efishent
10-18-2011, 02:18 PM
There were no more excuses for not going: 1-2 ft surf, clear warm water, moderate to no salad (evaluated during surf session yesterday), and I had free morning that was nothing but overcast with glassy conditions. Had all my stuff in, stopped by work and in the surf by 8 30 with only flaw – lack of camera (my water resistant camera quit working). NO problem: the ambitious plan was to get a legal Hali, take it home, picture and eat it.
I’ve been surf-fishing around here for about 3 years and have always released all the halibut caught even without measuring. After measuring the last one at 23” I thought it was just not a dinner material, even though my wife and I and friends enjoy the meat (eating Alaska –caught fillets). So I was ready to keep my next legal from SoCal.
Spot 1. Least salad I’ve seen here but a bit turbid. Tossed LC for about an hour covering ½ mile of beach with no results
Spot 2 . Water was very clear and I just enjoyed watching the corbina swim all around me and accidentally snagged a couple but both came off, no butts though.
Spot 3. Very clear and absolutely loaded with sharks, mostly Leos from 1 ft to 4 ft, guitars and some others I couldn’t ID from the surface. Avoided sharks (with a couple scratches only) by running LC near surface until I got hung up on a kelp that grew around the small boulder. Worked my way to it and pulled LC unharmed. On the next cast got a bump just as I was about to bring it in with last 2-3 cranks. [After missing a 40+incher at my feet last time, I keep repeating to myself – “don’t pull out too early”, at least that’s what she said]. The pancake shows near me and I worked it through the rocks moving a bit closer with each wave to the small pool, grabbed it by the tale, realizing it is bigger than the fight it put. Measured at 24” as it stayed extreamly calm. Well, there it was, left him in a pool and covered by rocks, making a mental note that the tide is still going up, and continued fishing, thinking I’ll be back in few minutes.
I continued working the trough and hooked up with big BSP and giant smelt and had a couple of unknown bumps. Yet by the time I made it back to spot I marked my Hali was gone. I stood there a minute in disbelief looking at 10lbs + stone that was moved and was brought to reality by a wave that hit me from the back and filled the pool nicely. Made efforts to delete the images of cooked fish fillets from my hungry brain and had to quickly run into in-and-out burger to fix that.
So yes, the100% C&R record is intact but this was a close one.
Have fun out there!
I’ve been surf-fishing around here for about 3 years and have always released all the halibut caught even without measuring. After measuring the last one at 23” I thought it was just not a dinner material, even though my wife and I and friends enjoy the meat (eating Alaska –caught fillets). So I was ready to keep my next legal from SoCal.
Spot 1. Least salad I’ve seen here but a bit turbid. Tossed LC for about an hour covering ½ mile of beach with no results
Spot 2 . Water was very clear and I just enjoyed watching the corbina swim all around me and accidentally snagged a couple but both came off, no butts though.
Spot 3. Very clear and absolutely loaded with sharks, mostly Leos from 1 ft to 4 ft, guitars and some others I couldn’t ID from the surface. Avoided sharks (with a couple scratches only) by running LC near surface until I got hung up on a kelp that grew around the small boulder. Worked my way to it and pulled LC unharmed. On the next cast got a bump just as I was about to bring it in with last 2-3 cranks. [After missing a 40+incher at my feet last time, I keep repeating to myself – “don’t pull out too early”, at least that’s what she said]. The pancake shows near me and I worked it through the rocks moving a bit closer with each wave to the small pool, grabbed it by the tale, realizing it is bigger than the fight it put. Measured at 24” as it stayed extreamly calm. Well, there it was, left him in a pool and covered by rocks, making a mental note that the tide is still going up, and continued fishing, thinking I’ll be back in few minutes.
I continued working the trough and hooked up with big BSP and giant smelt and had a couple of unknown bumps. Yet by the time I made it back to spot I marked my Hali was gone. I stood there a minute in disbelief looking at 10lbs + stone that was moved and was brought to reality by a wave that hit me from the back and filled the pool nicely. Made efforts to delete the images of cooked fish fillets from my hungry brain and had to quickly run into in-and-out burger to fix that.
So yes, the100% C&R record is intact but this was a close one.
Have fun out there!