Newport Beach Bay Fishing Update
68Bat Ray
Fishing Report Update
Hello everyone. I have some updates for you fisherman out there for the bay in Newport Beach, California. The bite has been excellent as of the last 2 weeks and the water clarity has been great. Big numbers of spotted bay bass with a couple bay rays thrown in the mix have been caught recently.
Let's focus on the bass bite. The spotted bay bass has been just jumping on the hook lately. The trick has been using cut squid. I have been using a 1/0 live bait hook with a 6-10" leader and a 1 ounce sinker to get the bait to the bottom. The moon phase has been very good as well as the tides recently. If anyone has a chance to get a line wet then do it, you are almost guaranteed fish. Everytime I have been the last month I have caught at least 2 fish. The average time that I invest is about 3 hours. Last Sunday I went to Balboa Island and caught 8 spotted bay bass and a sand shark within a 4 hour period. Now on to bigger game.
The Bat Ray bite has been a little slow, but none-the-less present. A heavy rod with 30lb test works well for me. They do take a bunch of line so make sure you are prepared for these beasts. The biggest bat rays come from the mouth of the bay. About 400 yards into the bay from the mouth. Like in my previous blog, I indicated that the world record was caught in the Newport Bay and weighted in at 200lbs. These mud marlins can really pack a punch so make sure your gear is secure if you are going to set it down.
Sunday my friends and I went out on a boat and landed a 35lb Bat Ray. It took 5-8 minutes to get him in and my arms were really burning as I was fighting to get this fish to the boat as my reel squeeled and line was ripped off. Needlessto say it was a great fight. Night fishing is the best time to fish for these rays.
On a side note, we accidently foul hooked a lobster through the leg. It was a spinney lobster and it is illegal to keep a lobster caught with a hook and line. They need to be trapped (witht the proper tags) or caught by hand scuba diving or free diving. Not to mention they are not in season right now. So, we tossed him back to grow bigger for the upcoming season.
Ok folks, that is my newest update on the fishing In Newport Beach, California. I am goin to be updating this website more often. Thank you for reading and good luck fishing. If anyone has any questions about how to catch a certain species of fish, dont hasitate to ask.
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also were do you fish on balboa island
i dont have a hub so to reply just leave a comment
Hey Mike. The halibut prefer live anchovies if at all possible. If you have a boat or you have the means to rent a small skiff with a bait tank from daveys locker on the penninsula, then you could buy live from the bait barge by the mouth of Newport Bay. I like to fly line a sardine with 10lb test. The place to go for the elusive Halibut is right by the life guard docks. My other go to spot (shhh! :)) is infront of the bridge where the sand bar starts. It's great for bass and Halibut, but mostly Halibut. The bridge is for PCH. big bass by the pillars. Hope this helps!
thanks i try it :)))))))))))))))))))))))
By the way, a plastic swimbait that is worked on the bottom in the sand works well.
Let me know how it goes. I will be fishing the bay this week, check back with me and I will let you know how I do.
okay me too
infront of the bridge where the sand bar starts is the pch bridge or balboa island bridge thanks again
PCH bridge.
thats what i thought thanks again
sorry one more thing how often do you do a new report
I am starting to update this every time I go fishing, which is about 2-3 times a week. I did a little freshwater fishing today after work and just got back, was out there for about 2 hrs. with live shad. No luck though, so it looks like I will redirecting my efforts into the saltwater field haha. I will be going fishing on Thursday on Balboa island for some spotted bay bass, maybe sneek in a ray or two.
okay thanks
All being well, we will be out there for the first week in February. Know is a long way off, but wonder if you have ideas about fishing the bay then. Is live bait available anywhere at that time? Look forward to hearing from you.
Hello Jason. Live bait in the winter is available. Check out http://newportbaitbarge.blogspot.com/2009/05/newpo if you want to call before you go fishing to see how the bait is running. What are you looking to fish for?
birdman 34 if you catch a bat ray will you post it on your next update
Yes Mike I will. You can call me Ryan if you would like as well.
okay ryan thanks again
Dad and I are most excellent fresh-water fishermen, and have fished Gulf out of Marco Island Florida a number of times. We are light tackle folks, and will not be leaving the Bay, as neither of us looks good in green. I really like to use my flyrod. As for fish species: Who cares. We will likely catch and release whatever we are fortunate enough to get. Right now, probably going to contact Davey's Locker in December, and rent a fishing boat for a couple of days. Good fishing, and thanks for the help.
I couldn't agree more with this line from the author " If anyone has a chance to get a line wet then do it, you are almost guaranteed fish"
I float tube Newport bay once or twice a week. The spotted bass seem eager to be caught. For the last couple weeks we've been picking up small (12-18") barracuda quite a bit. Going out tomorrow to try floating the channel for halibut.
mike says:
5 months ago
i love fishing the bay and i use anchovies i catch o ton of rays but im have trouble with halibut