Fantastic window of fishing opportunity

This is the best looking weekend for saltwater fishermen in a long time. We'll start getting marine layer again about Saturday, but the forecast is for the wind to stay down into the middle of next week. And the fishing is great. How do I know? I've been keeping up to date with my SportfishingReport.com iPhone app, that's how.

The good to great counts from the bluefin grounds just 40 to 50 miles off San Diego keep coming in, the threshers are still biting, lobster season opens this weekend, the seabass/squid season should be getting off to a great start -- wait a minute, it never ended?-- and private boats that head out for the tuna below the 60 Mile Bank could have a shot at the last marlin of the season. There are swordfish around and an amazing amount of great white sharks sightings, but you can't fish for whitey and by all reports the swordies are stuffed and are turning their bills up at any offerings.

One area that should be on any sportfisherman's list this weekend is the Channel Islands. It's been a lot of years since we've had this good a stretch of calm weather with a heat wave in the fall and Shawn Steward's catch yesterday on the Aloha Spirit reflects what that means -- calico bass at its best. Okay, I love fishing for the checkerboards and nothing beats the CI with prime fall conditions. The fishing can rival anything found anywhere for bull bass on whatever you want to throw. Mix in the fact you're in prime hooping country and, as Steward's anglers did, you can add rockfish to the sack, it's perfect. Just let the big calicos go.

The albies off the Central Coast have been hard to locate the last couple days, but the SFR trip on the Pacific Queen has two days to find the fish and Capt. Bill Cavanaugh promises that at the least anglers are going home with a taste of long range lings and reds Sur stylye. There are a few spots left at only $300.

Whatever option you choose, good luck and have fun.