Fishing Notes / Dan Stanton : Rock Cod Arrival Has Local Anglers Licking Their Lips

The winter rock cod bite has arrived for South Bay anglers. During the winter months, every angler has a chance to limit out on a genuine delicacy.

The fish that stimulates these grandiose claims is the rock cod that weighs from 5 to 35 pounds.

An impressive catch was seen over the weekend when the Southern Cal out of Long Beach Sportfishing headed to Catalina Island with 18 anglers and caught limits of high quality fish: grouper, cows and lingcod.

The jackpot was won by Richard Barton of San Pedro with his 29-pound lingcod. Barton said he fishes rock cod every winter and also takes surface fishing trips for winter yellowtail and bass.

Coming a close second for the jackpot was Gary Westbrook of Playa del Rey with a 28-pound ling cod.

Andrew Collier of Carson added to his limit with a 22-pound ling cod.

Gary Nishida of Torrance had his 24-pound cow cod float off the hook, but it was gaffed by an alert deckhand.

Bob Tyler of West Los Angeles, using a 5-hook cod rig with live squid and a 2-pound sinker, had three big lingcod attack his bait. It had taken him 25 minutes to bring the line up from the bottom and once on the surface it took three gaffs to deck the cods, with the smallest weighing 19 pounds.

Pat Whitaker, the resident rock cod captain of the Southern Cal, said the target this winter will be the calm waters of Catalina. With live squid in abundance, fishermen should catch the 15-fish limit of rockfish on most trips.

The third annual Fish for the Homeless aboard the Delux will depart from 22nd Street Landing at 9 Saturday night with all space filled. Tony Salas, one of the organizers, said a second trip is planned for Dec. 17 and reservations can be made at (213) 543-5088.

South Bay Catches:

Jim Pazque of Lomita caught the whopper of the week fishing aboard the Betty G at Catalina. With live squid, he landed a 36-pound white sea bass.

Dee Dee Cline of Long Beach, fishing aboard the Aztec at San Nicholas Island, brought to gaff her first lingcod. It weighed 19 1/2 pounds.

Bob Anderson of Long Beach, fishing aboard the Pacifica at Catalina, won the jackpot with his floating kelp yellowtail that weighed 19 pounds.

Eunice Paraves of Carson, fishing aboard the Sharpshooter at twin roads, caught a 15-pound halibut.

Fish Report:

Light tackle surface fishing with live squid have resulted in anglers catching calico and sand bass.

The halibut bite in the Santa Monica Bay area completely shuts off one day, then bounces back the next.