1969

OFF THE SURF
By Reg Reynolds
January 2, 1969

Off the long Ventura, pier fishermen saw a number of large salmon swimming in the water. I don’t know if any of the fish were caught but they tried for a hookup. Rock and calico bass are in deep water, with some fair size halibut. Halibut can be found in the deep water most any time of the year and be caught by trolling a shiny jig, spinner, or using live anchovies, hooked to a good wire leader. Lots of jack smelt are around the pier with plenty of tom cod.

Close to shore you will find barred perch with a scattering of corbina. From March on the corbina will start to show up in schools for their spawning. The females are full of a double sack of eggs then.
From the pier up to the Ventura river, barred perch, with some good bass fishing can be had either at extreme low or high tides.

The beach above has some excellent spots to cast your line. This holds good up to the first rocklined highway. Mussel Rock, and the long sandy beach above has some fine perch and bass fishing. They are striking on most baits, either frozen or fresh. If one can find some sand crabs, they are swell bait.
Off the Rincon rocklined seawall, large rock, calico bass, cabazone, perch, halibut and sharks are striking at the peak of high tide. Around the point and up to the oil pier, both rock and surf fishing has been reported good on either tides. From Higgin’s Point, up to the Carpinteria tarpits lots of fish are striking. All along the state beach park, surf fishing is picking up. Sandyland Point, Serena, Summerland, and off the Biltmore at Santa Barbara, fish are now striking.
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OFF THE SURF
By Reg Reynolds
January 9, 1969

Off the long Ventura pier, jack smelt, tom cod, perch and some halibut are still striking. This will hold good all through the winter months as long as the ocean storms don’t set in.

Barred perch will continue to run off the long sandy beach until late in June. Their winter spawning season starts in November and continues through the months. Two runs these fish have, November and in March. You can look for these runs, as they happened right at that time.

Off the Ventura river mouth, rock, calico bass and cabazone run the year round among the rocks. There should be some large fish now striking on squid, anchovies, mussels, shrimp, clams, and sugar cured mackerel. They are all excellent baits to have along. Use a size one hook, two or three on the leader for best results.

The rocklined seawall below the long oil pier at Mussel Rock is a good spot to try your luck. Lots of perch come in close to shore feeding on sand crabs that wash in with high tides. Off Mussel Rock one can catch a good string of kelp bass, black perch and other rock fish, during the incoming high tide. It is good off the sandy beach above, stretching along the rock wall. Off the rocklined seawall directly below the Rincon Hill, some boys from Summerland and Carpinteria caught a nice string of cabazone bass, and some large buttermouth perch Friday morning. The ocean was breaking onto the rocks and these fish were striking close to shore.

Around the pint, leading up to the short oil pier, has some excellent holes to cast into the ocean affording shelter for many kinds of shore fish. This holds good up to the Carpinteria tar pits, Sandyland beach, Serena, Summerland, and off the fine beach at Santa Barbara. Try all these spots and you will go home with a nice mess of surf fish.
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OFF THE SURF
By Reg Reynolds
January 16, 1969

Fred Franklin and Dave Burgess of North Hollywood fished off the end of the long Ventura pier the other day. They caught three bonito, a string of jack. smelt and a dozen bass. This is the' time of year when. the large jack smelt are .striking. Salted bonito is· an excellent bait to use for these scrappy. fish. Use about four size ten hooks; baited with small chunks of this bait and . . cast it out. You will eventually hook one- of these fish, and do they scrap.

The long stretch of beach above the pier: and up to the mouth· of the Ventura .river, now has some good bass and perch fishing during both low and high tides. Wherever .you find a rocky bottom, you will catch some  fair sized rock and calico bass. These fish· feed on the small crabs that are found hidden in the rocks. The long rocklined seawall· directly· below Mussel· Rock, Beach is an excellent spot to fish during high tide.

Many kinds of surf fish. move in close to shore where they feed: on tiny sand crabs washed out by the rough tide. Lots or sand sharks are round off this wall. To catch them, use a smal1 piece or squid and have a ball fighting them in.

Above the large rock up to the Rincon hill is a hot spot to fish during the afternoon high tide. Bass, cabazone, perch, sharks and  a few halibut are striking in the  deep water. One can choose hundreds of fine spots to cast his line.

The rocky beach around Rincon point and up to the oil 'pier has some  fine rocky holes to fish for many kinds of kelp fish. Fish along this beach at low tide. Higgin's Point to the Carpinteria tar pits, fishing been fair this past week. Sandyland beach to Serena, Summerland and up to the long stretch, of beach at Santa Barbara below the breakwater fishing has been fair.