Thresher Sharks Biting off SoCal Coast

Shawn Morgon from Big Fish Tackle in Seal Beach is reporting some excellent thresher shark fishing for anglers from the Huntington Beach Pier. "One guy hooked and lost four [thresher sharks] because they were so big," said Morgon. "He went back the next day with heavier tackle and caught two."

He said many of the tasty sharks exceeded 100 pounds with 40- to 60-pound threshers common. He recommended using at least a 40-pound test line with a 5-O hook and a mackerel or sardine for bait. Because there is no live bait on the pier, Morgon recommends that anglers snag baitfish with a sabiki rig and keep them alive in a bucket.

"It's not often that a big game opportunity presents itself for pier fishermen," Morgon said.

Big Fish

Joe Davis and his wife, Dawn, were fishing just outside Newport Harbor when something really big inhaled Joe Davis' sardine. After he fought the fish to the surface, Dawn Davis scooped the 30.2-pound halibut up in a net to the cheers of many anglers fishing on the rocks.

"It's one thing to catch a trophy like this, but to have the roar of the crowd, too—priceless," she said.

Speaking of halibut, a Father's Day fishing trip out of Homer, AK was quickly transformed in to a memory for a lifetime as Chad Aldridge caught one of the heaviest halibut ever taken on a rod and reel.

The monster weighed 350.8 pounds and put Aldridge in to first place in the Homer Jackpot Halibut Derby. It's the sixth heaviest halibut in the 25-year derby history. Aldridge caught the enormous flatfish on 80-pound-test line and a chunk of herring. Proud father Ronnie Aldridge did the harpoon honors. It took 45 minutes for the fish to be calm enough to be dragged on board.

The International Game Fish Association lists the 80-pound line class world record as a 413-pound specimen caught in 2002 off Unalaska.

The IGFA lists the all-tackle world record as a 459-pounder caught in 1996 off Dutch Harbor, AK. But in all classes, the IGFA lists only those two specimens as weighing more than 400 pounds, and only four surpass the 350-pound mark.

White Sea Bass Hit-And-Miss

Catalina Island white sea bass fishing remains inconsistent for most boats. There have been some excellent hits for the smaller six-pack fleet at times with some boats catching their three-fish limits.

On Saturday, Stew Suenga from Los Angeles caught a giant 63.7-pound white sea bass on the boat Options out of Pierpoint Landing in Long Beach. It was Suenaga’s biggest sea bass ever. Earl McVicar from Torrance also caught a nice sea bass on the Toronado.

The Westerly out of Long Beach Sportfishing is offering a special white sea bass trip with Captains Jeff Jones and Larry Moore on board in addition to the regular crew to act as sea bass mentors. The trip is limited to 16 anglers and is priced at $130. For more information, call Moore at 714-329-3853.

Rest in Peace

Captain Lance Stuart Ekberg, who was well known in the Long Beach area, lost his battle to multiple sclerosis on Sunday. He once survived a hurricane at Socorro Island and was saved by a passing ship.

Captain Brian Dull also passed away this week. Dull attended USC on a baseball scholarship and was well known as a captain of dive and fishing boats like the Liberty.

Quick Bites

• Anglers fishing out of Redondo Beach and Marina del Rey have caught a few barracuda and sand and calico bass. When the surface fish don't cooperate, rockfish have been plentiful and provide a fine meal. There seem to be a lot of barracuda around, and with time, they should starting biting again with greater intensity.

• The addition of In-Seine Bait Company and its live bait tank at the has been paying off for anglers on the pier as well as in King Harbor. On Tuesday, Tim Fagen caught an 18-pound halibut while fishing from a small boat in the harbor. Pier anglers can purchase live bait for $3 an hour or $10 for the entire day.

• Surf fishing has been good almost everywhere. The Seal Beach Pier and nearby jetties, as well as beaches in front of the Huntington Beach power plants, have been good for corbina and barred perch. Surf fishing near the , Hermosa and Manhattan Beach Piers has also produced some excellent results for barred perch and corbina. Ghost shrimp and sand crabs have been the best baits.

• Palos Verdes anglers have been catching opaleye perch as well as sand and calico bass off the rocks while free divers continue to spear some big white sea bass in the kelp forests. Anglers fishing near the rich Palos Verdes kelp forests have been catching a few white sea bass, some barracuda and increasing numbers of calico bass. There has even been a few yellowtail cruising around.

• Despite a few slow days, barracuda fishing has been good off Huntington and Seal Beach for boats from Newport all the way to San Pedro. The half-day boat  out of  has recorded excellent catches of barracuda all week long. Jon Ackley said anchovies have been much better bait than sardines and that fishing with blue and white lures remains red-hot. The key? “Sink the lure down to the bottom and retrieve at a medium speed,” said Ackley.

• Pierpoint Landing in Long Beach and Long Beach Marina Sportfishing start their kids fish free program on June 27. Kids under 16 years of age fish free on half- and three-quarter-day boats on Monday through Friday for the next month.

• On Thursday at 9 p.m., the controversial Ted Nugent joins Philip Friedman on the radio to talk hunting, fishing, the great outdoors, and clean and sober living. Nugent also takes on Paul Watson and Whale Wars. The show can be heard on Angels Radio, AM 830 or on AM830KLAA.com.