efishent
05-11-2012, 05:19 PM
Yes there are changes up north! Aside from exploratory FNN reports I followed the ocean conditions and temperature around Ventura from my long board between sets. The ice melted and a couple days ago the water became outright warm, by our standards. The bait was surfacing everywhere and the smell changed too. By the way, thank you all for the southern reports –enjoyed the reads and tried to stay patient.
It was time for the first hali trip of the year, and after getting things taking care off on Friday afternoon I went to check things out north of town.
Spot 1: Incoming tide, good clarity, moderate salad, jump-over size waves. Leos and rays (on a smaller side than in winter) hanging near the edge of the trough, nothing else.
Spot 2. Expected turbidity but minimal swells and deeper than usual trough, a big improvement from last time I saw it. No bait visible, except my old LC that I toss all over to try to create bait-like action.
Within 45 minutes I got 5 halis- it was as close to wide open as I remember it here.
#1. As I reel the fish in I think: Ok, another shovelnose (that was the predominant shaking spices for a while here) but no, it was a 20 inches hali!
#2. Already relieved and encouraged I got another one 2 casts later. After a couple of gentle ZZZZs I did what I have done in the past: stand behind the hali in the water facing the shore: they hit my legs, turn around and run away on-shore. This one just flew into the sand and landed itself ending up about 6 ft up after the wave receded. I just had to unhook that 29-incher. I have been releasing all halis in the past (some non-intentionally) and decided it’s time to keep this one. It was really fat and heavy and I left him in the bag in a car and decided to do few more casts before leaving.
#3. 18 incher that was the hardest fighting of them all – would not stop running
#4. Another legal at 24”, released
#5. A 16-incher. By that time 2 of my hooks were partially straightened and I just had to leave and rush to clean and refrigerate the fish I kept.
What a great little session to start the season; the weekend forecast is for good conditions, hope everyone will have fun out there, I hope our season is ON!
My 'fishing' camera had a dead battery from lack of use, so images are from backyard carnage only.
It was time for the first hali trip of the year, and after getting things taking care off on Friday afternoon I went to check things out north of town.
Spot 1: Incoming tide, good clarity, moderate salad, jump-over size waves. Leos and rays (on a smaller side than in winter) hanging near the edge of the trough, nothing else.
Spot 2. Expected turbidity but minimal swells and deeper than usual trough, a big improvement from last time I saw it. No bait visible, except my old LC that I toss all over to try to create bait-like action.
Within 45 minutes I got 5 halis- it was as close to wide open as I remember it here.
#1. As I reel the fish in I think: Ok, another shovelnose (that was the predominant shaking spices for a while here) but no, it was a 20 inches hali!
#2. Already relieved and encouraged I got another one 2 casts later. After a couple of gentle ZZZZs I did what I have done in the past: stand behind the hali in the water facing the shore: they hit my legs, turn around and run away on-shore. This one just flew into the sand and landed itself ending up about 6 ft up after the wave receded. I just had to unhook that 29-incher. I have been releasing all halis in the past (some non-intentionally) and decided it’s time to keep this one. It was really fat and heavy and I left him in the bag in a car and decided to do few more casts before leaving.
#3. 18 incher that was the hardest fighting of them all – would not stop running
#4. Another legal at 24”, released
#5. A 16-incher. By that time 2 of my hooks were partially straightened and I just had to leave and rush to clean and refrigerate the fish I kept.
What a great little session to start the season; the weekend forecast is for good conditions, hope everyone will have fun out there, I hope our season is ON!
My 'fishing' camera had a dead battery from lack of use, so images are from backyard carnage only.