Fishing Notes : Those Albacore Are Hiding but the Bluefin Tuna Are Beginning to Come Around

The best is yet to come. There’s a variety of fish to be caught.

With albacore failing to show, anglers are getting excited fishing Catalina with the chance that a bluefin tuna run could be in the offing.

All day boats fishing the island report in the last several days that the blues have been feeding but mostly refuse a baited hook.

The First String from 22nd Street Landing was the first boat to locate the blues, and had 11 hookups early Monday morning but landed only one.

On a 4-day albacore trip, the Pacifica covered a 140-mile area in search of the longfins, gave up the hunt and returned with a catch of more than 200 yellowtail.

If shark fishing is your bag, the second annual Venice Anglers shark derby will be held Saturday and Sunday.

Fishing will start at 12:01 a.m. Saturday and continues until weigh-in at 5 p.m. Sunday.

The King Harbor Marlin Club has something to crow about: its award-winning members:

--John Whitaker of Manhattan Beach has entered his 19-pound, 8-ounce halibut to the International Game Fish Assn. for a possible light-tackle record for halibut. He caught it on a 2-pound test line and a scrounger lure.

--First place and $720 in the club’s mako tournament went to Stan Ekulind of Gardena, who landed an 87-pound mako at Catalina Island on 30-pound test line.

After a 7-month rebuilding operation from the winter storms, the Redondo Sportfishing pier was reopened Tuesday. The ticket office, tackle shop and newly decorated cafe are fully operational.

All the boats now depart from the new ramp at the front section of the pier.

South Bay Catches: Phil Lattio of Long Beach, fishing aboard the Toronado at Catalina Island, had to battle 31 minutes to catch the whopper of the week. Lattio tossed an anchovy at a bluefin tuna. His line peeled and he had to follow his fish around the boat four times, going under other anglers’ lines and trying to keep the fish away from the anchor. When the fish surfaced, the gaff ended the fight--it was not a tuna, but a 36 1/2-pound mossback yellowtail.

Leroy Janulewicz of Harbor City, fishing at Catalina on the El Dorado using a yellow jig, caught a 22 3/4-pound white sea bass.

Jason Geeser of Gardena, fishing aboard the Sportking at the oil rigs, landed a 15-pound yellowtail.

Linda Rabb of Redondo Beach, fishing aboard the Redondo Special at Rocky Point, hooked three yellowtail and landed one that weighed 14 pounds.

Fish Reports: The oil rigs have started to provide lively action. Since last weekend, big bonito have moved in along with the barracuda.

The flats continue to have a wide open sand bass bite.

Marina del Rey Sportfishing: The Happyman on the morning half-day trip chalked up 225 sand bass and 1 halibut.

The Spitfire, fishing Santa Monica Bay, returned with 110 calico bass and 102 sand bass.

The Betty O rock cod special limited out on reds when 246 were brought up from shallow rocks.

Redondo Sportfishing: The Redondo Special, fishing Rocky Point, caught 157 sand bass, 6 sculpin and 2 halibut.

The Sea Spray morning trip to twin roads returned with 127 sand bass, 12 barracuda and 3 halibut.

The Blackjack fished Catalina with success: 108 calico bass, 18 sheeps head to 11 pounds and 5 barracuda.

The Sharpshooter’s trip to Rocky Point resulted in 301 sand bass and 11 barracuda.

22nd Street Landing: The First String fished Catalina and returned with 284 barracuda, 6 yellowtail and 1 bluefin tuna.

The Monte Carlo fished the rigs and 107 barracuda and 28 sand bass went into the sacks.

The Queen of the Sea on a twilight trip brought in 172 sand bass and 28 barracuda.

L.A. Harbor Sportfishing: The Sportking, fishing the oil rigs, returned with 349 barracuda, 10 bonito and 2 yellowtail with several lost or broken lines.

The Matt Walsh, on a half-day trip to horseshoe kelp, resulted in 144 barracuda and 3 bonito.

The Annie B barge counts continue to climb daily: 1,201 croaker, 900 herring, 6 sand bass, 3 sharks and 2 halibut went into the sacks.

Long Beach Sportfishing: The Victory anglers reeled in 288 barracuda, 93 sand bass and 1 halibut from the oil rigs.

The Toronado fished Catalina in the morning, then the flats in the afternoon and returned with 29 barracuda, 193 sand bass, 2 yellowtail and 1 halibut.

The Southern Cal afternoon trip resulted in a catch of 155 barracuda, 35 sand bass and 19 bonito.