A proud Cathy Needleman stands next to her big catch, a 68 lb. sea bass. (Courtesy phto)
Proud angler Cathy Needleman shows off her big catch, a 68 lb. sea bass. (Courtesy phto)

A close friend sent me a message dripping with excitement. It said, “We limited out on white seabass and 5 of them are over 60 pounds!”

A note like that instantly boils the blood of anyone who enjoys fishing and anyone who enjoys fresh fish, especially when it is one of the best tasting fish in the sea.

The mega-bite she got in on was a coastal bite which entailed a smooth and scenic ride up the coast and fishing in about 70 feet of water in a spot where a squid spawn was concentrating the entire food chain.

It seems most sea predators enjoy eating squid (calamari). I don’t blame them.

From other friends, I knew that squid spawns were simultaneously occurring at various spots around the Channel Islands, and the food chain was all over them. In other words, white seabass fishing was off the charts both along the coast and at the islands.

Want to get in on such exciting fishing? You can. Just make a call to a local fishing landing like Santa Barbara Landing or call a private charter company like Capt. Tony Vultaggio or Capt. Jim Klein.

Gearing up is fun. Visit vaguerods.net to buy (or have built) a custom fishing rod that is just perfect for this special kind of fishing. Vague Rods builds my custom signature series rod, the Bacon Stix because this is my own choice for the best rod based upon my decades of captaining charter and private boats.

Then stop by Hook, Line & Sinker in Santa Barbara and just say, Set me up with a reel, line and tackle for white seabass fishing. The good people there will set you up with exactly what you need to catch live squid and then parlay the live squid into big yummy white seabass.

Summer is the best season for white seabass fishing, and this fishing season is turning out to be a stellar one for the big croakers (white seabass).

We have such a huge and healthy population of these tasty fish because the entire fishing community, including Coastal Conservation Association – California Chapter has teamed with Hubbs Sea World Research Institute, which hatches and raises baby fish, and then we grow them out and release them all along our coast.

The fishing on any given day may be great or not so great, but consider the total package including the magnificent views. You are adventuring at sea, and chances are good that you will spot dolphins, whales, sea birds and maybe other major sea life.

This is what we call a win-win.

Capt. David Bacon is a boating safety consultant and expert witness, with a background in high-tech industries and charter boat ownership and operation. He teaches classes for Santa Barbara City College and, with a lifelong interest in wildlife, writes outdoors columns for Noozhawk and other publications. The opinions expressed are his own.