Quote:Jumbo Squid

By Ed Zieralski

UNION-TRIBUNE



June 9, 2007



Those jumbo Humboldt squid, which have been appearing here without much break since November, are now showing up in big numbers off Ventura. Sports boats out of Ventura Sport Fishing and Hueneme Sportfishing are getting 200 or more squid a day. It's the biggest local run of Humboldt squid in decades, fishermen are saying. “This is the first time we've had any kind of action like this,” said Steve Volaski, owner of the Ventura Sport Fishing boat Coroloma after it landed more than 80 of the 35-pound squid on Monday. Department of Fish and Game biologist Dale Sweetnam said it's been 80 years since the last big run of giant squid off Ventura County. Sweetnam said squid follow the fish they feed on and suggested the jumbos may be chasing schools of mackerel or anchovies.

Quote:LONG BEACH (Marina Sportfishing)—118 anglers (3 boats): 213 giant squid, 10 calico bass, 19 sand bass, 2 sheephead, 100 mackerel, 16 rockfish, 445 sculpin.



OCEANSIDE (Helgren's)—220 anglers (6 boats): 53 giant squid, 2 halibut, 126 calico bass, 57 sand bass, 67 barracuda, 4 sheephead, 3 whitefish, 16 rockfish, 2 sculpin, 9 mako sharks.

Quote:Blue Whales and Humboldt Squid Invade Southern California



Thursday, June 14, 2007



By Ambrosia Sarabia



Quite a Catch - A customer aboard a charter of Dana Wharf Sportsfishing and Whale Watching caught a Humboldt squid during one of the daily twilight trips. Humboldt squid have been in abundance off the California coast. The squid are known for their aggressive behavior and large size.

Photo by: Reel Fun Capt. Frank photo

There must be something in the water.



Large numbers of blue whales and Humboldt squid have been seen off the California coast in the past few weeks, exciting whale watchers and anglers alike.



"Our phones have been ringing," said Doug Vernand, owner of Channel Islands Sportfishing in Oxnard. "People are starting to catch on."



This is the first year in memory that jumbo Humboldt squid have flourished during summer off Orange County, and recreational anglers are starting to gather their rods and hit the water.



"They love it. Everyone is just having a blast," Vernand said.



This is also the first time Humboldt squid have been seen in abundance off the Channel Islands. During a May 3 fishing trip with Channel Islands Sportfishing, 15 anglers brought home 165 of the invertebrates. And there are plenty left.



Ventura, San Pedro and Dana Point are a few of the other harbors where the color-changing squid have also been seen in past weeks.



"In 2006, we had about a week of them; but the last time we saw big numbers was in 2005," said Donna Kalez, manager of Dana Wharf Sportfishing and Whale Watching.

Quote:SAN PEDRO (L.A. Harbor Sportfishing) — 154 anglers (4 boats): 9 yellowtail, 250 giant squid, 73 calico bass, 1 barracuda, 3 whitefish, 2 rockfish, 114 bonito, 255 sculpin, 26 perch. (22nd St. Landing) — 275 anglers (8 boats): 25 yellowtail, 588 giant squid, 213 calico bass, 1 sand bass, 1 barracuda, 40 bocaccio, 133 bonito, 1 lingcod, 459 sculpin, 69 perch, 37 red snapper, 1 barracuda, 28 sheep head, 23 whitefish, 210 rockfish.



LONG BEACH (Marina Sportfishing) — 141 anglers (4 boats): 619 giant squid, 3 sand bass, 8 sheep head, 25 rockfish, 360 sculpin.



DANA WHARF — 367 anglers (11 boats): 1 albacore tuna, 32 yellowtail, 185 giant squid, 1 white sea bass, 3 halibut, 154 calico bass, 66 sand bass, 208 barracuda, 4 sheep head, 9 rockfish, 25 bonito, 41 sculpin.



OCEANSIDE (Helgren's) — 149 anglers (7 boats): 3 yellowtail, 50 giant squid, 3 halibut, 247 calico bass, 135 sand bass, 173 barracuda, 1 sheep head, 17 rockfish, 2 sculpin, 1 mako shark.

Quote:OXNARD



(Captain Hook's Sportfishing)—46 anglers (3 boats): 108 giant squid, 15 calico bass, 2 sheephead, 27 white fish, 111 rock fish, 7 ling cod, 16 sculpin, 94 red snapper.



(Channel Islands Sportfishing)—73 anglers (4 boats): 83 giant squid, 8 white sea bass, 80 calico bass, 2 sheephead, 36 white fish, 353 rock fish, 10 ling cod, 22 sculpin, 11 perch, 15 red snapper.



NEWPORT BEACH (Newport Landing)—155 anglers (6 boats): 21 yellowtail, 110 giant squid, 162 calico bass, 40 sand bass, 170 barracuda, 2 sheephead, 2 white fish, 1 perch.



DANA WHARF—249 anglers (9 boats): 1 yellowtail, 256 giant squid, 253 calico bass, 211 sand bass, 487 barracuda, 4 sheephead, 2 white fish, 2 rock fish, 1 bonito, 5 sculpin.



SAN DIEGO (Seaforth)—173 anglers (5 boats): 22 yellowtail, 19 giant squid, 295 calico bass, 495 barracuda, 3 sheephead, 32 rock fish, 1 bonito.

Quote:VENTURA (Port Hueneme)—54 anglers (4 boats): 28 giant squid, 1 halibut, 134 calico bass, 5 sand bass, 1 white fish, 251 rock fish, 40 ling cod.



OXNARD (Captain Hook's Sportfishing)—28 anglers (2 boats): 46 albacore, 2 calico bass, 7 sheephead, 89 white fish, 92 rock fish, 20 sculpin, 11 perch, 1 sole, 44 red snapper. (Channel Islands Sportfishing)—89 anglers (4 boats): 1 yellowtail, 5 giant squid, 2 halibut, 77 calico bass, 3 sand bass, 54 barracuda, 3 sheephead, 11 white fish, 148 rock fish, 61 sculpin, 4 perch, 38 red snapper.



NEWPORT BEACH (Newport Landing)—133 anglers (6 boats): 71 yellowtail, 150 giant squid, 196 calico bass, 442 sand bass, 12 barracuda, 3 sculpin. (Davey's Locker)—151 anglers (5 boats): 14 yellowtail, 255 giant squid, 2 halibut, 157 calico bass, 274 sand bass, 11 barracuda, 4 sheephead, 3 sculpin, 2 perch.

Quote:Humboldt squid are popping up in the strangest places. This reporter recently caught one at the 4-Mile out of Santa Barbara. I've heard of them outside the rows of oil rigs off Carpinteria. As expected, they continue to show up in the deep canyon off Port Hueneme. They are biting everything from a simple live bait rig, to a jig, to one of the specialty big-squid jigs.

Quote:Reports of Humboldt Squid caught from the deep finger canyons off Davenport are also beginning to filter in to Bayside Marine.

Quote:San Francisco: Giant squid trips will be available beginning this weekend. Call ahead for openings. Rockfishing season closed Jan.1. Emeryville Sportfishing (510) 654-6040, Berkeley Marina Sportfishing (510) 849-3333.



Half Moon Bay: The waters are a little rough, but crab trips and sand dab/crab combo trips are available. Anglers catch good numbers of sand dabs 5-7 inches working waters 4-6 miles off shore with multi-hook rigs. Trips in search of Giant Humboldt squid have been on hold for a couple of weeks but will be available again soon. Huck Finn Sportfishing (650) 726-7133, Huli Cat Sportfishing (650) 726-2926.



Monterey: The first squid trip of the season went out to Carmel Bay on Sunday and returned with three squid to 60 pounds per angler, all caught on 1 1/2-pound glow-in-the-dark squid jigs as low as 1,000 feet below the surface. Sand dab/mackerel/crab combo trips on Monterey Bay have been very successful. Trips to view the annual gray whale migration are also available. Chris' Fishing Trips (831) 375-5951, Randy's Fishing Trips (831) 372-7440.

Quote:I talked to Rick Powers at Bodega Bay Sportsfishing Wednesday, who said that he has been taking out his party boats for Dungeness crab and sand dab combo trips off the northern Sonoma County coast this week and hasn't seen any indications of the oil. He added that sports-crab fishing is very good, with his clients getting full limits of crab, plus a large number of sand dabs (small sole) on every trip. He also made his first giant Humboldt squid fishing trip of the year, and in less than an hour of fishing, his clients brought in more than a thousand pounds of the monsters. To check on the current conditions and book either a crab and dab combo or a giant-squid trip, call Rick at 875-3344.

Quote:Bodega Bay charters are working for giant Humboldt squid to 8 feet at Cordell Banks.

Quote:SAN FRANCISCO BAY

There was a huge swell over the past week, keeping boaters inside the confines of the Golden Gate. Emeryville Sport Fishing is scheduling sand dab/crab or squid/crab combos, weather permitting.



MONTEREY

Todd Arcaleo of Chris' Landing said they're scheduling sand dab/mackerel and sand dab/crab combination trips over the coming weeks, in addition to Humboldt squid trips on the weekends. (Chris' Landing, 831-375-5951; Tom's Sport Fishing, 831-633-2564; Stagnaro's, 831-427-2334; Usafishing.com.)