Sweet Skiff Fish Trap Trip;
Large Yellowtail Bite Big Time
By Bill Roecker
FishingVideos.com, The San Diego Sportfishing Council

Barry Brightenburg took 17 anglers on his annual skiff-fishing trip aboard Qualifier 105, the Fish Trap Skiff Trip, and the group enjoyed flat calm seas for a week.

Skipper Joe Crisci docked the boat at Pt. Loma Sportfishing June 14, and sent the fish up to the scales pad. There were numerous large yellowtail.

There was no jackpot, since the targeted species was calico bass. After a stop at Geronimo reef for shallow-water rockfish, Crisci took the group to the lee of Cedros Island’s North End.

“We had good bass fishing there,” said Brightenburg, who puts in a lot of time at Sunset Marine in addition to operating his Fish Trap plastic-swim-baits business. “We got calico bass, lots of them, with some up to 7 or 8 pounds.

“We fished the yellowtail feeding on krill,” he continued. “We could slide right up on ‘em with the skiffs.

“When we got to Benitos, the water was gin clear. Bass fishing wasn’t so good in that water, but the yellowtail fishing was very good on fish of 18 to 24 pounds.”

Janet Ashikaga of Los Angeles and Alex Rentziperis of Dana Point posed with a brace of typical yellowtail from the trip.

Something To Crow About

Independence returned to Pt. Loma Sportfishing under Kyle “rooster” Karcher’s hand June 14 after a five-day trip that found a nice catch of yellowtail and a few bluefin and albacore.

“It was the Rick and Brian Trip,” said angler Dave Urane, who said he bagged a few big yellowtail but had to work to get them in. “We got the tuna on the first day, and then went down to Cedros and Benitos.”

Jack Smith of Montgomery Village, Md., a former southland regular angler, won first place in the jackpot for a 42-pound halibut that bit his blue and white Tady 45 (a light surface jig) as he fished it on the bottom. It appears to be the best halibut of 2008 for the long-range fleet.

“He took off like crazy,” Smith said. “I got him in about 10 minutes. He’s the best halibut I ever caught.”

Snith said he used 40-pound blue Izorline on a Newell 440 reel and a 6480 Calstar rod.

Brian Milliken of Corona won second place for a 36.2-pound yellowtail, and Bill Cosgrove of Yorba Linda won third place for a 34.4-pound yellow.

Supreme Gets Yellowtail Galore

Polaris Supreme docked at Fisherman’s Landing June 14 after the annual five-day Joe Beck Charter. Skipper Drew Henderson ran the trip. Owner Tom Rothery weighed the catch.

Steve Pistone of West Hills won first place for his 39-pound yellowtail. He said it took a sardine on a 4/0 Mustad hook tied to 30-pound Ande line. He used a Pro gear Albacore Special reel and an 850 M Calstar rod.

Matt Kurling of Yorba Linda won second place for a 38-pounder, and George Boston of Ojai got third place for a 37.8-pound yellowtail.