fish_sauce
01-18-2010, 01:20 AM
Being sick and bedridden for the past week has made me want nothing more than just to be out and about again on the hunt. It doesn’t matter where it is, so long as there is a body of water to fish, and some good ‘ol Californian sunshine, I’ll be content. Got an invitation from Arthur from the night before to join him on a mission to the Santa Barbara coastline, but I had to decline due to time restraints. Hopefully next time….but in the mean time, I figured I would give the local waters a try…My first surf session of the year, and the plan was to hit Long Beach, Seal Beach, and then Newport Harbor if time permits...
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii79/quandary01/01-17-10.jpg
Tide chart courtesy of www.mobilegeographics.com
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii79/quandary01/P1150014.jpg
The day started out with light morning clouds, incoming high tide. Water clarity was was on the poor side...but promising. Got to the water at 8:00AM and already there were a few heads in the water....
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii79/quandary01/P1150011.jpg
I managed a few short butts within the first hour or so, but this one really takes the prize for being the hungriest fish...It struck a flash minnow (which was longer lenghtwise than it by far) and was cleanly hooked on the mouth! :ROFL:
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii79/quandary01/P1150018.jpg
Croakers and corbinas were in the water, but they were on the smaller scale. I can't waiiitttt to catch these things in early fall!
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii79/quandary01/P1150019.jpg
This little guy was quite possibly caught and released before. His part of its upper jaw was damaged...and yet he's still surviving...it goes to show how resilient some of these fish are with proper care when catch-and-releasing...
I also noticed a few members have been posting pictures with their Californian Tournament series rods....These are not bad for $40 (when they're on sale at turners)....they reinforce my original belief that you can be successful on the surf without having to break the bank, since my setup with a CT70H with a quantum catalyst saltwater reel (off ebay) was still well under $100.
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii79/quandary01/P1150020.jpg
The magic behind fishing; a quick disappearing act.
Got to the end of 72nd place and ran into a fellow FNN'er named "Albert." He told me it was his first trip to the salt, chasing after halibut. Albert, i hope you had better luck after i left. it was a tough and slow morning today, but dont' let that discourage ya. the spring, summer, and fall bite will definitely be better! And i hope you know i fully intend on catching my first Largemouth bass this year...:Wink:
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii79/quandary01/IMG_0008.jpg
This little guy was landed on the bay side, where my friends are adamant that i would just be wasting my time there....
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii79/quandary01/IMG_0010.jpg
Look how perfectly they blend in with the sand...
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii79/quandary01/P1160022.jpg
The weather quickly turned foul around 1:00pm. I debated on whether to go straight to NPH or just make a quick stop to Seal beach...and opted for the later. I had just enough time to fish the area for about 20 minutes when the waves became severe, and conditions didn't seem too promising.
Packed my stuff up and headed back to the truck, and sat there for a while just feeling content that i had the chance to head out today and fish the window of fair weather before the storm. This weather pattern is going to stick with us a while, and will probably shut down surf fishing for a good week or two after it's done....maybe it's time i jump on a local party boat for some calico bass action first sign of the weather clearing up!...:Wink:
The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope. --John Buchan
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii79/quandary01/01-17-10.jpg
Tide chart courtesy of www.mobilegeographics.com
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii79/quandary01/P1150014.jpg
The day started out with light morning clouds, incoming high tide. Water clarity was was on the poor side...but promising. Got to the water at 8:00AM and already there were a few heads in the water....
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii79/quandary01/P1150011.jpg
I managed a few short butts within the first hour or so, but this one really takes the prize for being the hungriest fish...It struck a flash minnow (which was longer lenghtwise than it by far) and was cleanly hooked on the mouth! :ROFL:
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii79/quandary01/P1150018.jpg
Croakers and corbinas were in the water, but they were on the smaller scale. I can't waiiitttt to catch these things in early fall!
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii79/quandary01/P1150019.jpg
This little guy was quite possibly caught and released before. His part of its upper jaw was damaged...and yet he's still surviving...it goes to show how resilient some of these fish are with proper care when catch-and-releasing...
I also noticed a few members have been posting pictures with their Californian Tournament series rods....These are not bad for $40 (when they're on sale at turners)....they reinforce my original belief that you can be successful on the surf without having to break the bank, since my setup with a CT70H with a quantum catalyst saltwater reel (off ebay) was still well under $100.
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii79/quandary01/P1150020.jpg
The magic behind fishing; a quick disappearing act.
Got to the end of 72nd place and ran into a fellow FNN'er named "Albert." He told me it was his first trip to the salt, chasing after halibut. Albert, i hope you had better luck after i left. it was a tough and slow morning today, but dont' let that discourage ya. the spring, summer, and fall bite will definitely be better! And i hope you know i fully intend on catching my first Largemouth bass this year...:Wink:
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii79/quandary01/IMG_0008.jpg
This little guy was landed on the bay side, where my friends are adamant that i would just be wasting my time there....
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii79/quandary01/IMG_0010.jpg
Look how perfectly they blend in with the sand...
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii79/quandary01/P1160022.jpg
The weather quickly turned foul around 1:00pm. I debated on whether to go straight to NPH or just make a quick stop to Seal beach...and opted for the later. I had just enough time to fish the area for about 20 minutes when the waves became severe, and conditions didn't seem too promising.
Packed my stuff up and headed back to the truck, and sat there for a while just feeling content that i had the chance to head out today and fish the window of fair weather before the storm. This weather pattern is going to stick with us a while, and will probably shut down surf fishing for a good week or two after it's done....maybe it's time i jump on a local party boat for some calico bass action first sign of the weather clearing up!...:Wink:
The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope. --John Buchan