New Record For Biggest White Sea Bass from a kayak in California

John McKroid

The IFGA record is 83lbs, too bad he was unable to get an official weight.

https://wonews.com/kayak-record-white-seabass-roped-at-dana-point/?fbclid=IwAR0IkiYPnh9L3PB2wyY9djzZ4dC8YdO4-6qXxmBhUg5TIkQJNJ139pOyjkg

Alex from GA

And they're great to eat also.  Usually when they're mature the stripes aren't visable or very faint.

conchydong

If I am not mistaken they are family to Redfish and Black Drum but better eating. That is a heck of a catch.

gogittum

Back in the late '60s I spent a lot of time snorkeling with a 4 ft, 3 band, customized spear gun at Catalina Island looking for those guys, but they'd been heavily over-fished then and were pretty rare.  Never did get one.....never did even see one.  Apparently, they've made a big come-back since then and are much more common.  Good news.

nowinchatt

The boat in my profile pic was based in Orange County. That is a beast of a WSB. I think they are actually in the croaker family. The numbers have really bounced back. They started raising them in Newport harbor in the 80's.
LA Times," More than 2.4 million white sea bass have been raised and released throughout Southern California since 1986 through the Ocean Resources Enhancement and Hatchery Program, which Hubbs coordinates for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife."

John McKroid

conchydong said:

If I am not mistaken they are family to Redfish and Black Drum but better eating. That is a heck of a catch.

Yes, in the Croaker Family and very good eating.

John McKroid

gogittum said:

Back in the late '60s I spent a lot of time snorkeling with a 4 ft, 3 band, customized spear gun at Catalina Island looking for those guys, but they'd been heavily over-fished then and were pretty rare.  Never did get one.....never did even see one.  Apparently, they've made a big come-back since then and are much more common.  Good news.

I think you must have just missed the hay days....A coworker of mine grew-up on Catalina in the late '50s/early 60's.  He talked about how he could throw a flying fish on a hand line off the shore, and come back later in the day to pull in a big white sea bass.  In the early 80's I worked with the late Frank Hall of 22nd st. Sportfishing.  He would tell us about the '50s when he could pull up on a spot at Catalina island and tell if the white sea bass were going to bite or not based on their color.        

John McKroid

nowinchatt said:

The boat in my profile pic was based in Orange County. That is a beast of a WSB. I think they are actually in the croaker family. The numbers have really bounced back. They started raising them in Newport harbor in the 80's.
LA Times," More than 2.4 million white sea bass have been raised and released throughout Southern California since 1986 through the Ocean Resources Enhancement and Hatchery Program, which Hubbs coordinates for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife."

Yes, a big Croaker and the restocking program has been a success, but also critical to this success was the banning of gill nets that finally passed into law (Calif prop 132) in 1994.