JapanRon
09-07-2007, 09:58 AM
Great All-around Fishing Day
Hi there guys,
Wednesday 09/05
Went on a 3/4-day moo-moo out of Pierpoint Landing. Fished the Victory. Mike was the skipper, George (deckhand) was on deck, and Ron ran the galley. Plan A was to fish for Rockco …… ops Rockfish in the morning then Bass and whatever in the afternoon. Had a mere 11 anglers on board a vessel certified for 92!! Pretty obvious ……..the average angler-numbers on weekdays is somewhat leveling. Honestly ….. consider coming out for some good fishing ……. without the crowds.
Skippers ARE working hard, with the weird conditions we’re experiencing, to produce decent fishing and some good fresh fish for the table!!
Note: Countdown: September 22nd will be the second FREE FISHING DAY this year for everyone in California. That’s 16 days away. It would be a great day to get a non-angler out on the water while saving a little cash ………. Especially a group or big family trip!
Target Fish: Rockfish, Sculpin , and Bass
Short Report- Wednesday 09/05
11 anglers caught 4 Barracuda, 1 Calico Bass, 4 Bonito, 1 Sand Bass , 1 Whitefish, 16 Rockfish (Mostly Reds, Salmon Grouper, and Chuckleheads), a number of Sculpin, a few Starries, lots of Mackerel, a Forktailed Perch …. Hummmm (see fishy photos!). The usual pesky Mackerel were not too bothersome as their visits were few and sporadic.
Grade of keeper-fish for the boat was good. Dogs were thick … darn things were coming at us two at a time ….. no matter where we moved.
On bait, Anchovies were generally small. Not pinheads ….. about 2 ½ -inches with some 4 inchers in the mix …..which included some Sardines …… in so-so condition.
The AM Arrived at four sisters around 7:30am. Plenty of weather under overcast skies developed about a half-hour after we left the harbor! The thick overcast gave the atmosphere and sky a weird kind of opaque look. Planned on hitting the outside of the ‘Shoe’ for what I’d call SWRFing. That is …. Maximum depth to be fishing was expected was to be 240 feet or so.
A little scratchy catching in the morning til 10:30am, when we again moved a distance back inside. Mix of fish between Reds, Salmon Grouper, and Chuckleheads as well as the ubiquitous Starries!
The PM Again, we had to work for our fish in the afternoon too. We burned a lot of fuel and hit quite a few places at varying depths and bottom. Fished a lot of hard bottom. I thought the ‘looking’ was strictly a class act. Mike was very, very intent on hitting the bullseye, or doing some fine-tuning with a little anchor in or out adjustments……… not on just the initial lay but attentive to how the boat behaved and to what degree the anchor stayed put! We spent some extra time on the water when the fish did finally ‘turn on’. The conditions were getting better all the time.
Everyone had just about caught the one Bocaccio (Salmon Grouper) allowed the angler when it became obvious that the SG catch number was going to way out-strip the number of Reds and Chuckleheads we were getting if we continued. Yep …. Upon Bocaccio limits, we pulled the hook and headed for the Eastern Horseshoe Kelp area.
Our last stop on an area … (East Horseshoe Kelp) and it produced the greatest variety of fish and most of the Jackpot contenders. I suspect the better bite was simply the water warming but mostly Mike knowing how certain spots behaved under specific conditions. Conditions that change hourly. Again ……I can’t say it enough ….this is just another example of spots having fish (what skipper would drop the hook on a spot without fish??), that refuse to bite at the time, and the skipper feeling the bite will occur given the right time, conditions, and approach.
Seasoned anglers recognize that certain spots produce best under a particular set of conditions……. which have to be checked out before you know anything. Patience is important!
(Please widen your view to fit monitor if word-wrap looks off)
09/05 Jackpot
Weigh-off!………………...Winner in Action ………………..Winner
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The Perchinator
Way to go on catching the jackpot fish Art!! A Barracuda was the winner today. The 5~6-lb fish was caught on a Sardine. Go figure ….. last fish of the day as we were pulling the hook! Oh ya …. he was using his ‘Perchinator’ outfit just goofing around!!
Long Report
Harbor Lights!
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Bait
Lively Bait and …..
Went to the receiver to load bait. 2~3-inch flippy Anchovies in good condition was what we got today! Great chum, and smaller hook-bait …….. still made for action! Had some Sardines in the mix too. Had Squid strips at the ready too.
The Days Fishing
Fishing Area ………………………………………………………....Current
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Grazing in the Pasture
Moo-moos This Trip
Moooooo
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PBer’s This Trip
Nice ………………………….................. Good Little Boat …………………….................Here Fishy
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Round-Up
3 Rounds
1st Round
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Round 1
Went straight to the rigs and began fishing pretty much right in between and the center of the rigs layout. We were in a little deeper water … 220 at least and with the current …. It was pretty difficult to stay on the bottom. Don’t know how the bait guys did it but it took me a 2-oz leadhead and 3-oz sliding-egg sinker to even touch the bottom momentarily. I’d say I used over a 120 yards of line to get to the bottom with the current and all.
Happily I don’t think we actually needed to get down that deep. Besides the current was ripping. We moved ……. and moved ……. hitting a number of prospective spots, as the bite developed a bit then petered out….. only to get a few bites at the next spots and then they did not meet expectations! That’s fishin’. We were pestered by dogs way out in the middle of nowhere too!! Didn’t mind the frequent moves myself.
Most were fishing the ol’ dropper-loop with the Anchovies. If you think about it … trying to fish Sardines that deep …. you would have to have a lot more weight due to the stronger bait and their catching the current more than smaller bait. 6~8ozs looked about the normal setup.
Again, we moved around a bit and anchored as well as ran a number of drifts. We caught a few fish but nothing spectacular with a good fish apiece by 10:30am when we decided to move. As a matter of fact, I think we were hitting shallower spots with each move!!
2nd Round
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Round 2 For our second round we moved in a little and pretty much hit a variety of spots and drifted in an effort to find a good place to catch a mix of Sculpin, Lingcod, and Bass. Again, were were unable to find a steadily productive stop on more than one species. I believe we finished our second round about 12:45 and headed for the East Horseshoe. Depth of the water was a bit shallower at maybe 150~180 feet. Caught some of our Bocaccio, Reds, and Chuckleheads in this round too.
3rd Round
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Round 3 We got to our last area around 1:30 or so and fished the rest of the day. Water was shallower at only a 100 feet and change. We had a great final round with all sorts of fishy targets popping up here and there literally. We were catching Bonito, Barracuda, Bass, ……. and a few Rockfish to boot. Caught all our cuda at the last spot. Bonito schools came through tearing up the water and getting everyone thinking about going to top-water.
Interestingly … only one Barracuda was caught on bait while the others were nabbed on plastics. Nope not one single bonehead or slimestick for me!!
Conditions: Warm and muggy in the morning. Warm and sunny with an afternoon breeze finally! Water visibility at maybe 15~20 feet at many places inside. Really clean water the closer inside one got!! Air temp stayed between 75º~78º during the fishing day .. felt hotter with the blazing sun. Please check out the graphics for additional weather and water conditions.
Gallery
Beauty of the Day
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Fish & Anglers
Roger’s Fish …………..Ed’s Catch …………...…Mine ……………...........…Bacaccio
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More Fish …………………........................................ Four Guys ………………...................DFG-Laura!
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Let Them Know
The photos above are just a sample of the fish and things of interest, at least to me, on this trip. Note: If you see a friend in the pictures, let them know they can copy the photo off the report. Directions: Click the right button with the ‘cursor’ on the picture, then click on ‘save picture as’, next choose where they wish to copy the picture, and lastly click ‘save’. Later, they can edit and print the picture at their leisure with a simple photo-editing program.
Plastics Tweek #41
In this week’s Southern Cal trip report.
Plastics
My Fishys …………………New Swimbait …………………….......... Hot Plastic
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Texas Rig …………………........................Carolina Rig …………………................ Red 1
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Red 2 …………………….................................. Red 3 ……………………................................Bocaccio!
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Deep Water Success
As usual, I fished ….. plastic only. No scented stuff. I really had success on the Rockfish in the morning. In the afternoon I didn’t do well with what my buddies caught ……. Bonito, Barracuda, and Bass. Although most of the time I fished near the bottom on a ‘fall then lift strategy’, I kind of bounced between fishing plastic for the Barracuda and Bonito then trying for Bass. Bad move, bad timing, few fish.
On the Bottom
Both the Texas and the Carolina rigs worked nicely. To really hug the bottom and stay put in deeper water and fish more or less ‘on the vertical’ the Texas rig seems to stick better. If your objective is to get down, cover the water column both vertically and distances from the boat, fish the setup on the fall, the Carolina rig is best. IMNSHO
To fish Sculpin, I often use the Texas rig and work pretty close to the boat. While fishing for Rockfish, that like to suspend, I’ll cast out the Carolina rig a good distance and only let enough line out to enable my swimbait to do a controlled fall/swing in towards me ….. X feet from the bottom until the swimbait is vertical and ready to jig or retrieve.
We hit all sorts of bottom so that I had to change the way I fished and what I was fishing almost constantly. Seemed like most of the better fish were caught on the fall near the bottom on the lift. Bigger baits kept a lot of dinks from being hooked, reeled up and killed.
Majority of fish I caught were in deep-water using 6-inch/2oz leadheads (red), and 2~3ozs of weight. Reds and Greens both in leadheads and plastics were the ticket.
Topwater
Once going for the Barracuda and Bonito, trying to fish these two species most effectively at the same time can be problematic. Boneheads are fairly leader-shy and the water was exceptionally clear so a lighter test leader is normally a must. Unfortunately, with the cuda around, I didn’t want to use anything less that 20lb-test fluorocarbon leader as they were sure to bite off anything much lighter. Got a few bumps on the Bonito but my swimbait may have been a little big for the dink Bonito. Even the cuda were caught on a straight-down drop……. which is a less interesting way to fish to my way of thinking!!
After red didn’t seem to be the key, I went through a number of colors in plastics. Forgot my 2 ½-inch swimbaits and ¼-oz leadheads which I think might have got the Bonito!! Dang!
Weather Data
Lunar ……………………………………………...Tides!
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Wind Speed and Direction…………………………….....…....Water Temperature!
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UV Alert!
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Wednesday’s Conditions
Fishing Grounds: Conditions were windy and water choppy with lots of current in the morning but things mellowed out as the day progressed.
Wild Creatures: Saw many Sealions …… 2 at a time. Seagulls were around especially when it was time to clean fish.
From The Deck
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How often have you seen people put their fishing pole up against the rail where they plan to fish, even though they have a ‘spot’ via their tag number, almost the minute they get on deck? This is potentially a problem to the deckhand in most cases. It should be a problem we anglers should avoid too! Here’s some points to ponder.
From the Anglers’ Perspective:
1) If you don’t have a rod holder on the rail, it’s no-ones fault if your rod’s guides get slammed to the deck. Heard of the domino effect !? It’s funny to see 6 or 7 rods fall to the deck like dominos ….. and getting scratched up in the process!
2) If you feel it necessary, using a rod holder will ‘mark’ or ‘hold’ either the spot you have a tag number for or identify your intended ‘fishing spot at the rail’ so you don’t need to claim it with your rod. Once you use a rod holder …. you’ll never leave home without it.
3) The deckhand will often wash down the deck concentrating on the railing and where people will be fishing. Want your reel pressure washed? Besides …. with the wind, boat movement, and wash-down (moving the hose around) working in concert ….. rods are more likely to hit the deck. Not the decks fault!
From the Deckhands’ Perspective:
1) It is more difficult and requires more time to wash down a deck with rods leaning against the rail everywhere. Obstacles are obstacles. Don’t complain if your reel gets soaked or outfit knocked over with water pressure or a hose on the deck.
2) The deckhand needs to take out and tie up the bumpers and prepare to load the boats bait tanks from the bait receiver and rods are often in the way. Deckhand is not responsible for damage to gear when gathering them in a pile and moving them. Timing is critical when securing the boat to the receiver!! Give the deck a break.
3) Having to move a bunch of rods quickly, that are set up with ganions, hooks, iron, and plastics, could cause injury to the deck or a careless angler/gawker.
4) Bait is loaded with, 12~14 foot, long-handled nets that require lots of clearance at the stern and starboard/port rear quarterdecks! For quick loading of bait … full clearance is required.
5) The faster the bait gets in the bait-tank, the healthier it will be and less chance of it getting beat-up or dying. That’s to YOUR benefit Don’t put up obstacles for the arc of the bait nets to strike.
6) It’s just as much trouble to the deck if someone is in the area gawking or rushing to find or get their outfits that were moved along the rail. Please stay out of the way and clear of the bait tank.
7) Lastly Normally … once bait has been loaded ….. the deck will stow gear, set up the deck for fishing, stretch out the deck hose, and once again wash down the deck.
Conclusion: If you want to keep your gear in the best shape possible, wait to put your outfits on the rail. Why not use a rod holder if you feel it necessary, chill, wait to see what the bait and thus the fishing is going to be before getting your outfits rigged and set at the rail.
From this Reporter: Show the deckhand a little consideration, and I go as far as to say respect, and let them do their jobs unhindered. They are under pressure to do about 5 jobs all at one time and appreciate the anglers who know the routine. The deck/angler thing is a two-way street … just as it is in most of our experience.
Asides
An Aside:
Don’t forget to take some heavier weights along on moo-moo trips your planning in the next few weeks or so. Even if it’s not Rockfish season by the calendar!! The water shows signs of warming but …… as we’ve seen this past month … a cold wind can come in and chill the water considerably in a matter of days!! Although I stocked up on 2oz leadheads, others might be sure to have some 6 and 8oz weights for the increased possibility that a trip will forego shallower waters for the Sculpin and Rockfish waters more like in the 180~250 foot range and deeper!
Plastics ……. I just haul out the 2 and 2 ½-ounce leadheads and larger swimbaits. Naturally got the 2 and 3oz sliding egg sinkers to make the Texas and Carolina rigs too.
Still, for me …. anything over 250 feet and I’m done! It’s a boat ride and that’s the throw of the dice….. no harm no foul!
Another Aside: Moo-moos
Mooooooo ………………………………………….................................. .South Coast #2!
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Moo-moo Load Averages
Guys are often asking me what days are lighter during the week. I’m in the process of making a chart to reference the weekly load % averages for our sportfishing landings’ ½-day (am/pm), ¾-day, and twilight boat runs. Charts will not have the name of the landing shown but simply indicate which of the 3 areas main geographical areas locally were chosen for the survey. (SMB/L.B.-S.P./South Coast)
I’ll first choose one landing from each area for the first 3 weeks then rotate the areas ….eventually having done all the landings. I figure this will be a good representation of the Summer season.
Yet Another Aside:
Last Trip: I was really disappointed in that I had caught another SG but he/she looked really fine. Dr. George checked the eyes ….. ok, then the air bladder …. ok, then the gullet ….. ok all looked normal. Fins were flipping nicely. Out of the water maybe a minute yet …… alas …. returned fishy …. But it did not right itself and swim for home!!
The strategy of trying to control the swimbait to stay up and away from the bottom was just too haphazard to be a sure thing! Although one could usually tell the difference between the two species ….. sometimes ……
Remember …. If too many Bocaccio (Salmon Grouper) are caught and it’s near the boat limit, and a sure over-limit threat …….. a good skipper WILL abandon the spot!
Conclusion: …. If you’ve got your SG … change tactics to try catching something else! Fish further up the water column for Reds or Chuckleheads … they taste better anyway!
Next to Last Aside:
Yikes … The Victory caught a Giant Squid after having a period where they were seemingly loosing fish for no apparent reason. They were fishing Rockfish at the Horseshoe. Is there going to be an assault on our fishery up here like it was earlier in the year on the South Coast ….. the last quarter of this year? That’s all we need with the shortened (in my memory anyways) Sand Bass migration and bad timing of the winds sustaining the cold water snap and all.
Last Aside:
To the 2 (two) guys fishing …… while dragging 4 (four) lines in the water (yes … all the lines were exactly at the same angle going into the water … so no downrigger setup either) with motor at a slow idle (as if they were mooching) why did you do what you did? In the marine regs … one ‘fishing’ rod per angler …. (two-rod sticker doesn’t count) Don’t tell me 2 people were down below !! BS!! Not the way you were hauling ***** around the area between whatevers. But that’s not the issue ………… is it!!
Just how long did you need to play wave-jumping after whatever you were trying to do. Had everyone (including the veteran PB/anglers) on our boat scratching their heads ….. that’s for sure!! Oh ya …. Enjoy what you managed to snag!!
The Boat
The Victory
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Stern Numbers .................Boat Colors
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The Crew
Mike ………...................................Deck George ………….Galley-Ron
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End of A Great Day
Had a great day at the ‘Shoe’ and caught a bunch of good eating fish. Got more than my share of fish …… quality fish ……on plastic swimbaits in but only 2 colors …….for which I worked hard! A super-lite load, club members, and a new fishin’ buddy or so made for a great time!
Kudos go to Mike for his usual hard work and good fish-finding instincts. Thanks to deckhand George who has things clicking on deck ….. making it a great fishing platform. Nice to make oneself at home in Ron’s galley too with the great breakfasts and burgers.
JapanRon
Hi there guys,
Wednesday 09/05
Went on a 3/4-day moo-moo out of Pierpoint Landing. Fished the Victory. Mike was the skipper, George (deckhand) was on deck, and Ron ran the galley. Plan A was to fish for Rockco …… ops Rockfish in the morning then Bass and whatever in the afternoon. Had a mere 11 anglers on board a vessel certified for 92!! Pretty obvious ……..the average angler-numbers on weekdays is somewhat leveling. Honestly ….. consider coming out for some good fishing ……. without the crowds.
Skippers ARE working hard, with the weird conditions we’re experiencing, to produce decent fishing and some good fresh fish for the table!!
Note: Countdown: September 22nd will be the second FREE FISHING DAY this year for everyone in California. That’s 16 days away. It would be a great day to get a non-angler out on the water while saving a little cash ………. Especially a group or big family trip!
Target Fish: Rockfish, Sculpin , and Bass
Short Report- Wednesday 09/05
11 anglers caught 4 Barracuda, 1 Calico Bass, 4 Bonito, 1 Sand Bass , 1 Whitefish, 16 Rockfish (Mostly Reds, Salmon Grouper, and Chuckleheads), a number of Sculpin, a few Starries, lots of Mackerel, a Forktailed Perch …. Hummmm (see fishy photos!). The usual pesky Mackerel were not too bothersome as their visits were few and sporadic.
Grade of keeper-fish for the boat was good. Dogs were thick … darn things were coming at us two at a time ….. no matter where we moved.
On bait, Anchovies were generally small. Not pinheads ….. about 2 ½ -inches with some 4 inchers in the mix …..which included some Sardines …… in so-so condition.
The AM Arrived at four sisters around 7:30am. Plenty of weather under overcast skies developed about a half-hour after we left the harbor! The thick overcast gave the atmosphere and sky a weird kind of opaque look. Planned on hitting the outside of the ‘Shoe’ for what I’d call SWRFing. That is …. Maximum depth to be fishing was expected was to be 240 feet or so.
A little scratchy catching in the morning til 10:30am, when we again moved a distance back inside. Mix of fish between Reds, Salmon Grouper, and Chuckleheads as well as the ubiquitous Starries!
The PM Again, we had to work for our fish in the afternoon too. We burned a lot of fuel and hit quite a few places at varying depths and bottom. Fished a lot of hard bottom. I thought the ‘looking’ was strictly a class act. Mike was very, very intent on hitting the bullseye, or doing some fine-tuning with a little anchor in or out adjustments……… not on just the initial lay but attentive to how the boat behaved and to what degree the anchor stayed put! We spent some extra time on the water when the fish did finally ‘turn on’. The conditions were getting better all the time.
Everyone had just about caught the one Bocaccio (Salmon Grouper) allowed the angler when it became obvious that the SG catch number was going to way out-strip the number of Reds and Chuckleheads we were getting if we continued. Yep …. Upon Bocaccio limits, we pulled the hook and headed for the Eastern Horseshoe Kelp area.
Our last stop on an area … (East Horseshoe Kelp) and it produced the greatest variety of fish and most of the Jackpot contenders. I suspect the better bite was simply the water warming but mostly Mike knowing how certain spots behaved under specific conditions. Conditions that change hourly. Again ……I can’t say it enough ….this is just another example of spots having fish (what skipper would drop the hook on a spot without fish??), that refuse to bite at the time, and the skipper feeling the bite will occur given the right time, conditions, and approach.
Seasoned anglers recognize that certain spots produce best under a particular set of conditions……. which have to be checked out before you know anything. Patience is important!
(Please widen your view to fit monitor if word-wrap looks off)
09/05 Jackpot
Weigh-off!………………...Winner in Action ………………..Winner
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The Perchinator
Way to go on catching the jackpot fish Art!! A Barracuda was the winner today. The 5~6-lb fish was caught on a Sardine. Go figure ….. last fish of the day as we were pulling the hook! Oh ya …. he was using his ‘Perchinator’ outfit just goofing around!!
Long Report
Harbor Lights!
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Bait
Lively Bait and …..
Went to the receiver to load bait. 2~3-inch flippy Anchovies in good condition was what we got today! Great chum, and smaller hook-bait …….. still made for action! Had some Sardines in the mix too. Had Squid strips at the ready too.
The Days Fishing
Fishing Area ………………………………………………………....Current
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Grazing in the Pasture
Moo-moos This Trip
Moooooo
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PBer’s This Trip
Nice ………………………….................. Good Little Boat …………………….................Here Fishy
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Round-Up
3 Rounds
1st Round
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Round 1
Went straight to the rigs and began fishing pretty much right in between and the center of the rigs layout. We were in a little deeper water … 220 at least and with the current …. It was pretty difficult to stay on the bottom. Don’t know how the bait guys did it but it took me a 2-oz leadhead and 3-oz sliding-egg sinker to even touch the bottom momentarily. I’d say I used over a 120 yards of line to get to the bottom with the current and all.
Happily I don’t think we actually needed to get down that deep. Besides the current was ripping. We moved ……. and moved ……. hitting a number of prospective spots, as the bite developed a bit then petered out….. only to get a few bites at the next spots and then they did not meet expectations! That’s fishin’. We were pestered by dogs way out in the middle of nowhere too!! Didn’t mind the frequent moves myself.
Most were fishing the ol’ dropper-loop with the Anchovies. If you think about it … trying to fish Sardines that deep …. you would have to have a lot more weight due to the stronger bait and their catching the current more than smaller bait. 6~8ozs looked about the normal setup.
Again, we moved around a bit and anchored as well as ran a number of drifts. We caught a few fish but nothing spectacular with a good fish apiece by 10:30am when we decided to move. As a matter of fact, I think we were hitting shallower spots with each move!!
2nd Round
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Round 2 For our second round we moved in a little and pretty much hit a variety of spots and drifted in an effort to find a good place to catch a mix of Sculpin, Lingcod, and Bass. Again, were were unable to find a steadily productive stop on more than one species. I believe we finished our second round about 12:45 and headed for the East Horseshoe. Depth of the water was a bit shallower at maybe 150~180 feet. Caught some of our Bocaccio, Reds, and Chuckleheads in this round too.
3rd Round
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Round 3 We got to our last area around 1:30 or so and fished the rest of the day. Water was shallower at only a 100 feet and change. We had a great final round with all sorts of fishy targets popping up here and there literally. We were catching Bonito, Barracuda, Bass, ……. and a few Rockfish to boot. Caught all our cuda at the last spot. Bonito schools came through tearing up the water and getting everyone thinking about going to top-water.
Interestingly … only one Barracuda was caught on bait while the others were nabbed on plastics. Nope not one single bonehead or slimestick for me!!
Conditions: Warm and muggy in the morning. Warm and sunny with an afternoon breeze finally! Water visibility at maybe 15~20 feet at many places inside. Really clean water the closer inside one got!! Air temp stayed between 75º~78º during the fishing day .. felt hotter with the blazing sun. Please check out the graphics for additional weather and water conditions.
Gallery
Beauty of the Day
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Fish & Anglers
Roger’s Fish …………..Ed’s Catch …………...…Mine ……………...........…Bacaccio
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More Fish …………………........................................ Four Guys ………………...................DFG-Laura!
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Let Them Know
The photos above are just a sample of the fish and things of interest, at least to me, on this trip. Note: If you see a friend in the pictures, let them know they can copy the photo off the report. Directions: Click the right button with the ‘cursor’ on the picture, then click on ‘save picture as’, next choose where they wish to copy the picture, and lastly click ‘save’. Later, they can edit and print the picture at their leisure with a simple photo-editing program.
Plastics Tweek #41
In this week’s Southern Cal trip report.
Plastics
My Fishys …………………New Swimbait …………………….......... Hot Plastic
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Texas Rig …………………........................Carolina Rig …………………................ Red 1
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Red 2 …………………….................................. Red 3 ……………………................................Bocaccio!
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Deep Water Success
As usual, I fished ….. plastic only. No scented stuff. I really had success on the Rockfish in the morning. In the afternoon I didn’t do well with what my buddies caught ……. Bonito, Barracuda, and Bass. Although most of the time I fished near the bottom on a ‘fall then lift strategy’, I kind of bounced between fishing plastic for the Barracuda and Bonito then trying for Bass. Bad move, bad timing, few fish.
On the Bottom
Both the Texas and the Carolina rigs worked nicely. To really hug the bottom and stay put in deeper water and fish more or less ‘on the vertical’ the Texas rig seems to stick better. If your objective is to get down, cover the water column both vertically and distances from the boat, fish the setup on the fall, the Carolina rig is best. IMNSHO
To fish Sculpin, I often use the Texas rig and work pretty close to the boat. While fishing for Rockfish, that like to suspend, I’ll cast out the Carolina rig a good distance and only let enough line out to enable my swimbait to do a controlled fall/swing in towards me ….. X feet from the bottom until the swimbait is vertical and ready to jig or retrieve.
We hit all sorts of bottom so that I had to change the way I fished and what I was fishing almost constantly. Seemed like most of the better fish were caught on the fall near the bottom on the lift. Bigger baits kept a lot of dinks from being hooked, reeled up and killed.
Majority of fish I caught were in deep-water using 6-inch/2oz leadheads (red), and 2~3ozs of weight. Reds and Greens both in leadheads and plastics were the ticket.
Topwater
Once going for the Barracuda and Bonito, trying to fish these two species most effectively at the same time can be problematic. Boneheads are fairly leader-shy and the water was exceptionally clear so a lighter test leader is normally a must. Unfortunately, with the cuda around, I didn’t want to use anything less that 20lb-test fluorocarbon leader as they were sure to bite off anything much lighter. Got a few bumps on the Bonito but my swimbait may have been a little big for the dink Bonito. Even the cuda were caught on a straight-down drop……. which is a less interesting way to fish to my way of thinking!!
After red didn’t seem to be the key, I went through a number of colors in plastics. Forgot my 2 ½-inch swimbaits and ¼-oz leadheads which I think might have got the Bonito!! Dang!
Weather Data
Lunar ……………………………………………...Tides!
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Wind Speed and Direction…………………………….....…....Water Temperature!
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UV Alert!
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Wednesday’s Conditions
Fishing Grounds: Conditions were windy and water choppy with lots of current in the morning but things mellowed out as the day progressed.
Wild Creatures: Saw many Sealions …… 2 at a time. Seagulls were around especially when it was time to clean fish.
From The Deck
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How often have you seen people put their fishing pole up against the rail where they plan to fish, even though they have a ‘spot’ via their tag number, almost the minute they get on deck? This is potentially a problem to the deckhand in most cases. It should be a problem we anglers should avoid too! Here’s some points to ponder.
From the Anglers’ Perspective:
1) If you don’t have a rod holder on the rail, it’s no-ones fault if your rod’s guides get slammed to the deck. Heard of the domino effect !? It’s funny to see 6 or 7 rods fall to the deck like dominos ….. and getting scratched up in the process!
2) If you feel it necessary, using a rod holder will ‘mark’ or ‘hold’ either the spot you have a tag number for or identify your intended ‘fishing spot at the rail’ so you don’t need to claim it with your rod. Once you use a rod holder …. you’ll never leave home without it.
3) The deckhand will often wash down the deck concentrating on the railing and where people will be fishing. Want your reel pressure washed? Besides …. with the wind, boat movement, and wash-down (moving the hose around) working in concert ….. rods are more likely to hit the deck. Not the decks fault!
From the Deckhands’ Perspective:
1) It is more difficult and requires more time to wash down a deck with rods leaning against the rail everywhere. Obstacles are obstacles. Don’t complain if your reel gets soaked or outfit knocked over with water pressure or a hose on the deck.
2) The deckhand needs to take out and tie up the bumpers and prepare to load the boats bait tanks from the bait receiver and rods are often in the way. Deckhand is not responsible for damage to gear when gathering them in a pile and moving them. Timing is critical when securing the boat to the receiver!! Give the deck a break.
3) Having to move a bunch of rods quickly, that are set up with ganions, hooks, iron, and plastics, could cause injury to the deck or a careless angler/gawker.
4) Bait is loaded with, 12~14 foot, long-handled nets that require lots of clearance at the stern and starboard/port rear quarterdecks! For quick loading of bait … full clearance is required.
5) The faster the bait gets in the bait-tank, the healthier it will be and less chance of it getting beat-up or dying. That’s to YOUR benefit Don’t put up obstacles for the arc of the bait nets to strike.
6) It’s just as much trouble to the deck if someone is in the area gawking or rushing to find or get their outfits that were moved along the rail. Please stay out of the way and clear of the bait tank.
7) Lastly Normally … once bait has been loaded ….. the deck will stow gear, set up the deck for fishing, stretch out the deck hose, and once again wash down the deck.
Conclusion: If you want to keep your gear in the best shape possible, wait to put your outfits on the rail. Why not use a rod holder if you feel it necessary, chill, wait to see what the bait and thus the fishing is going to be before getting your outfits rigged and set at the rail.
From this Reporter: Show the deckhand a little consideration, and I go as far as to say respect, and let them do their jobs unhindered. They are under pressure to do about 5 jobs all at one time and appreciate the anglers who know the routine. The deck/angler thing is a two-way street … just as it is in most of our experience.
Asides
An Aside:
Don’t forget to take some heavier weights along on moo-moo trips your planning in the next few weeks or so. Even if it’s not Rockfish season by the calendar!! The water shows signs of warming but …… as we’ve seen this past month … a cold wind can come in and chill the water considerably in a matter of days!! Although I stocked up on 2oz leadheads, others might be sure to have some 6 and 8oz weights for the increased possibility that a trip will forego shallower waters for the Sculpin and Rockfish waters more like in the 180~250 foot range and deeper!
Plastics ……. I just haul out the 2 and 2 ½-ounce leadheads and larger swimbaits. Naturally got the 2 and 3oz sliding egg sinkers to make the Texas and Carolina rigs too.
Still, for me …. anything over 250 feet and I’m done! It’s a boat ride and that’s the throw of the dice….. no harm no foul!
Another Aside: Moo-moos
Mooooooo ………………………………………….................................. .South Coast #2!
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Moo-moo Load Averages
Guys are often asking me what days are lighter during the week. I’m in the process of making a chart to reference the weekly load % averages for our sportfishing landings’ ½-day (am/pm), ¾-day, and twilight boat runs. Charts will not have the name of the landing shown but simply indicate which of the 3 areas main geographical areas locally were chosen for the survey. (SMB/L.B.-S.P./South Coast)
I’ll first choose one landing from each area for the first 3 weeks then rotate the areas ….eventually having done all the landings. I figure this will be a good representation of the Summer season.
Yet Another Aside:
Last Trip: I was really disappointed in that I had caught another SG but he/she looked really fine. Dr. George checked the eyes ….. ok, then the air bladder …. ok, then the gullet ….. ok all looked normal. Fins were flipping nicely. Out of the water maybe a minute yet …… alas …. returned fishy …. But it did not right itself and swim for home!!
The strategy of trying to control the swimbait to stay up and away from the bottom was just too haphazard to be a sure thing! Although one could usually tell the difference between the two species ….. sometimes ……
Remember …. If too many Bocaccio (Salmon Grouper) are caught and it’s near the boat limit, and a sure over-limit threat …….. a good skipper WILL abandon the spot!
Conclusion: …. If you’ve got your SG … change tactics to try catching something else! Fish further up the water column for Reds or Chuckleheads … they taste better anyway!
Next to Last Aside:
Yikes … The Victory caught a Giant Squid after having a period where they were seemingly loosing fish for no apparent reason. They were fishing Rockfish at the Horseshoe. Is there going to be an assault on our fishery up here like it was earlier in the year on the South Coast ….. the last quarter of this year? That’s all we need with the shortened (in my memory anyways) Sand Bass migration and bad timing of the winds sustaining the cold water snap and all.
Last Aside:
To the 2 (two) guys fishing …… while dragging 4 (four) lines in the water (yes … all the lines were exactly at the same angle going into the water … so no downrigger setup either) with motor at a slow idle (as if they were mooching) why did you do what you did? In the marine regs … one ‘fishing’ rod per angler …. (two-rod sticker doesn’t count) Don’t tell me 2 people were down below !! BS!! Not the way you were hauling ***** around the area between whatevers. But that’s not the issue ………… is it!!
Just how long did you need to play wave-jumping after whatever you were trying to do. Had everyone (including the veteran PB/anglers) on our boat scratching their heads ….. that’s for sure!! Oh ya …. Enjoy what you managed to snag!!
The Boat
The Victory
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Stern Numbers .................Boat Colors
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The Crew
Mike ………...................................Deck George ………….Galley-Ron
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End of A Great Day
Had a great day at the ‘Shoe’ and caught a bunch of good eating fish. Got more than my share of fish …… quality fish ……on plastic swimbaits in but only 2 colors …….for which I worked hard! A super-lite load, club members, and a new fishin’ buddy or so made for a great time!
Kudos go to Mike for his usual hard work and good fish-finding instincts. Thanks to deckhand George who has things clicking on deck ….. making it a great fishing platform. Nice to make oneself at home in Ron’s galley too with the great breakfasts and burgers.
JapanRon