Today we had our Fish in OC fishing trip aboard the Angler with Captain Chris Mizurak and mates Steve and Jack and we had an awesome time! Fishing could have been better, but we were up against a pretty strong current and a north wind that picked up throughout the day. We still saw some nice fish and we broke another record with the fish pool with a total of $720. $360 went to Joe Bushnell for the heaviest flounder and $360 went to Ron Bressler for the heaviest sea bass. Many thanks to everyone that joined us on today’s trip!!
While we were on the Angler this morning I got a phone call from Captain Jason Mumford and the first words out of his mouth were, “You know the water in here is warm when the Lucky Break catches a mahi outside the south jetty!” After a couple of “you’re messing with me’s” I realized Captain Jason was telling the truth! He had a great day for his clients with bluefish, Spanish mackerel, croaker, spot, kingfish and yes…….a mahi.
Captain Chase Eberle of Chasin’ Tides Charters has been finding some mahi as of late too. Albeit, mostly away from the jetty. His crews have also enjoyed flounder, mackerel, sharks, bluefish, sea bass, a big red drum and much more.
The crew of the Miss Kathleen out of Bahia Marina had a nice day on the ocean today with plenty of flounder and some sea bass with Nick Cota having a limit of flounder up to 24.5″.
This group had a great time with Captain Tony Battista of Saltwater Adventures fishing the route 50 bridge where they caught a bunch of throwback flounder with one keeper and a surprise 20″ cobia that was released.
Captain Mark Hoos and the crew of the MARLI had a nice day offshore with a white marlin release and a pile of mahi and tilefish.
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Anglers fishing with Captain Monty Hawkins of the Morning Star found mahi, sea bass and flounder, but there was nothing easy about it
Sea bass, flounder & mahi? Yes! But nothing easy about it.. 9/5/26
Wasn’t a stellar sunrise, but the forecast was spot on. Today’s light NE breeze reminiscent of New England; we sure didn’t miss yesterday morning’s mini butt-kicking in W 20+ one bit.
Lindsey and John sent today’s blocks down atop a barge where they’ll add excellent complexity to its flat deck. Fish already use it – we’ll make room for more. In time the additional rugosity should help corals to gain a toehold. I’m expecting complete coverage by 2035.. (Not sure I’ll see it though!)
That’s the brass ring. When a reef is fully colonized by our temperate corals, that’s the best we can offer. Future generations will see a lot more coral than we did – especially if oyster restoration is accelerated and ocean water made blue again.
Where I thought sure our corals were zooxanthellae driven (as in tropical regions where single celled algae cohabitat with many corals and turn sunlight into food.) Because I only see our corals where sunlight can strike, and because an upper NOAA habitat guy told me of sea whip in Australia that was discovered to have zoox; I thought sure our corals were symbiotically feeding on sunlight too.
But no. I had asked divers Nick and Travis to bring me up some sea whip samples to find out for good. Professor Noah Bressman put them under a microscope and found no zooxanthellae.
I couldn’t fathom why then the sunlight limitation. I am still not positive, but I think sea whip has contracted inshore from where it flourished fifty years ago..
Professor Noah explained while they don’t convert sunlight to food, their food web does need sunlight to thrive. I’ve boiled it down thusly – phytoplankton (microscopic plants/algae) need sunlight – zooplankton (microscopic/really small animals or even large marine fish etc but in earliest life stages) feed on phytoplankton – sea whip (our orange and sometimes purple soft coral that can resemble a grass-like meadow in large numbers) feed on zooplankton. Because sunlight drives the food web most needed, sea whip are found where there’s light.
Is that all of it?
Probably not. Just what I have now..
With blocks long since by the stern rail, quite some time later we began fishing.
Though my anglers dropped into sea bass straight out of the gate; wasn’t much to it save crickets.
Hmmm..
Just a while later nothing had changed so far as wind, water quality or current – yet somehow the pace of catching grew.
Folks getting used to the equipment and bite?
I suppose..
A small school of mahi found us and, to their misfortune, mistook the boat for a safe place to congregate. Mahi on a sea bass/fluke trip works.
The current came all the way around south before midday. For a few hours it turned into one of my toughest bites this year
..except for young Mr Gavin who continued catching when no one else was. He landed three doubles of sea bass when there wasn’t that many around the rest of the rail. We tried to cipher it – why his rig and no others? Sometimes the fishing is unknowable.
Thankfully the bite came around our favor again later – a little at least. Though I stayed into overtime, it didn’t help everyone–certainly helped some.
Mahi trips Tues & Wed coming. Looks like we’ll sneak them in before the wind – a wind that might churn the water column and lower the surface temp sending mahi scrambling offshore.
We’ll see!
My new deckhand (and pure fishing machine) David (Cornflower to his many friends) needs to take time off to help his Dad while he has heart surgery soon.
Today we had our Fish in OC fishing trip aboard the Angler with Captain Chris Mizurak and mates Steve and Jack and we had an awesome time! Fishing could have been better, but we were up… READ MORE
Crab Pie Ingredients 1 Pound jumbo lump crab meat 2 Deep Dish Pie Crusts (this recipe will make 2 pies) 1/4 cup of diced onion (or shallots) 8 oz of Swiss cheese 2 Tablespoons flour 3… READ MORE
