Anyone fish Newport bay lately???????????
Can anyone suggest a good color for summer time swim baits in Np?

Haven't fished it lately but colorwise, I fish the same colors of big hammers yearound: #5 halloween, #48 brown grunion, #4 keylime, #16 clear red flake.

I was down there for my first time ever on Sunday May 5th. I had my kickboat on the salt for the first time. Caught two sand bass (barred according to the DFG folks who came by to check our catch) - one going a healthy 14" and the other 11 3/4". In addition to the two sand bass I had a short (18-19") halibut and a real small (7-8") something or another. All fish released after the enjoyable fight.

I spend most of the day tossing green or blue-backed anchovy patterned swimbaits (Big Hammer equivalent colors #13 and #26) in the 3" size with a 1/4 to 3/8 oz darter-style jig head. I alternated between an ultra-light 4 lb test rig and a slightly heavier 8 lb test rig. All fish were caught on the 4 lb rig. The halibut, even though he was undersized, put up a great tussle on the 4 lb test rig.

I learned a lot about fishing the bay and had a great time. I'll definately do it again even though it's a long drive from Bakersifeld.