Catalina Island Camp/Fish Trip + Palos Verdes Black Seabass from Paddleboard

I just got back from a camping and fishing trip at the Two Harbors campground, bringing only rice and tortillas for food. This was originally planned to be a kayak camping trip at one of the remote boat-in sites, but wasn't happy with the rental kayaks they offered. Hopefully will return with my own kayak to do that trip. I have a portable/modular kayak though, which is necessary as you aren't allowed to bring full length kayaks on the ferry.

As soon as I got off of the ferry, I crossed the isthmus to fish the right side of Cat Harbor which holds some rocks/sparse kelp. Surprisingly, I got a 15" calico on a Nomad ridgeback lure in less than a foot of water but no other bites. On Youtube, there seems to be a healthy population of leopard sharks and rays, as well as small halibut and spotted bass in this spot, but I wasn't baitfishing for them. On the way back to camp, I grab a prickly pear cactus paddle to grill over the fire with my calico to make tacos. I stayed at site 48, which was relatively isolated with a nice view of the harbor and beach.

The next day, I rented a motorized solo skiff for $265. I immediately saw tons of life from the surface at Harbor Reef just outside of the cove, and got a few bites on squid but no commits. I snagged my hi-low and didn't have any replacements so I was stuck with lure fishing for the rest of the day, which is unfortunate given the amount of non-predatory opaleye, half moon perch, and blacksmith I could see from the boat. I move on to Ship Rock, trolling a Nomad DTX minnow on the way, but couldn't catch anything but kelp there. SoCal fishing with their healthy kelp forests is a different beast and pretty frustrating with any kind of drift. I see why people tend to spearfish instead down there. I do another troll and move onto Eagle Reef, where I again see tons of perch from the surface inspecting my lure but otherwise giving it no heed. That changed when I tipped it with squid, and eventually I got a few large half moon perch to take the lure as well as a few calicos, one of which was large enough to keep. Very slow fishing honestly for having a boat, but enough for me to eat at camp and then some. I grilled one of the perch over a banana leaf that night.

The last day, I head over to the left side of Cat Harbor which leads into the open ocean and some nice kelp patches. Very fishy spot but couldn't get any bites before it was time to board the ferry. I relaxed in LA for a few days to cook the remainder of my catch and make gyotaku prints.

I also went out to Palos Verdes on my paddleboard, where it was a slow bite until something GIGANTIC took my Squidtrex. It was pulling drag 10x harder than the 40" lingcod I caught this year, and going on huge runs. White seabass? Yellowtail? It wraps around the kelp, but luckily not completely tangled and I could still gain line back. I desperately try to paddle around the kelp stalk with one hand to try to unwrap it. The fight goes on for almost half an hour, and eventually the fish unwraps itself or my line cut the kelp but it was out in open water and I knew I was going to land it. But it when it came up, I was disappointed to see that it was not a WSB but a black seabass, maybe at least 50 pounds? It was spent from the fight but I nudged it with my paddle and it swam off into the depths. Cool encounter, I guess, although I was hoping to take home fish back to SF. I did keep a 13" sheephead which bit on shrimp.

Footage of the Catalina portion of this report here:

That's pretty awesome trip bro thanks for sharing. Two harbors is nice and cat harbor can be fishy if you know how to fish those waters. Next time your there try the buffalo milk from the bar. Delicious

Wow!!!

 Brings back great memories of doing solo trips. Thanks for sharing.

Very cool trip! 

Great trip. Id luv some more details, like where n how to rent a skiff or kayaks, and reserve campgrounds etc.  Also its no big deal to bring gear onto the catalina ferry?

I havent set foot in that island in 35 years and want to return

Great trip. Id luv some more details, like where n how to rent a skiff or kayaks, and reserve campgrounds etc.  Also its no big deal to bring gear onto the catalina ferry?

I havent set foot in that island in 35 years and want to return

Definitely. Almost everything is done via the Catalina website including camping reservations, which you can find here: https://www.visitcatalinaisland.com/stay/camping. I stayed at Two Harbors campground, which is more remote than the main city of Avalon. Kayaks and skiffs can be rented right at the docks at the Dive & Rec shop, didn't need a reservation. The skiff can be driven right from the harbor - I was on the water within 5 minutes of walking in - and quick drive to Harbor Reef, Ship Rock, and Eagle Reef which are the known spots in the area. There are some nearby MPAs, so check the maps. The kayaks are basic sit-on-tops but there are many reefs and kelp forests within easy paddling distance. I saw so many opaleye and perch from the surface so I think it would be very productive to bring a sabiki or something baited with frozen peas. For shorefishing, Cat Harbor on the backside has more accessible spots.

You can bring a ton of gear on the ferry but just not a full size kayak. Fishing rods under 9' are fine. You book tickets separately on the Catalina Express website and they outline luggage restrictions there. I brought a large military style duffel with my camp gear, and hand-carried my poles. I would make book campsites and ferry tickets at the same time.

Let me know if you have any other questions - definitely a fun trip

Nice job editing the video...
Natural filmmaker...

Great trip. Id luv some more details, like where n how to rent a skiff or kayaks, and reserve campgrounds etc.  Also its no big deal to bring gear onto the catalina ferry?

I havent set foot in that island in 35 years and want to return

My wife and I did a short trip there back in 2016. It was really great. We rented an old SOT Ocean Kayak tandem that was 16+' long and pretty narrow for a SOT.  We could really move at a good pace in that thing. It looks like Descanso Sports is still in business. I think we took everything already packed in our own dry bags. I found an email with our itinerary (screenshot below). Watch out for the little foxes. They will steal your food, even in broad daylight. I recommend keeping any unattended food inside the hull.



 

Very cool trip and report.

I fished Catalina and PV in my high school days.
Love the variety of species you can get into.