By DAVE HURLEY WON Staff Writer FORT BRAGG – The first albacore of 2024 off the Mendocino coastline were reported this week as one six-pack operator ran 60 miles offshore for up to 20 longfins. While this bodes well for the upcoming season, most private boaters will be waiting for the warm water to come much closer to the shorelines. Captain Tim Gillespie of All Aboard Adventures out of Fort Bragg has been focusing upon shallow water rockfish and Dungeness crab trips, and he said, “We have been returning with limits of rockfish and lots of lingcod working the shallows. We also ran two crab tri ..read more

By Steve Comus Red dot sights are just plain fun to use, and they are incredibly effective for both quick and more precise shooting. This reality came to mind when I took Holosun’s AEMS sight atop a Ruger Scout rifle in 5.56 NATO to the range for a ride. AUTHOR SHOOTS the Holosun AEMS sight atop a Ruger Scout rifle on the range where sub-MOA groups were achieved at 100 yards. The AEMS stands for Advanced Enclosed Micro Sight. By any name, it’s a winner. Although the strong suit of red dot sights is that they are fast to use, they also can deliver credible accuracy from close to pretty far out ..read more

Following the seasonal closure from April 1 to June 30 to protect peak spawning, take of California grunion reopens July 1. During the open season, a California sport fishing license (and an Ocean Enhancement Validation south of Pt. Arguello, Santa Barbara County) is required for persons 16 years and older. Grunion may be taken by hand only. No holes may be dug in the beach to entrap them. The daily bag and possession limit for grunion is 30 fish. Check the locations of marine protected areas and their associated regulations before you head out. Learn more at https://marinespecies.wildlife.ca ..read more

…and 100-pound-plus average on bluefin    BY MERIT McCREA SAN DIEGO/OCEANSIDE — While the local waters bass bite continued to cook, and the average sized bluefin boated in the past few days has weight over 100 pounds, the welcome arrival of kelp paddy yellowtail in one-day range waters south provided fast-paced action aboard the overnight boats. KELP YELLOWS have arrived, nice ones – 16 to 28 pounds said Capt. Mike Meisel. Anglers had 5-fish limits aboard the Condor, and they’re in 1-day range. Chasing those bigger bluefin on a 1-day overnighter has been challenging. Having a full ni ..read more

BY MIKE STEVENS SAN DIEGO— It’s no secret that bass fishing at Barrett Lake tends to rate at various levels of “epic” for most of the season, and because of that, it takes a significant occurrence earn a headline. A double-digit largemouth historically does the trick, even more so when one is bagged by an 8-year-old. After some relatively slow fishing by Barrett standards, Shawn Santos and his son, Theo, decided to fish around the docks when the magic happened. “Theo picked up this fish, which I estimate was at least 25 inches, on a Wacky-rigged Senko,” said Shawn Santos. “I fit my entire hand ..read more

Door reopens for private boats, kayaks and float tubes BY MIKE STEVENS MIRAMAR— On-the-water activities were welcomed back to Miramar Reservoir on July 6 following the successful installation of a new underwater pipeline as part of the City of San Diego’s Pure Water Program. Those activities were suspended when the project began in September 2023. Shore fishing was available for the duration of the shutdown, and trout were stocked in winter so it was still business as usual on that front. Purified water produced at the North City Pure Water Facility will flow thougheight miles of underground p ..read more

COLUMBIA, S.C. – PENN, the leader in reel innovation and technology, introduces the first cordless powered reel ever to hit the saltwater market. The Fathom Electric is the only reel with an integrated battery, providing anglers with incredible torque and power. With an easy-to-use LED display screen and angler-friendly customizable settings, this reel will be regarded as the best electric reel on the market. The electric fishing reel market has seen significant growth in recent years, driven by technological advancements and an increasing demand for reels that help anglers pursue modern ..read more

Rimfire-like velocity’ now tangible for any level of shooter For Stephen Lamboy, director of strategic development, the launch of the Umarex Komplete NCR and NitroAir is the culmination of years of design work, testing and quite a bit of dealing with red tape. “Well, we’ve been working on the energy for this rifle for a long time. The rifle we’ve been working on for just a few years,” Lamboy said. “But the energy for it – which is really the reason for the rifle – really started as an idea back in around 2007. (The idea was) ‘how do we create a PCP air gun that doesn’t need to have a compress ..read more

BY MIKE BENNETT Special to Western Outdoor News CABO SAN LUCAS—We fished hard all week, and the cold/hot water collision pushed up and down the coast by over 30 miles in days. Fishing was tough to say the least. Then on the last full day of my trip, Cabo surf-fishing guide Wesley Brough (CaboSurfCaster.com) pulled out a miracle for us on a guided trip. He took us to an old beach he knows well, and the morning started off slow like all the other mornings, But then there were signs of life with a few roosterfish coming in on a ball of bait we found. That fizzled out, and at 9:30 part of our grou ..read more

BY DAVE HURLEY During the June 19 Fish and Game Commission meeting in Mammoth Lakes, the Commissioners voted unanimously to proceed with the petition from the San Francisco Baykeeper, Restore the Delta, the Bay Institute, and the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance to list the white sturgeon as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act. The decision came late in the day as the agenda was modified to accommodate a presentation and after two lengthy public comment periods on other agenda items. Finally, at 4:28 p.m., agenda item 15 – White sturgeon petition to list – Conside ..read more