Being this close to the island meant that the waves were almost absent and there was no wind at all. As we drifted I could see down in the water and spotted some of the bright orange colored Garibaldi that are the official California State Fish. You can only find them around Catalina and at La Jolla Cove.
As the Skipper promised, we soon started catching 'rockfish'. There are 57 different species that qualify as 'Rockfish'. Red Snapper, Rock Cod, White Cod and etc. There is also a chance to catch a big Ling Cod or Black Bass. All of these fish are great for eating and easy to fillet.
There was a commotion on the other side of the boat and we all turned to see what was happening; A fisherman had hooked something big and he was struggling to bring it in. It was a Sheepshead. A very strange looking fish. And as it turned out, a little bit heavier than the Barracuda, making that fisherman the winner of the Jackpot. About $80!We stopped fishing about 2 in the afternoon and began the long trip back. Catalina is only 26 miles from Los Angeles but the boat barely tops 10 mph. And on the way back the deck hand will clean and fillet the fish that he is allowed to...only if you want him too. His filleting soon attracted a flock of seagulls that followed us all of the way in, fighting and diving for the scraps that were going overboard. The live bait tank was emptied and that made for a feast for the gulls as well. Some of the fisherman would stand near the stern and throw sardines far into the air and watch the gulls catch them mid-air.
At the end of the day I had enjoyed a great day of fishing and was eager to do it again. And we did this often. Not as often as I might have liked, but certainly enough times to make each trip memorable.
The photo above was 'borrowed' from the internet and is only here to let you see what an odd fish the Sheepshead is. I have no idea as to the identity of the fisherman. I apologize.
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