Great White Shark Spotted off Island

Passengers on board the Dana Pride out of Dana Wharf Whale Watch got quite a surprise on Tuesday as the whale watchers on board not only saw a blue whale mother and calf, but also saw a great white shark.

Capt. Todd Mansur told Pete Thomas Outdoors that at first he thought the shark, which was spotted only 1 1/2 miles off San Clemente, was a swordfish or marlin. "As soon as I saw what it was I got on the P.A. and announced that we have a great white shark," he said.

In 25 years, Mansur said he has seen only eight white sharks in local waters. The shark at one point even surfed the bow wake just like a dolphin. "It's very rare to see them, and even rarer to see one finning," he told Pete Thomas Outdoors. "They hardly ever put their fins up. This thing was coming right at us at [a position of] 12 o'clock. It was like a game of chicken.”

Still Not Many Tuna Near San Diego

Fishing near San Diego has been very spotty with a few bluefin and yellowfin tuna, but not much more. The albacore season has been a complete bust as there’s been no sign of the longfin tuna anywhere. Nevertheless, the San Diego fleet is still working hard to find the fish.

Sand Crabs Good Bait for Surf Fishing

Good surf fishing still being reported from the Mexican border to the Channel Islands for barred perch, corbina, a few halibut, along with some other species like leopard sharks and guitarfish.

“This has been an incredible year for surf fishing,” said Shawn Morgon from Bigfish Tackle in Seal Beach. “Anglers have been catching a variety of fish all year long.”

Sand crabs have been excellent bait and using light line, like 6-pound test, has also given anglers an edge.

Fishermen Hitting Catfish Limits at Laguna Niguel Lake

Laguna Niguel Lake still has excellent fishing for catfish, along with some bass and lots of panfish. There is a good catfish bite in the early morning and late afternoon/evening. Most fishermen are catching their five-fish limits when they take advantage of night fishing on Friday and Saturday nights. The best baits have been mackerel, shrimp and night crawlers. The most productive areas have been in deep water by the dam, the big island and the launch ramp.

Local Bite Remains Strong

The calico and sand bass bite along the coast remains good. The kelp lines off Newport Beach, Corona del Mar and Palos Verdes have been excellent for calico bass. There has also been the occasional white sea bass, yellowtail and halibut, too.

Twilight fishing from 6 p.m. until midnight has been exceptional for sand bass. Boats from Redondo to Oceanside continue to do quite well on most nights; reaching the 10-fish limit is not uncommon.

There has still been some fair barracuda fishing up and down the coast, too.

Island Fishing Yields Calico Bass, Yellowtail, Rockfish

There has been the occasional hit for white sea bass along with a few yellowtail and good calico bass fishing. San Clemente Island has been best for white sea bass with Catalina Island still providing great 3/4-day action for calico bass, barracuda and some yellowtail.

If the surface fish do not cooperate, the rockfish bite has been very consistent.