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07-29-2010, 11:26 AM
Still on the quest for my first legal seabass in a long time (and Eric's first ever) so Eric (E.A.R.G.) and I set out for Catalina monday afternoon. There was no squid available at the Long Beach receivers so we purchased some nice sardines from San Pedro Bait and headed over to the west end.
We pull up around 7pm to a nice looking kelp line and set out some frozen squid and sardines. Another boat down the line starts hooking the right kind and I tell Eric to get ready because we're next. Within minutes Eric gets bit on the squid and it's game on. The fish is battling hard and shaking his head, all of a sudden his line goes limp - heartbreak.
Get the lines back out and I am next with the live sardine - zzzzzzzz, set the hook and it's on! After a short battle, a nice 15 pounder hits the deck.
http://fishinghotpage.com/images/tmp/jeffseabass1-1.jpg
First one for me since 2002 - and that's not for lack of effort... Felt real good to finally land one, but I wanted Eric to get his first, so we wasted no time getting the lines back out.
Minutes later Eric gets bit again, he sets the hook and says, "I think it's a mackeral". I tell him I don't know it looks pretty solid. Just as I say that the thing takes off on a huge run - yep, right kind. This one battled much harder but Eric battled him well (all those batrays make good practice!) and soon I sink the steel into a 25 pounder - Eric's first legal seabass!
http://fishinghotpage.com/images/tmp/ericseabass1-1.jpg
Soon after dark the bite dies down so we move around the island in search of squid. We found the squid boats working off Arrow Point. Tried to make some but had light problems so we bought some from the LBC and headed back to the seabass spot.
Around 5:30 am I get another hookup but he breaks off (these things got teeth!). Nothing after that but alot of calicos, mackeral perch. Most of the calicos were 10-11 inches but we did land a few larger models including this 6-7 pounder.
http://fishinghotpage.com/images/tmp/jeffcalico1-1.jpg
About 5pm we're almost out of squid so I'm soaking a small live mackeral that I caught and zzzzzzzzz - set the hook and it's on again. This one felt like a big boy, peeling off #40 pound and turning the boat around. After a short battle and a few headshakes he breaks me off - grrrrr.
We fished hard until sundown but they never really came through like the previous night. headed back home with big smiles and smoking the victory cigar! Eric, we still need to get you your first YT (and my first for the year). I have a feeling that will happen real soon....
We pull up around 7pm to a nice looking kelp line and set out some frozen squid and sardines. Another boat down the line starts hooking the right kind and I tell Eric to get ready because we're next. Within minutes Eric gets bit on the squid and it's game on. The fish is battling hard and shaking his head, all of a sudden his line goes limp - heartbreak.
Get the lines back out and I am next with the live sardine - zzzzzzzz, set the hook and it's on! After a short battle, a nice 15 pounder hits the deck.
http://fishinghotpage.com/images/tmp/jeffseabass1-1.jpg
First one for me since 2002 - and that's not for lack of effort... Felt real good to finally land one, but I wanted Eric to get his first, so we wasted no time getting the lines back out.
Minutes later Eric gets bit again, he sets the hook and says, "I think it's a mackeral". I tell him I don't know it looks pretty solid. Just as I say that the thing takes off on a huge run - yep, right kind. This one battled much harder but Eric battled him well (all those batrays make good practice!) and soon I sink the steel into a 25 pounder - Eric's first legal seabass!
http://fishinghotpage.com/images/tmp/ericseabass1-1.jpg
Soon after dark the bite dies down so we move around the island in search of squid. We found the squid boats working off Arrow Point. Tried to make some but had light problems so we bought some from the LBC and headed back to the seabass spot.
Around 5:30 am I get another hookup but he breaks off (these things got teeth!). Nothing after that but alot of calicos, mackeral perch. Most of the calicos were 10-11 inches but we did land a few larger models including this 6-7 pounder.
http://fishinghotpage.com/images/tmp/jeffcalico1-1.jpg
About 5pm we're almost out of squid so I'm soaking a small live mackeral that I caught and zzzzzzzzz - set the hook and it's on again. This one felt like a big boy, peeling off #40 pound and turning the boat around. After a short battle and a few headshakes he breaks me off - grrrrr.
We fished hard until sundown but they never really came through like the previous night. headed back home with big smiles and smoking the victory cigar! Eric, we still need to get you your first YT (and my first for the year). I have a feeling that will happen real soon....