Marlin fishing explodes off Catalina Island

JIM NIEMIEC

Water conditions improved between Catalina and San Clemente islands

and anglers competing in the 2003 Catalina Classic enjoyed the best

marlin fishing of the season. Records were set on daily hookups and

released striped marlin for the 91 sportfishers entered in the

tournament.

Marlin popped up just off the Osborne Bank where there was clean

blue water and lots of bait. Anglers reported seeing numerous

tailers, feeders, jumpers and sleepers on Monday with over 41 striped

marlin hooked of which 18 were tagged and released. Action on day two

of the tournament was slowed by brutal weather as the seas kicked up

with wind gusts of up to 25 knots blowing out of the southwest for

most of the morning.

The fishing team aboard After Midnight scored their second

tournament win of the season when angler, Pete Groesbeck landed a

marlin that tipped the Avalon pier scale at 195 pounds. The team

captained by Mike Cromer was presented a check for $151,150 during

the gala awards banquet at the Casino Ballroom. The sportfisher

Gambler won second place with a 188-pound marlin with the team taking

home $127,650, the boats Erin Marie and Five A Day tied for third

place and taking fourth place in the Catalina Classic was sport yacht

Reel N’ Deal.

“It was a tremendous tournament for south coast anglers. Fishing

conditions didn’t look very promising coming into the event, but

fortunately the water cleared up in grid map location Bravo 3 and

that’s where 95% of the fish were hooked. Twenty nine released marlin

is a lot of fish for any tournament and I am happy it all came

together for the 2003 Catalina Classic.” Stated International

Gamefish Tournaments director Harvey Hunnicutt of Tustin.

The one day catch made by Captain Todd Mansur aboard the Capt.

Hook II indicated just how good marlin fishing was during the

Catalina Classic. Mansur’s total for the day was three released

marlin and one spikebill decked. The Gambler, Mil-So-Mar and Honcho

all had multiple hookups and just about every boat in the tournament

had a couple of opportunities to bait a billfish.

Albacore and yellowfin tuna are still within one-day range of the

sport fleet running out of Davey’s Locker and Newport Landing

Sportfishing. Passenger loads are light and it’s been pretty good

late season fishing aboard all day boats and faster six pack

charters. Bluefin tuna have pretty much migrated out of off shore

waters, but yellowtail and a few dorado are still holding under

floating kelp.

Water conditions in the channel are on the cool side for this

early in the fall with most high spots currently holding around 66

degrees. There are plenty of bait balls to help keep schools of

migrating tuna around through at least mid-October, providing the

weather calms down.

Along the beach the water temperature took another downward turn

with the surface temp dropping back down to 61 degrees on Thursday.

It looked like surf fishing was getting back on target last week when

the temperature jumped up to 69 degrees, but a northwest swell and

strong winds cooled off the water drastically and shut off the bite

on barred perch and corbina.

Anglers who have made plans to fish the East Cape region should

come prepared to find things a little messy for at least the next

month. Hurricanes Ignacio and Marty battered popular resorts from La

Paz to Cabo San Lucas. Entire marinas in La Paz were wiped out and

Cabo will have lots of cleaning up to do before the tournament season

begins next month.

The mainland side of Mexico only received rain and some winds from

recent hurricanes as they moved mostly in a northwesterly direction.

Marina El Cid Resort in Mazatlan will host the ninth annual Billfish

Classic, Nov. 12--15. Anglers will be competing for a purse of up to

$350,000 in total prize money and daily jackpots for a variety of big

game fish including: marlin, sailfish, swordfish, dorado, tuna and

wahoo. For more information on the entering the El Cid Billfish

Classic contact IGT by calling (714) 258-04435.