My First(Late) Report from the LBC!

[fishfrenzy]

This is my first surf report and successful first mission so please bear with me. All of my previous saltwater fishing was done off of piers and docks. First off I would like to thank fellow FNN member smooshsh for directing my on where I should start my journey.
Last Friday 9-6-2013, I went out to Long Beach at 10 am at just about high tide. Upon arriving I did see several birds catching bait fish on the water and decide to start at this spot. I fished for 2 hours and caught 1 halibut on the LC Metallic Sardine about 20 minutes into the session. After beaching him I realized I didn’t have a measuring tape so I do not how big he was but the catch made my day. I grabbed my phone snapped some pics and safely released him. I hooked up with another fish after that but lost him after a short run. I also had 2 halibut follow the lure about 2-3 feet away from me and then they darted off after they saw me standing there. I also saw a few Beans swimming in the surf but they wanted nothing to do with me. A litter after noon I decided it was time to pack up and head to work.

http://i1332.photobucket.com/albums/w605/fish_frenzy1/1378580930_zpsedb6dcb1.jpg (http://s1332.photobucket.com/user/fish_frenzy1/media/1378580930_zpsedb6dcb1.jpg.html)

http://i1332.photobucket.com/albums/w605/fish_frenzy1/1378580924_zpsed4c4113.jpg (http://s1332.photobucket.com/user/fish_frenzy1/media/1378580924_zpsed4c4113.jpg.html)

http://i1332.photobucket.com/albums/w605/fish_frenzy1/1378580920_zpse6f76971.jpg (http://s1332.photobucket.com/user/fish_frenzy1/media/1378580920_zpse6f76971.jpg.html)

On Tuesday 9-10-2013 I went back to the same location for about 2 hours and got skunked. I saw no signs of life like my previous visit. I threw the LC for an hour and switched to the drop shot set up for the last hour. I ended up breaking the tip of my rod on snag fishing off a jetty(there were hundreds of tiny silver fish swimming off the rocks so I thought it may pan out...WRONG). I wasn’t even upset about breaking the rod or not catching anything I was just happy to be out practicing my technique on an open beach all to myself.
Yesterday morning I went out to Sunset Beach and saw some Beans and Rays in the surf but again I came up empty. I threw the same LC for the first hour then switched to camo worms and got several taps but no hook ups. I ran across three other fishermen(I think the first guys name was Mark?) and chatted for a few minutes and concluded nobody landed anything at this location so far. So I left and went over to Seal Beach and gave it a go and nothing again on both setups. The surf and wind had picked up a lot by this point so I left for a late lunch. It was frustrating seeing fish all around in the water but not being able to connect but I looking forward to my next attempt, hopefully this Sunday.
Thanks for reading!

[SP Dan]

Hi ya fishfrenzy,

Congrat's on your Hali's! :Beer Toast: WTG!

Never forget your tape .... the "Game Warden" will always have his!

Did you CPR (release) all of your beached fish?

FYI .... I'm sure that you already know this: .... Try not to grab your Hali's from around their tails and dangle them in the air..... you remove their protective slime and even though they will swim away today.... they can still die later on from tail rot (due to the lack of their protective slime) before they even reach their maturity and breed to repopulate their species.
Buy yourself a Boga-Grip to hold them by their mouth, it causes much less harmful damage to the fish. And try to get the fish :BFish: back in the water as fast as possible. :My Two Cents:

Thanx for the fish report with pic's! :Thumbs Up: Great report!

SP Dan <"))>M< "The Danimal"!

[DockRat]

Congrats and welcome to FNN. If you have a cork handle you can take a marker and put lines at 14" 22" and 28" for Bass, Butts, and WSB/Cuda. The Aquaduct gang lays there rods next to fish in almost every pic. Good pointers from Danimal on the slime. :Thumbs Up: Thanks for the post.
DR

[murrieta angler]

Looks like a legal to me, barely past the 22" mark...:Wink:
Good job out there.
Try sand crabs for the corbina.
Robert
<><

[fishfrenzy]

Hi ya fishfrenzy,

Congrat's on your Hali's! :Beer Toast: WTG!

Never forget your tape .... the "Game Warden" will always have his!

Did you CPR (release) all of your beached fish?

FYI .... I sure that you already know this: .... Try not to grab your Hali's from around their tails and dangle them in the air..... you remove their protective slime and even though they will swim away today.... they can still die later on from tail rot (due to the lack of their protective slime) before they even reach their maturity and breed to repopulate their species.
Buy yourself a Boga-Grip to hold them by their mouth, it causes much less harmful damage to the fish. And try to get the fish :BFish: back in the water as fast as possible. :My Two Cents:

Thanx for the fish report with pic's! :Thumbs Up: Great report!

SP Dan <"))>M< "The Danimal"!

Thanks SP Dan, I did CPR the only fish I caught. I think that he was out of the water for about a minute and a half. I have heard about damaging the there slime coat and delicate tails. I have since got a pair of lip grips. The mouth and teeth on that fish looked liked they meant business.


Congrats and welcome to FNN. If you have a cork handle you can take a marker and put lines at 14" 22" and 28" for Bass, Butts, and WSB/Cuda. The Aquaduct gang lays there rods next to fish in almost every pic. Good pointers from Danimal on the slime. :Thumbs Up: Thanks for the post.
DR

Thanks Dockrat, that is a great idea I have seen the pics you are describing. I thought they were just posing the fish with there gear. I am going to do that when I get an actual surf fishing set up. I have just been using my freshwater bass stuff but I have a measuring tape in my backpack now.


Looks like a legal to me, barely past the 22" mark...:Wink:
Good job out there.
Try sand crabs for the corbina.
Robert
<><

Thanks Murrieta Angler, that is what I was thinking. I just wish I had been able to measure him so I could know exactly what size my first halibut was. I guess I will just have to catch a bigger one next time.... As far as using sand crabs, I looked at all the beaches I went to and found none. That was weird to me because when I go to the beach with my son we always find them but never when I go fishing.

[Wingnut]

Really close, but it looks like a legal to me... :Wink: Congrats on your first of many!
I see that you already registered for HG5, see you there! :Big Grin:

[FishinLBC]

That lure is for inches so ya that's barely a legal if i had to guess.good work legals hereare kinda hard to come by.

[Jaysuuun]

Congrats on a successful first surf session. That appears to be legal or at least very close to being legal. Fishing for flatties can be hit and miss. One day they're there and the next day they're not.

[jerryG]

It takes some Anglers a number of trips to get their 1st halibut from the sand. I see you wasted no time and it appears that you have got your first legal too..

It comes as no surprise that Alan (Smooshsh) pointed you in the right direction.. He too has wasted no time.. In the few years he's been fishing he has reached a level of skill and knowledge that some veteran Anglers with many years of fishing experience have yet to figure out. Looking forward to reading about your continued success..

JerryG

[bachiboy]

Smooshsh? Where has he been? Don't think we've heard from Alan this year.:Wink: Glad he was able to point you to your first legal. Great looking fish...that's one sure-fire way to get infected with this surf fishing bug.:LOL::Thumbs Up:

Congrats!
Don

[5150fishn]

Congrats on a successful trip on the sand and for what appears to be your first legal Hali while surf fishing. Great report and pics.

[keepemlo]

Welcome,welcome,nice catch see how everyone here has great tips?enjoy your stay here,trust me we all have met the skunk and know him well!!!lotsofbites

[fishfrenzy]

Really close, but it looks like a legal to me... :Wink: Congrats on your first of many!
I see that you already registered for HG5, see you there! :Big Grin:

Thank you Wingnut, I am looking forward towards HG5 and meeting you all!


That lure is for inches so ya that's barely a legal if i had to guess.good work legals hereare kinda hard to come by.

Thanks FishinLBC, I have been back a couple of times since and no such luck…


Congrats on a successful first surf session. That appears to be legal or at least very close to being legal. Fishing for flatties can be hit and miss. One day they're there and the next day they're not.

Thanks Jaysuuun, I am quickly learning what you mean about the halibuts either being there or not.


It takes some Anglers a number of trips to get their 1st halibut from the sand. I see you wasted no time and it appears that you have got your first legal too..

It comes as no surprise that Alan (Smooshsh) pointed you in the right direction.. He too has wasted no time.. In the few years he's been fishing he has reached a level of skill and knowledge that some veteran Anglers with many years of fishing experience have yet to figure out. Looking forward to reading about your continued success..

JerryG

Thanks jerryG, I think it was just beginners luck or just enough to keep me coming back to the surf to find bigger fish.



Smooshsh? Where has he been? Don't think we've heard from Alan this year.:Wink: Glad he was able to point you to your first legal. Great looking fish...that's one sure-fire way to get infected with this surf fishing bug.:LOL::Thumbs Up:

Congrats!
Don

Thanks bachiboy, I bought some great gear from Smooshsh. I had a million rookie questions for him and he gave me really good advice.


Congrats on a successful trip on the sand and for what appears to be your first legal Hali while surf fishing. Great report and pics.
Thanks 5150fishm, I look forward to catching more fish and reporting back on my adventures!


Welcome,welcome,nice catch see how everyone here has great tips?enjoy your stay here,trust me we all have met the skunk and know him well!!!lotsofbites

Thanks keepemlo, yes I think some trips I read about just unreal. I am getting very familiar with the skunk… I think it is chasing me.

[fishshep]

Is the second fish the same fish ? 2nd. one looks legal ?