I forget to login sometimes so posts by Mike Chung, Michael K. Chung are also by me, thunnus.

Here are some pics to add to my recent post on King Harbor.

First fish was on a bait...
http://www.calfishing.com/dcforum/User_files/3c38893214921950.jpg

Second was caught by my buddy John...Here he is bit on his Scott STS 10 weight...
http://www.calfishing.com/dcforum/User_files/3c38895814ba18e5.jpg

Here is John's fish...
http://www.calfishing.com/dcforum/User_files/3c388981152b77c1.jpg

Here is one of my fly fish...Caught on the troll with an Olive/White Clouser variation...
http://www.calfishing.com/dcforum/User_files/3c3889b315369ec0.jpg


tight lines
tight lines

Nice Bonies...good job!

Nice pics. Given decent weather the wife & I will be driving up Saturday morning for a little session from the bubblehole rocks. I'll be fishing the crappie jigs mostly but will also bring an 8' stick for tossing the plastic. Hoping to score some smoker fodder :D

Tight lines,
Fishslayer

Cool...

Good luck...FYI, the locals were all fishing the bubble for a good part of the day when I was out last...They said before lunch it was doing very well on both macks and bones...

I got bit at the bubble later after they left but did not land...I tried flylining a live bait first, and I let it drift with the big, 360 current out to calm water and then I got zipped...

tight lines

-Mike C.

Funny you should mention those...ya know, I still have some of my old splashers from back in the day. Big wooden dowels with an eye in each end painted red & white.

Fishslayer

Actually, I was talking about the warm water bubble that is right by the sportfishing landing pier...But I am glad it brought some interesting memories...

I do know about the method where you use a splasher rig with a cast-a-bubble or back in the day, as you remember, a dowel splasher...

A couple of trips back, I saw a guy fishing a long, skinny surf rod off of the long jetty, and he was fishing a splasher rig with success...It was neat to watch...

I read that this ia a time honored method...I am glad you remembered this rig and brought it up!

tight lines
-Mike Chung

Will they throw me in jail if they catch me fishing off the short jetty?

Fishslayer

Fishslayer,

I just talked to the Harbor Patrol and they told me that we are not allowed to fish on the short (east) jetty...

Oh well...It looks so promising too!


tight lines
Mike Chung

Looks like you had fun! I've got to try my flyrod one of these days. I took my 10 and 12 yr old boys out from 2-4pm Sunday 1/7. They caught 8 bonies on a Pins minnow and a Smithwick minnow, drifting and casting on 6lb line. No bait required! One sandie on the bottom on the 6" sluggo rigged on a 1/4 leadhead.

Nicely done Mike!!

That looks like a lot of fun. We keep talking about trying King Harbor on the fly for Bonies but have never actually done it. I think your pictures may have inspired me. Thanks for posting them!!

Dave(Outrage)

nice pictures!!!! I just wish there would still be some bonito in our
harbor .

looks like a lot of fun nice pictures

Mike,

Were you fishing from shore, boat, tube, or what? Is the harbor accessible by any of these methods?

Bonita on fly-fishing gear must have been a blast... I'd like to try it with some ultra light spinning gear...

Thanks.

Hi SJ...

I rented skiff at Rocky Point...but you can access through boats (there is a boat sling launch), small craft like prams, kayaks, pontoons, canoes, and float tubes (there are a lot of aggresive sea lions in the harbor...could bump you around if you are on a fish and about to land one...)...There is small craft launch near the salt swimming area...

You can buy live bait mid harbor at the Pacific Bait Company...Big receiver floating out there...You can't miss it...But how you are going to keep the bait alive I dunno...The skiff rentals provide a bait sled that you drag behind the boat and it does an ok job...

I can send you a rough drawing of the harbor and where I fished if you want...Just send me your e-mail address...Mine is "scombridae1969@hotmail.com".

Ultralight spinning or casting with flylined live baits or small lures could be a blast...The sea lions can screw it up for you...


tight lines

-Mike Chung

Fishing King Harbor with ultra-light tackle is a blast. I've had three trips down to Redondo Harbor (October, December and January) and have fished live bait on 4-lb test spinning gear each time. It's remarkable how hard one of those 17" bonito can pull on 4-lb test. They usually make three or so good runs taking quite a bit of line on each run. Just about the time you get them up to the boat, either pelicans, seals or the boat itself will usually set them off running again.

Last time (Jan 4th) was the first time we had big problems with sealions. I lost four good fish to sealions. Three times the sealions broke me off after they grabbed the fish and once I was able to land just the head of a nice bonito. It seems a sealion chomped down on the body of the fish, took a big bite and all that was left was the head.

I wouldn't want to go any lighter than 4-lb and 6-lb might be a bit more appropriate but the light stuff is pretty exciting.

Mike,

Thanks for the offer. I just might take you up on the map, once I decide to head to Redondo. The whole idea of dealing with sea lions doesn't sound like too much fun though. Is it really a problem most of the time?

Thanks again.

Richard - Thanks for the tips as well. Bonito on 4lb test and ultra light gear sounds too good to pass up, doesn't it? When do they stop running in the area or are they good all year?

Well...

They are usually gone by now and people start settling on macks and they start drifting for halibut...which can also be a blast in the harbor...

BUT THE BONITA ARE STILL HERE AND THICK, I might add! (knock on wood!)

I would call the landing and ask...The best and most honest news will be from the british guy...I think his name is Mark but I forget...He is rather to the point but he has had the honestly to tell me when the bite was off...

The sea lions can be a nuisance at times, but not every time...And if you find fish way back towards the shoals or yacht club and the sea lions are hanging around the bait barge or up by the opening, you can avoid them...But hey, you gotta fish where the fish are, right? And sometimes, the sea lions are one of the variables...

Good Luck!

-Mike Chung

tight lines

Hey Mike,
I have been fishing the bones outside the breakwall for a couple months and have consistantly found them off the southern portion of the wall pushing bait. Bigger class fish too. Absolutely demolishing my swimbaits. If its slow in the harbor, I would try out there. I cant beleive they are still biting in January, maybe we will have a year round bite this year! Nice pictures by the way, Im going to have to learn how to flyfish for them someday, looks fun!
Good Luck,
Tommy

Oh how I wish I could...

The biggest fish I have caught have been right near that corner and back by the yacht club area...

The skiff we rent do not let us venture past the bouys...Not even just outside around the corner...

Darn darn darn!!!!
-Mike Chung

tight lines

Too bad about the rentals. I heard from a few old salts that the bones usually venture into the harbor when the water starts to get cold, I wonder why there are so many outside this year? I aggree there are some nice bones in the back end of the harbor. By the way, have you had any problems with the kelp? Thats probly the main reason I like fishing the bones outside of the harbor, you couldnt get a cast in last time I was there.
Tight lines,
Tommy

The kelp can be tough...We troll along it sometimes with the flies and they get hung up occasionally but we also get nipped over and over again...

Sometimes we fish in the kelp and if we fish slow, and lazy retrieves we get calicos but I have yet to catch a legal calico on the fly...One day we had live squid and we were slaying bones and I got a solid legal calico...

I don't remember how the kelp was a ways back, but right now, there are scattered "trees" but not so thick you can't fish...The area right alongside the rocks is clear...This is, however, an improvment from a short while ago...

-Mike C.

i as well as many other fisherman find your posts interesting and i was thinking of trying for these bonito but i wasnt sure if you could help me with the directions or with what types of lures to use>? Are the bonito always there or is it a hit and miss the sea lions seem like they are a big problem. And is there any landings out of there that we can call to see if they have live bait or to see if there still biting out there in the harbor. THANKS

Howdy...

The skiff rentals are located at Rocky Point Marine Fuels inside the harbor...Take PCH south from Artesia...Turn right on Beryl...Follow it into the harbor...Enter the parking for the Portofino...Hang a right and go to the end...The landing is right there...

You can call Rocky Point (310-374-9858) or Redond Beach Sportfishing (310-376-1622) for bait info...They both get served by the same bait receiver...

As far as lures, I have not fished conventional or spinning tackel recently other than to flyline bait so you may want to ask others on this thread for info...In my experience in the past, I have had luck using Krocokiles and thinner, anchovie sized plastic swmibaits...I have also head a lot of fish hit small rapalas, both cast and especially on the troll which is a great way to find fish if they are not active on the surface...

All in all, the best way I have landed them is to flyline a live anchovie or small sardine with no weight...Cast it gently and far enough from the boat so that it swims away from the boat and not under it...You are bound to get bit if they are in the area...

E-mail me for more details based on my experience...

scombridae1969@hotmail.com

-Mike Chung

thanks for the info. catch you out on the water.