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

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

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

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

BY MERIT McCREA SACRAMENTO— New regs on bottom biters came into play on the first. Starting July 1 in the Southern Central and Southern Management Regions we are restricted to waters inshore of the 50-fathom lines listed in Code of Federal Regulations Part 660, subpart D. These are in the waters from 36 North Latitude near Point Lopez, Big Sur, south to the Mexican border. In the planning and discussion, only nearshore complex rockfish were to be permitted to be in possession during this 3-month portion of the year – July 1 through September 30. These are: black, black and yellow, blue, brown ..read more

BY MIKE STEVENS SANTA ANA— Deck boots are a common sight on the West Coast sportfishing scene, but they’re admittedly more deeply rooted in commercial fishing. For a long time, everyone seemed to wear the same deck boots, but when some changes occurred that rubbed those who wore them the most the wrong way, it seemed like more boots from different companies started coming out of the woodworks with legit competition for deck boot hierarchy. Considering its position on the fishing apparel totem pole (top of the top), it was surprising to see them dive into the boot game later than all the other ..read more

BY MERIT McCREA SAN DIEGO — At the recent June meeting of the Pacific Fisheries Management Council the most recent stock assessment for Pacific bluefin tuna was presented as a preview. While still in draft form pending approval by the International Scientific Committee for Tuna and Tuna-like Species in the North Pacific Ocean (ISC) the Executive Summary showed the Pacific bluefin tuna population back at target levels (PBFT). Just 15 years ago Pacific bluefin biomass was estimated to be just a tenth of that target and only slightly more than 2% of their un-fished biomass. Pacific bluefin spawn ..read more

SAN DIEGO— The long-awaited and much anticipated 2024 Saltwater Bass Series Year-End Championship is now in the books. Fourteen years going, every SBS team wants to make this event. Tons of great products including a new Mercury 115 motor were given away at this tournament. The tournament format was a 2- day event with Day 1 targeting the outside where only calico and sand bass could be weighed. Day 2 was spotted bay bass only where we doubled the weight to be added to Day 1 for a 2-day total to determine the overall winner. Overcast skies and a south breeze on both days is what the teams had ..read more