfortunately, those are the high spots for the billfish weekend. Ask anyone else how the marlin fishing was, and they'd tell you "lousy." There were tailers seen off the Head on Friday (the reason WILD BILL was there), and over the weekend a very small number of fish were seen at the 277 and off the east end of Catalina. Even the spotter planes didn't see any marlin, which was fine since they were busy with their own kind. Sunday, there were still fish off Pyramid, although they weren't biting.

As rare as the marlin sightings have been, the swordfish spotting has been good. Lots of swordies were seen by private boaters over the weekend, a marked improvement over recent days when all the swords were under the surface. None were hooked but a lot of baits were presented, particularly at the 14-Mile Bank and 267 (279 to the rest of you *smile*) spot. It would be nice to have an epic swordfish year ...

The tuna fishing continue to be strong, although the fish remain a long way offshore. The best spots over the weekend were the Butterfly (numbers: 32.31/118.23), Airplane (31.51/118.11) and 60-Mile (32.00/118.17, ) banks. All had albacore and yellowtail, with the southern banks having a smattering of bluefin tuna as well. Further north, albacore were found Sunday in a spot 10 miles south of the 43. Most of the kelps throughout the SoCal offshore region continue to hold large yellowtail, so do not let them pass by. There also seems to be a large number of mako sharks in the region. Fortunately, most that are caught are being released. We received one report of dorado west of the 43, but that was unconfirmed. My favorite report of the weekend was of a panga fisherman working the inner Banda Bank out of Ensenada who tangled a bluefin tuna in his rockcod gangion. Not just any BFT, mind you , but a 67-lb'er! He got the fish - that's one tough pangadero!

Lately, we've been adding pictures to our reports as part of an ongoing effort to improve the product. This week, I have no fishing pictures to include in the report. But, with Sept. 11 coming in a few weeks, many of our thoughts go to the tragedy and all that has happened since then. It is in that spirit that I bring you a picture I found recently of a young woman helping to defend our freedom. While we enjoy the fruits of that freedom, it is important to remember all those that paid the bill - and continue to do so.

Oh, and Osama, if you're reading this (unlikely, since I doubt you have broadband in the cave), do not be deceived by what you probably consider a "harmless little girl." Look closely at the resolve in her eyes, and know that she wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger if she gets you in her sights. You too, Saddam ...

Now that the season is truly upon us, I'll be spending more time on the water. That's good and bad for our readers. You'll get better info, because I'll be getting it first hand. I'll also be providing on-the-water reports - more on that later.

The down side is that the timing of these reports might get a little irregular. There'll still be two (or more) a week, but they'll have to be worked in around my fishing :-)

August 8

As you should know by now, a striped marlin was released yesterday on the 277 by Dan Ingram on FUNATIC. Contrary to earlier reports, the angler is not a member of the Dana Angling Club, and there is talk that might have been a "long-distance" release; however what no one can deny is that there is at least one marlin swimming around on the 277.

Warm water is pouring into the SoCal offshore region, and most spots are reporting 66 to 67 degree water at a minimum. As a result, we're starting to see serious numbers of marlin in most of the usual places. In the Catalina region, marlin (primarily jumpers) were reported all along the frontside of the island from the 152 to Long Point to the Isthmus and off several miles. To the south, San Diego fishermen are seeing marlin at the 302 and 9 Mile Bank. Now that warm water is all over, and not just in isolated spots, we should begin to see some action ... finally! Swordfish continue to be taken in large numbers in and around the waters of Catalina, but it's all by the commercial boats with spotters who can see deep into the water. When they start to surface, rod and reel anglers will get their shot.

Tuna fishing slowed during the week, in part due to the lumpy weather, but more due to the main body of the fish moving offshore. The 43 and 230 spots that had been blazing hot only a few days ago dried up, and other tuna favorites including the 302 and 371 remained quiet. The two places that produced decent quantities of albacore were the 60 Mile Bank and the northwest wing of the Butterfly Bank. With both of those spots being nearly twice the distance as those producing last weekend, only the heartiest anglers made the trip. Further north, albacore are being caught by anglers all the way up the coast to San Francisco, with most being caught within 20 miles of shore. In Morro Bay, they're practically on the beach, hanging only 5 miles out.

The slowing of the albacore bite allowed the light to shine on other species, and several stepped up to the challenge. For weeks now, we've been hearing about bluefin tuna mixed in with the albacore, but it's been a very small percentage of the catch. During the last few days, however, the BFT have been mixed in much larger numbers with the longfin at the hotspots, and schools of bluefin have been seen crashing the surface at the north end of the 1010 trench. Many of the partyboats are finding big schools of larger (60 lb) bluefin down about 180 miles, but it remains to be seen if they will come this far north this late in the season.

Another pleasant surprise has been the large number of yellowtail being found under kelp paddies from Catalina all the way south to Mexico. These aren't the usual paddytails, either, as they're running as large as 35 to 40 pounds. A sack full of those will make you forget the tuna were ever here! Unlike your usual yellowtail, these ones are hungry, with the larger fish preferring larger baits such as small mackerel over typical baits like sardines. We've gotten several reports of dorado being taken, but they remain widely scattered. No reports of yellowfin tuna as yet, but it's just a matter of time until they make an appearance.

Lately, I've fielded a lot of questions about our SST charts. First, I have no control over the quality of the data from which the charts are made. Those of you familiar with the technology know that there are two satellites (NOAA-15 and NOAA-16) that make a pass over the West Coast about every 4 hours. Contrary to popular belief, they do not measure the temperature of the water - they measure its reflectivity. From that, NOAA uses an algorithm to extrapolate the temperature. That's the data I get to work with. If there's cloud cover, or the particular pass missed our area, that's as good as the chart will be.

I've also gotten a lot of comments - both good and bad - about the colors. I consciously use contrasting colors on the SCMO charts to provide the sharpest breaks between the different temperatures, and also to make them stand out from those available from Terrafin and others. The goal is always the same - to give you, the users of the charts, the best possible product.

That said, I'm looking into ways to improve our charts. Recently, I was introduced to some new software that should help produce much better charts, including overlays to show where the hotspots and fish are. Below is an example that was produced by Eric Meins, who pointed me to the software:

I'm still working with it, and won't start publishing the new charts until I get the kinks worked out. But I wanted to give you guys something to look forward to. If you have thoughts on our SST charts, please let me know. Good fishing this weekend - I look forward to seeing a lot of additions to the OGRRS come Monday!

August 5

Most of the news I report is secondhand, since I spend far more time behind the keyboard than on the water. For once, however, I can vouch for the fact that the albacore fishing has been red-hot, since we got 41 longfin on HOOKER Saturday.

Lumpy water kept a lot of people off the water midweek, but by Friday, a couple of places had been established as albacore targets for the weekend. Sometimes, having multiple destinations can be a problem because you don't want to go to the wrong one. In this case, however, pretty much everyone came out a winner. South of San Clemente Island, there was a fleet on the 43 stretching to the west, and another on the Butterfly Bank, A couple of boats, including ours, found success north of there, about 16 miles 160° from Pyramid Head (numbers: 32.32/118.16). To the south, the fleet was split between the 302 and 230 banks, with a few boats venturing out to the 60 Mile Bank. All of the mentioned spots produced albacore ranging in size from as small as 10 lbs up to 25 - it just depends on the group you find. The bite was strong on Friday and Saturday, but seemed to tail off somewhat on Sunday, meaning the fish might be on the move again. To show you how far ranging the longfin are right now, the bite is going strong 10 miles out of Morro Bay, and albacore are reported as far north as Portland, Oregon.

On the exotics front, nice bluefin tuna (up to 50 lb) were taken on both the 302 and 60 Mile Bank, with smaller ones going scattered at the 43. In each case, the tuna were mixed with the albacore, although some small schools of BFT were seen crashing bait on the surface. At the 302, several dorado were taken, but we're still not seeing the numbers of this warm water fish expected from an El Niño season. At the 302 and the 43, kelps were holding large (20 to 30 LB) yellowtail - and they're hungry, too!

We had predicted in this space last week that the warm water on the inside of Catalina would result in an increase in the striped marlin sightings. We couldn't have been more wrong. By Friday, the warm water had rolled and gone cold, and the marlin evaporated with the heat. One theory I've heard is that the thermocline is particularly shallow, meaning the warm water layer can quickly be overcome by the colder water below. Makes sense to me. All I know is that the number of sightings of marlin and swordfish dropped dramatically, with a few marlin being seen between the 14 Mile and Avalon Banks and inside Catalina up to the Isthmus. No marlin were taken - with one notable exception.

We don't run pictures of dead marlin at SCMO, but I'm making one small exception here to illustrate a point. As we speak, there are dozens of successful, proven marlin anglers doing everything they can to find their first marlin. Million dollar boats, thousand dollar reels, hundred dollar lures - no expense is being spared in the attempt to track down the elusive quarry. Thus far, no dedicated marlin fisherman has gotten a fish. Meanwhile, two guys on a 20-ft Blackman leave Mission Bay around 6AM Friday for a day of alby fishing at the 230. Four miles outside the jetty, they find a marlin sitting high and dry. They cut off one of their lures, tie on a mackerel, and 45 minutes later ... well, the picture tells it all. Oh, and after dropping off the marlin, they went out and got a ton of albacore. And the marlineers are still running around looking for spare battteries for their beeping lures ... :-)

As mentioned last time, the new chat room is up and running, and I've scheduled the first chat session for this coming Wednesday night at 7PM West Coast time. We can talk about the upcoming local season, fishing in your part of the world, or anything you like. Of course, I picked this time because it's convenient for me, but it might not be for you. So, feel free to set up your own chat sessions anytime you like by posting them in the Members Forum. Talk with you Wednesday!

August 1

So the normal progression of things is tuna come, warm water comes, marlin come, tuna go, right? Not this year! The tuna fishing exploded midweek as fish continued to be caught off San Clemente Island and reappeared on the southern banks. Combine that with the appearance of both warm and cold water exotics, and you have the makings of an epic weekend.

Unlike the last few weeks, the midweek weather remained relatively mild, allowing a lot of people to play hookey and fill the freezers with albacore. Boats looking to cash in on last weekend's bonanza off San Clemente Island found success to the west of the 43 and on the outside of the island. The fish were a smaller grade, in the 10 to 15 pound range, but were consistent. Several boats slid down to the Butterfly and found decent fishing there as well.

The real surprise came for those running from San Diego. Thinking they would have to make the long run out to the Butterfly or down to the 295, imagine their surprise when they found buku albacore on the 302 - a mere 35 mile run! There were both jig and bait fish to be had, with those taken on bait running larger at 20 to 25 pounds. It is a big spot of fish, said to run as far as 10 miles south of the high spot. There is a temp break running through the area; the fish are hanging on the cold side of it. Some numbers: 32.18/117.41; 32.21/117.39; 32.22/117.38; 32.21/117.38. Another treat has been the apperance of 50-lb bluefin tuna at the head of the 1010 Trench. It remains to be seen if they will stick around (or just get wrapped). If you're going to give it a try, start with 31.46/117.35. We keep getting reports of dorado, but none other than stragglers seem to be north of Ensenada.

The billfish scene remains a matter of expectation. Except for the two taken by tuna fishermen, no striped marlin have been taken, although they continue to be seen widely. The fish that are being seen are not hungry, which could be a result of the glut of squid caused by the recent full moon. Expect that to change with time. One report of note was of someone hooking one but losing it due to tackle failure. While you have this time with nothing else to do (except to participate at the Offshore Fishing Forum, of course *smile*), you should take a moment to make sure your equipment is ready. An unfortunate fact of fishing for marlin in SoCal is that you will never get the large number of opportunities that anglers might find in other parts of the world. We need to make every shot count, and you'd hate to lose that fish to something as silly as a failed crimp.

Recent overcast conditions and a thickening marine layer have made it difficult to get good sea surface temperature readings. However, something I saw in a chart from earlier today made me smile. We've heard about the 71 degree water on the 14 Mile Bank, and the masses of marlin and swordfish that have come with it. But look at how the hot water is spreading to the ends of Catalina. I don't want to sound like a suction pump, but the center of those two hot spots, Church Rock to the south and the 270 and 286 spots to the north, will be worth checking this weekend. You can expect a lot of company off Church, but the northern spots just might be our little secret :-)

I'm going to use the international report to shine the spotlight on the adventures of one of our own, Paco Saca. Those of you who frequent the forums have seen the little logo of his dream boat in his posts. I'm happy to report that Paco, who calls El Tamarindo, El Salvador his homeport, took delivery in mid July and is bringing the boat home. The best part is that he is sharing the adventure with us. As we speak, he's taking a break in the action with the boat at the Panama Canal, having already made the trip down from Florida. He's looking forward to fishing the Hannibal Bank shortly after making the transit, and promises to send us all the details. You can check out his progress here.

July 30

Good news - lots of marlin and swordfish are being seen! Bad news - none of them are being caught! Well, I guess it's good news for the fish ...

The "pre-season warmup" continues as many of the favorite marlin spots are reported to be very fishy. Striped marlin were seen in numbers at several areas, with the largest concentration being a couple of miles west of the 14 Mile Bank. It might seem odd to have the fish so far north so suddenly, but if you've been following the latest SST charts, it's no surprise at all. Both sleepers and tailers were seen in groups, but none seemed interested in anything offered by the anxious anglers. There were a lot of swordfish taken by harpoon boats in that same region, although none by rod and reel.

Elsewhere, the outlook for billfish continues to improve. Marlin were seen in a lot of different places, including the 152, the east end of Catalina, the 209 and the 302. We received one report of a marlin landed by a party boat south of the 295, and another hooked but lost on the lower edge of the 9 Mile Bank. Most of those same spots were holding swordfish as well. If you don't have your equipment ready yet, now is the time!

In spite of the threat of nasty seas, the albacore continued to be taken in good numbers. The San Clemente Basin remained the popular destination for both private and party boats, but the fishing seemed to match the weather - the rougher it got, the better the count. Friday and Saturday found anglers scoring with both bait and jig, but as the remnants of our most recent hurricane dissipated, so did the fish. By Sunday, the fishing was down to the occasional jig bite. The fleet was about evenly split between two areas - the northwest corner of the Butterfly Bank, and north of the 43. More adventurous crews headed up the backside of San Clemente Island, where some success was found as well. Some numbers from the weekend: 32.38/118.25; 32.33/118.21; 32.41/118.18; 32.29/118.28; 32.43/118.18. I'm thinking right about now that most of you wish I had the course calculator fixed on the Hot Spot Chart - I need to get on that!

Among those who got into the fish this weekend was our own HOOKER, and Dara Fry and the girls from ChicksWhoFish on TONNAGE. Unfortunately, I was not on HOOKER, something I'll be grousing about all week :-) As the water continues to warm, I would expect the albacore to move out of the area. Of course, if the marlin start to chew, I (and many others) will quickly stop caring about tuna altogether!

To the south, tuna fishing was hit and miss. Some areas that had produced earlier, such as the 238, 295, and 1010 Trench, appeared to be dry. Others, such as the 500 and 60 Mile Bank, started to heat up (literally - there was a great temp break running right through the 60). The best reports we heard were of bluefin tuna on the 302, and dorado on the 390.

I'm going to finish with a little administrative housecleaning. The new chat program is done, and I'm just doing some final testing before adding it to the site. If anyone wants to establish a time for the first chat session, post a message in the Members Forum. One idea I had was to invite special guests in for chat sessions - prominent fishermen, industry representatives, etc. I think that could be very exciting, but we'll need to show that the chat room is a success before we head down that path - don't want to invite a special guest, then only get 3 chatters! Speaking of the Members Forum, we're looking for a new name for it. I've gotten several interesting candidates, but it's not too late to get yours in. And don't forget those Trip Reports!

July 25

Like variety? We've got the full smorgasbord of fishing activity to report. Like surprises? We've got not one but two hurricanes churning just to the south, which should prove a real wild card in the next few days.

The two main spots of albacore continue to produce unabated. SoCal anglers thumbed their noses at both large swells and the US Navy to continue fishing near the 43, and most were handsomely rewarded for their efforts. Tuesday the action was in the deep water just outside of the spot, with another hot spot about 12 miles SSW. Wednesday when the water had flattened out, the main body of fish appears to be north of the high spot, anywhere from 6 to 15 miles 140 to 180 degrees from Pyramid Head. Some numbers: 32.40/118.12; 32.35/118.15; 32.38/118.16; 32.42/118.20. Clearly the fish are moving northward. We received scattered reports of albacore being taken on the Mackerel Bank inside of island - does this mean the fish will pass between Clemente and Catalina? It's been a long time since that happens, but that's Stan's Pick for this weekend. I'm betting they pop up on the 499 or Osborn Bank - but will anyone be there to catch them?

So far, the Navy hasn't seemed to mind folks fishing in the area, even though technically they have declared most of the waters south of San Clemente off limits through the weekend. Among the more interesting reports we've gotten is that the Scripps Institute ship FLIP is currently parked on the 43 (it may or may not be part of the Navy operation). If you've never seen FLIP, it can be a trip. It gets towed to an area like a normal ship then floods the aft 4/5s of its length and swings vertical with only the bow section out of the water. It makes for a very stable research platform, but a pretty goofy looking ship!

South of the border, the bite continues hot and heavy, with albacore scattered between the 295 and 238 spots. There's a big vertical temp break running just outside the 295, and the fish seem to be stacking up on it. The weather was pretty sloppy down there early in the week, but it smoothed out just like up north. The fish are sticking in the 64 degree water, and are running between 15 and 20 lbs, with the occasional 30-pounder being caught. I didn't hear any new reports of bluefin tuna down there, but with the water warming up fast, we may have lost our opportunity for those cold water tuna.

After last week's taking of the first striped marlin, I was hoping there'd be a little more action to report. Unfortunately, the only marlin action going on has been on various Internet posting boards as we debate the merits of killing the first fish of the season. Several more marlin were spotted this week, ranging from Los Coronados and the 9 Mile Bank up to the 277 and Avalon Bank. I suspect a lot of marlineers will be heading out this weekend, so expect the numbers to increase. No new swordfish reports have been received this week.

Speaking of swordfish, God's own swordie bait, the giant squid, have been slowly moving up the coast during the week. Last weekend they were being caught off of San Diego and Dana; by midweek, they were off the Wedge at Newport Beach. Now they seem to have disappeared altogether. Hopefully, you were able to resist the temptation to use all of them for calamari rings and tossed a couple in the freezer as swordfish popsicles!

In Cabo San Lucas, the water is warming up and with it, the fishing. The blue marlin have finally begun to move into the area, although most are still being caught after a long (for there) 30 mile run toward the Sea of Cortez. Striped marlin numbers are up as well, with most boats catching at least one per trip, Hurricane Douglas just left the region, and Hurricane Elida is moving in, so that should have an interesting ripple effect as new water is driven to the area.

Looking to move up to a slightly larger boat before the season starts? Your Uncle Sam has just the boat for you! You'd be doing your fellow taxpayers a favor, too ...

I hope to get out on the water this weekend, so look for an On The Water report (via PDA and cellphone). Of course, if I don't get out, I'll be working on the new features for the members area. Hmm - I guess it's a win-win weekend for our members!

July 22

Good news seems to come in bunches, and we've got a bunch of good news today.

If you checked your email, you already know the first marlin of the year was taken on Saturday. For the rest of you, Ron Reece on HUSTLER weighed in a 127-lb striped marlin Saturday at Mission Bay. Ron and his crew were headed back with limits of albacore from the 238 and had their eyes peeled for signs. As they approached the 101, at about 32.15/117.15, they saw breaking bait and swapped their tuna feathers for a spread of Burns 44 Magnum jet heads. The rest, as they say, is history. Two lures got bit (black/purple & Mean Joe Green), and after about 15 minutes they had the fish on the step.

HUSTLER's pair wasn't the only marlin seen this weekend. Several were seen on the 9 Mile Bank and off of Pyramid Head, and spotter planes reported seeing several fish on the 277 and off the Slide at Catalina. The battle has been joined - let the games begin!

The other good news is that the albacore are finally on the move and being caught in US waters. We had heard reports Thursday that one of the Bongos boats had caught a few longfin, and that's always a tip that the fish are north of the border. But it really opened up over the weekend. The fleet was working in the San Clemente Basin, about 11 miles southwest of Pyramid Head. Some numbers: 32.40/118.10; 32.41/118.18; 32.40/118.11. The fish are of a nicer grade, with the largest approaching 25 lbs. They're hungry, too, and we heard of at least one report of a two-hour bait stop. The overall range of these fish is not yet known, but they stretch at least as far as the 43 and the Butterfly Bank. It should be interesting to see if these fish will stick in the area or are just passing through.

One potential problem is that there is two fleets of ships working in the Basin - the fishing fleet, and the US Navy. Unfortunately, they have some significant closures scheduled for later this week, ones that could potentially eliminate much of this area. For the latest details and the specifics of the closures, check the Navy's San Clemente Island website. Of course, it could just be that the Navy wants to catch another marlin ... :-)

The albacore action remains hot to the south. As mentioned above, they're still getting them at the 238, and the waters just south of the 295 remain very productive. The numbers include 31.30/117.25 and 31.33/117.13. Smooth water over the weekend let a lot of folks cash in. There are also some bluefin mixed in, but they are very illusive. To the north, Morro Bay boats continue to catch fish at the Donut, about 50 miles southwest of the harbor.

Excuse me whilst I go on a tangent ...

I really don't know how I became a poster child for billfish conservation. Maybe it's because I just can't keep my mouth closed. Whatever the reason, I tend to get beat up for my beliefs occasionally. This weekend was a case in point. As outlined above, the first marlin was caught on Saturday, and was first reported at a bulletin board that will remain nameless (but is based in San Diego and hosted by a popular marine services company). I heard about the thread when it was posted at the Trip Reporter, and posted my own reply congratulating the angler on the accomplishment. Being me, of course, I ended the post with the thought, "it's a shame that the fish couldn't have been released." Keep in mind that the angler himself said that he wanted to release it, but that the only reason he kept it was that no one would have believed him otherwise. Man, you'd have thought I'd called him a communist! The posts in response made it clear that they didn't agree with me, and the emails I received removed any doubt about the vigor of that belief. I was even accused of harboring a PETA-like ethic - on my own site, no less! When I tried to clarify my position, I was banned from the board for pursuing a "personal agenda". I gotta tell you, when conservation is seen as a personal agenda, it shows you just how far we have to go.

My point is this - we've made a lot of progress in the last 20 years to educate the general fishing public about conservation, but the battle is far from over. This episode demonstrates the clear NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) attitude I see over and over in the SoCal fishing population. They'll toss a couple of bucks in the hat to support United Anglers, but ask them to release a fish, or give up a fishing spot in the name of conservation, and they'll tell you where to go - most likely in unprintable language. They'll come around; they'll have to, or there won't be any fish for them to bitch about not catching. But if you have a belief about conservation - whatever it is - stick to it, and damn the torpedoes. In the end, we will prevail.

July 18

This is going to be quick, because I'm running way behind and am swamped.

You want albacore? Go to the 295.

OK, so maybe you need a little more info than that. But everything that is going on locally is summed up in that statement. Midweek action was pretty much limited to the 295, but smooth seas allowed a lot of boats the chance to get a piece of it. The fish were of a larger grade (as much as 25-lbs), and were taking both lures and baits. The darker colors continue to rule, but I still think that's just because most of the fishing is happening in the morning. I suspect that a hungry longfin would eat your wallet if you trolled it. There were also a lot of nice yellowtail under paddies in the region.

The hot spot appeared to be 2 to 3 miles south of the 295 itself, although the fish did not seem to be following any particular current or temperature break. Most boats were able to make the run down to arrive at grey light and be headed home by noon. It's still an awfully long run. though, so make sure you realize what you're getting into before you get into it. Some numbers to consider: 31.36/117.26; 31.34/117.17;31.28/117.26; 31.33/117.20.

As much as I hate to admit it, there's still been no real quantity of reports of marlin sightings, although one was seen on the 295 and another off Oceanside. Swordfish sightings are a little more plentiful, but just barely. This week's oddity award goes to Ocean Beach in San Diego, where a bunch of giant (~2ft) squid washed up on the beach. Another El Niño oddity?

I'll be back later with the international report, but I wanted to get this up for those of you planning your weekend getaway.

In year's past, I've limited the number of reports on the news page to about a month's worth, deleting those older than that to allow the page to load quicker. However, some of you have shown an interest in seeing the older reports, and since you're paying for them, I'm listening! At the bottom of the news page you'll see a link to the new News Archive page, which will include all of the older news reports. After a while, it'll get pretty big and slow, but it will load - eventually!

July 14

"Our top story tonight ... Tuna 1, Marlin 0. Thank you, and have a pleasant tomorrow ... "

OK, so maybe you're not a classic Saturday Night Live fan. But tuna do remain available - if you're willing to make the long run, while the elusive billfish remain, well ... elusive!

The albacore fishing can be described in three words - up, out, and down. The longfin are biting, but you need to run up to Morro Bay, out to the Cortes Bank or down to the 295 to get them. Best fishing was about 5 miles south of the 295 - easy to find by the hundreds (literally) of boats working there Saturday. The fish were of a smaller grade - 8 to 15 lbs - but were consistently hitting lures and leading to early limits. Hot colors were the black and purple, and black and green. Makes sense, since those are traditionally morning colors, and most boats had loaded up and headed for home by mid morning. There are bluefin tuna crashing there as well, but I've heard of no one catching them. The real problem is that the fishing spot is 80 miles south of Point Loma, and that's right at the ragged edge of a lot of folks' fuel range. There were multiple cases of boats running dry on the way home, and a lot of folks had to make a pit stop at Marina Coral. Among the many numbers that worked: 31.27/117.25; 31.30/117.27; 31.31/117.29; 31.32/117.26. One of those finding success was CWF's Dara Fry who, fishing with MNAC member Greg Stotesbury on KAWAKAWA found a nice batch of fish. You can read about it here.

If you didn't want to run that far, or are just claustrophobic about fishing in fleets, there were some reports of nicer fish being taken on the Airplane and 60 Mile Banks. While not producing the large numbers (perhaps due to less fishing pressure), the fish were much larger - ranging from 25 to 30 pounds. No matter where you fished on Saturday, you had a sloppy ride back home. The weather was nicer on Sunday.

Most of the other spots that have been seeing action lately have dried up. The reports we got from the 390, 425, 371 and 43, among others, indicate that the northern spots just aren't holding fish. One interesting theory is that there is a "plug" of warmer water that is forcing the cold-loving tuna offshore outside the Cortes Bank. We have gotten some reports that there are fish out there, but it's mostly rumor at this time. To the north, Morro Bay continues to produce for those willing to make the drive.

Very little to say on the billfish front. Still the occasional sighting (or "sighting" *smile*), but it's still a little early. If nothing else, it gives me more time to work on the chapters for the Marlin Tutorial. Since the tutorial is turning out to be a bigger job than I thought (gee, big surprise!), I'll be posting chapters as I complete them. Once they're up, feel free to critique them for me - after all, the goal is to get it right!

Everyone who has access to these news reports are MNAC members, and I consider you to be the most active of our site's visitors. Hopefully, you've had a chance to check out the rest of the site and the many changes made during our upgrade. One favor I'd like to ask of you - when you get a chance, swing over and sign the Guest Log. New visitors to a site often go to the guestbook first to see the comments left by others, and use that as a way to quickly evaluate the site. Our old Log had over 300 entries, but we lost that when we upgraded. So, it would help if there were some comments (hopefully complementary) for our new visitors to see. I thank you in advance.

July 11

There's a band of tropical moisture running through SoCal right now that makes it feel a lot more like Cabo. Too bad the fishing's not the same - more on that later.

Well, it's official - NOAA has declared we're having another El Niño event. Not as strong as those in the past (so they say), but we'll see. It will be interesting to see the effect, since for every region like SoCal that gets better fishing, there's places like South America that get drought. The new poll on the front page is asking what you think about the situation, so be sure to chime in.

OK, on to the fishing. We've had some really nice weather this week, which is a good thing because the albacore are a long ways away, and getting farther. In the last few weeks, we've seen fish taken from the Airplane, 60 Mile and Butterfly Banks (among others). This week - nada! We got reports from the 43 all the way down to the and they all said the same basic thing - weather is beautiful, wish fish were here. That's amazing, since the smooth seas let small boaters check out a lot of spots they've been unable to reach lately. The one real exception has been the 295, where anglers yesterday found a small but concentrated batch of fish. One other area showing activity was just east of the twin 220's, where some nice bluefin tuna were in the mix. The problem is that both of these spots are a long way from San Diego - something on the order of 80 miles - and you can get in a lot of trouble on a run like that. Even starting from Ensenada leaves a long run offshore. If you're going to give it a try, be sure to go as a group of boats. Just to make your trouble worthwhile, plug this into the GPS: 31.28/117.25.

This continues to be a perplexing year for fishing in Mexico. In Cabo, there are at least some striped marlin being caught, most out at the San Jaime Bank, and a few blue marlin have been taken east of the Gordo Banks. There's been some small yellowfin tuna taken, along with a few dorado and wahoo. But they're not seeing the quantity or variety they would expect by now. Admittedly, the damage done by commercial fishing has caused part of this, but even after that it's an off year. Part of the problem has been the water temperature, which is lower than usual.

Fishing has been better at the East Cape, although they are plagued by the unusual variations in water temperature as well. Hot spot of late for striped marlin has been the 88 and just to the east of it. One boat recently released 10 stripes there, so it can't be too bad! Dorado have been relatively plentiful, and there's been a scattering of yellowfin and wahoo as well.

Congratulations to the team of Lou Debottari, Leonard Scherer and Calvin Weddle who won the Crouch/Roberts No-Kill event at Rancho Buena Vesta recently. The winning team released 6 striped marlin and one blue. As we head deeper into tourney season, look here for your event coverage. Got a tournament that's not on our schedule? Let us know!

So how many of you have read the latest issue of the Western Outdoor News? If you have, then you've probably seen the picture on page 50 of what they are trying to pass off as "conservation." Under the heading "Marlin Will Live To Fight Another Day", two "sportsmen" are holding up a large striped marlin in the cockpit of their boat, presumably for no reason other than pictures. While they claim it was "released in very good shape", most of us know better. If you don't, or if you think the idea of "catch-photograph-release" is anything other than a self-serving ego stroke at the expense of the fish, then you need to stop right now and read this article. WON has always been the voice of the meat fisherman, but in recent times they've shown they can support reasonable conservation measures as well. This is a misstep, however - be sure to let them know.

July 8

Long time readers of these reports know that there are two things that make me whine faster than the others - no local exotics, and the failure of people to use our Trip Reporter. Well, no whining in this report - the first "local" swordfish was taken today, and we broke the news at the Trip Reporter. I say "local", because while the fish was weighed in at Newport, it was actually taken 80 miles south of there. The crew of BONGOS II were working the tuna grounds in search of limits of albacore when they stumbled across a swordfish. Fortunately, they had the gear, the bait and the luck, and were able to hook it. An hour and twenty minutes the fish was on board, and on its way to the Balboa Angling Club, where it weighed in at a respectable 241lbs. Congrats to all involved, especially Dara for the tip, and look for pics in La Galeria in the next day or so.

This should reinforce for us all the importance of being prepared, because you never know where the fish will be. Another case in point is a mystery fish submitted to the Trip Reporter. It appears to be some of kind of tuna, perhaps a bluefin, which would be odd considering it is loitering off the Malibu Pier! Check it out for yourself and see if you agree.

In all the excitement of the first local billfish, it's easy to forget that there is still albacore fishing going on. Normally, you'd expect a long holiday weekend to produce some pretty spectacular numbers. While some fish were caught, lumpy seas and a general lack of fish concentration resulted in some pretty mediocre results. A lot of private boaters were able to head out over the weekend, so many places were fished. Probably the most success was found around the 60 Mile Bank, with lesser results at the Airplane Bank, 371, 390 and 421. Because the water is warming, we are starting to see more yellowfin tuna in the mix and several banks, particularly the Airplane, continue to hold yellowtail under the paddies. Some numbers to ponder: 320../117.50; 31.54/117/08; 32.08/117.45. We also noticed that there are albacore beginning to show up in the Morro Bay fish counts, which often signals the beginning of the end for our local longfin season. We'll have to see ...

Closer to home, there was a report of dorado being seen under paddies off of Orange County. The only solid report we got was of 3 or 4 caught on small mackerel under a kelp paddy 8 miles outside of Oceanside. Several boats checked the 267 and 209 in the hopes of repeating the feat and, while they reported a lot of bird and bait activity, there were no dorado to report. Some nice thresher fishing was found off the San Onofre powerplant, however. Our SST charts have been occluded by clouds often lately (common this time of year), but it is clear the water is warming. Whether it will warm to El Niño proportions or not remains to be seen

Recently it was pointed out to me that even though the MNAC member numbers continue to grow (24 at the time of this writing), the Buddy Board is not getting a lot of action. I pointed out that our main boards have a lot more registered users (over 600) and don't get that much action either, but it is a valid point. After all, one would assume that MNAC members represent the most active of our visitors, and would, therefore, be more likely to use the features. So if anyone has any ideas for improving usage of the Buddy Board, or any other improvements for the members section, be sure to let me know!

July 4

Gone Fishing ... :-)

All Americans should take time today, even more so than in other years, to remember those people who have sacrificed so much to protect our way of life. Whether a soldier in a field far away, a fireman racing up the stairs of a burning World Trade Center tower, or a civilian unwilling to let madmen fly the plane he was on into the White House, this has been a year for heroes. They were always brave, of course, and worthy of our admiration. But it took a shock of epic magnitute to shake us from our collective slumber so we can see them for the heroes they are. May we never forget, nor ever again take for granted all that makes this country great.

Many of our visitors live outside of America and, while this is not your holiday, you still have reason to celebrate. America - and Americans - are not perfect - far from it. But, for all our mistakes, our ignorance, our jingoism, the ideals that this country stands for are important to far more than just Americans. In so many countries around the world, people are denied many of the rights and privileges that we take for granted. Many look to America as an example of how things could be, even if sometimes they aren't that way here either. Those ideals bring hope to a lot of people in a lot of places and, as they say, "hope is a good thing - maybe the best." So keep us on our toes and hold us accountable to those ideals we profess - but join us in the celebration of a nation, and a world, that will only get better.

July 1

Alas poor Boccacio ... I knew him, Chilipepper ...

OK, so rockfish are hardly an offshore species, and this is certainly not the place for Shakespeare. However, I did want to take a moment to note that today is the first day of a new ban on the taking of deepwater rockfish in our part of the world. I certainly support conservation when it is backed by science, and lord knows enough damage was done to these species by the destructive trawling of the past few decades. But I cut my teeth on rockcod fishing, and have many fond (and some not so fond) memories of grinding gangions of cowcod up from the deep. Here's hoping that science and fishing can find common ground and allow us to enjoy these tasty critters again some day.

Isn't it great how the fishing picks up as soon as the weather gets nicer? Too bad it wasn't that way this weekend. Sure, the weather was nice, and there were fish to be had, but not in the kind of numbers those who had waited for smooth waters had hoped for. Most of the action occurred around the 390. Notice I don't say where around the 390 - because it didn't matter. Go to the 390, troll in any direction, and you'd find albacore. We got reports of success from south, east, west, and southwest of the bank. There were several large fleets of boats working the area, with the largest between the 390 and the 213. This area has been remarkably stable in the last few weeks, with the water temperature hovering right between 61 and 62 degrees. As a result, the fish are scattered over a pretty wide area. Private boaters found success with both bait and lure, with the darker colored jets and Rapalas seeming to be somewhat better than their lighter counterparts. Expect that to change soon. From the reports I saw, it was a predominately morning bite, but that could be deceptive, since once guys have their limits or the weather snots up they go home. Some widely scattered numbers to plug into your driving machine: 32.15/117.45; 32.04/117.55; 31.50/117.56; 32.02/117.55; 32.05/117.56. There were reports of seiners working the edge of the Airplane Bank where albacore had been reported earlier; I suspect, however, that they were looking to make cat food out of the corn-fed bonito that had been seen in the area rather than the much harder to net albacore.

No new marlin or bluefin tuna reports this week (damn), nor any followup on the reports of tuna outside the Channel Islands (although several boats made the run). There was a report that at least one swordfish was harpooned last week and several others seen, so make sure you have that squid popsicle ready to go!

On the site update side of things, it looks like we've rung out the last of the bugs. You don't realize what a pain in the a$$ it is to rebuild a site this large until you give it a try. I'm pretty happy with the results, though. We have several new features for you to look for in the next few weeks. For the members, we'll be rolling out our new and improved Chat House, which will allow us to set up times for a bunch of us to get together and swap stories. It was a popular feature in our site a long time ago, and it will be fun to have it back again. We're also going to add a photo posting feature for the general population. This will be something similar to the "Moment of Fame" site and will allow those without a place to store their photos to upload them to the site for viewing by all. It's in the development stage, so it's still a ways off.

I was trolling another site's bulletin board the other day when I came across a post (obviously from a novice) asking when the tuna would arrive off Palos Verdes, as he really wanted to catch one. The first reply stated that the only species of tuna he knew of in PV were the "long-legged variety", and was quickly followed by a second reply advising that they were also known as "bikini perch", and that the best lure seemed to be a Folding Benjamin in the "money green" color. He also advised that the tuna in PV seemed to require larger baits. It was all I could do to keep from falling off my chair.

See you Thursday with the international report ...

June 27

Albacore continue to be the name of the local game, although lumpy midweek weather and a general scattering of the schools made the fish a little tougher to find for all but the most adventurous.

For the last few weeks, the head of the 1010 Trench has been a magnet for both the tuna and the anglers who love them. During the last few days, however, the water temperature has risen there significantly, resulting in a flight by the albacore in search of their preferred cooler water. This should be no real surprise, though, since the trench is essentially a freeway for the warm water, and the head an offramp. The lack of a defined location, along with less than optimal water conditions (a persistent lump) scattered much of the fleet. As a result, several new areas produced fish and might continue to do so this weekend, when the weather is predicted to be pleasant.

Two areas turned out decent numbers of albacore for midweek anglers. Some of those anglers who ran to the 390 only to be disappointed by the lack of fish continued along that heading and found success inside the Airplane Bank, where the water was colder. Some numbers to chew on: 31.54/117.46. Others used the nasty weather to check out areas closer to the landings that has been overlooked in the rush south. One such area was the Butterfly Bank, where a large fleet found albacore waiting along its eastern edge. Among the numbers we heard for this region were: 32.13/117.55; 32.20/118.02; 32.28/118.00; 32.27/117.54.

Further north, several boats working along the San Clemente Ridge ran across the albacore as the fish made their way north. The 43 was reported to be holding fish, and we received reports of boats finding albacore south of the bank (32.28/118.00) and west of the island (32.50/118.47). It sounds like the fish are on the move, and there was even one report of a commercial boat finding them 10 miles outside of Santa Cruz Island. Next stop: Morro Bay.

We like exotics here at SCMO, so we were happy to get a pair of reports about bluefin tuna that might be moving into the area. One report indicated that there were some 60-lb bluefin mixed in with the dolphin on the 43. I think I'll need a confirmation on that one, but one you can believe came from several commercial boats that found much larger schools of bluefin tuna further south. Admittedly, it was 300 miles further south, but at least they're headed the right way!

I'm still hammering out the method I want to use for this madness we call the Fishing News. In keeping with a more global perspective, I'm thinking that the Monday update will concentrate primarily on the local action of the past weekend, with a sprinkling of reports from abroad. The Thursday update, on the other hand, will focus on the global fishing scene and hotspots of the moment, which a little local preview thrown in. At least that's how I see it - if you see it differently, let me know!

This won't come as a surprise to many of you, but I admit it - I'm a marlin guy. I've been fortunate enough to spend the 25 years plying the local (and sometimes not so local) waters in search of striped marlin. I enjoy being on the water for any reason, but after catching marlin, the thrill's just not the same for the othe species. I guess I've become spoiled. The point? Oh, yeah - there is a point to this. Right now, there's no marlin to speak of, so sometimes it's tough for me to bear down and crank up the ol' Fishing News. That won't be a problem in another month or so, but right now it's a chore. But I remember that we are, after all, the Offshore Angler's Online Home, not just the Marlin Angler's, and I throw myself into the task - even if the Thursday news doesn't get posted until Friday ... :-)

June 24

Marlin!

Got your attention? Good!

Yeah, I know there's tuna out there, and we'll get to that in a minute. But we've received three reports of striped marlin sightings in local water in the last few days. Fish were seen off the east end of Catalina, the Mackerel Bank, and Pyramid Head at San Clemente Island. Of course, at this time of the year, everyone's a little trigger-happy, so you gotta figure some of the "marlin" seen are probably something else. But as the days pass, and the water warms, the sightings should increase. Anyone want to guess when and where the first fish will be taken?

OK, now for the albacore. Seriously, is there anyone who hasn't filled their freezer yet? You can't head south out of San Diego without tripping over them, and they're heading north. The usual suspects are still holding fish, including the 213, 390 and of course the 1010 Trench. More important, there are decent numbers of albacore being taken further north along the San Clemente Island ridge. Boats from the north are starting at Pyramid Head and running down the ridge until they find the fish. Usually, its south of the 43, but some are being found north of there. The water seems to be staying below 64, with most of the fish found in 62-63 degree water. It's going to warm soon, though, and that should chase out the albies. There are some monster yellowtail to be found under some of the paddies – up to 40 pound! I'm surprised that we're not hearing anything about the warmer water species, but I guess that will come. For now, plug the boat with albacore and fire up the canner!

Down Cabo way, things are looking better, but then, warm water does that! The weather has been nicer and the water is warming, and the summer species are beginning to make an appearance. The San Jaime bank has warmed up to nearly 74 degrees, and the marlin are following the warmth. Also, dorado and yellowfin tuna are beginning to appear. At the East Cape, it's a mixed bag, with good catches of striped marlin and dorado with the occasional blue marlin thrown in.

About half of the information I get for these reports come from other fishing web sites. Most are small sites for charter operators or general information posting boards. For the most part, the sites all get along, since most of us understand there's room enough for all (although I was famously run off from AllCoast a couple of years ago). So it came as something of a disappointment to see the following posted over at JD's Big Game Tackle ...

"There so many new (back-door garage type) web sites showing up  now it's hard for a honest retail store to make a business anymore, many of these make believe sites/web stores are selling stolen goods or "hot" items, bad karma if you buy from them!"

You can tell from the grammer that it's really from him. Now, I know and support a lot of people running online stores, and not one of them would pull the kind of stunts he refers to. In fact, it would seem to me that anyone who can charge $200 for what is essentially a $30 lure with $10 of electronics should think twice about accusing anyone else of robbery. As an online merchant of sorts, I support my electronic brethen ... so should you. Check them out in our Links Locker.

June 20

I hate to sound like I'm repeating myself, but (quickly copying from below) .... "Whether from Newport, San Diego or Ensenada, the destination of choice continues to be the 1010 Trench." It may be that midweek anglers are less likely to take a risk, or everyone realized, "hey, I can get a limit there - why look elsewhere?"

As before, anglers found that they often found fish prior to reaching the destination, with many boats limiting out early in the morning. One region that seems to be more popular than most is just east of the 390. Some numbers: 32.07/117.41; 32.12/117.37. Of interest were some reports of albacore taken at the mouth of the canyon leading up to San Clemente Island. Rocky Rafkin indicated in a trip report that there were albacore there Monday and Tuesday, and another report put the fish at 32.27/117.57, which is just south of the 43.

Rocky also mentioned that they saw a jumper 8 miles south of Pyramid Head, and that there was lots of breezing bait in the region. This is the second marlin report we've gotten in the last week - maybe it's time to start looking for that first striped marlin of the season!

Fishing continues to be frustrating in Cabo San Lucas. The weather has been unseasonably unpredictable, and most anglers have been heading towards the Cortez side in search of marlin. However, there has been decent striped marlin fishing on the San Jaime Bank for those willing to take the beating, and a 300-lb stripe was taken Tuesday off Punta Gorda - it may be a regional record. Despite the looming El Niño, water temperatures are cool, and the yellowfin tuna and wahoo remain scarce. Around the corner to the East Cape, the water is warmer (82 degrees), and there is a nice mix of striped marlin and sailfish, although still no bonanza. I've got some friends headed to Cozumel next week to do a little sailfishing, so we'll have a report from there; if you or your amigos get any international action, let us know so we can include it here!

Well, we're two weeks back into the Fishing News business, and I feel like I'm reaching my stride. Who knows, maybe I'll even start being funny again ... :-) A lot of the places I get the raw data for these reports are public sources, and as time goes by my list gets larger. If you see a website for a charter boat or other fishing establishment that has a decent fishing report, email me the link and I'll add it to the list.

June 17

For the local offshore angler, the target species continues to be albacore. Rough weekend weather kept many boats in port, but those big enough or brave enough to challenge the ocean were rewarded with limits of tuna. Whether from Newport, San Diego or Ensenada, the destination of choice continues to be the 1010 Trench. Many boats found success there, but even more discovered that the wide dispersion of fish meant full sacks before the spot could be reached. In addition to the northern end of the trench, other areas producing included the 390, 371 and Twin 220s, Some numbers: 31.42/117.40; 32.10/117.37; 32.04/117.36; and 31.41/117.42.

The schools tend to be exclusively albacore, although there are some amazingly large (~15lb) bonito mixed in. The albacore are running from 10 to 20 pounds, with some larger fish up to 30 lbs reported. Most of the action is coming on jig stops, with some bait fish taken as well. Hot colors include cedar plugs and black and purple jets. Be sure to check the paddies as you go by, as there are reports that some are holding large numbers of big yellowtail.

To the south, it continues to be a frustrating fishing year for Los Cabos. The fishing has been less than stellar, and the weather a little nastier than normal. There has been no significant tuna fishing at all (hmm ... think this might be related to all those longlines), and there is no indication that this will change. However, striped marlin fishing, particularly in the East Cape region, is some of the best in years. There is a lot of dorado being caught, and the first blue and black marlin of the season have been taken. If nothing else, you know the weather will always be beautiful!

It's pretty clear that we've entered into a new El Niño cycle, as Southern California beaches continue to be blanketed with the pelagic red crabs that only appear at this time (has anyone tried boiling up a pot of these crustaceans? If so, let me know). All of our reporters from CSL south have seen changes in the water and fishing that only come with this global phenomenon. To keep you up on the latest, we'll be adding an El Niño Information Center to the site; look for it in the next week or so.

June 13

This is absolutely the best part of the local offshore year. What, you say? How can it be the best when they're barely catching fish? Actually, that's part of what makes it so great. The first tuna of the year are just being caught, but we don't know how good the season will be. That leads to anticipation, and that's what makes it the best.

Private boaters from San Diego (and partyboats from further north) have begun to catch decent numbers of albacore. The weather has been a bit unpredictable, keeping the less adventurous in port, but the rest have found success just south of the Mexican border. The primary destination has been the 1010 trench, but a lot of people have been finding the fish before they get there, particularly if they are running from Ensenada. Among the spots that have been producing are the 371, 390, 213 and twin 220's. Some numbers: 31.47/117.42, 31.57/117.40, 32.12/117.44, 31.56/117.55, and 31.55/117.36. North of the border, the 181 and 43 have been holding a mixture of albacore and yellowtail, particularly under the paddies. Late reports indicate that they may have dried up, however.

We have an honest-to-God local marlin report! Usually, when someone claims to have seen a marlin this early in the season, it'll turn out to have been a jumping mako shark, broaching whale or overzealous mola mola. However, we received a report of a striped marlin spotted jumping south of the 181. It jumped long enough for a positive ID, but showed no interest in a presented bait. While on the topic of unusual sightings, we've gotten two reports of killer whale pods working the inshore waters, one off Newport and another off Laguna Beach. Presumably, these are the same pod. Not sure what bait you'll want to try for those!

The weather has been especially nasty in Cabo San Lucas, making the always lumpy Pacific side even worse than normal. Some striped marlin and yellowfin tuna are being taken, but it's scratchy. Several boats have been making the run to San Jose Del Cabo and further west towards the warm water of the East Cape. At least one was rewarded with a 500-lb+ blue marlin.

Each year as I start writing the Fishing News anew, I check with the various sources for the first time since the previous season. This year, I was surprised to see the number of web sites that died during the offseason. FishSpotters ... Johnnyfish ... SpotterPlane ... SoCal Offshore ... the list is long. Continuity can be difficult to achieve in the dot.com world, and with seven years under our belt, we've certainly beaten the odds, in no small part thanks to the support of you. On behalf of the staff, I thank you for that support.

June 10

"I'm back in the saddle again ... "

OK, maybe a bit melodramatic. But we are back in the news business here at SCMO. For those of you who might be new, we used to have a twice-weekly news digest, and it was quite popular. But it caused problems, too, and we decided to discontinue it. Popular opinion being what it is, however, we heard about it from a lot of different sources. Not the least was a column late last year by Rich Holland in the Western Outdoor News. While generally praising the site, he mentioned that we had "abandoned" the Fishing News. That's exactly how I felt, too, so I'm happy to be able to bring back the News as the centerpiece of the new MarlinNut Angling Club. Our first report will be Thursday night, and will be posted every Monday and Thursday from there out, with updates if the situation warrants.

You can be a part of the News by posting a trip report every time you go out, whether you are successful or not. We'll add them to the many information sources we use to make this the best fishing news available anywhere.

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Note: These reports are copyright © 2002 by Southern California Marlin Online. They can be reproduced elsewhere provided they are not edited and credit is given to SCMO as the source.