Ambassadorhawg
06-29-2008, 09:08 PM
WOOOOW! What a trip!
Got on the "long range" boat this morning out of Patriot Sportfishing. We headed South to Point Purisma to comb the shallows of it's light tackle S.W.F. treasures...and boy, did I hit GOLD!
It was a 2.5 hour ride downhill in what can only be described as perfect weather, especially for the Central Coast. I started the day off with a 6 oz Jax Jig. Our first stop was in 100' and on my first drop I hooked and landed a very nice, way legal Ling. Cool, I already have half my limit for the day!
From there, it was a steady pick for me on the iron which consisted mostly of Bolina. We fished 85-105' most of the day and had an uphill current going against a slight downhill breeze. The bite was a little touchy for most, but not for me! I got a few Reds & Bolinas and a tonnage of Gophers before I realized that the best action for quality was being had on plastics!
So I dropped my iron rig, picked up my plastics rig loaded with 15 lb test and started a true slaying session that went on non-stop until the breeze picked up enough to get us moving too fast.
During that time, I got a 10+ pound ling and a few other keeper sized Lings, numerous quality sized Bolinas and a the eventual Jackpot winner, an 18 1/2 pound Goat!!!! On a swimbait no less!!!!
That thing tussled like it was the end of the world. Best fight I have had from a fish in what seems like years. I hooked it and thought right away that it was a huge Ling. I would gain 10 or 20' of line, then it would absolutely burn drag and get back down to the bottom... This took place at least 4 or 5 times, take and give, take and give... until finally, the thing got tired and what shows up in deep color, a huge Goat. I'll bet the fight lasted close to 5 minutes.
We went in even shallower to about 50' to fish after that because the breeze was going pretty good. I went back and forth between my jig and my swimbait, picking away at what would end up being a full limit of Lings and quality sized Cods.
Boy, did I make out on this trip, too. The landing gives a free pass to anyone who releases a 10+ pound Ling. I was all over that, so I claimed my pass at the landing office after the trip.
The jackpot ended up being $300, which after taking care of my galley and cleaning tabs and healthy tips for the crew, left me with more than enough cash to pay for all of my expenses for the entire weekend trip to the Central Coast!
The crew was really excited about my big Goat, too. They took lots of pics of it and the Captain himself wanted to personally fillet it after we unloaded the boat. They said it was the biggest Goat taken up there in a while. Goats are pretty rare up there as it is.
All in all, an excellent trip. I ended up catching 5 Lings for the day. I let 2 of the bigger models go for another day and kept 2 legals. The 5th Ling was a shorty.
Enjoy the pics...
A-hawg out!
Got on the "long range" boat this morning out of Patriot Sportfishing. We headed South to Point Purisma to comb the shallows of it's light tackle S.W.F. treasures...and boy, did I hit GOLD!
It was a 2.5 hour ride downhill in what can only be described as perfect weather, especially for the Central Coast. I started the day off with a 6 oz Jax Jig. Our first stop was in 100' and on my first drop I hooked and landed a very nice, way legal Ling. Cool, I already have half my limit for the day!
From there, it was a steady pick for me on the iron which consisted mostly of Bolina. We fished 85-105' most of the day and had an uphill current going against a slight downhill breeze. The bite was a little touchy for most, but not for me! I got a few Reds & Bolinas and a tonnage of Gophers before I realized that the best action for quality was being had on plastics!
So I dropped my iron rig, picked up my plastics rig loaded with 15 lb test and started a true slaying session that went on non-stop until the breeze picked up enough to get us moving too fast.
During that time, I got a 10+ pound ling and a few other keeper sized Lings, numerous quality sized Bolinas and a the eventual Jackpot winner, an 18 1/2 pound Goat!!!! On a swimbait no less!!!!
That thing tussled like it was the end of the world. Best fight I have had from a fish in what seems like years. I hooked it and thought right away that it was a huge Ling. I would gain 10 or 20' of line, then it would absolutely burn drag and get back down to the bottom... This took place at least 4 or 5 times, take and give, take and give... until finally, the thing got tired and what shows up in deep color, a huge Goat. I'll bet the fight lasted close to 5 minutes.
We went in even shallower to about 50' to fish after that because the breeze was going pretty good. I went back and forth between my jig and my swimbait, picking away at what would end up being a full limit of Lings and quality sized Cods.
Boy, did I make out on this trip, too. The landing gives a free pass to anyone who releases a 10+ pound Ling. I was all over that, so I claimed my pass at the landing office after the trip.
The jackpot ended up being $300, which after taking care of my galley and cleaning tabs and healthy tips for the crew, left me with more than enough cash to pay for all of my expenses for the entire weekend trip to the Central Coast!
The crew was really excited about my big Goat, too. They took lots of pics of it and the Captain himself wanted to personally fillet it after we unloaded the boat. They said it was the biggest Goat taken up there in a while. Goats are pretty rare up there as it is.
All in all, an excellent trip. I ended up catching 5 Lings for the day. I let 2 of the bigger models go for another day and kept 2 legals. The 5th Ling was a shorty.
Enjoy the pics...
A-hawg out!