bloox8
07-01-2013, 11:35 PM
7/1/13 Monday
Fish Count:
Bloox8 (Thien): (1) Perch (1) Sand bass, (2) Short halibut, and (1) legal 23.5” halibut
Dlmoo (Daniel): (1) Butterfly ray, (1) Shovelnose, (1) Short halibut, and (1) Legal 22.5” halibut
Muriettaangler (Robert): (3) Short halibut and (1) Legal 26” halibut
Time: 5am- 10am
A.O: Highly Classified Southern territory
Weather: mostly cloudy with no wind
Swell: 2-3 ft surf with occasional 4ft
Water: Clear with very little salad
Tide: Peak High- 2.9ft 5:39 am; Peak Low-1.6 10:51am
Activity: A lot of baitfish boiling sporadically (I think they were baby smelt)
Tackle: LC110; 12lb mono (maxima) on Revo SX
Lost LC’s: 0
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/q596/thienvo8/CBE164BE-D713-48F7-B3A0-E1BD97207C21-169-00000009897ED215_zpsd33fd72c.jpg (http://s1165.photobucket.com/user/thienvo8/media/CBE164BE-D713-48F7-B3A0-E1BD97207C21-169-00000009897ED215_zpsd33fd72c.jpg.html)
13.5” Sandy
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/q596/thienvo8/F5738DF9-D68E-4AC7-B20E-22F27F61B31E-169-0000000999458E66_zps31de100e.jpg (http://s1165.photobucket.com/user/thienvo8/media/F5738DF9-D68E-4AC7-B20E-22F27F61B31E-169-0000000999458E66_zps31de100e.jpg.html)
First Shorty
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/q596/thienvo8/1ACFBC47-EFCA-4939-97B1-EC391349C315-169-000000099EAB46C7_zps5e7e1f8d.jpg (http://s1165.photobucket.com/user/thienvo8/media/1ACFBC47-EFCA-4939-97B1-EC391349C315-169-000000099EAB46C7_zps5e7e1f8d.jpg.html)
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/q596/thienvo8/CC87686B-9B33-4A2F-8728-991BE7A1EA9B-169-00000009A3474F74_zps5ccddef6.jpg (http://s1165.photobucket.com/user/thienvo8/media/CC87686B-9B33-4A2F-8728-991BE7A1EA9B-169-00000009A3474F74_zps5ccddef6.jpg.html)
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/q596/thienvo8/34A7EE6D-D200-4712-B44C-754FD70B8420-169-00000009B005DFCA_zps74408a7d.jpg (http://s1165.photobucket.com/user/thienvo8/media/34A7EE6D-D200-4712-B44C-754FD70B8420-169-00000009B005DFCA_zps74408a7d.jpg.html)
Daniels 22.5
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/q596/thienvo8/8A6D76A7-24D8-428F-88F8-FCCD23D1CD08-169-00000009C361EAC0_zpsd1cf60b5.jpg (http://s1165.photobucket.com/user/thienvo8/media/8A6D76A7-24D8-428F-88F8-FCCD23D1CD08-169-00000009C361EAC0_zpsd1cf60b5.jpg.html)
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/q596/thienvo8/1F862AFE-8A11-4386-826E-97F177066539-169-00000009B4DED24A_zpsa34543b1.jpg (http://s1165.photobucket.com/user/thienvo8/media/1F862AFE-8A11-4386-826E-97F177066539-169-00000009B4DED24A_zpsa34543b1.jpg.html)
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/q596/thienvo8/D985846F-BD0C-4204-A9E4-F7CA0C6D2467-169-00000009B9D9D087_zpsc7ea2598.jpg (http://s1165.photobucket.com/user/thienvo8/media/D985846F-BD0C-4204-A9E4-F7CA0C6D2467-169-00000009B9D9D087_zpsc7ea2598.jpg.html)
Robert’s shorty
Matching the hatch!
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/q596/thienvo8/8FAAC220-94DE-4858-B9A8-9BB594E76469-169-00000009C88AF84A_zps34b68152.jpg (http://s1165.photobucket.com/user/thienvo8/media/8FAAC220-94DE-4858-B9A8-9BB594E76469-169-00000009C88AF84A_zps34b68152.jpg.html)
Robert’s 26”
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/q596/thienvo8/29d67499-e992-4a5a-abc8-99e55b355383_zpsce97b8f5.jpg (http://s1165.photobucket.com/user/thienvo8/media/29d67499-e992-4a5a-abc8-99e55b355383_zpsce97b8f5.jpg.html)
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/q596/thienvo8/7c857e07-d1fb-4ee9-a08d-2b30d560a9aa_zpsfe2e6c3a.jpg (http://s1165.photobucket.com/user/thienvo8/media/7c857e07-d1fb-4ee9-a08d-2b30d560a9aa_zpsfe2e6c3a.jpg.html)
DETAILS
Very Long. Read at your own discretion.
On Sunday I got a text from MurrietaAngler (Robert) with some intel on a secret halibut rendezvous that’s going to go down the next day. Meetings like this don’t happen often so I had to get out there and help Robert crash this halibut party. I disclosed the intel to Daniel and sure enough he was more than happy to tag along. Lets do this :Cool:!
Daniel and I got to the AO at 5am, said our hellos to Robert, and started fishing at 5:15am. First cast… nada. On the second cast, I get a big hit on a steady retrieve and my rod just loads up. YEAAAH! Fish on! This fish was peeling drag like it was a nice size bass and I am thinking “ oh yea… induction fish baby.” Unfortunately, I wasn’t prepared for this level of aggressiveness and as a result I farmed it. A big wave came cruising through, picking up the mystery fish and gave my line a little slack then POP! Good bye fishy :Crying: I was pretty bummed but oh well! I guess its good that I learned my lesson early in the day. Whatever. I told myself it was a shovelnose or something of that sort so that I can make myself feel a little better. It kinda worked… Now moving on. Next cast, WHAM!! I land a 13.5” sandy, my first from the surf. Sweet… After that, we continued to work the area but didn’t’ get any bites for about 10 minutes.
Robert knew I didn’t catch my SWAT induction fish yet, so he insisted that I take the lead and told me to work my way down south a bit. Thanks Robert :Big Grin: As we were doing our thing, I looked over to my left at a riptide, and right then, I see a legal halibut fly clear out of the water :Shocked:!!! I think I even saw it wink at me! WHAT?! :EyePop: Robert said he saw something from his peripherals too but wasn’t sure what he saw until I told him. I scurry over to the riptide and cast right into it, and about 5 winds in, WHAM! I nail a 16” shorty. Woot woot. Unhook… Snapshot… Release… Next cast. A couple of winds in, WHAM! I get an even harder hit and this thing starts burning drag. What?!! Could it be a WSB?! Or another sandy??! Or is it a small Leo or shovelnose?? I work it with complete focus, ensuring that I keep the right amount of tension this time. I beached it and it ended up being a 23.5” halibut. Robert wasn’t joking when he said the halibut in this area are very aggressive and feisty. It was only 23.5” but it was thick and had wide shoulders. Now I’m almost 100% sure my farmed fish was a halibut. :Sad: Oh well! I proceeded to move south and Robert took over the spot. I think I saw him farm about 3 to 4 in the same exact spot. Daniel took over that spot next and he was getting hits left and right. After farming a few he manage to land a 22.5 halibut and a shovelnose. That riptide was too fishy.
After about 15 minutes of no action, we started making our way back north toward untouched territory with Robert in the lead and me following right behind. There was lots of baitfish boiling sporadically but no love from the butts. Eventually, Robert got on his first shorty of the day. It was good to know they were still there. We continued to work north, getting pretty nice hits from all sorts of submerged rocks. The rock action was nonstop. It wasn’t until 15-20 minutes later that Robert hooked on to what look like a big fat piece of kelp. Judging by the way he was slowly pumping his rod and his body language, I figured that he, for sure, just caught a nice piece of kelp so I went back to fishing. Even Robert himself thought it was a fat piece of kelp. Then all of a sudden I saw his body language change and noticed a big splash in front of him. It caught all of us by surprise. I stopped my retrieve, leaving my line in the water, and ran quickly over to him to help ensure that his fish is secured. I got your back Robert! I have to make up for Daniels folly somehow :LOL: … JK Daniel. The fish landed safely and it ended up being a 26” halibut. NICE ROBERT! We didn’t get any more action for a while after that.
About 30 minutes later, as I was standing right in front of a trench with my rod tip just inches on top of the water, I ended up getting hit by a halibut with less than 3 feet of distance between the tip of my rod and my LC. It was pretty crazy. I did not expect that at all. I’ve gotten hit right up close before but never this close. I see Daniel making his way toward me. After I get the hit, it starts to peel line, and again, I am thinking it’s a small shovelnose because of the way it’s running but I am wrong again. It was a nice halibut that looked barely legal. I got it on to the sand and it started flopping all over the place, popping off the LC. I’m thinking “Crap!” and I try to grab it but it won’t hold still, so I block it with my foot. Before I knew it, a wave comes riding up and takes forever to recede, giving the halibut just enough time to squirm out of my trap. Off he goes. Daniel saw the whole thing and couldn’t refrain himself from laughing. HA HA :Big Smile:! I didn’t feel too bad because I got to see what it was.
Ended up fishing for another 30-45 minutes for nada and called it a day.
Robert, thanks for the intel and the invitation. Today was one of the best fishing days I had all year. It was a pleasure sharing the sand with you and I am definitely looking forward to doing it again.
Daniel, we are on opposite teams now. Bring it on! : LOL:
Tight lines,
Thien
Fish Count:
Bloox8 (Thien): (1) Perch (1) Sand bass, (2) Short halibut, and (1) legal 23.5” halibut
Dlmoo (Daniel): (1) Butterfly ray, (1) Shovelnose, (1) Short halibut, and (1) Legal 22.5” halibut
Muriettaangler (Robert): (3) Short halibut and (1) Legal 26” halibut
Time: 5am- 10am
A.O: Highly Classified Southern territory
Weather: mostly cloudy with no wind
Swell: 2-3 ft surf with occasional 4ft
Water: Clear with very little salad
Tide: Peak High- 2.9ft 5:39 am; Peak Low-1.6 10:51am
Activity: A lot of baitfish boiling sporadically (I think they were baby smelt)
Tackle: LC110; 12lb mono (maxima) on Revo SX
Lost LC’s: 0
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/q596/thienvo8/CBE164BE-D713-48F7-B3A0-E1BD97207C21-169-00000009897ED215_zpsd33fd72c.jpg (http://s1165.photobucket.com/user/thienvo8/media/CBE164BE-D713-48F7-B3A0-E1BD97207C21-169-00000009897ED215_zpsd33fd72c.jpg.html)
13.5” Sandy
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/q596/thienvo8/F5738DF9-D68E-4AC7-B20E-22F27F61B31E-169-0000000999458E66_zps31de100e.jpg (http://s1165.photobucket.com/user/thienvo8/media/F5738DF9-D68E-4AC7-B20E-22F27F61B31E-169-0000000999458E66_zps31de100e.jpg.html)
First Shorty
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/q596/thienvo8/1ACFBC47-EFCA-4939-97B1-EC391349C315-169-000000099EAB46C7_zps5e7e1f8d.jpg (http://s1165.photobucket.com/user/thienvo8/media/1ACFBC47-EFCA-4939-97B1-EC391349C315-169-000000099EAB46C7_zps5e7e1f8d.jpg.html)
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/q596/thienvo8/CC87686B-9B33-4A2F-8728-991BE7A1EA9B-169-00000009A3474F74_zps5ccddef6.jpg (http://s1165.photobucket.com/user/thienvo8/media/CC87686B-9B33-4A2F-8728-991BE7A1EA9B-169-00000009A3474F74_zps5ccddef6.jpg.html)
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/q596/thienvo8/34A7EE6D-D200-4712-B44C-754FD70B8420-169-00000009B005DFCA_zps74408a7d.jpg (http://s1165.photobucket.com/user/thienvo8/media/34A7EE6D-D200-4712-B44C-754FD70B8420-169-00000009B005DFCA_zps74408a7d.jpg.html)
Daniels 22.5
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/q596/thienvo8/8A6D76A7-24D8-428F-88F8-FCCD23D1CD08-169-00000009C361EAC0_zpsd1cf60b5.jpg (http://s1165.photobucket.com/user/thienvo8/media/8A6D76A7-24D8-428F-88F8-FCCD23D1CD08-169-00000009C361EAC0_zpsd1cf60b5.jpg.html)
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/q596/thienvo8/1F862AFE-8A11-4386-826E-97F177066539-169-00000009B4DED24A_zpsa34543b1.jpg (http://s1165.photobucket.com/user/thienvo8/media/1F862AFE-8A11-4386-826E-97F177066539-169-00000009B4DED24A_zpsa34543b1.jpg.html)
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/q596/thienvo8/D985846F-BD0C-4204-A9E4-F7CA0C6D2467-169-00000009B9D9D087_zpsc7ea2598.jpg (http://s1165.photobucket.com/user/thienvo8/media/D985846F-BD0C-4204-A9E4-F7CA0C6D2467-169-00000009B9D9D087_zpsc7ea2598.jpg.html)
Robert’s shorty
Matching the hatch!
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/q596/thienvo8/8FAAC220-94DE-4858-B9A8-9BB594E76469-169-00000009C88AF84A_zps34b68152.jpg (http://s1165.photobucket.com/user/thienvo8/media/8FAAC220-94DE-4858-B9A8-9BB594E76469-169-00000009C88AF84A_zps34b68152.jpg.html)
Robert’s 26”
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/q596/thienvo8/29d67499-e992-4a5a-abc8-99e55b355383_zpsce97b8f5.jpg (http://s1165.photobucket.com/user/thienvo8/media/29d67499-e992-4a5a-abc8-99e55b355383_zpsce97b8f5.jpg.html)
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/q596/thienvo8/7c857e07-d1fb-4ee9-a08d-2b30d560a9aa_zpsfe2e6c3a.jpg (http://s1165.photobucket.com/user/thienvo8/media/7c857e07-d1fb-4ee9-a08d-2b30d560a9aa_zpsfe2e6c3a.jpg.html)
DETAILS
Very Long. Read at your own discretion.
On Sunday I got a text from MurrietaAngler (Robert) with some intel on a secret halibut rendezvous that’s going to go down the next day. Meetings like this don’t happen often so I had to get out there and help Robert crash this halibut party. I disclosed the intel to Daniel and sure enough he was more than happy to tag along. Lets do this :Cool:!
Daniel and I got to the AO at 5am, said our hellos to Robert, and started fishing at 5:15am. First cast… nada. On the second cast, I get a big hit on a steady retrieve and my rod just loads up. YEAAAH! Fish on! This fish was peeling drag like it was a nice size bass and I am thinking “ oh yea… induction fish baby.” Unfortunately, I wasn’t prepared for this level of aggressiveness and as a result I farmed it. A big wave came cruising through, picking up the mystery fish and gave my line a little slack then POP! Good bye fishy :Crying: I was pretty bummed but oh well! I guess its good that I learned my lesson early in the day. Whatever. I told myself it was a shovelnose or something of that sort so that I can make myself feel a little better. It kinda worked… Now moving on. Next cast, WHAM!! I land a 13.5” sandy, my first from the surf. Sweet… After that, we continued to work the area but didn’t’ get any bites for about 10 minutes.
Robert knew I didn’t catch my SWAT induction fish yet, so he insisted that I take the lead and told me to work my way down south a bit. Thanks Robert :Big Grin: As we were doing our thing, I looked over to my left at a riptide, and right then, I see a legal halibut fly clear out of the water :Shocked:!!! I think I even saw it wink at me! WHAT?! :EyePop: Robert said he saw something from his peripherals too but wasn’t sure what he saw until I told him. I scurry over to the riptide and cast right into it, and about 5 winds in, WHAM! I nail a 16” shorty. Woot woot. Unhook… Snapshot… Release… Next cast. A couple of winds in, WHAM! I get an even harder hit and this thing starts burning drag. What?!! Could it be a WSB?! Or another sandy??! Or is it a small Leo or shovelnose?? I work it with complete focus, ensuring that I keep the right amount of tension this time. I beached it and it ended up being a 23.5” halibut. Robert wasn’t joking when he said the halibut in this area are very aggressive and feisty. It was only 23.5” but it was thick and had wide shoulders. Now I’m almost 100% sure my farmed fish was a halibut. :Sad: Oh well! I proceeded to move south and Robert took over the spot. I think I saw him farm about 3 to 4 in the same exact spot. Daniel took over that spot next and he was getting hits left and right. After farming a few he manage to land a 22.5 halibut and a shovelnose. That riptide was too fishy.
After about 15 minutes of no action, we started making our way back north toward untouched territory with Robert in the lead and me following right behind. There was lots of baitfish boiling sporadically but no love from the butts. Eventually, Robert got on his first shorty of the day. It was good to know they were still there. We continued to work north, getting pretty nice hits from all sorts of submerged rocks. The rock action was nonstop. It wasn’t until 15-20 minutes later that Robert hooked on to what look like a big fat piece of kelp. Judging by the way he was slowly pumping his rod and his body language, I figured that he, for sure, just caught a nice piece of kelp so I went back to fishing. Even Robert himself thought it was a fat piece of kelp. Then all of a sudden I saw his body language change and noticed a big splash in front of him. It caught all of us by surprise. I stopped my retrieve, leaving my line in the water, and ran quickly over to him to help ensure that his fish is secured. I got your back Robert! I have to make up for Daniels folly somehow :LOL: … JK Daniel. The fish landed safely and it ended up being a 26” halibut. NICE ROBERT! We didn’t get any more action for a while after that.
About 30 minutes later, as I was standing right in front of a trench with my rod tip just inches on top of the water, I ended up getting hit by a halibut with less than 3 feet of distance between the tip of my rod and my LC. It was pretty crazy. I did not expect that at all. I’ve gotten hit right up close before but never this close. I see Daniel making his way toward me. After I get the hit, it starts to peel line, and again, I am thinking it’s a small shovelnose because of the way it’s running but I am wrong again. It was a nice halibut that looked barely legal. I got it on to the sand and it started flopping all over the place, popping off the LC. I’m thinking “Crap!” and I try to grab it but it won’t hold still, so I block it with my foot. Before I knew it, a wave comes riding up and takes forever to recede, giving the halibut just enough time to squirm out of my trap. Off he goes. Daniel saw the whole thing and couldn’t refrain himself from laughing. HA HA :Big Smile:! I didn’t feel too bad because I got to see what it was.
Ended up fishing for another 30-45 minutes for nada and called it a day.
Robert, thanks for the intel and the invitation. Today was one of the best fishing days I had all year. It was a pleasure sharing the sand with you and I am definitely looking forward to doing it again.
Daniel, we are on opposite teams now. Bring it on! : LOL:
Tight lines,
Thien