JapanRon
09-13-2007, 05:07 PM
We Got Our Cake and Ate It Too!
Hi there guys,
Wednesday 09/12
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. Had a mere 24 anglers on board a vessel certified for 92!! Pretty obvious ……..the average angler-numbers on weekdays is really leveling. Presently, big-time catching is somewhat hit or miss, lots of Sculpin limits, yet you really ought to come out for some good fishing without the crowds.
Note: Countdown: September 22nd will be the second FREE FISHING DAY this year for everyone in California. That’s 9 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 09/12
24 anglers caught 2 Lingcod, 40 Rockfish, 1 Johnny Bass 1 Sand Bass , 5 Whitefish, and a bunch of Sanddabs. The usual pesky Mackerel and Sealions were non-existant today. Grade of keeper-fish for the boat was above average …. translation ……. way past minimum length.
On bait, Anchovies may have had a tiny presence in the tanks but it was Sardines that were freshly loaded into the tanks. With dismal conditions, last few days’ counts pretty much down, and the Sardines …. we had planned to go to Catalina.
The AM Headed to Catalina but got the news from other moo-moos that the channel was getting so rough that they were heading back to home pastures. Accordingly, we turned around and made the best of the hour we had traveled from the bait receiver and found a spot. We fished our tails off in winds, waves, current, and swells that make fishing a challenge.
The PM Again, conditions were bad but it seemed like the wind let up a bit around noon! Too bad it came charging back about 1pm and was relentless the rest of the time Mike was willing to stay out. Anchor dragged, triple direction on the conditions when trying to drop the hook and stay put (wind, swell/wave,current directions different). Got back to the dock at 3:30!
(Please widen your view to fit monitor if word-wrap looks off)
09/12 Jackpot
Weigh-off ………………..Winner!
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912weighoff.jpghttp://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912saberling.jpg
Lingasaurus
Way to go on the jackpot Saber! A Lingcod was the winner today. The 6~7-lb fish was caught on a Sardine. Really ??? j/k Both lings caught 11am or so on bait.
Long Report
The Days Fishing
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912widoutQM.jpg
Fishing Area …………………………………………………….....…Current
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912Fmap.jpghttp://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912Currt.jpg
Grazing in the Pasture
Moo-moos and PBersThis Trip
Enterprise Out
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912widenterp.jpg
Fishing Machine ………………………Magic ……………………….....................Coast Guard
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912pb1bet.jpghttp://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912nicepb.jpghttp://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912CGvessel.jpg
Round-Up
2 Rounds
1st Round
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912widfstop.jpg
]Round 1 Sorry guys …. It’s pretty hard for me to judge just right were we were other than we were fishing anywhere, on the shallow side of the San Pedro Canyon crunch between Slimy Slope and Finger Reef. That’s lots of territory!! Fished around 180 feet with varying bottom. Lots of guys fished the ol’ dropper-loop setup with 6~8oz torpedo sinker. They fished either Sardines or the cut Squid available on board. Sardines caught both lings ….. and the bigger Bocaccio (Salmon Grouper) surprise surprise !! Caught a few fish every stop …. then nada and moved on.
Round 2 For our second round we moved in closer to some slightly shallower reef area, at about 150 feet, containing both soft and hard bottom as well as reef, rock, and kelp! I imagined it very fishy from my bottom scrounging!! Ha ha Same routine as the am but with increasingly tough conditions ……… for both us the anglers trying to effectively fish and ……. the skipper not only to locate fish but to stay on a spot. Deckhand worked hard just pulling the hook and resetting!! Last stop of the day resulted in the anchor sticking tight and the resulting last-ditch effort of the skipper. (See aside .. Anchors away)
Conditions: Warm, bright and sunny. Needed a jacket with the wind and the air temp staying between 70º~75º during the day. Afternoon breeze made it feel colder Water visibility at maybe 10~12 feet. Check out the graphics for additional weather and water conditions.
Gallery
Beauty of the Day
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912tripbeauty.jpg
Fish & Anglers
Deep Down Sandy …Red Red ……… ................Another Ling
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912Sandie.jpghttp://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912gonzfish.jpghttp://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912otherling.jpg
Nice One …………………...Art’s Fish!
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912budfishy.jpghttp://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912artfishes.jpg
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 #42
More than a ‘tweek’ this installment is more like a hint to novices.
Topic: Being Picky when Selecting/Buying Plastics
Softbaits by definition are usually made of a pliable plastic either by an injection/mechanical or hand pour methods. That’s various plastics ……. comprised of ……from a single color or mix* to …… four or five horizontal layers or tiers of different colors and or mixes in a single plastic be it Scampi-type (twin-tail), Moganbo (single-tail), Tube Lure, critters, or swimbaits. Of course, the ‘weight embedded’ plastics are a different story. Most of what I fish are of the swimbait variety … Fish Trap, Big Hammer, Kalin, and Blams/Whams. And occasionally …. The afore mentioned Storms and Calcuttas.
How Plastics of a Given Maker/model Might Differ:
Truism: No soft plastic was created the same. That is …
1) Even within one extensive run of a single color, there are differences in the colors’ shade, luster, hue, and tint.
2) With a clear base-material, sometimes the distribution (especially metalflake) of what is mixed in is inconsistent and seperate plastics appears quite different.
3) When producing a two-segment plastic**, each one of the segments is not always exactly the same color in other subsequent pours, and or segments are of different percentages withinf the whole plastic.
4) Application of dyes are often inconsistent………. be they powder or liquid based and are most apparent with solid lighter colors.
5) Lastly, pouring swimbaits with 3 to 5 tiers of material can result in different appearances of each plastic … depending on the pourer, material, or treatment, etc.
6) One must realize that different runs of a particular model may be slightly different. Anything could be different. Obviously … the more layers … the more chance of there being a difference from previous plastics, pours, runs. This can sometimes be good and sometimes be not at good! Oh ya …. Sometimes ……… inaccuracies lead to NEW models!! Doh !!
* Clear with silver metalflake, light color with darker dye material, etc.
** Body one color, tail another, top one color, bottom another.
Selection Strategy:
Recognizing the above, when you’re choosing your poison, look for plastics that look ‘exactly’ like the ones you’ve seen actually work! If you’re buying new (to you) plastics on a lark…. choose colors, in the degree and or percentage of the whole bait that appeals to YOU.
With experience, you’ll notice what basic colors (reds, oranges and green w/black or brown back), multi-color combinations, and all the way down to degrees of a color seem to get bit better. On a specific color, it is sometimes to your advantage to have a number of different shades or degrees of a color (especially green) to meet different conditions (including time of day) and target species.
Buying Strategy:
I’m stingy … I will buy just a few of a color first to target a specific species. If the color works, I’ll quickly loose or wear them out and I’ll get more and start fishing them …. Looking for a consistent bite in various conditions. Lastly, I’ll see if the bait will catch a variety of species, varying conditions, type of structure, and method fished. If they pass the final test, it’s time to look for 25, 50, or 100 packs! Which should be cheaper.
If you find a run of especially effective models ….. you had better buy as many as you can afford. Did you notice I said run? Why …….. you may never find that exact product made that way again!! For that reason, I occasionally will hit a store (independent) that I know has old stock … just in case I find … some of the ‘old’, ‘out of stock’, or ‘discontinued’ models of some of the standards! In answer to somes’ question …. NO, I don’t want to pour myself!
Plastics
Skunked
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/025SkunkL.jpg
Green ………………………..................Red ……………………………….....................Mini!
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912metgreenswim.jpghttp://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912redstybest.jpghttp://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912storcaro.jpg
Mr. Skunk Humbles Plastics Guys
As usual, I once again loaded up my plastics stuff and was all set for the successes of last weeks’ two trips. Not this week ! But …. I had some buddies that figured they might give the rubber a ‘real’ try this week too! These guys are no slouches with plastics but are not fanatics and will fish b……. ba……… bai ………….. bait … there I said it! They’ve even lowered themselves to go all the way to the final cop-out ….. Squid strips !!
Regardless, they’re still buddies. My best rail-buddy (spot beside mine) decided to do the plastics-only thing today and we got totally, completely, undeniably SKUNKED !! Three other excellent plastics anglers got skunked too … even when they switched in desperation to bait.
I tried the usual red/orange or green metallic w/black back 5 ½-inch models. I went a bit oversize as I wanted to week out the dinks. The fact is … I got hit by many dinks and small fish that incessantly grabbed and pulled on the tail of my baits. I tried to downsize at the last …. but to of no avail!!
I was kind of fixated on using the Carolina rig only to realize later that the Texas rig might have held my plastic down better in the ‘zone’. I was using a 3oz sliding-egg sinker and a 2oz leadhead. This rig got me down to the bottom but I should have switched half-way thru the skunk. Although a skunk, I did get a very good hit and fight (lost just before color) early in the morning. Reel drag malfunction! Grrrrrrrrrr (See last aslide)
Wednesday's Statictics
Lunar ……………………………………………... Tides!
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912Moon.jpghttp://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912Tide.jpg
Wind Speed and Direction …………………………………... Water Temprature!
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912Windmap.jpghttp://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912WatMap.jpg
UV Alert!
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912UV.jpg
Wednesday’s Conditions
Fishing Grounds: Conditions were windy,water choppy, with lots of current and cold water.
Wild Creatures: Saw many Sealions …… 2 at a time. Seagulls were around especially when it was time to clean fish.
From The Deck
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0711deck1-1.jpg
Sculpin Threat More heads-ups from George- I’ve been noticing a steady number of saltwater angling newbies on the moo-moos recently. Why? Because they invariably choose numbers forward, right next to me, on the starboard-side of my usual spot !! We are now and will continue to target Sculpin a.k.a. Rattlesnakes in the coming months.
If there are anglers who appear to not be familiar with Sculpin (and their potential to injure) next to you, it would behoove you to give them a kind word on what to do when one of our prickly pals showed color. My usual suggestion is …… to have the deckhand unhook the fish (the first time anyway) or to NOT swing the fish on board but take it off at the rail.
Lots of Sculpin in the counts for the last few weeks. The tolerance to the Sculpins (California Scorpionfish) venom varies wildly among anglers. I am one of the lucky ones and a good stab results in a minutes’ itchiness and then I’m ok. Others can go into toxic shock and croak! Don’t do or avoid the following happening to you and you won’t have to worry about how to counter-act the effects of the venom.
1) Not lipping the Scuplin carefully using either needle-nose pliers or a carefully inserted thumb. Dropping in on your foot!
2) If you’ve lipped the fish, isolate it from others and hang on to it’s strong flips!
3) Swinging the fish on board in an uncontrolled manner. Remember weights cause the swing to become erratic. A spine from a Sculpin on the deck will go through a rubber boot in a heartbeat.
4) Watch people around you before taking or seeing others taking fishy to the fish-bag.
Last one is a gottcha !!
5) Be very careful about brushing up against or leaning into fish-bags that might be hanging at the bait-tank and holding our prickly friends. It’s pretty common to see little dorsal fin’ spines sticking out of a burlap bag awaiting ‘the brush of revenge’.
Next Week … Warning: A cautionary tale- Anglers responsibility on short fish and or overlilmits.
Asides
An Aside:
Anchors Away Gotta feel sorry for the skipper that gets an anchor hung. Although not the most uncommon occurrence, it is invariably in the worst conditions ….. making it more difficult to dislodge than otherwise. Gratefully, there was a happy end to the ‘hang’ we experienced and we got our anchor back. How ?!
Well ….. not by just tugging on it real hard!! The anchors used on the moo-moos and most Pbers’ boats of any size use a similarly modeled anchor. This anchor has been designed with an eyelet both where you would normally expect and also at the end or bottom of the anchor. The anchor chain is actually secured (in the main) to the bottom eyelet. The eyelet at the top of the anchor simply serves as a loop to secure the anchor chain (via a adjacent chains’ link) with a good number of hard wire wraps.
This ‘break-away’ configuration will function when enough weight has been brought to bear to cause the wire wrap to fail and the anchor is then jerked loose by it’s being pulled out from its’ opposite end …….. most of the time! Pretty cool huh!
Another Aside:
DFG Topics
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/DFGTophalf.jpgTsurikichi©2007
Short-term Licenses
Here’s an interesting subject. If you have a valid California fishing license only! (that’s without the ocean enhancement) you will need to pay the annual ocean enhancement stamp fee. Licenses (one and two-day) can be bought (for the same fee) and used by both residents and non-residence alike. Multi-day licenses must be used on consecutive calendar dates. One point not often covered is that the license can (in the real world) be post-dated1. This will allow anglers to have licenses for fishing in areas where it would be impossible to get a license otherwise.
1) One-day sportfishing license …………… $12.10
2) Two-day sportfishing license …………… $18.65
3) Ten-day non-resident license2 …………….$37.30
4) Ocean enhancement stamp ……………… $4.20
*The license must be dated and signed …. ‘at the time of purchase’.
**Residents just need to buy a regular license.
Another Aside: Moo-moos
Mooooooo! .................................................. .............................Santa Monica Bay
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/NewBotTable.jpghttp://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912BoatLd.jpg
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.
Near Last Aside:
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912splitrings.jpg
Someone asked to see the difference between the split rings I use on leadheads. The non-standard split-rings can be most easily found at shops that also carry freshwater bass tackle. Yes, yes …… Let’s face it ….. most saltwater applications require solid rings. Whatever …
On some baits, I honestly think I get bit 3 to 1 using the split rings.
Last Aside:
Here it is … the end of the Summer season! How’s your tackle’s condition? Thought about getting ready for a possible late yellow or YFT bite? Forget that …. I was somehow lax on trying to get the drag fixed on one reel and lost a very big fish this trip. I feel like an idiot. I knew that the drag did not tighten like it should and upon hookup found that I couldn’t gain line unless there was NO tension. Yep ….. it was lift and reel, lift and reel …. which we know …. wears a nice hole in the mouth of fishy …. exacerbated by the 3oz sliding-egg sinker swaying to and fro, there was absolutely nothing I could do in the heat of battle! Wrong !! If I had any brains … I should have asked the deck to man the reel while I hand-lined the sucker the short distance to the boat!
Funny how you don’t think of these things until after the disaster!! Moral of the Story: Put your stuff in for an overhaul …. when it needs it …. Not at the end of the season.
The Boat
The Victory
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0802Victory.jpg
Stern Numbers .................................................B oat Colors!
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/1122stern2.jpghttp://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/1122boatcolor2.jpg
The Crew
Mike file photo …………………......Deck-George ……………Galley-Ron
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0821Mikebait.jpghttp://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0711deck1-1.jpghttp://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0905RonCookGall.jpg
Fun Outing & ½-Fare Passes Too
Had a fun and challenging day of fishing and tough day catching. It was not the first or the last day that will happen. Good buddies and a trust in the skipper and crew, that we’re doing the best we can, goes a long, long way in the making of a good trip!! As conditions were worstening, fishing effectively near-impossible, and prospects low, the Skipper decided to give us a ½-fare pass for another trip.
Again, Mike is very generous in putting out the passes. Many other operations would not do so …… considering the fact that we indeed caught fish and had fished most of the day!
JapanRon
Hi there guys,
Wednesday 09/12
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. Had a mere 24 anglers on board a vessel certified for 92!! Pretty obvious ……..the average angler-numbers on weekdays is really leveling. Presently, big-time catching is somewhat hit or miss, lots of Sculpin limits, yet you really ought to come out for some good fishing without the crowds.
Note: Countdown: September 22nd will be the second FREE FISHING DAY this year for everyone in California. That’s 9 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 09/12
24 anglers caught 2 Lingcod, 40 Rockfish, 1 Johnny Bass 1 Sand Bass , 5 Whitefish, and a bunch of Sanddabs. The usual pesky Mackerel and Sealions were non-existant today. Grade of keeper-fish for the boat was above average …. translation ……. way past minimum length.
On bait, Anchovies may have had a tiny presence in the tanks but it was Sardines that were freshly loaded into the tanks. With dismal conditions, last few days’ counts pretty much down, and the Sardines …. we had planned to go to Catalina.
The AM Headed to Catalina but got the news from other moo-moos that the channel was getting so rough that they were heading back to home pastures. Accordingly, we turned around and made the best of the hour we had traveled from the bait receiver and found a spot. We fished our tails off in winds, waves, current, and swells that make fishing a challenge.
The PM Again, conditions were bad but it seemed like the wind let up a bit around noon! Too bad it came charging back about 1pm and was relentless the rest of the time Mike was willing to stay out. Anchor dragged, triple direction on the conditions when trying to drop the hook and stay put (wind, swell/wave,current directions different). Got back to the dock at 3:30!
(Please widen your view to fit monitor if word-wrap looks off)
09/12 Jackpot
Weigh-off ………………..Winner!
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912weighoff.jpghttp://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912saberling.jpg
Lingasaurus
Way to go on the jackpot Saber! A Lingcod was the winner today. The 6~7-lb fish was caught on a Sardine. Really ??? j/k Both lings caught 11am or so on bait.
Long Report
The Days Fishing
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912widoutQM.jpg
Fishing Area …………………………………………………….....…Current
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912Fmap.jpghttp://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912Currt.jpg
Grazing in the Pasture
Moo-moos and PBersThis Trip
Enterprise Out
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912widenterp.jpg
Fishing Machine ………………………Magic ……………………….....................Coast Guard
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912pb1bet.jpghttp://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912nicepb.jpghttp://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912CGvessel.jpg
Round-Up
2 Rounds
1st Round
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912widfstop.jpg
]Round 1 Sorry guys …. It’s pretty hard for me to judge just right were we were other than we were fishing anywhere, on the shallow side of the San Pedro Canyon crunch between Slimy Slope and Finger Reef. That’s lots of territory!! Fished around 180 feet with varying bottom. Lots of guys fished the ol’ dropper-loop setup with 6~8oz torpedo sinker. They fished either Sardines or the cut Squid available on board. Sardines caught both lings ….. and the bigger Bocaccio (Salmon Grouper) surprise surprise !! Caught a few fish every stop …. then nada and moved on.
Round 2 For our second round we moved in closer to some slightly shallower reef area, at about 150 feet, containing both soft and hard bottom as well as reef, rock, and kelp! I imagined it very fishy from my bottom scrounging!! Ha ha Same routine as the am but with increasingly tough conditions ……… for both us the anglers trying to effectively fish and ……. the skipper not only to locate fish but to stay on a spot. Deckhand worked hard just pulling the hook and resetting!! Last stop of the day resulted in the anchor sticking tight and the resulting last-ditch effort of the skipper. (See aside .. Anchors away)
Conditions: Warm, bright and sunny. Needed a jacket with the wind and the air temp staying between 70º~75º during the day. Afternoon breeze made it feel colder Water visibility at maybe 10~12 feet. Check out the graphics for additional weather and water conditions.
Gallery
Beauty of the Day
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912tripbeauty.jpg
Fish & Anglers
Deep Down Sandy …Red Red ……… ................Another Ling
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912Sandie.jpghttp://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912gonzfish.jpghttp://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912otherling.jpg
Nice One …………………...Art’s Fish!
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912budfishy.jpghttp://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h313/tsurikichi/FROM1229/FROM0422/0912artfishes.jpg
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 #42
More than a ‘tweek’ this installment is more like a hint to novices.
Topic: Being Picky when Selecting/Buying Plastics
Softbaits by definition are usually made of a pliable plastic either by an injection/mechanical or hand pour methods. That’s various plastics ……. comprised of ……from a single color or mix* to …… four or five horizontal layers or tiers of different colors and or mixes in a single plastic be it Scampi-type (twin-tail), Moganbo (single-tail), Tube Lure, critters, or swimbaits. Of course, the ‘weight embedded’ plastics are a different story. Most of what I fish are of the swimbait variety … Fish Trap, Big Hammer, Kalin, and Blams/Whams. And occasionally …. The afore mentioned Storms and Calcuttas.
How Plastics of a Given Maker/model Might Differ:
Truism: No soft plastic was created the same. That is …
1) Even within one extensive run of a single color, there are differences in the colors’ shade, luster, hue, and tint.
2) With a clear base-material, sometimes the distribution (especially metalflake) of what is mixed in is inconsistent and seperate plastics appears quite different.
3) When producing a two-segment plastic**, each one of the segments is not always exactly the same color in other subsequent pours, and or segments are of different percentages withinf the whole plastic.
4) Application of dyes are often inconsistent………. be they powder or liquid based and are most apparent with solid lighter colors.
5) Lastly, pouring swimbaits with 3 to 5 tiers of material can result in different appearances of each plastic … depending on the pourer, material, or treatment, etc.
6) One must realize that different runs of a particular model may be slightly different. Anything could be different. Obviously … the more layers … the more chance of there being a difference from previous plastics, pours, runs. This can sometimes be good and sometimes be not at good! Oh ya …. Sometimes ……… inaccuracies lead to NEW models!! Doh !!
* Clear with silver metalflake, light color with darker dye material, etc.
** Body one color, tail another, top one color, bottom another.
Selection Strategy:
Recognizing the above, when you’re choosing your poison, look for plastics that look ‘exactly’ like the ones you’ve seen actually work! If you’re buying new (to you) plastics on a lark…. choose colors, in the degree and or percentage of the whole bait that appeals to YOU.
With experience, you’ll notice what basic colors (reds, oranges and green w/black or brown back), multi-color combinations, and all the way down to degrees of a color seem to get bit better. On a specific color, it is sometimes to your advantage to have a number of different shades or degrees of a color (especially green) to meet different conditions (including time of day) and target species.
Buying Strategy:
I’m stingy … I will buy just a few of a color first to target a specific species. If the color works, I’ll quickly loose or wear them out and I’ll get more and start fishing them …. Looking for a consistent bite in various conditions. Lastly, I’ll see if the bait will catch a variety of species, varying conditions, type of structure, and method fished. If they pass the final test, it’s time to look for 25, 50, or 100 packs! Which should be cheaper.
If you find a run of especially effective models ….. you had better buy as many as you can afford. Did you notice I said run? Why …….. you may never find that exact product made that way again!! For that reason, I occasionally will hit a store (independent) that I know has old stock … just in case I find … some of the ‘old’, ‘out of stock’, or ‘discontinued’ models of some of the standards! In answer to somes’ question …. NO, I don’t want to pour myself!
Plastics
Skunked
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Green ………………………..................Red ……………………………….....................Mini!
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Mr. Skunk Humbles Plastics Guys
As usual, I once again loaded up my plastics stuff and was all set for the successes of last weeks’ two trips. Not this week ! But …. I had some buddies that figured they might give the rubber a ‘real’ try this week too! These guys are no slouches with plastics but are not fanatics and will fish b……. ba……… bai ………….. bait … there I said it! They’ve even lowered themselves to go all the way to the final cop-out ….. Squid strips !!
Regardless, they’re still buddies. My best rail-buddy (spot beside mine) decided to do the plastics-only thing today and we got totally, completely, undeniably SKUNKED !! Three other excellent plastics anglers got skunked too … even when they switched in desperation to bait.
I tried the usual red/orange or green metallic w/black back 5 ½-inch models. I went a bit oversize as I wanted to week out the dinks. The fact is … I got hit by many dinks and small fish that incessantly grabbed and pulled on the tail of my baits. I tried to downsize at the last …. but to of no avail!!
I was kind of fixated on using the Carolina rig only to realize later that the Texas rig might have held my plastic down better in the ‘zone’. I was using a 3oz sliding-egg sinker and a 2oz leadhead. This rig got me down to the bottom but I should have switched half-way thru the skunk. Although a skunk, I did get a very good hit and fight (lost just before color) early in the morning. Reel drag malfunction! Grrrrrrrrrr (See last aslide)
Wednesday's Statictics
Lunar ……………………………………………... Tides!
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Wind Speed and Direction …………………………………... Water Temprature!
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UV Alert!
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Wednesday’s Conditions
Fishing Grounds: Conditions were windy,water choppy, with lots of current and cold water.
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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Sculpin Threat More heads-ups from George- I’ve been noticing a steady number of saltwater angling newbies on the moo-moos recently. Why? Because they invariably choose numbers forward, right next to me, on the starboard-side of my usual spot !! We are now and will continue to target Sculpin a.k.a. Rattlesnakes in the coming months.
If there are anglers who appear to not be familiar with Sculpin (and their potential to injure) next to you, it would behoove you to give them a kind word on what to do when one of our prickly pals showed color. My usual suggestion is …… to have the deckhand unhook the fish (the first time anyway) or to NOT swing the fish on board but take it off at the rail.
Lots of Sculpin in the counts for the last few weeks. The tolerance to the Sculpins (California Scorpionfish) venom varies wildly among anglers. I am one of the lucky ones and a good stab results in a minutes’ itchiness and then I’m ok. Others can go into toxic shock and croak! Don’t do or avoid the following happening to you and you won’t have to worry about how to counter-act the effects of the venom.
1) Not lipping the Scuplin carefully using either needle-nose pliers or a carefully inserted thumb. Dropping in on your foot!
2) If you’ve lipped the fish, isolate it from others and hang on to it’s strong flips!
3) Swinging the fish on board in an uncontrolled manner. Remember weights cause the swing to become erratic. A spine from a Sculpin on the deck will go through a rubber boot in a heartbeat.
4) Watch people around you before taking or seeing others taking fishy to the fish-bag.
Last one is a gottcha !!
5) Be very careful about brushing up against or leaning into fish-bags that might be hanging at the bait-tank and holding our prickly friends. It’s pretty common to see little dorsal fin’ spines sticking out of a burlap bag awaiting ‘the brush of revenge’.
Next Week … Warning: A cautionary tale- Anglers responsibility on short fish and or overlilmits.
Asides
An Aside:
Anchors Away Gotta feel sorry for the skipper that gets an anchor hung. Although not the most uncommon occurrence, it is invariably in the worst conditions ….. making it more difficult to dislodge than otherwise. Gratefully, there was a happy end to the ‘hang’ we experienced and we got our anchor back. How ?!
Well ….. not by just tugging on it real hard!! The anchors used on the moo-moos and most Pbers’ boats of any size use a similarly modeled anchor. This anchor has been designed with an eyelet both where you would normally expect and also at the end or bottom of the anchor. The anchor chain is actually secured (in the main) to the bottom eyelet. The eyelet at the top of the anchor simply serves as a loop to secure the anchor chain (via a adjacent chains’ link) with a good number of hard wire wraps.
This ‘break-away’ configuration will function when enough weight has been brought to bear to cause the wire wrap to fail and the anchor is then jerked loose by it’s being pulled out from its’ opposite end …….. most of the time! Pretty cool huh!
Another Aside:
DFG Topics
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Short-term Licenses
Here’s an interesting subject. If you have a valid California fishing license only! (that’s without the ocean enhancement) you will need to pay the annual ocean enhancement stamp fee. Licenses (one and two-day) can be bought (for the same fee) and used by both residents and non-residence alike. Multi-day licenses must be used on consecutive calendar dates. One point not often covered is that the license can (in the real world) be post-dated1. This will allow anglers to have licenses for fishing in areas where it would be impossible to get a license otherwise.
1) One-day sportfishing license …………… $12.10
2) Two-day sportfishing license …………… $18.65
3) Ten-day non-resident license2 …………….$37.30
4) Ocean enhancement stamp ……………… $4.20
*The license must be dated and signed …. ‘at the time of purchase’.
**Residents just need to buy a regular license.
Another Aside: Moo-moos
Mooooooo! .................................................. .............................Santa Monica Bay
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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.
Near Last Aside:
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Someone asked to see the difference between the split rings I use on leadheads. The non-standard split-rings can be most easily found at shops that also carry freshwater bass tackle. Yes, yes …… Let’s face it ….. most saltwater applications require solid rings. Whatever …
On some baits, I honestly think I get bit 3 to 1 using the split rings.
Last Aside:
Here it is … the end of the Summer season! How’s your tackle’s condition? Thought about getting ready for a possible late yellow or YFT bite? Forget that …. I was somehow lax on trying to get the drag fixed on one reel and lost a very big fish this trip. I feel like an idiot. I knew that the drag did not tighten like it should and upon hookup found that I couldn’t gain line unless there was NO tension. Yep ….. it was lift and reel, lift and reel …. which we know …. wears a nice hole in the mouth of fishy …. exacerbated by the 3oz sliding-egg sinker swaying to and fro, there was absolutely nothing I could do in the heat of battle! Wrong !! If I had any brains … I should have asked the deck to man the reel while I hand-lined the sucker the short distance to the boat!
Funny how you don’t think of these things until after the disaster!! Moral of the Story: Put your stuff in for an overhaul …. when it needs it …. Not at the end of the season.
The Boat
The Victory
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Stern Numbers .................................................B oat Colors!
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The Crew
Mike file photo …………………......Deck-George ……………Galley-Ron
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Fun Outing & ½-Fare Passes Too
Had a fun and challenging day of fishing and tough day catching. It was not the first or the last day that will happen. Good buddies and a trust in the skipper and crew, that we’re doing the best we can, goes a long, long way in the making of a good trip!! As conditions were worstening, fishing effectively near-impossible, and prospects low, the Skipper decided to give us a ½-fare pass for another trip.
Again, Mike is very generous in putting out the passes. Many other operations would not do so …… considering the fact that we indeed caught fish and had fished most of the day!
JapanRon