S.W.A.T. Veterans goes Nitrous to pull away from the Rooks!

[bachiboy]

So, the “Youngin’s” made a late charge to get things close in our monthly race. With them rubbing paint on our back bumper, it was time to flick the switch on our ol' clunker and put some distance in the rear view mirror.

My wife and I are expecting our second child on July 1st so she wanted to get out of town for a “last hoorah” before D-Day...nothing extreme, just a road trip down south. I’m thinking, “uh, hell yea I wanna go down there...to fish”:Wink: We make about four trips a year down there, and although I’ve seen fish caught, I’ve actually never had much luck...but I know there’s GREAT fishing to be had. One problems is that our trips always tended to coincide with tough conditions. This time wasn’t different, so I began to doubt the success rate I was going to have down there.

I check the tides and swells and try and formulate a game plan for the next two or three days I’d be able to hit the beach.


Day 1 Low tides and Soup Plantation

With intel that my primary targets would not be very fishable, I decided to hit a spot that I had a good feeling about but not a lot of intel on. I had fished there once before and the structure there is INSANE, but with 4-6 foot swells, I was lucky enough to get outta there with a couple of BSPs. I hit the sand at gray light to find a rising minus tide. All of my structure was basically out of the water and the salad was near unbearable. There were some channels of sand cut out between the rocks and tried to target those first. After about 20 minutes I cast up against some rocks and get hit 2 cranks in. Not a whole lot of fight in this little guy, but at least the skunk was off.

http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r627/bachidym/sandbass_zps5aed8000.jpg (http://s1175.photobucket.com/user/bachidym/media/sandbass_zps5aed8000.jpg.html)

I cast that side of the channel a few more times for nothing and was about to walk away when I noticed a seam against the opposite side of the channel. I drop my LC, literally 20 feet away from me, and, again, 2 cranks in, BAM! Fish-on! This time I feel a little weight. It cuts back and forth through the narrow channel but I get him on the sand in pretty short order. It tapes out at about 23” and I’m feeling MAJOR relief that the monkey is off my back and I finally got a fish on one of our mini vacations down here. Plus it’s 10 points for the “old guys”.:Big Grin:

http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r627/bachidym/butt1-1_zpsff6800bd.jpg (http://s1175.photobucket.com/user/bachidym/media/butt1-1_zpsff6800bd.jpg.html)

http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r627/bachidym/butt1_head_zpsf59a5335.jpg (http://s1175.photobucket.com/user/bachidym/media/butt1_head_zpsf59a5335.jpg.html)

http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r627/bachidym/butt1_tail_zps5740137b.jpg (http://s1175.photobucket.com/user/bachidym/media/butt1_tail_zps5740137b.jpg.html)

Two casts later...hang...one LC lost. The salad bar was open BIG time and I don’t think I had a clean cast through the first 2 hours. High tide was at 10ish but I had to get out of there by 9 to take my wife shopping...trade off for me fishing. With the tide rising, the salad started to dimish but the surfers were unbearable. All the channels between the rocks were being trampled through. They weren’t rude at all. Actually they tried to stay clear when they saw me, but with all the traffic, there wasn’t going to be much chance of getting a fish to sit in these holes. I keep at it but all that comes of it is another lost LC, bringing my total to 8 lost soldiers for the year.:Angry::Rolls Eyes: No problem, just consider it an offering to Poseidon for the legal.:Wink:

So, I take the wife shopping and when she’s done, our 3 year old son says he wants to go to the beach.:Big Smile: We pick up some food and head over to the beach...which just happens to be the A.O. I was thinking of hitting on Day 2.:whistle: The wind is blowing pretty hard and the salad is looking a little thick so I don’t even bring my rod out of the car. My wife looks at me after we finish eating and says, “why don’t you get your rod?” I tell her that I don’t think there’s much hope here at the moment, but she says, “well, you don’t know unless you try.” So, I head back to the car. I only have my dropshot rig since I took my other two sticks up to the hotel room to rinse off and change the line. I get out there and sure enough, it’s salad city...again. There’s some holes around, so I work them through, not thinking I’m gonna stick anything...until...THUNK! I’m thinking, “Oh (*&t! that’s a bite!” Set the hook and game-on! I get it beached but it’s a short, about 18-19”. Not bad for a half-hour session and, what the heck, I got a legal that morning so I was already WAY ahead of the game! The wife was right, you never know until you try.

http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r627/bachidym/lunch_pancake_zps4b75fcf8.jpg (http://s1175.photobucket.com/user/bachidym/media/lunch_pancake_zps4b75fcf8.jpg.html)


Day 2 BAM!!! Double time!

I get in touch with Wingnut and he mentions a spot that might fish better on the low tide. I really like my first A.O., but it just isn’t meant to be fished at low tide, much less on a holiday weekend when surf is kinda up and there are a million surfers trampling the grounds. He’s pretty hot on the spot he points me toward so I made plans to hit it at graylight. I get to the spot and there is no one in sight and all the structure he promised. I make 5 casts and I feel my LC stop. Not knowing the area and if there’s any unseen structure, I don’t swing right away. I wait and feel the tug and BAM...drive the hooks home!!!! Fish on...BIG time! I feel the headshakes and know this is a legal by the weight on the other end. I’m get the prize beached and I’m on cloud 9.:Dancing Banana: It tapes out at around 26”. Ten more points baby!!!:Death2Above:

http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r627/bachidym/butt2-1_zps23f05867.jpg (http://s1175.photobucket.com/user/bachidym/media/butt2-1_zps23f05867.jpg.html)

http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r627/bachidym/butt2_tail_zps2954195a.jpg (http://s1175.photobucket.com/user/bachidym/media/butt2_tail_zps2954195a.jpg.html)

http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r627/bachidym/butt2_head_zps3f9edf90.jpg (http://s1175.photobucket.com/user/bachidym/media/butt2_head_zps3f9edf90.jpg.html)

I get her back in the water. I make a cast right back to where I got bit and WHAM, I get hammered again!:shocked: This time I swing right away...mistake:Rolls Eyes:...and after a few seconds it comes unbuttoned. It felt like another flattie but it wasn’t on long enough to get a read on the weight. I continue to work the spot for another 15 minutes and decide to work down the beach. I figure I’ll give the spot a rest and hit it later. The trough here is long and DEEP, so I’m thinking there’s gotta be some fish here, but after a half hour or so, I don’t get a tap. The good thing is salad is, at least, minimal. I look back at my original spot and see a bait and wait guy setting up to fish near the point of origin and want to give it another go before he sets up camp. As I work back over there, he’s a few yards away from my honey hole, so I pass him and start firing back at the spot. Two casts later, BAM...I swing, hang and pull the dang hooks again.:Angry: I fire right back and BOOM, another hit. This time I lay back on it slowly and when I feel the rod load up, I let him have it! This fight feels different but there are some headshakes. It takes a little bit of line but never makes a huge run. I look out into the water and see a tail flash...yellow. I’m thinking it’s a YFC...a big one, but just a YFC. I figured, well it’s still worth a couple of points in our contest since I see that it’s a NICE sized tail. Then, I see the dorsal fin stick up and realize, “oh crap, that’s a WSB”...a short, but a g-g-ghost! I get him on the sand and he’s about 19-20”. I take a quick snapshot and get him back in the water as fast as possible. He kicks off quick without me even having to revive him, so I figure he’s gonna be just fine. 5 more points baby!!!:Dancing Banana:

http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r627/bachidym/WSB_zpsdf6c8ba3.jpg (http://s1175.photobucket.com/user/bachidym/media/WSB_zpsdf6c8ba3.jpg.html)

I keep working the area but don’t get any other hits. I decide to work up the beach and for the next hour or so get nothing. As I look back down the beach I see what looks like HG4. The beach is COVERED with surf fisherman...elbow to elbow. I get down to my original honey hole and squeeze in between some guys, one that I start chatting with. He lives in the area and asks if there’s a derby going on cuz he’s never seen this many guys out here. I don’t think there was a derby but, man, the holiday weekend had brought out the “crack” addicts. I had been throwing a grunion/smelt pattern I had painted but seeing a bunch of palm-sized perch switched over to a BSP pattern...thinking that, “well, that’s what Robert (Murrieta Angler) probably woulda thrown.:Wink: Especially with ghosts and the type of forage(baby perch) around. 8:30 comes around and I figure I better head back to the hotel and do my fatherly/husband duties. My work was done and so was my fishing for the weekend...or so I thought. That night, still on cloud 9, we’re having dinner and my wife says, “you can go out tomorrow if you want. Just come back a little early so we can hit Sea World somewhat early”. I’m not gonna say no to that.:whistle:


Day 3 GOODBYE MR. SPAULDING!!!

I head right back to my honey hole at graylight and carpet bomb the area. This time I was using a Metallic Ayu...cuz that’s one of Wingnut’s go-to weapon of choice:Wink:, and what I had stuck the 23" fish on. After 50 or 60 casts for not a tap, I start working the beach again...nothing. I just figure...no matter, I’m so far ahead of what I had hoped this weekend was going to turn out, that this is just a great day to hang out. I figure that it’s time to go back to the color that got me there and switch back to my grunion/smelt pattern. Working over the next hour I get one YFC that coulda given my turd roller from Day 1 a good match up in the octagon at super fly weight. At least no stripe and the “crack addicts” are starting to build up again. I work back to the the honey hole and start chatting with the family of four adjacient to “my spot”. There still getting micro-perch and I tell them I want what eats those. There’s another guy a few yards down, so I squeeze in between them and start working the spot hard. I’m coming up on my deadline to leave and figure I might as well pack it in...it just isn’t gonna happen today. I may not have called last cast, but I was real close, when...STOP the press!:Shock: Taken by surprise, I freeze and start laying back slowly. Sure enough it starts swimming and I lay the wood to it. This thing doesn’t move. I was a pretty far cast and, with a few professional over-runs, I feel some BAD kinks in the line that go back on the reel. I’m just praying it doesn’t make a hard run to pull those off the spool. It’s moving against the current so I know it’s definitley a fish, but can’t tell if it might be Mr. Wiggles. I get some headshakes and then it just stops. I’m thinking, “aww hell no, don’t tell me it hung up on stucture.” I keep pressure on it and realize it just dug into the sand. It starts moving again I can feel some SERIOUS weight to this thing. There’s a tail splash about 20 yards out but I can’t get a good visual on it. Then I see the jaws and gills come up in the swell.:EyePop: Right when I went bendo I can hear one of the family next to me yell to the others, “hey, he’s hooked up!!!”, so a small group of onlookers had gathered behind me and I’m just praying I get this thing on the beach. I get her up on the sand and see that it’s a good 30+” flattie. I’m trying to get her to dry sand but she’s barely budging. Suddenly the LC goes flying! I run between her and freedom and try and get a hold of it. The surge comes up and she’s going ballistic, all the while I’m trying to get a handle on her and get to higher ground. I finally get her to a safe spot and just fall to my knees in relief. I can’t believe I just pulled this off in the bottom of the ninth, bases loaded, 3 and 2 count. A woman walking along the beach offers to be my photographer. I reach into my backpack and realize I left my tape measure in my other jacket which is in the back of my truck. Oh well, rod measurements it is. The woman says, “you’re gonna eat good tonight!” My reply comes without ANY thought...this is going right back into the water after the photo session. She smiles and says, “you’re a good man”. I’m not so sure about that, but just keeping the SWAT creed of releasing all PB's and it's the right thing to do. Not like I had any way of transporting fish this weekend anyway. :Wink: I get the fish measured up and realize my LC has all three hooks with straightened prongs.

Well, time is running out so I gotta try and cast back to that spot a couple more times. I make a cast and some guy comes up and casts over me with an LC. I reel in and cast again. Again he casts over me. I’m thinking, “what am I doing? I gotta get outta here and get my kid to Sea World.” I start walking over to him and say, “excuse me”...he doesn’t even look at me. I yell out to him, “EXCUSE ME!” and he still ignores me. I finally get next to him and say, “hey, I just landed a BIG flattie here.” He replies with a smile, “I know, I just saw that.” I think my response shocked the hell out of him. “Well, where there’s one, there’s a good chance there’s more so work the hell out of this spot, cuz I gotta go. Go get ‘em man! Good luck!” He had a big smile on his face and thanked me. I said my goodbyes and thanked the family for their help and left in complete amazement of what I had just accomplished. 15 more points for the old farts!!!! 40 total for the weekend!!! WOOOHOOOOO!!!!!:Smash:

http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r627/bachidym/butt3-1_zpsb7c474ee.jpg (http://s1175.photobucket.com/user/bachidym/media/butt3-1_zpsb7c474ee.jpg.html)

http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r627/bachidym/butt3_rod_butt_zpsda5fd7eb.jpg (http://s1175.photobucket.com/user/bachidym/media/butt3_rod_butt_zpsda5fd7eb.jpg.html)

http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r627/bachidym/butt3_rod_front_zpsf8bfa369.jpg (http://s1175.photobucket.com/user/bachidym/media/butt3_rod_front_zpsf8bfa369.jpg.html)

http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r627/bachidym/butt3_me_zps574ee27d.jpg (http://s1175.photobucket.com/user/bachidym/media/butt3_me_zps574ee27d.jpg.html)

http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r627/bachidym/rod_butt_zpsec98a2db.jpg (http://s1175.photobucket.com/user/bachidym/media/rod_butt_zpsec98a2db.jpg.html)

http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r627/bachidym/rod_front_zpsfa037008.jpg (http://s1175.photobucket.com/user/bachidym/media/rod_front_zpsfa037008.jpg.html)

The "now retired" LC with bent hooks
http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r627/bachidym/bent_hooks_zpsa17a594d.jpg (http://s1175.photobucket.com/user/bachidym/media/bent_hooks_zpsa17a594d.jpg.html)


Lessons learned...

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I was getting bit on a certain pattern, don’t second guess what’s already working. I don't have a "go to" color and try and figure what might work best for the conditions/location...get's my head spinning some times.:Explode: Like Arthur once told me...pick a color and throw it with confidence.

Every cast has the potential of being “the one”. No matter how slow the bite has been, work it like “this is it”. This one I know very well but don't always practice.:Rolls Eyes:

Maybe my wife doesn’t completely hate me fishing after all.:LOL: She was pretty excited for me and that felt pretty damned special.:Wink:



Arthur...man I can't thank you enough for the heads up on the A.O. Couldn't have done it without your guidance sir!!!!

Hope you enjoyed the read and had a great holiday weekend...mine was UNFORGETTABLE!:Wink:

[Bob_B]

Awesome report(s), amazing 3 days of fishing and catching! How is that Trifecta treating you? I have one the spinning rods and was thinking of picking up a casting rod also.

[DockRat]

Heck of a holiday report, WTG.
DR

[skunked4life]

Don,

You are a good man to take the family down south for the weekend for some fun and one last "hoorah." I guess it was just coincidental that the second best kids theme park is located near the hottest fishing spot!

I want to congratulate you, but frankly, you pretty much ruined my weekend. :mad::Explode::Head Bang: No, I am not envious of the fish you caught (well sort of), and no, not mad that you guys pretty much sealed the deal this month in points (well sort of), and no, I didn't mind the ten-thousand texts about Don and his Moby Dick adventures....I am mad that you ruined those AO's for me. After telling my wife about your Epic weekend, and after the last text I receive from you, she looks at me and says, "when we go down to Lego Land this summer, YOU ARE NOT TAKING YOUR FISHING GEAR." You read that Don??? The woman who has always supported my addiction now says that area is off-limits! :Head Bang:

Well, I guess now you will just have to take me down there yourself one of these days...Troublemaker!

If I forgot to congratulate you in this semi-rant response, or if I didn't text you many congrats this weekend, then here it is...Congratufreakinlations! (I think that is a Thien-coined word). Seriously, you fished it hard PLUS pulled off husband and dad duties-you sir, are my model father-figure. :Not Worthy:

'nuff said.

Ken

[koifish]

your on fire man....great report. nice butt there.

[madbass]

now that's getting it done! looks like you had a nice weekend for sure, the last butt is huge!!!
looks like the LC has done its job again. can't believe how those fish will eventually straighten the hooks out.
good job on the relaease, greta karma coming your way. i got my money on you that you'll land a 40incher this year.
thanks for the report and pictures!

[SP Dan]

Hi ya Brotha bachiboy,

What a great write up for an outstanding weekend of lip rippin' and point taking Don!
If it hadn't been for your wife's suggestion of getting out of town .... your success rate up here may have been completely different than what occurred down there!
I truly believe that you owe her .......if not only for her intuitiveness!! :Big Grin: Have you considered leasing her out?!? :LOL:
Your wife deserves to be taken to a 4-Star restaurant or better. After all .... she is the reason that you were down there in the first place!
PS.....You may want to invite the Commander along as well for his AO INTEL! :Wink:

Bottom line my SWAT Brotha .... You lucky dog!
"Congratulation" my friend on such an epic three day weekend!! :Big Smile::Applause: White Sea Bass, YFC and many legal Halibut ..... Oh ... My!! :EyePop:

Thanx for the fish report with pic's! :Cool:

SP Dan <"))><

[Nipple Twister]

YEAHHHHHHHHHHHH BROTHER DON ...or is it Coronel?

Nice damn weekend my Budda, looks like I need to get with ya for some of that Mojo........nice slay'age my friend, great report

Thanks for sharing........

[sidified]

Wow...what a report! Of course, after a weekend like that it's got to be worth the effort.. It sure is for us! It was like being there with you every step of the way. Bless you, brother, you made it a win-win weekend for the whole family.. and what a sweetheart you have for encouraging you to follow your passion.
Best,
Sid

[murrieta angler]

What do I type that hasn't been typed?!? :Envious:
You had a great weekend, one you will never forget and you have a second child on the way...:Big Grin:
That's the best part of the whole story Don..:Wink:
Also, thanks for the invite, but it just wasn't meant to be and obviously it was. Had I been there things might not have turned out the way they did.
The Lord works in mysterious ways...:Smile:
Congratulations "Again" and I look forward to your next report Brotha.
Robert
<><

[fishshep]

Outstanding report and catching :Big Grin:

and MAN !!! :Shocked:that last Hali you caught ,

is one beautifull lookin catch !!!

[bachiboy]

Awesome report(s), amazing 3 days of fishing and catching! How is that Trifecta treating you? I have one the spinning rods and was thinking of picking up a casting rod also.
Thanks Bob! It was pretty surreal. The Trifecta is a great rod. I used to fish a Clarus. It's lighter and seems to have better balance. The Clarus worked fine but I really like the backbone and little bit better tip sensitivity that I'm getting. I'm very happy that I got it.


Heck of a holiday report, WTG.
DR
Thanks DR! The whole weekend, even beyond the fishing, turned out awesome!


Don,

You are a good man to take the family down south for the weekend for some fun and one last "hoorah." I guess it was just coincidental that the second best kids theme park is located near the hottest fishing spot!

I want to congratulate you, but frankly, you pretty much ruined my weekend. :mad::Explode::Head Bang: No, I am not envious of the fish you caught (well sort of), and no, not mad that you guys pretty much sealed the deal this month in points (well sort of), and no, I didn't mind the ten-thousand texts about Don and his Moby Dick adventures....I am mad that you ruined those AO's for me. After telling my wife about your Epic weekend, and after the last text I receive from you, she looks at me and says, "when we go down to Lego Land this summer, YOU ARE NOT TAKING YOUR FISHING GEAR." You read that Don??? The woman who has always supported my addiction now says that area is off-limits! :Head Bang:

Well, I guess now you will just have to take me down there yourself one of these days...Troublemaker!

If I forgot to congratulate you in this semi-rant response, or if I didn't text you many congrats this weekend, then here it is...Congratufreakinlations! (I think that is a Thien-coined word). Seriously, you fished it hard PLUS pulled off husband and dad duties-you sir, are my model father-figure. :Not Worthy:

'nuff said.

Ken
Wow!:Shocked::LOL: My deepest apologies bro! PM sent that might help you get out on the sand. I don't know if I'm a model father-figure, but I try!:Wink: Thanks for reading!



your on fire man....great report. nice butt there.
Thanks Mr. C! I got real lucky out there...all the way around.


now that's getting it done! looks like you had a nice weekend for sure, the last butt is huge!!!
looks like the LC has done its job again. can't believe how those fish will eventually straighten the hooks out.
good job on the relaease, greta karma coming your way. i got my money on you that you'll land a 40incher this year.
thanks for the report and pictures!
Thanks Alex! Dude, you've been putting in some time and mileage out there. Locally doesn't seem to be so hot lately so this vacation just happened to be timed perfectly...even if it didn't look that way when I headed out. Those hooks straighten a LOT easier than you can imagine. I now fish a drag set for 8-10lb. cuz it cost me a striper earlier this year. These hooks straightened when I tried to drag the fish on the sand...it just wouldn't move for a while there. Don't know that I'd be laying any bets on me with that 40" fish. Come July, I may be out of the game for a while...or at least VERY limited.:Wink:


Hi ya Brotha bachiboy,

What a great write up for an outstanding weekend of lip rippin' and point taking Don!
If it hadn't been for your wife's suggestion of getting out of town .... your success rate up here may have been completely different than what occurred down there!
I truly believe that you owe her .......if not only for her intuitiveness!! :Big Grin: Have you considered leasing her out?!? :LOL:
Your wife deserves to be taken to a 4-Star restaurant or better. After all .... she is the reason that you were down there in the first place!
PS.....You may want to invite the Commander along as well for his AO INTEL! :Wink:
Bottom line my SWAT Brotha .... You lucky dog!
"Congratulation" my friend on such an epic three day weekend!! :Big Smile::Applause: White Sea Bass, YFC and many legal Halibut ..... Oh ... My!! :EyePop:
Thanx for the fish report with pic's! :Cool:
SP Dan <"))><
Brotha Dan!!! Thank you sir! Yes, I am a VERY lucky dog. The wife was VERY, VERY well taken care of this weekend...I paid some serious "honey-do's" to earn those three mornings, but I still do owe the Commander. Man, did he put me on the fish...unreal. I was kinda hoping that you guys were gonna surprise me yesterday and make the drive down. Oh well, next time bud...we'll get em again!:Wink:


YEAHHHHHHHHHHHH BROTHER DON ...or is it Coronel?
Nice damn weekend my Budda, looks like I need to get with ya for some of that Mojo........nice slay'age my friend, great report
Thanks for sharing........
I think I still qualify as the Colonel.:Wink: When I caught that micro-YFC yesterday, I thought..."well, that's a fitting way for this awesome weekend to end for a guy dubbed 'Colonel Croaker'." We need to get out there together again soon...you can rub the "Buddha Belly" for luck.:LOL: Thanks for reading brotha!


Wow...what a report! Of course, after a weekend like that it's got to be worth the effort.. It sure is for us! It was like being there with you every step of the way. Bless you, brother, you made it a win-win weekend for the whole family.. and what a sweetheart you have for encouraging you to follow your passion.
Best,
Sid
Thanks Sid! I definitely got some points for the "geezers" this weekend. I love my wife dearly and she is a sweetheart, but supportive of my fishing habit? Uh, maybe not so much.:ROFL: She was incredible this weekend though. That is except for last night. You should seen the hard looks I was getting for taking the time out to write the report...and this was when she was supposed to have gone upstairs to sleep.:LOL:


What do I type that hasn't been typed?!? :Envious:
You had a great weekend, one you will never forget and you have a second child on the way...:Big Grin:
That's the best part of the whole story Don..:Wink:
Also, thanks for the invite, but it just wasn't meant to be and obviously it was. Had I been there things might not have turned out the way they did.
The Lord works in mysterious ways...:Smile:
Congratulations "Again" and I look forward to your next report Brotha.
Robert
<><
Thanks again sir!!! I wish I woulda called you Sunday night to join me Monday morning. I think it actually might have been better to really hammer that area with a couple extra rods...not to mention it woulda just been great to fish with you again! Hopefully can squeeze out a little more luck before the baby comes.:Wink:
Like you said, the Lord works in mysterious ways. Even the luck we were having at the parks (Sea World and Legoland) was amazing. We went to Sea World and paid for parking on Sunday, but found out that we couldn't get in with our passes cuz it was a blackout day. Went to the aquarium at Legoland instead and they didn't charge us for parking. Went to Sea World on Monday and they honored our parking pass from the day before since we weren't allowed in the park. We missed getting Kris her free annual pass (offered to teachers which ended on Friday), but they gave it to us anyway on Monday. We were running late getting to the park which helped us miss a 6 car pile up that we might have been at when it happened had we been prompt. It was an UNREAL streak of luck I was on all the way around and I am INCREDIBLY grateful!!!:Big Grin:


Outstanding report and catching :Big Grin:
and MAN !!! :Shocked:that last Hali you caught ,
is one beautifull lookin catch !!!
Thanks FS! It was my PB from the surf and an AWESOME fish! I'm still in a state of bliss.:Big Smile:

[Homefish]

Good job Bachi! Thanks 4 Share'n!

Homefish

[PTN]

:Applause: Bravo Don! You are on fire and looks like the Old Stogies are pulling away hard. Every time I met up Arthur, he'd say "I just got a text from Don, he's got another legal." :Envious: Thanks for all the info and I'm happy you were able to fish and build a great streak. Looks like it's my turn to keep congratulating you and I hope it doesn't sound like broken record..:LOL: Congrats on the PB's and all the awesome catches.

-Peter

[PONTOON]

Don, What an awesome report and Congratulatons Brother! :Cool:

I'm going to make a motion right here and now that you are nominated for "Most Persistent" of all The "old Guys" for the month of May. My hats off to you for the effort you made to put points up on the board and I'm sure you are not done yet........Well, at least until the new baby arrives. :Wink:

Once again great job out there in the troughs and Congratulations! :Thumbs Up::Thumbs Up:

[jerryG]

Well done and well deserved Don. Sounds like you left the bachi at home for the weekend.. We missed you guys at Ben's bbq but glad to hear you guys had a great time in San Diego.. Keep those points coming Don. Keep the streak alive your on fire right now..

JerryG

[bloox8]

Wow Don.. :Big Grin::Applause:
That halibut looks pretty damn sexy and HUUUUUGE :Shocked:!!! :UDaMan::UDaMan::UDaMan:
Congratulations on both of your legals and joining the 30"er club.
When I got Arthur's text that morning, I knew the chances of us youngins catching up was going to get a lot slimmer but I didn't think it was going to get completely crushed. The youngins should've known better than to provoke the farts, I mean oldies :Cool: We'll be more prepared next time!

Again, kudos to your beast halibut. I really enjoyed your posts and I'll be looking forward to your next one. Thanks for the fish porn.

Thien

[Newfishsmell]

DUDE - You kicked BUTT out there ... lol

Awesome report bachiboy !!!

And you finished it off with a 30+ incher ... Congratulations Don.

[michaelk]

Pardon a dumb *** question. What is swat. salt water attack team.

Savage water aquatic tactics?

Swift water action team?

You get my drift.

Michael

[skunked4life]

The former, not the latter...Salt Water Attack Team.

[bachiboy]

Good job Bachi! Thanks 4 Share'n!
Homefish
Thanks Homey! Congrats again on your LC bean!:Wink:


:Applause: Bravo Don! You are on fire and looks like the Old Stogies are pulling away hard. Every time I met up Arthur, he'd say "I just got a text from Don, he's got another legal." :Envious: Thanks for all the info and I'm happy you were able to fish and build a great streak. Looks like it's my turn to keep congratulating you and I hope it doesn't sound like broken record..:LOL: Congrats on the PB's and all the awesome catches.
-Peter
Thanks Peter! It was an incredible streak I was on...tempted to go out before work to see if it's still goin'.:Wink:
I started thinking about the LC I was using. It had been painted over so much to keep covering all the scars, it might have been sinking a little more than the other two I tried. Since that trough was so deep, maybe that helped trigger the strikes. Oh well, like I mentioned, I have a tendency to over-think these things.:Rolls Eyes:


Don, What an awesome report and Congratulatons Brother! :Cool:
I'm going to make a motion right here and now that you are nominated for "Most Persistent" of all The "old Guys" for the month of May. My hats off to you for the effort you made to put points up on the board and I'm sure you are not done yet........Well, at least until the new baby arrives. :Wink:
Once again great job out there in the troughs and Congratulations! :Thumbs Up::Thumbs Up:
Thanks Terry! I don't know about "Most Persistant"...my wife might vote for "Pig-Headed" though!:LOL: Hope we get out there together again soon...it's been a while since our last "chance" meeting.:Wink:


Well done and well deserved Don. Sounds like you left the bachi at home for the weekend.. We missed you guys at Ben's bbq but glad to hear you guys had a great time in San Diego.. Keep those points coming Don. Keep the streak alive your on fire right now..
JerryG
Thanks Jerry! I owe a lot of this to you. The initial introduction to everyone has come a LONG way! The "Bachi" was definitely left at home this weekend.(See my reply to Robert)
I'm surprised you and Ben didn't sneak your boat out for some tails and ghost hunting over the weekend. Sounds like some action happening out there. If nothing else, we gotta get that Ben guy out in the surf soon.


Wow Don.. :Big Grin::Applause:
That halibut looks pretty damn sexy and HUUUUUGE :Shocked:!!! :UDaMan::UDaMan::UDaMan:
Congratulations on both of your legals and joining the 30"er club.
When I got Arthur's text that morning, I knew the chances of us youngins catching up was going to get a lot slimmer but I didn't think it was going to get completely crushed. The youngins should've known better than to provoke the farts, I mean oldies :Cool: We'll be more prepared next time!
Again, kudos to your beast halibut. I really enjoyed your posts and I'll be looking forward to your next one. Thanks for the fish porn.
Thien
Thanks Thien! Yours is just around that corner. You gotta stop fishing in those damned crowds like you guys did this past Sunday.:LOL: Actually, the one thing missing from the weekend was having some of you guys with me to share the experience. I remember being there when John caught his induction ghost. It definitely adds a LOT to the achievement to share it with your buds. Good luck out there man!!!


DUDE - You kicked BUTT out there ... lol
Awesome report bachiboy !!!
And you finished it off with a 30+ incher ... Congratulations Don.
Thanks NFS! It was an amazing 3 days. I was on cloud 9 after the first two. Day 3 made it jaw-dropping.:OMG!: Especially cuz it came in the bottom of the ninth.


Pardon a dumb *** question. What is swat. salt water attack team.
Savage water aquatic tactics?
Swift water action team?
You get my drift.
Michael
Definitely the first...the second might seem like we're doin' water ballet in the surf. Although when you see me fumbling around out there it might look like that anyway.:LOL::Wink:

[michaelk]

Pardon a dumb *** question. What is swat. salt water attack team, slow witted *** tracker???


That sounds awfully smart *** ed and I really didn't mean it that way . I just thought it was funny but I am going to edit it out. This forum has been great to me and I don't want to make to make enemy's.



Michael

[Wingnut]

Brother Don... you give me too much credit. :Wink:
I just pointed you in the right direction and YOU went out there and made it happen.
Like I told you, I was using you as a Scout... I haven't hit that area in a very long time and thought Colonel Croaker would do a fine recon job for S.W.A.T. :LOL:
You knocked one out of the park for sure and the Over the Hill Gang appreciates the nail that you provided in the Youngsters coffin. :Twisted:
They need to regroup, lick their wounds and come up with a new game plan for next month. :Wink:
Once again, well done my friend, very well done... isn't fun being on Cloud 9? :Envious:

[Wingnut]

That sounds awfully smart *** ed and I really didn't mean it that way . I just thought it was funny but I am going to edit it out. This forum has been great to me and I don't want to make to make enemy's.

Michael

I chuckled a little... :LOL:

Salt Water Attack Team
Surf & Waves Assault Team
Special Whoop A** Team.
Saviors With A Testimony

:Big Smile:

[saltman]

Hey Don

That was a awesome report, thanks for adding pionts for the old guys. That the way to get thing done!
Congrats to you and our wife.

Ramiro.

[jinbow]

Great vacation with the family and fishing. You have a great wife and smart kid, hinting you to go to the beach, you probably taught him that.
Three days of fun and big catches my friend. Congrats to the legal butts and surprising wsb you got. Thanks for the thrilling report and pictures, hope to see you soon.

[jerryG]

http://fishinghotpage.com/forum4/images/misc/quote_icon.png Originally Posted by jerryG http://fishinghotpage.com/forum4/images/buttons/viewpost-right.png (http://fishingnetwork.net/forum4/showthread.php?p=676544#post676544)
Well done and well deserved Don. Sounds like you left the bachi at home for the weekend.. We missed you guys at Ben's bbq but glad to hear you guys had a great time in San Diego.. Keep those points coming Don. Keep the streak alive your on fire right now..
JerryG



"Thanks Jerry! I owe a lot of this to you. The initial introduction to everyone has come a LONG way! The "Bachi" was definitely left at home this weekend.(See my reply to Robert)
I'm surprised you and Ben didn't sneak your boat out for some tails and ghost hunting over the weekend. Sounds like some action happening out there. If nothing else, we gotta get that Ben guy out in the surf soon."


Thanks Don, I'm just glad to see you getting out and having a great time on the water. You've been kicking butt lately.. You're right about wanting to sneak the boat out over the weekend.. Jonathan made it out Saturday on his kayak and he found what he was looking for but I will let him tell his story.. We definitely need to get Ben out to the beach soon.. Plus I told Ben we should do a skiff trip before your big day.

Jerryg

[bachiboy]

That sounds awfully smart *** ed and I really didn't mean it that way . I just thought it was funny but I am going to edit it out. This forum has been great to me and I don't want to make to make enemy's.
Michael
No worries. Thanks for the response.:Wink:

[bachiboy]

Brother Don... you give me too much credit. :Wink:
I just pointed you in the right direction and YOU went out there and made it happen.
Like I told you, I was using you as a Scout... I haven't hit that area in a very long time and thought Colonel Croaker would do a fine recon job for S.W.A.T. :LOL:
You knocked one out of the park for sure and the Over the Hill Gang appreciates the nail that you provided in the Youngsters coffin. :Twisted:
They need to regroup, lick their wounds and come up with a new game plan for next month. :Wink:
Once again, well done my friend, very well done... isn't fun being on Cloud 9? :Envious:
Just giving credit where credit is due. I probably woulda went to one of the other "Soup Plantation" locations and had a full dose of salad bar if you didn't point the way.:UDaMan: You know, I've been on Cloud 9 over the tuna grounds, the islands, but I always wondered what is was like looking down on the beach...great view!:Big Smile: Not sure if it can sustain but I'll sure have fun trying. If nothing else, I'll pay the intel forward to our "Rookie" old guy when he heads south for this coming weekend and hopefully he'll keep up the streak.:Wink: Now I'm just trying to figure out where to go this weekend.:LOL: One more month till D-Day, gotta get my shots in now.


Hey Don
That was a awesome report, thanks for adding pionts for the old guys. That the way to get thing done!
Congrats to you and our wife.
Ramiro.
Thanks Ramiro! Glad I can contribute to the cause. The way things were going the week before the trip, I thought I'd be the scout that gives the intel of where NOT to go.:LOL: The wife and I are gearing up for the big day, but a lot less frantically than our first go-around.:Wink: Hope to see you out there!


Great vacation with the family and fishing. You have a great wife and smart kid, hinting you to go to the beach, you probably taught him that.
Three days of fun and big catches my friend. Congrats to the legal butts and surprising wsb you got. Thanks for the thrilling report and pictures, hope to see you soon.
Hey Albert! That was a heck of a trip all the way around. I've been trying to get the little guy hooked on going to the beach at the very least. Now I just have to get him hooked on fishing...baby steps, so to speak.:Wink: Thanks for reading!


Plus I told Ben we should do a skiff trip before your big day.
Woohooo!!! Time to get the boat rods prepped!:Wink:

[troublehook]

My goodness, three legal Halibut in three days, now that's impressive. :Applause:
Sounds like a great vacation, well done bro.

[dlmoo312]

Jeeez Don.. I leave town and the minute I land on the east coast I get a text about Robert's striper followed by a bunch of texts about your epic series of catches..
You guys are straight out ruthless :Envious:
I have to congratulate you on your amazing run this past weekend. Three days of nonstop action and a PB halibut to top it all off! :Not Worthy: Congratulations and welcome to the 30inch club :Big Grin:
From the beginning of the month you've been racking up the points for the Old Fogies, and right when it was starting to get exciting, you had to turn on the heat and totally burn us :Evil::LOL:
I think it's safe to say that this month belongs to the Vets, but it was a well deserved win filled with many great catches, highlights, fun times.
I'm looking forward to what plays out for next month!


-Daniel

[jplee3]

Awesome read! Man, a 30-incher. That's my next goal: 30"-40" range hahaha. Even though I've caught two halibut my entire life. Well, three if you count the 9"er I caught off one of the Newport docks LOL. I'm a total crack-addict with those Gulp worms... it almost feels like cheating and taking the easy way out most of the time. And it makes me lazy not to try new things. I think next time I'll have to leave them out of my pack (or in a deep pocket) so I'll force myself to try something else. It's not often that I get out to the beach, so I've learned to try to make the most of it when I go. Even if it means catching one fish LOL. Good job on the flatties (and WSB!). This makes me want to get out more. Maybe I can convince the wife that getting a hybrid or electric is the way to go, then I'll feel way more inclined since I won't have to drive our gas guzzling cars around.

[bachiboy]

My goodness, three legal Halibut in three days, now that's impressive. :Applause:
Sounds like a great vacation, well done bro.
Thanks Sokha! It was ALL luck...and a lot of good intel!:Wink: It was an amazing vacation all the way around. Hope to see you and Binh out there sometime soon!

PS - Hope that Saros is treating you well.:Wink:


Jeeez Don.. I leave town and the minute I land on the east coast I get a text about Robert's striper followed by a bunch of texts about your epic series of catches..
You guys are straight out ruthless :Envious:
I have to congratulate you on your amazing run this past weekend. Three days of nonstop action and a PB halibut to top it all off! :Not Worthy: Congratulations and welcome to the 30inch club :Big Grin:
From the beginning of the month you've been racking up the points for the Old Fogies, and right when it was starting to get exciting, you had to turn on the heat and totally burn us :Evil::LOL:
I think it's safe to say that this month belongs to the Vets, but it was a well deserved win filled with many great catches, highlights, fun times.
I'm looking forward to what plays out for next month!
-Daniel
I have to say, leading up to this contest, I was SURE that I'd be the weak link for the team. I figured I can at least get around to different areas and tell everyone where NOT to go.:LOL: And even then, after watching Arthur pull fish outta spots that I had already worked over, I thought that might be misleading information. I guess Poseidon decided to cut his favorite "punching bag" some slack this month. Still took a lot of "jewelry" offerings this year, but I'll take that ANY day for what he gave me. Maybe he took all those LCs from me as a way of saying, "nope, wrong color. try again!":ROFL: You youngsters had me sweating leading up to the weekend, even with Robert's awesome catch. Glad I was able to pull out some rabbits outta the hat...crazy luck! When I caught that last fish then Robert followed it up with another legal, I figured it was game over. But god knows, you guys fished the last month hard! Just some good timing on our parts.:Wink: Hope you get out there again soon. I think the Youngins' team missed your absense.



Awesome read! Man, a 30-incher. That's my next goal: 30"-40" range hahaha. Even though I've caught two halibut my entire life. Well, three if you count the 9"er I caught off one of the Newport docks LOL. I'm a total crack-addict with those Gulp worms... it almost feels like cheating and taking the easy way out most of the time. And it makes me lazy not to try new things. I think next time I'll have to leave them out of my pack (or in a deep pocket) so I'll force myself to try something else. It's not often that I get out to the beach, so I've learned to try to make the most of it when I go. Even if it means catching one fish LOL. Good job on the flatties (and WSB!). This makes me want to get out more. Maybe I can convince the wife that getting a hybrid or electric is the way to go, then I'll feel way more inclined since I won't have to drive our gas guzzling cars around.
Thanks J3! I caught 3 legals all of last year from the surf. I never in my wildest dreams thought I'd match that in a weekend, much less cap it off with that brute. Crack is a hard thing to give up on. It took a quite a few trips before I kicked the habit...there's so much more action when fishing it, but the rewards are so much greater. All it takes is a little success with the LC and you'll be hooked. I took quite a few family trips to the beach cities in the past and had some amazing areas with structure that I only threw crack and sandcrabs at. Now I'm anxious to go back to those spots and see what else other than perch might be in those areas. Never know till you try! Keep it up...it'll happen soon enough. Don't feel too bad about your gas guzzler...I drive a Surburban so I know ALL about that.:Rolls Eyes::LOL: