Long Beach Press-Telegram
Sportfishermen be advised that some heavy stuff is around the corner with the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA). If we in the sportfishing community don't get involved it looks like we will be paying the bill for the implementation.
If it's not done correctly the whole bill will land in our laps through further cost with our fishing licenses.
We anglers must take action to assure that the implementation is not done in a manner which unnecessarily blocks off fishing access and opportunities while costing the state as well as the sportfishing and boating communities millions of dollars each year.
Today, the Department of Fish and Game Commission will be meeting to discuss funding.
Readers, it is important that they hear from you.
Contact the Fish and Game and say, "The Sportfishing Community insists that adequate funding exists for scientific monitoring and enforcement safeguards in the newly created protected areas."
Better yet, visit
www.keepamericafishing.org and send them an email.
Fishing for white sea bass is gaining momentum as the pick on live squid is very sporadic. Some nights the squid will float within range of the anglers Crowder nets and the next night the seals are relentless in scattering them away from the lights.
Yes, it's true that most of the angler community swears by live squid for the ultimate candy bait but I don't think any self-respecting sea bass would passup a live mackerel or even a hot sardine that swam in front of him unless the bait is swimming through a bunch of squid.
What counts is what baitfish is currently swimming in the vicinity and what the sea bass are chasing at the moment.
The tremendous schools of spawning squid that show-up on the backside of Catalina and along our local coastal waters attract the sea bass like bees to honey.
It is rare for a sea bass to pick off a mackerel in the middle of a school of squid conversely; it's rare that a silver giant would mess with a lone squid in the middle of a school of sardines.
The whole point is that white sea bass can be caught with many other methods if the squid are not around. Yellowtail are also big squid eaters but they are a little touchy in that they prefer live swimming squid baits over dead while many times white sea bass are caught with fresh dead baits, turning their nose up to live squid.
Don Ashley at Pierpoint Landing reports that the Lightboat Long Beach Carnage is making squid daily and will be on the spot with squid for sale outside Avalon to the East End. Call them at VHF Channel 11.
The Long Beach Breakwater is a great area for slow trolling sardines and small mackerel as usually there are no squid around the vicinity.
The technique that I deploy is to tie a 4-ounce sinker to the front loop of a 4-6-ounce pyramid sinker and three feet of 40-pound test leader tied to the back loop of the sinker with a 6/0-7/0 hook on the end of the leader.
Nose hook a sardine and slowly troll down the edge of rocks 10 feet down or so, bumping the heavy sinker across the rocks. Troll with the reel in gear because when an ample sized sea bass grabs that sardine he will hook himself. Do not give in to the fish.
Hammer the reel drag as far as you can when the sea bass grabs that bait he will not let go until he feels the hook then it's to late for him to escape. As you pull quickly on the fish turn the boat away from the rocks and accelerate.
I know that initially the tendency is to allow the fish to run with the bait, but don't, a 20-pound sea bass or bigger does not miss getting hooked.
Sure, you miss many strikes but most of them are smaller calico bass or other smaller fish. What's really nice is that all the hook-ups end up with the sea bass running away from the rocks to open deeper water where it's much easier to fight them.
Saltwater Freshwater
Irvine Lake Pro Marlon Meade noted crappie fisherman has been concentrating on the Irvine lake crappie attack lately and states that night fishing for the .75- to 1-pound range fish is wide open. The crappie are suspended 10-feet deep over the brush piles.
This weekend Irvine Lake will conduct the Masters Invitational Trout Tournament. Those anglers that qualified for the Masters will be competing Saturday for the largest fish.
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