NPH: shore set-ups: what are you guys throwing?

[Dwchkypmp20]

tried NPH for the first time ever(first time harbor fishing ever) on weds, came up pretty short. Had one small spotty on the first cast near the Balboa jetty, and nothing after that. was throwing a 4.5 swimbait that is silver and blue, but no other luck. just seeing if you guys could help out a little, anything from what tackle to actual set-ups. would be much appreciated. thanks in advance.


David

[DockRat]

Congradulations on your 2nd post since Dec 09 :Applause:
Sounds like your fishing is like your posting, weak.
Don't feel bad I had a big skunk yesterday too on a 2 hour N OC Recon.
Went to Big Fish for some Ghost Shrimp but they were out. Low on plastics and wanting to bait fish I opted for the 'stinky mussels'.

Hit Warner and PCH bird refuge back bay for no bites. Went back to LA County 'Wilmas' back channel near the draw bridge for 3 casts. 1 Sand Bass, 1 Calico Bass, and a 1 Spotted Bay Bass till 2 cops showed and told me to split. All bass on mussels. 2 nd POLA Spottie. :Razz:

Keep Fishing (and posting)
DR

[fisherman from long beach]

Congradulations on your 2nd post since Dec 09 :Applause:
Sounds like your fishing is like your posting, weak.
Don't feel bad I had a big skunk yesterday too on a 2 hour N OC Recon.
Went to Big Fish for some Ghost Shrimp but they were out. Low on plastics and wanting to bait fish I opted for the 'stinky mussels'.

Hit Warner and PCH bird refuge back bay for no bites. Went back to LA County 'Wilmas' back channel near the draw bridge for 3 casts. 1 Sand Bass, 1 Calico Bass, and a 1 Spotted Bay Bass till 2 cops showed and told me to split. All bass on mussels. 2 nd POLA Spottie. :Razz:

Keep Fishing (and posting)
DR

a dr if you work or live in the pedro area why dont you stop by pauls bait,they got the ghosties and at a better price then big fish.

[lalo56]

I have not fished NPH but what i would try is different color swim baits til you find what color they are biting on. Also you can use Berkley Gulp sand worm - camo 2." This is the best advice I can give, coming from a novice.

[Dwchkypmp20]

Congradulations on your 2nd post since Dec 09 :Applause:
Sounds like your fishing is like your posting, weak.
Don't feel bad I had a big skunk yesterday too on a 2 hour N OC Recon.
Went to Big Fish for some Ghost Shrimp but they were out. Low on plastics and wanting to bait fish I opted for the 'stinky mussels'.

Hit Warner and PCH bird refuge back bay for no bites. Went back to LA County 'Wilmas' back channel near the draw bridge for 3 casts. 1 Sand Bass, 1 Calico Bass, and a 1 Spotted Bay Bass till 2 cops showed and told me to split. All bass on mussels. 2 nd POLA Spottie. :Razz:

Keep Fishing (and posting)
DR

haha sorry about the post count, but i had just started frequenting again. i think next time i shall try and tube the harbor.

you guys think the 4.5 swimbaits are too big? i am not even sure on how heavy of a rod i should be using? and does the tide height matter? jig head or drop shot? even tried a texas rigged shrimp gulp. let me know what you guys think, ill be around more now... :LOL:

[Fishbones]

tried NPH for the first time ever(first time harbor fishing ever) on weds, came up pretty short. Had one small spotty on the first cast near the Balboa jetty, and nothing after that. was throwing a 4.5 swimbait that is silver and blue, but no other luck. just seeing if you guys could help out a little, anything from what tackle to actual set-ups. would be much appreciated. thanks in advance.


David

Hey David,

welcome back...lol.,.,.use the advanced search in the top right corner. type in NPH or newport harbor and im sure
there will be tons of info and reports you can study for a more hook up ratio on your next trip Dec. 11....lol.,.,.j/k
keep us posted and take lots of pics...

[ItchyBass]

Size down your swimbait to a 3". Use colors like spottie special, halloween, or christmas tree. Be patient and work the bait slowly. At least you posted some type of report (even if it was more of a request for info) instead of just poosting useless information.

[Dwchkypmp20]

Hey David,

welcome back...lol.,.,.use the advanced search in the top right corner. type in NPH or newport harbor and im sure
there will be tons of info and reports you can study for a more hook up ratio on your next trip Dec. 11....lol.,.,.j/k
keep us posted and take lots of pics...

i tried this, but it tells me that there is no matches for "newport" "newport harbor" or "NPH"... maybe im doing something wrong, possibly post a link to the search results? let me know... thanks.

[ldsaylor]

3" Big Hammers and dropshotting zoom super flukes or Berkeley Gulp seem to produce most spotties in the harbor. Just experiment with colors honestly. Different colors, baits, and presentations work depending on conditions.. (water clarity, water temp, sunny or overcast day etc..). But I definately recommend getting out on a tube, kayak, or boat. There is success to be had from shore in the harbor as you will see from a few of the guys in this forum. But they are seasoned vets when it comes to fishing NPH. Much tougher for a new guy to find instant success from shore. That takes time. Getting out on the water opens the entire area up and will produce the opportunity to catch more fish. Good Luck!

[smokehound]

...a tantrum.

[BrandonFish]

CHUNKS OF HOTDOG AND HOGWILD :Secret:

[Dwchkypmp20]

stopped by SPort challet yesterday and picked up some big hammers, might give it a try again tomorrow. i know you guys said experiment with set-ups, but you guys mostly lead heading? or rigging weedless with a work hook? just curious, trying to get as much help as i can! thanks guys!

[Swank909]

You're bound to lose a ton of leadheads unless you're on a tube, but yea swimbaits are the way to go.


CHUNKS OF HOTDOG AND HOGWILD :Secret:
yep

[Fishbones]

check out these pages, there should be everything you need to master nph,goodluck.
http://fishingnetwork.net/forum4/forumdisplay.php?51-SoCal-Harbor-Bay-Surf-amp-Pier-Reports

[ghetto dad]

Yeah...there are MANY NPH gurus on here..but im not one of them...YET!! lol...i have my best luck dropshotting 3 inch Shrimp in nuclear chicken or 5 inch jerk shads in nuclear chicken...also catch em on texas rig,same as above..good luck man....

GD

also..even tho its in ure right to keep LEGAL size spotties...PLEASE PLEASE practice catch and release in the bays..thanks

[flyngby]

Although I have a few years of experience starting on the Private Docks, working the shores, progressing to my boat the "Spotted Fever" and also now wading the shores I am still a newbie to fishing NPH dedicated to working the artificial baits which is much more challenging and productive than baiting and waiting!

By far the most productive tool in my box is a 3" swim bait whether it is a Big Hammer, Fish Trap or what ever! Now with that being said it is with experience and instinct that gets you to put on the right color or pattern.

The lighter color for daylight and darker for night pattern that most believe does not work for me and I just throw a color that I feel will work with my experience on the water.

Others I have invited out for their first harbor experience have introduced me to new tactics such as Drop Shotting, Texas and Carolina riggings which make sense at they are well known tactics for freshwater bass so why not target them the same way! Although they do work at time when the bite is less aggressive, by far the go to bait is the Swim bait!

We have caught a wide variety of species on the artificial in NPH such as the common 3 bass, Spotted, Sand, Calico, as well as the occasional undersized WSB, also landing many Yellow fin Croaker, Spot fin Croaker, Sargo, MidShipman, Shovelnose shark, Smooth hound shark, Leopard Shark, Bat Ray, Butterfly Ray, Barracuda, Bonita, and many more!

There are so many fishing techniques for fishing the harbor but it is all about structure. Whether that structure is a dock, a concrete block out in the open water securing a boat mooring, a slight change in water depth such a minor hole, or a trench running across the channel, steep drop offs, they will all produce on a given day depending on that days conditions!

So with that all being said here is a few pics of my NPH arsenal that I must choose from. Most of you newbie’s only have a few to choose from and I started out that way but now have to sort through and hope to get it right for the hot bite!

Swim Baits!
http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z286/flyngby/P6090115.jpg
Drop Shot or other rigged baits!
http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z286/flyngby/P6090118.jpg
All scattered together!
http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z286/flyngby/P6090120.jpg
Conventional reel for the Swimmies and Spinning reel for the Drops hot and other riggings!

Best of luck out there!

Steve

[HESBROS]

Although I have a few years of experience starting on the Private Docks, working the shores, progressing to my boat the "Spotted Fever" and also now wading the shores I am still a newbie to fishing NPH dedicated to working the artificial baits which is much more challenging and productive than baiting and waiting!

By far the most productive tool in my box is a 3" swim bait whether it is a Big Hammer, Fish Trap or what ever! Now with that being said it is with experience and instinct that gets you to put on the right color or pattern.

The lighter color for daylight and darker for night pattern that most believe does not work for me and I just throw a color that I feel will work with my experience on the water.

Others I have invited out for their first harbor experience have introduced me to new tactics such as Drop Shotting, Texas and Carolina riggings which make sense at they are well known tactics for freshwater bass so why not target them the same way! Although they do work at time when the bite is less aggressive, by far the go to bait is the Swim bait!

We have caught a wide variety of species on the artificial in NPH such as the common 3 bass, Spotted, Sand, Calico, as well as the occasional undersized WSB, also landing many Yellow fin Croaker, Spot fin Croaker, Sargo, MidShipman, Shovelnose shark, Smooth hound shark, Leopard Shark, Bat Ray, Butterfly Ray, Barracuda, Bonita, and many more!

There are so many fishing techniques for fishing the harbor but it is all about structure. Whether that structure is a dock, a concrete block out in the open water securing a boat mooring, a slight change in water depth such a minor hole, or a trench running across the channel, steep drop offs, they will all produce on a given day depending on that days conditions!

So with that all being said here is a few pics of my NPH arsenal that I must choose from. Most of you newbie’s only have a few to choose from and I started out that way but now have to sort through and hope to get it right for the hot bite!

Swim Baits!
http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z286/flyngby/P6090115.jpg
Drop Shot or other rigged baits!
http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z286/flyngby/P6090118.jpg
All scattered together!
http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z286/flyngby/P6090120.jpg
Conventional reel for the Swimmies and Spinning reel for the Drops hot and other riggings!

Best of luck out there!

Steve

Nice on-line seminar there Steve! You just about told him evreything there is to know other then giving him a lat and long to go fis at.........:LOL: