Kids giggling and fishing from a pier, surfers paddling and fishing from their boards, and offshore waters producing early fall-like fishing – that's the action on tap as we start the last month of summer.
First up is the sixth annual Young Angler Tournament, tomorrow at Shelter Island Pier. Sponsored by the International Game Fish Association and the San Diego Sportfishing Council, the event is free and open to kids ages 6 to 15. There will be prizes for division winners, a raffle with donations (rods and reels, fishing gear and more) from the fishing industry and a free lunch. Registration starts at 9 a.m., fishing at 10. For more information, call (619) 234-8793 or visit www.sportfishing.org. Next up is Sunday's 21st annual Windansea Board Fishing Tournament. Signups start at 4:30 a.m. at the foot of Westbourne Street at Windansea. Cost is $25 and includes a T-shirt and lunch. The tournament requires anglers to fish from a surfboard. There will be a barbecue at noon. A group photo at 2 will be followed by the Dash For Cash.
As for that offshore fishing, big yellowtail and dorado have spiced up matters, with kelp paddies holding both species along with an occasional bluefin and albacore.
Bill Roecker of FishingVideos.com reports that a trip this week on Steve Drogan's Destiny, a 60-foot Mikkelson yacht, went well. Roecker fished with Paul Sweeny and Dan Walsh and hit waters off Punta Banda. Their bait died because of an apparent impeller failure, but they trolled various jigs, the most productive being the Cedar Plug. Julie Jordan ran the boat and Doug Wagner was the mate. The anglers boated two yellowfin, one bluefin, 14 dorado (six released), five yellowtail (all released) and one albacore caught by Walsh. The albacore bit less than 15 miles south-southwest of the Coronados.
Notable
Jose Cartagena of Poway earned $100 for catching a 5.3-pound albino catfish at Lake Poway as part of the concession's weekly prize for the biggest catfish caught at the lake. The cash fishing contest continues through Sept. 6. Each Saturday until then the Lake Poway Grill and Tackle Shop will give $100 for the largest catfish caught the previous week (Wednesday through Sunday). There's night fishing at Poway every Friday and Saturday through Sept. 6.
Tom Buckalew and Brett DeLong (Team Quantum) won the third annual San Diego Saltwater Bass Showdown finals Sunday on San Diego Bay. They beat the other 14 teams by catching the heaviest calico, sand bass and spotted bay bass. Buckalew and DeLong weighed in a 2.10-pound spotted bay bass, a 5.34-pound sand bass and a 3.06-pound calico. They won $695. Second went to Mike Ryba and Kyle Eady with a three-fish limit totaling 10.22 pounds. They won $595. Third went to Bill Schaefer and Brandon Cotton with a three-fish limit of 9.52 pounds. They earned $220.
Projected grunion run is tonight from 9:50 to 11:50; tomorrow from 10:35 p.m. to 12:35 a.m., and Sunday from 11:15 p.m. to 1:15 a.m.
Ed Zieralski: (619) 293-1225; ed.zieralski@uniontrib.com
