Fishing Notebook / Dan Stanton : Halibut Counts on the Rise at Redondo and Marina del Rey

Rain may be falling but rain-coated fishermen and whale watchers are still at work.

Halibut counts continued to increase.

At Redondo Sportfishing, Bill Welsh reports that 178 have been caught on the half-day and three-quarter-day boats at the Torrance beach area, with the average weight 10 to 25 points.

At Marina del Rey the catch in the bay for halibut was 161 reeled in over four days. This indicates some records could be set in the next month’s halibut derbies.

At L. A. Harbor Sportfishing, big white sea bass have been caught on the outer limits.

South Bay Catches: Mike Toya of Long Beach, using live squid at the west end of Catalina aboard the Outerlimits, caught the whopper of the week, a 52-pound white sea bass.

Mat Ocampo of San Pedro, fishing with live squid aboard the Toronado at Cherry Bank, landed a 24-pound lingcod.

Nancy Sheards of Redondo Beach, aboard the Blackjack at Cherry Bank, brought to gaff a 19 1/2-pound cow cod.

James Sheptel of West Los Angeles, aboard the Spitfire and drifting for halibut at Short Bank, caught a 16-pounder on cut squid.

Stuart Fujinami, on the Sea Spray, hooked three halibut and landed one that weighed 14-pounds.

Freshwater Notes: Fishing at Santa Ana Lake, Mike Klass of Long Beach caught an 8-pound tagged trout that won him a lake derby prize.

Don Bickel of Carson, fishing Santa Ana Lake, caught a 9 1/2-pound white sturgeon using a night crawler.

Fish Reports: Boats seeking sea bass have been fishing the Deep Hole and Catalina with good catches.

Halibut fishing continues to be the best local action.

When weather permits, the outer island boats continue to catch big cow cod and limits of reds.

At Marina del Rey Sportfishing, the Happy Man drifting in the bay, chalked up 27 halibut, 10 sand bass, 12 bonito plus one stray legal barracuda.

The Spitfire had a day of dozens: 12 halibut, 12 sand bass, 12 bonito and 12 sculpin.

The Betty O rock cod special caught 210 and 5 bonito to 7 pounds.

At Redondo Sportfishing: the Sea Spray, on the morning run to Torrance Beach, reeled in 25 halibut and 20 bonito to 8 pounds.

On the Sharpshooter, 28 halibut and 16 sand bass rewarded the anglers fishing Short Bank.

The Blackjack fished Cherry Bank and had a limit of 370 rock cod and 5 cows that averaged 11 to 18 pounds.

At the 22nd Street Landing in San Pedro, the Freedom, fishing the Deep Hole, returned with 65 sand bass, 6 calico bass, 5 whitefish, 5 sheepshead and 5 white sea bass.

At L. A. Harbor Sportfishing, the Matt Walsh, fishing for shallow rock cod on a morning half-day trip, returned with 105 rock cod, 32 sculpin, 6 bonito and 6 whitefish.

The Outerlimits fished the west end of Catalina with live squid and caught 35 white sea bass with more lost to broken tackle. Two sheepshead and 3 halibut round out the catch.

At Long Beach Sportfishing, the Aztec fished Cherry Bank and had a limit for anglers with 301 going into the sacks with 5 cows and 3 lings.

The El Dorado fished Cherry Bank and returned with 365 rock cod plus 6 cows.