wis dnr Fishing Report 2024

This past week has been all about chasing yellowtail. The amount of yellowtail we have been seeing at the Coronado Islands has been very impressive. The fish counts have not been a representation of how much fish is in the water. Stopping on a school of 300 yellowtail and only hooking 1 has become very common. On Friday we managed to catch 30 yellowtail and Saturday produced 20. These fish are still running in the 20-30 pound range with multiple fish over 30 in the past week. Fly lined sardines on 30 lb. yo-yo lures on 40 or 50 lb. as well as surface iron on 40 lb. have all been producing fish. These yellowtail have been a challenge to hook mainly because of all the bait in the water. When some of the bait goes away and these fish settle in. 50 to 100 fish days will become common. If you would like to experience some very fun yellowtail fishing, where every bite is earned. Make your reservations and come join us !

The Bluefin started biting before sunrise and like a broken record, more than their share got away, we went 10 for about 25 on the 45-55 pound Bluefin, the hot ticket being the flatfall. After sunrise, the plump Yellowfin bit for several hours, being caught primarily on flylined 20 pound.

The first annual Ocean Tackle Research trip aboard Polaris Supreme returned with skipper Tom Rothery and chartermaster Lon Mikkelsen November 19. The ten-day trip had 20 anglers. "We caught a lot of variety and had good fishing," said Mikkelsen, from Hood River, OR. "We also caught a lot of 40-pound Humboldt squid. The best fishing was on kelp paddies in the warmer water. "We're testing some new OTR jigs," he continued, "and they got bit." Rothery weighed the contenders on the Fisherman's landing certified scales. Clint Campbell of Bozeman, MT won first place for a 65.95-pound wahoo he caught ona silver and pink Raider jig. He said he used 40-pound P-Line, a Daiwa Saltist 30 reel and a Seeker Black Steel 6470 rod. Jon Collins of Menifee won second place for a 52.6-pound skin that bit a pink Catchy Tackle bomb. Collins brought his son into the photo to show off a big dorado. Randy Walker of Huntington Beach was third, for a 48-pound wahoo that snapped up a gold Raider.

We have a 2-day trip coming up and need some people to help fill it. This could be a great opportunity to get in on some sea bass action. There were already a few 40# sea bass caught at the channel islands last weekend Here is the info for the trip. I hope to see you there.

2 Day trip on the Apollo
Departs: Friday April 29, 2011, (8:00 p.m.)
Fish: Saturday, April 30, 2011 and Sunday May 1st, 2011
Returns: Sunday, May 1, 2011 (evening)
Landing: Sea Landing, Santa Barbara, CA
Targeted Species: Seabass, Halibut and Rockfish
Meals: Has not been included
Drinks: Have not been included
Fish Cleaning, Jack pot, and Gratuity are extra
Price: $320( paypal: [email protected])
Reserving a spot: In order to reserve your spot, I will need a 50%
deposit ($160.00). The balance shall be due one month prior to
departure.
Cancellation Policy: No refunds can be issued; it is your
responsibility to find a replacement. In the event the boat is cancelled
due to inclement weather the trip will be re-scheduled.
Contact Info: Steph Franklin, 35 W. Main Street Suite B124, Ventura,CA 93001;
phone #805.708.5276 or [email protected]

Guadalupe is kicking out some real trophies like this 150 LB yellowfin tuna caught by Randy “king” Walker. Right on Randy!

We spent our last day looking at school after school of albacore. A very good sign of no biting fish. Frustrating? Yes. Oh well. That's just how it goes sometimes. A very good trip in all. Thanks to everyone on board and to the charter master Wayne Martin with Catchy Tackle lures. We'll be rolling back out tomorrow on another 5 day trip. Stay tuned.

Thanks for the amazing response to the OPEN Shimano Charters we scheduled for the Channel Islands this spring. The response was so positive that I spoke with the folks at Shimano and they agreed to put another trip on line. This one will be set for fishing on March 13. That would be departing at 9pm on the night of the 12th. This trip will be just like the others. Shimano will provide a bunch of outfits for fishing butterfly and lucanus systems. There will be give aways of tackle and goodies as well. Please email me if you would like to join us on this trip.

Captain Andrew Viola checked in this morning at 8:59 PM with an audio update from the Pacifica out of Seaforth Sportfishing in Mission Bay, CA.  We have been drifting for an hour and have put together a good score so far.  We have 62 Yellowfin Tuna and 4 Bluefin Tuna.  We are still drifting with fish around the boat.

We have a 1.5 day trip departing on Wednesday night.  We also have a full day trip on Sunday.  Come out fishing on the Pacifica!!!!