June 7th Update
Great halibut fishing on the 1/2 day Redondo Special this morning as 15 nice halibut were taken.
Vast areas of squid just off Manhattan Beach have attracted halibut and white seabass to the area.
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Has anyone noticed that there is some pretty good halibut fishing going on this year? It has been one of the most productive years anglers have seen in a long time and it just seems to be getting better.
On Wednesday evening, Sportfishing Conservancy President Tom Raftican decided to talk a walk on the beach in Surfside. Of course, when Raftican takes a walk it's always with a rod and reel. About a 1/2 hour into it, Raftican hooked a sizable fish on a 4-inch swimbait. Not long after, a nice 24-inch flattie was on the beach.
Earlier that same day, Al James from Long Beach was fishing on his private boat fishing inside LA Harbor where he and a friend caught 13 halibut, 5 of which were keepers. "This has been a great year for halibut," said James. "There have been very few times we have missed."
Recently, Thomas Barbie and his brother Tim were out with a friend fishing near the Queen Mary inside Long Beach Harbor. The trio landed 26 halibut, 4 of which were legal including an 18-pound flattie.
Tim Rand from Long Beach is an avid surf fishermen and make no mistake about it; halibut is his target. Rand and three buddies were fishing an undisclosed beach last Friday where they caught nine legal halibut and released over 40 short (less than 22-inches) of the fine eating flatfish in less than 2-hours.
"I had the biggest and it was just under 15-pounds," said Rand. Rand attributes much of his success to fishing light tackle, using live bait and fishing the high tides. "We fish 8-pound test with a 10-pound test leader and a 1-0 mosquito hook," said Rand. Rand and his fishing posse take the time to catch live bait, mostly smelt and fish when the tide is high.
The Native Sun from Long Beach Sportfishing had it's best year during their Pot O Gold Halibut Derby in a long while. Not only did they catch lots of fish but the quality was excellent. On February 4, 2012, David Akamine from Torrance caught a 39.20lb that ended up being the largest of the tournament.
There are a lot more great catches out there and perhaps one in your future. So get out and give it a try this weekend; even if it's just for the halibut.
Photos: Top: Tom Raftican with a 32-inch halibut taken on a 4-inch swimbait taken surf fishing at Surfside on Wednesday. Credit: Tom Raftican
Middle: Al James from Long Beach caught 5 legal halibut in Long Beach Harbor on Wednesday while fishing from his private boat.
Photo credit: Al James
Bottom: Great days fishing during the Pot Of Gold Halibut Derby on board the Native Sun.
Photo credit: Long Beach Sportfishing
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Great story Phil,
I want to let folks know that the MDR Halibut Derby is coming up on June 9th and 10th.
See the www.HalibutDerby.com web site for info.
More prizes have come in just this week.
Will be a fun party in the park. Dinner is included.
Fish from shore, kayak, private boat, Sportboat...
It all has a chance to put you in the winners circle.
Keith <
Posted by: Keith | 05/17/2012 at 10:31 AM