Point Loma, San Diego – anglers anxiously

wait as winter gives way to spring in SoCal.

Point Loma - I remember the first time my older cousin Teddy invited me to go fishing in the middle of winter. Up until that point, the only time I had ever been out on the water was when the sun was hanging hot in the summer sky, and you had at least three of the Five S's (surface irons, sardines, sun block, someone to grab the gaff, and of course, strong drink) present. That was more than 15 years ago...

Sure, winter fishing in southern California is a lot less taxing than say, fishing in the frigid waters on the East Coast in late January, but all the same… when my cousin first asked me to go rockfishing with him, I had no idea what he was talking about. In fact, I thought he wanted me to fish with him off the local jetty.

Fast forward a decade and things have changed; winter fishing keeps gaining in popularity and as a new generation of anglers carry on with old traditions as well as break new boundaries in our sport, many SoCal sport boat skippers have taken notice and are making more of an effort to get them on the water (and bigger fish) smack dab in the middle of winter.

Captain Joe Philips who owns and operates the Constitution (out of H&M Landing) has been putting anglers on the taco meat all winter long and believes that it only keeps getting better. In a recent report, Captain Joe shares his 2009 SoCal winter experience fishing Punta Colonet:

“We cleared Point Loma a little before 9pm and with the price of fuel so low we 'harnessed the third mule' and headed south. We made the high spot on Colonet at sunrise only to be driven into deeper water by some huge whitefish. We then headed to our ling area, but decided to try a deep drift first, where we found reds... lots of 'em! They were big too – up to 10 pounds. By 11 a.m. we still had not made it to our coveted ling spot, but had plenty 10- to 14-pound lings on deck. We made a strategic move an hour and a half back up the line, where slaughter broke out - cows, big reds, green spotted, and more! The Northeast is freezing right now, and we have had 3 great weekends of fishing in a row... you cannot beat that!”

Brett Kopitz of Simi Valley proudly displays two staples of the

winter bite in Baja aboard a 1.5 day trip with the Constitution.

Philips has been taking the Constitution out to Colonet for one and a half day trips every Friday night all winter long. He claims that with some subtle changes on the business and bureaucratic end of things, it's now a little easier (and makes more sense) for skippers that want to make that winter trip.

“Last year there were fewer sport boats that tried to make a go of Colonet during the winter. Two things clearly changed this year: the price of fuel is much lower than before, and Mexico no longer charges the Monthly Boat Permit for sport boats. In our case last year, the cost for that permit was almost $1,500 per month. Who wants to pay that for 1 or maybe 2 trips? My case in point is that sportfishing in SoCal has survived and weathered all of the changes thrown at it since it's humble beginnings. The industry and those who participate will adapt and probably thrive...”

Philips hits it dead-on in regards to the changes we've seen. With that in mind, there have also been several advances to the winter-segment of our sport and the industry in recent years. With the advent of braided lines which allow anglers to feel even the slightest nibble at deeper depths and of course additions to our winter toolkits, such as Shimano’s Lucanus system, which caters specifically to the angler seeking out a more exciting way to catch those lethargic winter fish, there’s no doubt that while once dubbed boring (save for the bass bite), winter fishing has attained a considerable following and makes up an ample part of our good times on the big pond.

Sheepshead like this 33” beast that Travis Ray of Long Beach took on a live

sardine that make up for the days when the yellows and seabass are shy-to-show.

Whether you blame it on our new toys, our forgiving climate, or the sweet deals anglers are getting on the one and a half and two day trips out of SoCal landings, one thing is for certain – we are definitely out getting our rocks off (no pun intended) in the California winter and steadily on the hunt for big reds, beagle-sized lings, toothy goats, and delicious starry eye...

“If the ocean was outer space and long range anglers were astronauts, then winter fishing would be considered space camp.”

- Anonymous Angler

Enter the Spring Equinox; March 20th 2009. Rumors of white seabass starting to stack up at Catalina are no longer dismissed as lies on Internet fishing forums, giving spark to vicious cyberspace debates and “flaming wars” between two otherwise normal adults. Hopeful kayak anglers have home run days and start bringing home yellowtail while taking advantage of the live squid bite on a slider sinker at La Jolla. Giant calicos bask in the warmer weather and are once again hitting the large swimbaits they passed up on when it was too cold. Bonitos caught with blue-and-white feathers on the troll in local waters are slammed and stacked on bloody partyboat decks and left to dry up and curl in the cherry afternoon sun. The 2009 Fred Hall Show in Long Beach is commissioned a huge success, even in today’s heartbreaking economy. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it just doesn’t get much better for anglers than spring in southern California.

Eric Gonzalez of Sylmar with an 8 pound calico that took a strong liking to his

7 inch swimbait once water temps started warming up near Palos Verdes.

While it's true that sometimes early spring in Cali is so hit-or-miss that we often feel like we need to hurry up and wait, it is also a time when anglers all across the southland put away their hoodies, beanies, and 16 ounce leads in exchange for t-shirts, tanks, ball caps, wraparound sunglasses, and lightweight surface irons. Out come the 9-foot cork taped jigsticks, the Newell reels with their sweet casts, and the cuffed-down deck boots – all making way for our warmer weather...

Travis Ray of Long Beach makes the most of the spring days when the yellows may be playing cat & mouse with the slow-to-warm waters, and the white seabass are doing what they do best – staying elusive. “I'll still go out every chance I get,” says Travis, “whether we're tracking yellows, white seabass, or just big rockfish, I find that when you're out there doing what you love, and staying in the game – you rarely come home unhappy.”

Many anglers swear by the same philosophy when it comes to that transition from winter to spring here in southern California. Whether you're out there getting eaten alive by the swells you thought (or had hoped) had dissipated with the winter, or enjoying grease-calm conditions on the backside of Catalina with something heavy pulling on the other end of your squid-tipped iron – you have to be “in the game” if you want to get the full spectrum of California fishing at its finest.

It's yellowtail like this bad boy that took fresh squid on a ¾oz leadhead

at the bait grounds on the backside of Catalina that are the envy of all anglers.

One guy who has spent an awful lot of time in the game, raking in the Cali spring bite over the years is SoCal angler Eric Gonzalez, of Sylmar. Eric, who has brought quite a few monsters over the rail of his boat, On One, was kind enough to spend a few minutes with me over the weekend, discussing exactly what that transition to spring fishing means to him.

“Spring to me, is a time to put away the hoop nets, respool your reels, and pray to the weather gods. You have to be patient and hope that the weather stays down and allows the water temp to stabilize and warm up. The candy bait begins to stack up at the islands, and bait schools begin to flood our local waters with migratory species and birds following. The bass start feeding throughout the water column, and the white seabass begin showing. This all creates a certain anxiousness that is hard to explain, but I'm sure is felt by many anglers.”

And after I spent Easter weekend in Point Loma, battling the same ocean that gave way to great numbers of yellowtail, bonito, seabass, and huge lings just a few days prior, I can't agree more with Eric... Stay patient, pray to the weather gods, get out and fish as often and as hard as possible, and keep an eye out for spring fever as it starts to make its way back into the California waters at full-force…

Many anglers get excited about the strong halibut bite that takes place during

our winter-spring transition, and Jessica Escalante of Sylmar is no exception.

Until then, veteran angler David Choate of Torrance gives us all something to think about when it comes to our transition from winter to spring fishing. I recently caught up with David, who is also known as “Wahoodad” to anglers that frequent Internet discussion forums for updates on the latest bite, and he had the following to say:

“I love the springtime fishing, but don't get me wrong. It's not like I don't like catching bass or rockfish, I do. In fact, out of all the exotic places I fish around the world, my second favorite kind of fish to catch is calico bass. I really like fishing them on leadhead and fresh dead squid or live squid, and that's why I go on a 3 day San Clemente Island trip come every spring. I do a freezer trip first, then a month or so later, I take the SCI trip.”

With regards to timing the white seabass bite, David says, “to get a white seabass, my feel is you need to go at least 3 times. I've only been once, and we missed them by just one day!”

So as the weather and water temps warm up here over the next couple months, keep in mind that if you’re out there doing what you love, then you’re golden. Sometimes we all forget that it’s simply getting away from the everyday hustle and grind that makes fishing in SoCal such a great escape for many of us. David confirms this, and leaves us with some parting words about this transition that ring as loud and clear as the clicker on my trusty reel when I’m on the troll…

“I truly enjoy the cod trips and bass trips. I get to see the sights – the whales and porpoises, smell the sea breeze, and get some fishing exercise. I get sore after these trips, so that tells me I'm not in my finest fishing shape. It’s truly these trips [at this time of the year] that help me get ready for summer and the Puerto Vallarta trips.”

So there you have it – time to pick up some new line, grab your rods and terminal tackle, kiss the work and economy worries goodbye, and get on the water with some good friends… Spring is coming to SoCal!

As the weather warms up in May, white seabass trips really begin to yield good numbers.

These lucky anglers aboard the On One, picked theirs up at the east end of Catalina

*This article appears in the Western Outdoor News "2009 Spring Sportboat Guide," which hits newsstands on April 22nd.