Santa Monica surf. 1/19 (pics)....

[Skyler]

Had to deliver an airgun to the San Fernando valley on saturady, so Armand and I grabbed the rods and made it a day. Stopped at topanga for a minute, until we had enough of the ten pounds of salad per cast and the snagging up on mussel encrusted rocks, lol. So we grabbed about ten pounds of mussels for some other day, packed it up, and worked Santa Monica from lot 9 to the pier. Caught a lot of fish, all BSP's, all on camo sandworms, but most were very small. I was throwing Kastmasters, cranks, and a Fiord spoon as well, hoping for some halibut asction, but there was way too much salad floating around to work exposed trebles, and the surf was weird, with triple breakers and riptides kicking up sediment. Couldn't get the action I wanted from the spoons, so switched to a gulp 3" squid in new penny rigged weedless, and got NAILED! Unfortunately I farmed it. But it definitely was not a surf perch, he he he. Anyways, ended up with three slabs for the day, and a bunch of dinks released. Here's a few pics. Didn't get a picture of most of them, but you've all seen a dinky perch before, he he he. Biggest fish of the day went to Armand at 9 ounces, lol. Enjoy...

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/9892/001lt8.jpg

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/5323/003rj0.jpg

http://img47.imageshack.us/img47/7533/004bq5.jpg

http://img47.imageshack.us/img47/3406/005qj9.jpg

http://img47.imageshack.us/img47/5467/006xs9.jpg

[one_leg]

Dem's good eats!!!

Congrats on the slayfest. :wink:

One_Leg

[Skyler]

Dem's good eats!!!

Congrats on the slayfest. :wink:

One_Leg

Thanks, O_L. Yeah, we're just gonna keep freezing the big ones we catch until we each have our possesion limits, then we're gonna invite some friends over for a taco night, he he. Hell, you're invited too, lol! But yeah, those BSP are some of the best tasting fish I've had in awhile. Almost as good as striper.

[tacklejunkie]

Nice work stiring up the perch. Size doesn't matter when it comes to fish as long as you caught something!
That might have been one of those monster 2.5lb perch I keep hearing about if not a hali. Some dude I met today said he caught one and it fought like crazy. I saw one myself Jump a foot out of the surf yesterday. They look like a gold and white football :lol: I got hit on those gulp squid before too but farmed it also. It might be because they are somewhat firm plastic. Had one out on the drop shot today bait and wait style while fishing lures. When I went to check it my line was all wrapped up around the rocks, which is odd. It wasn't moving with the 3oz's of weight on the tag end of the dropshot then all the sudden I notice it burried in the rocks? You really gotta keep a good eye on your line for bait and wait in the ocean!

[Skyler]

yeah, those little squid are hard as hell. but I suppose that is also a good thing, as the fish won't be able to tear 'em up as soon. I'm sure if i hadn't rigged it weedless, I would have landed the fish (or else been spooled by it, lol!). It fought like a brick wall, so i think it was a halibut hugging the bottom. I could be wrong though.

As for the monster perch, I hope to nail one soon. That ten incher at BC fought hella hard. The state record is like 17 inches! Imagine hooking into that on 4 pound test, he he. As for the bait and wait thing, we tryed off the pier for about 15 minutes with the sandworms, but only managed a few more perch. I have a nice big bag of giant mussels in my freezer though, as well as squid, anchovies, mackeral, smelt, and some shrimp. Gotta pick up a new rod though for baiting the surf, as the stiffest thing I own is my 6" medium ugly stick, lol.

[rocklee]

hey skyler,
working the salt more now! I recognize that pier by the ferris wheels!
Looks like a good day catching perch!
How did they taste, I fish there before but only off the pier and didn't catch anything