Charter Boats Pull Up Plenty of Sculpin

Sport fishing boats from and in Newport Beach made the most of the good weather Friday and Saturday, taking anglers to the islands and local hot spots for a shot at the sculpin, rockfish and sand bass.

I went out on the Amigo out of Newport Landing with Captain Tom Shanahan and group of local anglers and vacationers on spring break.

First, we headed out to the Huntington Beach pipe and fished in 180 feet of water.

The Amigo's crew helped get everyone on board set up with 8 ounces of weight and one or two hooks baited with strips of squid.

We spent the morning catching sculpin, sand dabs and a few rockfish as we moved from spot to spot along the piles of rocks and rubble that cover the pipe.

Around lunchtime, we moved into shallower water. The crew tied new hooks and smaller weights for anglers and grilled burgers in the galley below.

We fished in 40 to 60 feet of water at artificial reef No. 3 in the afternoon, hauling in perch, a few short bass and a fat sargo that won the jackpot.

Captain Shanahan told me that with water temperature at 58 degrees and a storm or two in the forecast spring fishing conditions are still a couple of weeks away.

Sunday’s Storm kept all the boats at the dock on the first day of spring but before it heat all of the boats got out with some good fish counts.

On Saturday, The Amigo had 35 anglers who caught 23 sand bass, with a few sculpin and rockfish mixed in. The Aggressor, with 27 anglers aboard, pulled in 120 sculpin.

At Davey’s Locker the Western Pride did a ¾-day trip with 65 anglers who fished the coastal spots and landed 145 sculpin.

Bongos III ran a coastal charter and targeted rockfish, and the Thunderbird did an overnight trip to San Clemente Island with 27 anglers and took 159  rockfish, 57 blue perch 22 sheephead, 13 whitefish and a lone calico bass.