April Fools... in July.

[bachiboy]

So, I went out early on Sunday morning to give a local beach a shot. For the last few weeks, it’s been pretty much an all-you-can eat salad bar. The weeds were there but it was actually fairly fishable. I started out at dark and I was pretty much loading up with salad on every cast, but on my 4th cast, managed to get a pancake. It wasn’t huge, maybe 13-14", but it was nice to get on the board so quick into the session.

As I moved down the beach and light started to brighten up the water, I found some cleaner water and a few nice looking holes. I hooked a small shovelnose and sent him on his way. Then I get a good hookup that feels like the right kind. I figure Poseidon thought he’d have some fun with me since I’ve been on a “quest” for the last couple of months. He gave me some headshakes, or so I thought, and started peeling some line, and I’m thinking...this is the ONE! Sure enough, in comes a 10lb. wiggles to rain on my parade. I’m thinking...”it’s okay, I’m having some fun here”. Next cast, hookup! But it’s another shovelnose...next cast, another SN. I start thinking...should I move, or should I stay and hope the ‘right kind’ is hiding out with these guys. I had a couple pancakes follow the LC in to the tip...one youngster even let me toy with him for a while before he decided I wasn't playing fair and split. After 15 or so minutes with no more hits, I decide to move on. A few yards down the beach I end up with a nice fat YFC, but I’m running out of time. I promised the wife that I’d be home by 9am, so I only had another half hour or so before I had to make a run for it. I start working my way back hitting some of the holes I had worked earlier, and sure enough...Mr. wiggles plays another gag on me. I thought for sure that was the ONE. :LOL:

So, I ended the day with one pancake, five shovelnose and a fatso YFC, lost 3 mystery fish (more wiggles I assume). Not exactly what I was after, but damn that was fun. Can’t complain about pulling on some fish. :Wink:

Terry, John...sorry I didn’t get the word out to you sooner that I was going to head over to that spot...woulda loved to have fished with you guys again. Nate, sorry you missed out and went a little further south for the stripe. We’ll have to all get together again soon.
I didn’t take any picts of the SN or YFC but included a couple of other shots from earlier sessions.

Enjoy...

My gray light pancake breakfast
http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r627/bachidym/13inHali.jpg

A near-legal from an outing down south a few weeks ago
http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r627/bachidym/20in_hali.jpg

My buddy Nate's first surf-caught sandbass from last weekend :Thumbs Up:
http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r627/bachidym/Nates_SB.jpg

[iLLest]

Damn shovelnose play with your emotions! lol.
I'm yet to catch one on a LC, trippy.
Sweet outing bro.

[Wingnut]

Nice report Don. :Big Grin:
So many times we thought it was "The ONE" only to have your heart sink when we see the shape of a Shovelnose come out of the surf. :mad:
I've been fooled so many time... Mr. Wiggles do give you that false sense of the head-shakes. They're good for the fight and that's about it. :LOL:
No legal Flatties, but you had a very productive and action filled session. :Wink:
Good luck with the "Quest" and hope to fish with you again sometime soon. :Cool:

[bbqsushi]

Dang. I zigged, when I should've zagged. :Angry: Its a total DRAG when you go far (south) and your buddy has a great day in your own backyard. Oh well. I'm glad you got to tug on something, and nice to know that there are hali's in that spot. Like I told you Sunday, I would've been PISSED if Mr. Wiggles turned out to be "the one", but I'm absolutely sure you'll get him - I just hope I get him FIRST!! :Cool: hehehehehhh.

[SP Dan]

Hi ya bachiboy,

You may not have beached your targeted fish this time but it sounds as though you are ready for the encounter!
Soon Don....soon!

Thanx for the fun read Don and tight lines! :Cool:

SP Dan <"))><

[Which Way Out]

Hey Don having fun is what its all about. Mr Wiggles can be a blast when the tourist are around.. Keeps em out of the water so you can have it to yourself.:LOL:

Don't worry. I have found that when the SN are around near the shore the HB's are just outside a bit. I would change over to a Drop shot set up. A little more weight to get past the SN's. The white gulp ( I can't recall the name ) are deadly at times. I will look and see if I can't find it and send you a PM

Till then good luck.

WWO

[PONTOON]

Don,

When I got your message to hit the surf with you it was 2:30am Sunday morning. I had just got home from a night of chasing Mr whiskers with Trolly. It was one of thos one run nights but it was one of those runs you'd fish all night for. I appreciate the invite but there's no way I could have made it. I know Arthur could have done it but he's way younger than I am.:LOL:

Reading your post brought back many memories of a "Quest" where the longer it carried on the more the anticipation of each fish being "The One" just got more and more intense. That is what is so cool about taking on the SWAT challenge. You know that it's a doable endeavor but it just makes you appreciate every catch more and more.:Cool:

I'll be rooting for you the entire journey and hopefully I'll be able to cross paths with you sometime soon. Crossing paths seems to be something we've done pretty well so far. The last one was just way too funny pulling into the parking space to hook up with John and seeing you there kinda made me think that this might be the day another mission would be placed on record as accomplished.

It's going to happen soon.......Patience and Persistence will be the key to complete the "Quest".:Thumbs Up:

[bachiboy]

Damn shovelnose play with your emotions! lol.
I'm yet to catch one on a LC, trippy.
Sweet outing bro.

Thanks. Yea they had me going there, but it was all fun.


Nice report Don. :Big Grin:
So many times we thought it was "The ONE" only to have your heart sink when we see the shape of a Shovelnose come out of the surf. :mad:
I've been fooled so many time... Mr. Wiggles do give you that false sense of the head-shakes. They're good for the fight and that's about it. :LOL:
No legal Flatties, but you had a very productive and action filled session. :Wink:
Good luck with the "Quest" and hope to fish with you again sometime soon. :Cool:

Thanks Arthur. Yea, they had me going. It's funny, and I've mentioned it before, but we get so focused in on the target species that we forget that these guys actually put up a good fight...sometimes better than the butts. AND if we're releasing everything anyway, it shouldn't matter...but somehow it always does. :ROFL:

Hope we get a chance to get out there together again soon!


Dang. I zigged, when I should've zagged. :Angry: Its a total DRAG when you go far (south) and your buddy has a great day in your own backyard. Oh well. I'm glad you got to tug on something, and nice to know that there are hali's in that spot. Like I told you Sunday, I would've been PISSED if Mr. Wiggles turned out to be "the one", but I'm absolutely sure you'll get him - I just hope I get him FIRST!! :Cool: hehehehehhh.

:LOL: I hope you get him first too. My 'other' quest, which to me is more important, is to get you on that first damned legal from the surf. :Wink:


Hi ya bachiboy,

You may not have beached your targeted fish this time but it sounds as though you are ready for the encounter!
Soon Don....soon!

Thanx for the fun read Don and tight lines! :Cool:

SP Dan <"))><

Thanks Dan! I know it will happen. I just have to remember to keep having fun in the process. Good times!!!:Wink:


Hey Don having fun is what its all about. Mr Wiggles can be a blast when the tourist are around.. Keeps em out of the water so you can have it to yourself.:LOL:

Don't worry. I have found that when the SN are around near the shore the HB's are just outside a bit. I would change over to a Drop shot set up. A little more weight to get past the SN's. The white gulp ( I can't recall the name ) are deadly at times. I will look and see if I can't find it and send you a PM

Till then good luck.

WWO

Thanks Bill! I think I actually have some of those Gulps. I was planning on throwing a dropshot when I backtracked to the starting point, but the wiggle battles took up a lot of my hallpass time. :LOL:


Don,

When I got your message to hit the surf with you it was 2:30am Sunday morning. I had just got home from a night of chasing Mr whiskers with Trolly. It was one of thos one run nights but it was one of those runs you'd fish all night for. I appreciate the invite but there's no way I could have made it. I know Arthur could have done it but he's way younger than I am.:LOL:

Reading your post brought back many memories of a "Quest" where the longer it carried on the more the anticipation of each fish being "The One" just got more and more intense. That is what is so cool about taking on the SWAT challenge. You know that it's a doable endeavor but it just makes you appreciate every catch more and more.:Cool:

I'll be rooting for you the entire journey and hopefully I'll be able to cross paths with you sometime soon. Crossing paths seems to be something we've done pretty well so far. The last one was just way too funny pulling into the parking space to hook up with John and seeing you there kinda made me think that this might be the day another mission would be placed on record as accomplished.

It's going to happen soon.......Patience and Persistence will be the key to complete the "Quest".:Thumbs Up:


Thanks for the encouragement Terry! I have this MEAN, gut feeling that you and John are gonna be there when this happens. Hope so...it's always great to share those moments with friends! :Wink:

[blackwater]

Nice session Bachiboy and I'm looking forward to following your Quest into the brotherhood. :Big Grin:

[bachiboy]

Nice session Bachiboy and I'm looking forward to following your Quest into the brotherhood. :Big Grin:

Thanks BW! Hopefully you won't have to follow too long! :Wink:
Looking forward to meeting you at HG!

Don

[koifish]

Nice session Don. Good luck to your Quest.

[bachiboy]

Nice session Don. Good luck to your Quest.

Thanks Mr. C! Long time man. Hope your still slaying 'em out there. You were on quite a roll for a while there.

Take care...
Don

[bones]

Sorry for the late response Don...I've been a little scatter brained from trying to survive this heat in the automotive repair industry. Great write up on your adventures on the sand my friend. Mr wiggles sure can put up a great fight for sure and all of us hali hunters have fallen victim to their deceptive ways. I like your style on the white side up photos. It actually keeps the flatties calmer during the pic session and hook removal because they are blind and don't see everything that is going on around them. That's the advantage of their eyes being only on one side!
Keep up the good work out there buddy!

[bachiboy]

Sorry for the late response Don...I've been a little scatter brained from trying to survive this heat in the automotive repair industry. Great write up on your adventures on the sand my friend. Mr wiggles sure can put up a great fight for sure and all of us hali hunters have fallen victim to their deceptive ways. I like your style on the white side up photos. It actually keeps the flatties calmer during the pic session and hook removal because they are blind and don't see everything that is going on around them. That's the advantage of their eyes being only on one side!
Keep up the good work out there buddy!

Thanks Mike! Yea, white side up definitely works better for me. Plus it gives better contrast to the photo, especially at night...although some of the camouflage pattern on the top looks pretty damned cool and is worth a Kodak moment. :Wink: Hope to see you out on the battleground again soon.

Don