Glow In Dark
Danny Clark sent me an interesting article about glow in the dark paint on jigs and lures. At least one company has spent the time and money to research whether there is improved success with glow-painted jig, whether in the daylight or the dark. That’ll come as no surprise to long range anglers, who been catching large tuna on four to 12-ounce glow-painted iron jigs over the past half-dozen years. To read more about how it works, why fish respond to glow and how to paint your own jigs, take a look at the article at: glowinc.com/glow-in-the-dark/.
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If you like to fish the iron for tuna, you definitely should have some glow-painted jigs. Most manufacturers now offer the option. Tady and Salas and Sumo are among the makers who offer heavy, ready to use tuna jigs. Yellowtail are easily fooled by the same jigs, maybe in a lighter size than the one-pound version.
Oriental anglers also seem to favor glow-painted jigs in a heavy elongate form, up to a foot long and a pound in weight, probably because they jig for tuna at depths to 600 feet or more. Here’s a pair of glow jigs from Singapore.
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The top jig would have a pair of single hooks on the front end, hanging on the ends of a piece of Spectra line through the front eye; they would hang about halfway down the jig. The fishermen I watched did not use hooks on the other eyes. They felt they got most hookups off the front end, while cranking the jig up at a frantic speed. They caught a lot of yellowfin to 140 pounds during a night bite at Cleofas Bank.
Rooster’s Return
John Grabowski will dock the Red Rooster III Friday, February 4 with the rig’s fourth great catch of tuna this season. He made a recent report:
"Today's fishing was similar to yesterday,” he wrote January 25, “with a similar grade of fish. In today's catch we added five or six more tunas over 200lbs which brings our total to 14 to 16 (there are a couple right on the edge of 200 lbs). Not bad for a second day of fishing.
“We have been saving our holding space for the cream of the crop and not taking anything in under 100 lbs other than the 15 wahoo that were just too good to pass up. So our fish holds are still in good shape, waiting to be filled with quality tuna cows. As for weather, It rained pretty hard last night but everything has cleared up today and weather again is back to normal. Everyone is just loving it."
Gets His Chances
“Today was another great day of tuna fishing,” wrote Royal Polaris skipper Roy Rose February 1. “Weather is still a little choppy, and we had overcast skies all day. We kept 23 fish and released 13. The size was from 155-215lbs.”
The day before, Rose reported, “Today was another great day on the water. We only had to release one 140 lb tuna, the other 21 yellowfin tuna we kept were from 170 to 190 on the average, with only one fish at 210. For those of you who are wondering how many we have over 200, we will let you know the exact number on the 10 of February, we have a lot of fish that tape out 199 to 203. I will not count those until they are weighed back at the dock, trust me we are getting our chances.”
Halibut Derby Funds Over A Thousand Inner City Kids to Fishing Trips
by Larry Brown
It’s not the fishing or the catching. It’s the giggles at the slimy, wiggly baits, the screaming and laughter at the acrobatic gulls, the awe of the graceful pelicans and the total peace and tranquility of a half a day on the beautiful Pacific Ocean. Marina del Rey Anglers, a local club of recreational boaters and anglers, hosts over a thousand disadvantaged youths from the Los Angeles area each year to a magical day on the Betty-O, a local fishing boat out of Marina del Rey Sportfishing. This club of concerned citizens and philanthropists has been doing this now for 30 years. All of this is made possible through its annual fund raiser, the Marina del Rey Halibut Derby.
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The 31st Annual MDRA Halibut Derby will be held this year on April 2 & 3, 2005.
The Marina del Rey Halibut Derby is the oldest and largest fishing tournament on the West Coast of California. About 1000 anglers have participated in the event in each of the last 5 years.
MDRA club members hope this year’s halibut extravaganza will be bigger and better than all previous events. Over $65,000 of prizes and raffles may be awarded to lucky anglers participating in this event. All funds from entry fees will go to support the Marina Del Rey Anglers’ Youth Fishing Program and the club’s Ocean Resources Enhancement Program which has reared and released nearly 60,000 juvenile white sea bass into Santa Monica Bay since its founding in 1994.
If you are a fisherman do not miss this halibut extravaganza. You can enter as an individual and as a team. Teams may be comprised of two to four anglers. Entry fees are $75 for individuals and an additional $15 if you join a team. Sign up and pay at the Fred Hall Show MDRA Halibut Derby Booth or before March 23, and get a $10 discount. To add to the fun and excitement there will be a separate entry $20.00 Jackpot with cash going to the three anglers weighing in the heaviest “bag weights” based on the biggest halibut per day per angler for the 2 day tournament.
Entry fee in the Derby includes a barbecue dinner and a spectacular awards event at which over $65,000 worth of prizes will be distributed. The entry fee also includes a door prize raffle ticket for a chance to win one of hundreds of great prizes. Entry forms will be available at local tackle shops, on the internet at www.halibutderby.com and at the Fred Hall Show in Long Beach in the first week of March.
To make an individual donation to support the MDRA Youth Fishing Program please make a check payable to Marina del Rey Anglers and send it to, Marina del Rey Anglers, C/o MDRA Treasurer, 4230 Del Rey Ave. #530, Marina del Rey, CA 90292.