thelog.com


Hooping Lobsters in Long Beach


fishrap.com


Bobby Martinez was hooping for lobsters on Jan. 13 when he caught this large bug off the coast of Long Beach. Martinez, who was aboard a 24 Boston Whaler Dauntless, describes the scene: “I was hooping inside Long Beach Harbor. I got a tip from a friend that the water finally cooled off, 60 degrees to be exact, and the lobsters were in the shallows again. My friend Chris and I gave it a shot by the oil islands and we managed limits by 11 p.m., with the biggest at 6 pounds. We focused on putting our hoops on eelgrass and hard bottom in 20 feet of water. We used sardines sprayed in Gooch juice [with] a Gooch pad in the bait cage.”


Southern California fishing news


Top 5 places to catch spiny lobster (2010-2015)


2014-15 Season (54 percent report card return rate)


Catalina Island San Diego Bay


Long Beach/Middle Breakwater Pt. Vicente up to King Harbor Santa Cruz Island


Total lobster caught and kept:


An angler aboard Clementeout of Dana Wharf Sportfishing shows off a rare Popeye Catalufa. The fish species is rarely found in American waters but was caught off the Orange County coast in mid-January.


Rare Popeye Catalufa


caught in Dana Point Rockfish rarely found in U.S. waters.


By Parimal M. Rohit


DANA POINT — A Popeye Catalufa was reportedly caught aboard one of Dana Wharf Sportfishing’s boats on Jan. 16, according to fish counts posted on the fleet’s website. The fish, which can grow to almost 14 inches in size, is generally near rocky bottom ocean floors and in depths up to 820 feet. A website dedicated to Mexican fish described Popeye Catalufa as scaly with an upturned mouth and projecting lower jaw. “The Popeye Catalufa [is] charac-


terized by a strongly compressed, distinctively deep oval body that have a depth that is 49 – 53 percent of standard length, and a large upturned mouth with a projecting lower jaw,” a description of the big- eye species stated on mexfish.com. “The Popeye Catalufa is a uniform pink to crimson color with juveniles having faint dark bands on their sides; these fade rapidly soon after collection. “The outer edges of their rounded


caudal and pelvic fins are black,” the description continued. “Their dorsal fin is continuous with 10 spines. As their central spines are the longest, they are used as a key to identifica- tion. Their pelvic fins are long and are broadly attached by a membrane to the belly and positioned in advance of the pectoral fins. They have large scales.” Popeye Catalufa should be a catch-and-release fish, the website’s description of the species added. “They are a rare and poorly stud- ied species and as such there is very limited information available about their behavioral patterns,” the mex- fish.com post explained. “They are found in all Mexican waters of the Pacific, however they are notably absent from the extreme northern portions of the Sea of Cortez.” There were 80 anglers aboard four


Dana Wharf Sportfishing boats on Jan. 16 who caught 99 sculpin, 16 Calico bass, five sand bass, three half moon perch and the one Popeye Catalufa; 128 bass were reported as catch-and-release. The Popeye Catalufa was caught


aboard Clemente, helmed by Capt. Chad Steffen.


2013-14 Season (48 percent report card return rate)


Catalina Island


Long Beach/Middle Breakwater San Diego Bay


Pt. Vicente up to King Harbor L.A. County Line to San Pedro


Total lobster caught and kept:


2012-13 Season San Diego Bay


Catalina Island


Pt. Vicente up to King Harbor Long Beach/Middle Breakwater Santa Cruz Island


Total lobster caught and kept:


2011-12 Season San Diego Bay


Catalina Island


Pt. Vicente up to King Harbor Zuniga Jetty


Santa Monica up to Malibu Pt.


Total lobster caught and kept: 57,205 2010-11 Season Catalina Island


San Diego Bay


Santa Monica up to Malibu Pt. Pt. Vicente up to King Harbor King Harbor up to Santa Monica


Total lobster caught and kept: 35,356 Source: California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife


14.6 percent of total catch 12.5 percent 12.3 percent 5.3 percent 3.0 percent


67,748


21.9 percent of total catch 11.1 percent 6.4 percent 6.2 percent 4.4 percent


114,451


The Log • Jan. 29 - Feb. 11, 2016 • 27


18.3 percent of total catch 14.8 percent 6.0 percent 5.7 percent 3.7 percent


87,193


16.0 percent of total catch 12.4 percent 8.0 percent 5.4 percent 5.0 percent


13.3 percent of total catch 12.1 percent 6.2 percent 6.1 percent 4.8 percent


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