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Yellowtail show off La Jolla, Big tuna south
Spiny lobster doing well
(left): A 290-pound bluefin tuna caught on December 5 by angler John Collins while fishing south aboard the Royal Polaris on their Phenix Rods sponsored 10-day trip.
(right): Angler, deckhand, and tube bait-maker Brandon Douglass Cross with a nice bug caught aboard the sportfishing vessel Patriot during a fishing/lobster combo trip running out of H&M Landing.
(right): Angler, deckhand, and tube bait-maker Brandon Douglass Cross with a nice bug caught aboard the sportfishing vessel Patriot during a fishing/lobster combo trip running out of H&M Landing.
Dock Totals 11/24 – 11/30: 1117 anglers aboard 49 half-day to 3-day trips out of San Diego landings over the past week caught 1 bonito, 5 calico bass, 1 lingcod, 5 rock crab, 1904 rockfish, 116 sand bass, 255 sculpin, 19 sheephead, 15 spiny lobster (39 released), 176 whitefish, and 38 yellowtail.
Saltwater: La Jolla has seen a bit of late season yellowtail action this past week, through the fish are holding deeper and not boiling on the surface the way they often do. Metering for schools and presenting jigs vertically has been the best method to catch these fish, though the further south one goes along the Baja coast, the more surface action for topwater jigs and fly-lined live bait can be found.
Since most local boats shifted to deep-water rockfish along the 9-Mile Bank, the yellows have been caught more by those fishing just outside the kelp beds, especially just outside the La Jolla Reserve. Due to the bite, there have been several private boats along with a few sportboats posted up between Boomers and the La Jolla Canyon in the flats from 80 to 100 feet deep or so.
The best odds for yellowfin or bluefin tuna have been on multi-day trips south to the lower half of the Baja Peninsula, where there are still large yellowfin and bluefin being caught with regularity. Reports from pangeros from Bahia Asuncion to Bahia de Magdalena are mostly yellowfin averaging 50 pounds or more, while the bluefin have been further offshore and running up to and over 200 pounds.
On the local scene, the low count of lobster does not quite accurately represent the actual season: many private boaters hoop-netting are getting limits in short order when in the right spots. The one tip I have seen working most consistently is the more bait in the hoop, the better the odds. Oily fish, such as tuna, mackerel, bonito, and sardine have been the most productive baits to attract the foraging bugs.
California spiny lobster range from the central California coast down into Mexico, with the largest concentrations off the central third of the Baja Pacific coast. Co-op commercial lobster fishermen working from San Quintin to La Bocana are having a good year so far, but getting fresh caught lobster where it is illegal to take recreationally can be tough. Most of their catch, as is the case for the California commercial operations north of the border, gets shipped to China.
While in Bahia Asuncion during the Covid outbreak, China had a temporary ban on imported lobster, and it was easier to find in the local tiendas, though the best way to score a few has always been to hit the launch spots and catch an incoming crew. The lobsters meant for China have to be in perfect shape, with no missing legs or antennae. Sheephead, with their powerful jaws and crushing teeth, will often nip at the lobsters in the commercial traps, or “pots.” When in Mexico during lobster season, if any lobsters have had parts nipped off, there is a chance you can buy them straight off the boat for 100 to 200 pesos apiece.
As I liked to paddle out and target sheephead during lobster season in Baja, I would look for the buoys marking the lobster pots and fish close to them with crab or shrimp for bait and do very well. The lobster co-op guys always appreciated that and would gift me some of those that were fine for cooking, but not sellable to China. I stumbled onto a great recipe when bored with plain steamed or fried lobster. Sheephead makes a great caldo, or soup, as the meat will fall apart in broth to a natural chowder consistency. By adding chunks of lobster, spices to taste, cilantro, red onion, a couple pats of real butter per quart, plus diced zucchini squash, I turned my sheephead chowder into more of a gourmet meal.
California spiny lobsters are not threatened, and their population is healthy throughout their range. Strict regulations on size and limits help ensure that, though commercially, lobster operations add over $30 million to the California economy per season. Lobster operations are even more prevalent in Baja, where some small co-op villages do very well. The retirement pay for a co-op employee, at least at one point while I lived in Bahia Asuncion, was equivalent to US $2000 per month. That’s in a town where the average rent is less than US $200. Most folks there drive newer cars and trucks, and the infrastructure is well above the norm for other rural Mexican towns. Consistent water and power, decent sidewalks, well-maintained streets, and even a hyperbaric chamber highlight the difference.
A friend in the Asuncion co-op just shared that they zip-tied a tracker to a good-sized lobster to see if they became wary of the pots. That same lobster was caught in the very next set, so that question has been answered: lobsters are not very bright. They do live a long time, up to 50 years, and though most are two pounds or less, the largest California spiny lobster caught was nearly 26 pounds and close to three feet long. That was nearly a century ago. The California record is 16 pounds, 1 ounce, set in 1968.
California spiny lobsters are omnivorous and feed on a variety of prey, including fish, sea urchins, clams, mussels, scallops, sea stars, snails, worms, kelp, algae and even other lobster. Most are found offshore in depths of 50 feet during season, though they range from rocky shoreline shallows out to 200 feet or so. When spawning and out of season for commercial or recreational take, they move into shallower water of 30 feet or less where females will be “berried” with thousands of eggs. As they are highly preyed upon, only 3% of larvae live beyond the first few months and grow beyond an inch and a half in length.
A slow-growing species that molts up to 40 times during its life, a spiny lobster reaches legal size with a 3.25-inch carapace between 6 and 8 years of age. They can forage for up to a half mile per night and seek shelter by daylight, which is why we continue to catch legal-sized bugs from the same areas over time without depleting the stock drastically. Given time, a good hiding place for a lobster seeking shelter during daylight hours will be holding new arrivals. Sportfishing operations targeting lobster, such as Patriot Sportfishing, generally run during the evening hours and provide the hoops and bait for targeting bugs. Lobster trips run around $100 per person. Please refer to the landings for pricing and inclusions, as well as the CDFW website for special regulations for taking California Spiny Lobster to avoid fines that can run $5000 or more. Whether the beach, bay, lake, or offshore, they’re out there so go out and get ‘em!
Here's something you might be interested in.
Yellowtail show off La Jolla, Big tuna south
Spiny lobster doing well
Yellowtail show off La Jolla, Big tuna south
Spiny lobster doing well
(left): A 290-pound bluefin tuna caught on December 5 by angler John Collins while fishing south aboard the Royal Polaris on their Phenix Rods sponsored 10-day trip.
(right): Angler, deckhand, and tube bait-maker Brandon Douglass Cross with a nice bug caught aboard the sportfishing vessel Patriot during a fishing/lobster combo trip running out of H&M Landing.
(right): Angler, deckhand, and tube bait-maker Brandon Douglass Cross with a nice bug caught aboard the sportfishing vessel Patriot during a fishing/lobster combo trip running out of H&M Landing.
Dock Totals 11/24 – 11/30: 1117 anglers aboard 49 half-day to 3-day trips out of San Diego landings over the past week caught 1 bonito, 5 calico bass, 1 lingcod, 5 rock crab, 1904 rockfish, 116 sand bass, 255 sculpin, 19 sheephead, 15 spiny lobster (39 released), 176 whitefish, and 38 yellowtail.
Saltwater: La Jolla has seen a bit of late season yellowtail action this past week, through the fish are holding deeper and not boiling on the surface the way they often do. Metering for schools and presenting jigs vertically has been the best method to catch these fish, though the further south one goes along the Baja coast, the more surface action for topwater jigs and fly-lined live bait can be found.
Since most local boats shifted to deep-water rockfish along the 9-Mile Bank, the yellows have been caught more by those fishing just outside the kelp beds, especially just outside the La Jolla Reserve. Due to the bite, there have been several private boats along with a few sportboats posted up between Boomers and the La Jolla Canyon in the flats from 80 to 100 feet deep or so.
The best odds for yellowfin or bluefin tuna have been on multi-day trips south to the lower half of the Baja Peninsula, where there are still large yellowfin and bluefin being caught with regularity. Reports from pangeros from Bahia Asuncion to Bahia de Magdalena are mostly yellowfin averaging 50 pounds or more, while the bluefin have been further offshore and running up to and over 200 pounds.
On the local scene, the low count of lobster does not quite accurately represent the actual season: many private boaters hoop-netting are getting limits in short order when in the right spots. The one tip I have seen working most consistently is the more bait in the hoop, the better the odds. Oily fish, such as tuna, mackerel, bonito, and sardine have been the most productive baits to attract the foraging bugs.
California spiny lobster range from the central California coast down into Mexico, with the largest concentrations off the central third of the Baja Pacific coast. Co-op commercial lobster fishermen working from San Quintin to La Bocana are having a good year so far, but getting fresh caught lobster where it is illegal to take recreationally can be tough. Most of their catch, as is the case for the California commercial operations north of the border, gets shipped to China.
While in Bahia Asuncion during the Covid outbreak, China had a temporary ban on imported lobster, and it was easier to find in the local tiendas, though the best way to score a few has always been to hit the launch spots and catch an incoming crew. The lobsters meant for China have to be in perfect shape, with no missing legs or antennae. Sheephead, with their powerful jaws and crushing teeth, will often nip at the lobsters in the commercial traps, or “pots.” When in Mexico during lobster season, if any lobsters have had parts nipped off, there is a chance you can buy them straight off the boat for 100 to 200 pesos apiece.
As I liked to paddle out and target sheephead during lobster season in Baja, I would look for the buoys marking the lobster pots and fish close to them with crab or shrimp for bait and do very well. The lobster co-op guys always appreciated that and would gift me some of those that were fine for cooking, but not sellable to China. I stumbled onto a great recipe when bored with plain steamed or fried lobster. Sheephead makes a great caldo, or soup, as the meat will fall apart in broth to a natural chowder consistency. By adding chunks of lobster, spices to taste, cilantro, red onion, a couple pats of real butter per quart, plus diced zucchini squash, I turned my sheephead chowder into more of a gourmet meal.
California spiny lobsters are not threatened, and their population is healthy throughout their range. Strict regulations on size and limits help ensure that, though commercially, lobster operations add over $30 million to the California economy per season. Lobster operations are even more prevalent in Baja, where some small co-op villages do very well. The retirement pay for a co-op employee, at least at one point while I lived in Bahia Asuncion, was equivalent to US $2000 per month. That’s in a town where the average rent is less than US $200. Most folks there drive newer cars and trucks, and the infrastructure is well above the norm for other rural Mexican towns. Consistent water and power, decent sidewalks, well-maintained streets, and even a hyperbaric chamber highlight the difference.
A friend in the Asuncion co-op just shared that they zip-tied a tracker to a good-sized lobster to see if they became wary of the pots. That same lobster was caught in the very next set, so that question has been answered: lobsters are not very bright. They do live a long time, up to 50 years, and though most are two pounds or less, the largest California spiny lobster caught was nearly 26 pounds and close to three feet long. That was nearly a century ago. The California record is 16 pounds, 1 ounce, set in 1968.
California spiny lobsters are omnivorous and feed on a variety of prey, including fish, sea urchins, clams, mussels, scallops, sea stars, snails, worms, kelp, algae and even other lobster. Most are found offshore in depths of 50 feet during season, though they range from rocky shoreline shallows out to 200 feet or so. When spawning and out of season for commercial or recreational take, they move into shallower water of 30 feet or less where females will be “berried” with thousands of eggs. As they are highly preyed upon, only 3% of larvae live beyond the first few months and grow beyond an inch and a half in length.
A slow-growing species that molts up to 40 times during its life, a spiny lobster reaches legal size with a 3.25-inch carapace between 6 and 8 years of age. They can forage for up to a half mile per night and seek shelter by daylight, which is why we continue to catch legal-sized bugs from the same areas over time without depleting the stock drastically. Given time, a good hiding place for a lobster seeking shelter during daylight hours will be holding new arrivals. Sportfishing operations targeting lobster, such as Patriot Sportfishing, generally run during the evening hours and provide the hoops and bait for targeting bugs. Lobster trips run around $100 per person. Please refer to the landings for pricing and inclusions, as well as the CDFW website for special regulations for taking California Spiny Lobster to avoid fines that can run $5000 or more. Whether the beach, bay, lake, or offshore, they’re out there so go out and get ‘em!
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