WSB in NON LJ locations

[StinkyMatt]

I do know that WSB can be caught (with luck) in LJ. How about other places that you got a legal WSB. I would like to hear your story, I know for sure that WSB hang out at the islands but any Santa Monica, Palos Verdes, Newport areas to target?

I believe that many people say that March may be the time to start thinking about the ghosts and anything to take the pressure off LJ would be welcomed by the SD guys.

Read a very nice article the other day on this site about WSB. Wuestion, if there is ANY squid around at all will they HIT Finbait?


Thanks in advance for your knowledge, Matt

[T Bone]

The fish in my Avatar was caught on a mac.

NPH has a growout pen for hubbs and is loaded with short WSB.I Know of a few who have taken them(legals)in the harbor but no standouts just barely legal fish.

A friend of my brothers caught a 50 plus just past arch rock on a swimbait a few years ago.

SCI on the Islander could potentially produce some good WSB this year too.

[Fiskadoro]

Originally Posted by StinkyMatt

I do know that WSB can be caught (with luck) in LJ. How about other places that you got a legal WSB.

Locations I've caught them/ things I've caught them on per location

Todas Santos: Krocodile spoons
Pt. Ferman: TomCod, Plastics
Marinland, Sardines, Iron
Rocky Point, Squid, Iron, mackeral
Bluff Cove, Squid

MDR: Rapalas, Plastics, Anchovies, Squid, Iron, Krockdiles, Sardines, smelt
SMAR: Mackeral and Sardines
Topanga: Squid
Pepperdine: Squid, plastics
BKR: Squid, Mackeral, Iron
Rigs off Oxnard: Iron
Santa Cruz Island: Squid, Iron
Catalina Island: Squid, Iron, Plastics
San Clemente Island, Squid
Santa Barbara Island, Squid



The vast majority of my legal Seabass were single fish, caught while I was fishing alone or with friends, where we just were able to find them, and hook one.

I've caught them under barracuda, on the surface on plugs, right against the shore in six feet of water, and on bait to at least 150ft deep.

I will admit that I have had limit fishing days, and seen bites where you could hook them every cast, or where I got fish every time I went out for weeks at a time. If it's any help the single fish I usually found on finbait where the wide open limit style fishing has for me always been related to squid in one way or another.

That said I've caught them on all kinds of things. Plastics, krocodiles, Iron, rapalas on light tackle, dines, anchvies, smelt, live tomcod, spanish macks, greenbacks of all sizes even big horse mackerel up to 2+ pounds.

Probably the weirdest was my first. I was fishing with a friend out of San Pedro, and we were right off the point Fermin marker buoy maybe in like 1989. I dropped down a diamond jig and was actually trying to jig up a Seabass as I had read in some vintage 50s or 60s So.Cal. fishing Book "Hookup?" that Seabass were sometimes caught in that area. I did not know shit about fishing here at the time, and was just putzin around yo yo'n the diamond jig based on what I had read, fishing my rockfish rig, a old six foot Conolon rod I found at a garage sale for ten bucks with a 4/0 and fifty Dacron with a leader.

I bounced around that diamond jig, but all I could catch were Tom Cod one right after another. I'd just hooked one when my rod doubled over and something took about ten feet of drag before coming off, and when I pulled it up the tomcod looked scraped on the sides with fine teeth like a coarse wire brush.

I figured it got halibut bit, so the next Tomcod I pulled up I hooked through the nose and dropped down to the bottom with a six ounce sinker. The next thing I knew the rod doubled over again it held and little while later I brought up my first seabass that now I'd guess at somewhere between 18 and 25 pounds.

Sometimes it's better to be lucky then good.

Lots' of places you can catch them, it's just a matter of putting in the time on the water. To be honest I'd say a lot of Seabass fishing is just being at the right place at the right time and putting something edible in front of their nose.

Jim

[sdfisher]

To be honest I'd say a lot of Seabass fishing is just being at the right place at the right time and putting something edible in front of their nose.

Jim[/QUOTE]

sounds like all fishing for me

[Ohana]

Trolling rapalas/yo-zuris and live bait (mackerels) close to shore from Crystal Cove to Dana Point has worked well for me. That area has a lot of shallow points right next to deep dropoffs and kelp forest that the WSB hangout in. Just note that Laguna Beach MLPA (if it is implemented) is planning to close off most of that area, so fish it soon, and also it is an area with a lot of T-sharks, so you may end up hooking a T-shark rather then a WSB.

Kevin

[Gino]

White Seabass like kelp. Deepwater kelp it seems they preffer. March - June usually is the best time to catch them as the fish come up from deep water to spawn on the kelp beds.

WSB fishing is just knowing the conditions and there behavior. just like fishing for any other fish species. conditions vary by location.

There some folks here who have conditions dialed in so well, they can go fishing for them, and catch them consistantly. Those same folks put alot of time to have figured it out.

Though the legal limit in offseason times is 3 fish, Its always good to encourage modest take. White Seabass were almost whiped out by gillnet/trawl comerical fishing many years ago, and with reaserch, breeding and planting techniques they have made a huge comback, so much so that you have years like last one.

[kayakhunter]

You can also sometimes get them good 450mi north of La Jolla.

[fishsouthcounty]

Originally Posted by kayakhunter

You can also sometimes get them good 450mi north of La Jolla.

Monterey Bay gets a great WSB season along the inshore waters across the whole bay. Definitely deep water seabass fishing as many of the fish come up with the swim bladders exposed. Lived up there from aug07-last july and never got a chance to go at them...now that i have the kayak i am gonna definitely drag it up there and give it a go.

[mtnbykr2]

that looks like the bridge...? S/F ?

[fishsouthcounty]

nah....SF is probably closer to 600 miles from La Jolla.

Probably somewhere around SLO-monterey

[Gino]

Originally Posted by fishsouthcounty

Monterey Bay gets a great WSB season along the inshore waters across the whole bay. Definitely deep water seabass fishing as many of the fish come up with the swim bladders exposed. Lived up there from aug07-last july and never got a chance to go at them...now that i have the kayak i am gonna definitely drag it up there and give it a go.

There season is later than ours if i remember right, the water gets warmer up there later in the year. There spawn cycle hits in july. when in most years our area starts to spawn in may.

Anyone know how big they get up in the San Francisco area?

[THE DARKHORSE]

Because one thing's for sure---there's no White Sea Bass in La Jolla!

[fishsouthcounty]

ya from what i recall living up there it typically was really good august into early october and maybe even november...drop in at del monte beach, less than a mile paddle and your on the grounds. straight down with fresh dead or frozen and your on your way from what i hear. Monterey area has the "indian summer" so prime months for sunshine and warmer weather are definitely late august into october.