BY MERIT McCREA
SAN DIEGO/OCEANSIDE — After a windy, wet and wild start, the weekend provided a break and the boats left the dock. It was Monday when west winds ripped over the Coronado Islands, sending anemometers spinning with winds steady at up to 52 mph and gusts to 70. Then the south caught and grew as wet weather advanced. By Thursday at midnight, the south was steady at 22 with gusts to 34 clocked.
It all backed off just in time for Friday evening departures and both the Pacific Queen from Fisherman’s Landing and the Relentless out of H&M Landing headed south on 1.5-day runs. WON’s Dylan Depres was aboard the Relentless.
He reported a morning effort on the ridge off Colonet scanning for schools of yellowtail, with all ready to rock the yo-yo iron. But it wasn’t to happen, as few were spotted on the electronics.
By 8 a.m. one could hear the cods calling and a tackle switch was in order – triple droppers and live sardines. Eager lings took the baits. Most were borderline legal or short, fishing in the 30- to 40-fathom range. Some nice vermilion also came up.
Working deeper, into the 50s, reds to 9 pounds accompanied by other rockfish on the rigs. Then they were out into the 80s but there it was not only deep but with current requiring a pound and a half to hold.
Then it was back to the 50s for the remainder. In the end the 16 aboard limited with rockfish and 11 lings. About 50 of the cods were reds with the remainder, bocaccio, chilies, staries and some olives, too.
Over on the PQ, 25 anglers also limited with 9 lings and even 4 yellows in the mix. Of the rockfish, 125 – or just over half – were reds.
The sand bass chewed down off IB over the weekend and scores included lots of perch and sculpin too. Out of Fisherman’s, the Dolphin pulled close to 50 grumpy sand bass on each run of the 4 they did Saturday and Sunday. The dropper and squid, slider or leadhead and squid have been the basic methods.
Lori Heath fished that boat and used the knocker rig, slider above a leadhead with squid, and got ‘em. Saturday afternoon they ran with 27 anglers and bagged 51 sandies along with 35 scorpionfish, 30 perch and 11 calico bass.
Sunday morning the Premier from H&M ran with 20 anglers on deck and limited on the scorpionfish – 100 of the red devils. They got 28 sand bass and 30 perch also.
At Point Loma, the Daily Double fished Sunday with 19 on the morning run for 49 scullies, 31 sand bass and a pair of calico. This week the Point Loma will run half-day from Point Loma Sportfishing.
From Seaforth Sportfishing, the Sea Watch limited the whole boat on bass, bagging 81 sand and 4 calico bass with 17 anglers.
The bite farther upcoast was challenging and 21 anglers aboard the Chubasco II, Oceanside SEA Center, tried hard to find the biting sculpin but only came up with 22. Regular Jacqueline Deilgut scored a handsome sand bass at 5 pounds, reported Jolene Thompson.
The 23 fishing the Electra out of Helgren’s Oceanside Sportfishing also had a peaceful half- day with just 26 sculpin and 23 sand bass, of which just 3 kept, a pair of triggerfish and 6 perch.