anchor3n1
01-04-2014, 10:09 AM
My oldest daughter has such a full schedule - school and her ballet classes (even Saterdays) that we haven't been able to find time to go out fishing together for a long while. She is basically busy with something everyday of the week. Sundays are usually out too cuz of church and family stuff.
I keep telling her that she needs to work on her skills so she can try and defend her title (I don't know if you remember but she did well at last years HG event). So we looked at the calendar and realized that New Years day is perfect. We schedule it to be a daddy-daughter operation (we left the younger one at home with momma this time). It will be just me and my daughter.
The plan of attack is to hit two AOs if need be. We would go to the first AO and if it aint producing to our expectations we would pack up and head 3 minutes down the road to the other AO. The attraction of the first AO is that it always pops out big BSPs and the second AO always delivers even if there aren't as many "big girls" there.
We arrived at the first AO and no one was there (last time I went there I saw a "bucket brigader" there :Rolls Eyes:. I didn't see him catch any fish but as he left I asked how he did and he showed me his notorious bucket. Inside were four large BSP in there spawinng colors - what a bummer). Anyway, on with the story.
The Setting;
Arrived at 6:45am just before sunrise (7:02am)
Nearly flat surf
High tide of 6.79 feet at 8:26
no wind
Clear skies and clear water
Distance to AO from home: 16 miles, 20 minutes
(Here's a pic of the AO)http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab162/anchor3n1/ThornhillBroom1_zps3dbbd18f.jpg (http://s860.photobucket.com/user/anchor3n1/media/ThornhillBroom1_zps3dbbd18f.jpg.html)
First action
So I bait her c-rigged rod and send her off to the surf while I get my stuff ready. Here first cast and I hear got one. Yeah! "Good job Noelle" I yell as I drop my stuff and watch her bring in a nice one.
http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab162/anchor3n1/IMG_0473_zpsdc3ae948.jpg (http://s860.photobucket.com/user/anchor3n1/media/IMG_0473_zpsdc3ae948.jpg.html)
After we take a picture, we release the guy and get Noelle back in the water.
Technicalities
I make my first cast when I hear "I'm snagged Dad":Confused: Uh oh! I proceed to get her rig out of the rocks and back out there. But poor Noelle regularly was hanging up on the rocks and I ended up retying bout 4 maybe 5 rigs for her. She was doing very little fishing and mostly watching me tie. I wanted her to have fun but this was going "south". At that point I finally realized that this AO was just to technical for her skills - to many rocks. She needed to fish somewhere a lot easier. So I called it.
Smiles
It took us a a couple minutes to get packed up and back the car, 3 minutes to get to the 2nd AO, and maybe 5 minutes to walk to the spot. I again get Noelle back in the water right away. Soon she says got one.
http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab162/anchor3n1/3_zpsf90c6e47.jpg (http://s860.photobucket.com/user/anchor3n1/media/3_zpsf90c6e47.jpg.html)
Now were talking. She catches fish after fish and no more snags - Yessssss!!!
(Sorry, had to "nuke" this one to keep the "ice chest posse" from IDing this spot) http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab162/anchor3n1/NoelleNuked_zps047558ed.jpg (http://s860.photobucket.com/user/anchor3n1/media/NoelleNuked_zps047558ed.jpg.html)
Noelle ended up catching 15 BSP and she had a great time. Her smiles tell it all:Big Grin:
http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab162/anchor3n1/fishy_zpsf6d0df03.jpg (http://s860.photobucket.com/user/anchor3n1/media/fishy_zpsf6d0df03.jpg.html)
Next time Noelle can't wait to go again and the next outing will be a "daddy-daughters' operation cuz I'll bring Alexa too.
One the way out of the AO I took a pic:
http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab162/anchor3n1/coast_zpsb1fccc5b.jpg (http://s860.photobucket.com/user/anchor3n1/media/coast_zpsb1fccc5b.jpg.html)
Take care everyone. And let's make some great memories from the surf in 2014!!!
Nick
I keep telling her that she needs to work on her skills so she can try and defend her title (I don't know if you remember but she did well at last years HG event). So we looked at the calendar and realized that New Years day is perfect. We schedule it to be a daddy-daughter operation (we left the younger one at home with momma this time). It will be just me and my daughter.
The plan of attack is to hit two AOs if need be. We would go to the first AO and if it aint producing to our expectations we would pack up and head 3 minutes down the road to the other AO. The attraction of the first AO is that it always pops out big BSPs and the second AO always delivers even if there aren't as many "big girls" there.
We arrived at the first AO and no one was there (last time I went there I saw a "bucket brigader" there :Rolls Eyes:. I didn't see him catch any fish but as he left I asked how he did and he showed me his notorious bucket. Inside were four large BSP in there spawinng colors - what a bummer). Anyway, on with the story.
The Setting;
Arrived at 6:45am just before sunrise (7:02am)
Nearly flat surf
High tide of 6.79 feet at 8:26
no wind
Clear skies and clear water
Distance to AO from home: 16 miles, 20 minutes
(Here's a pic of the AO)http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab162/anchor3n1/ThornhillBroom1_zps3dbbd18f.jpg (http://s860.photobucket.com/user/anchor3n1/media/ThornhillBroom1_zps3dbbd18f.jpg.html)
First action
So I bait her c-rigged rod and send her off to the surf while I get my stuff ready. Here first cast and I hear got one. Yeah! "Good job Noelle" I yell as I drop my stuff and watch her bring in a nice one.
http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab162/anchor3n1/IMG_0473_zpsdc3ae948.jpg (http://s860.photobucket.com/user/anchor3n1/media/IMG_0473_zpsdc3ae948.jpg.html)
After we take a picture, we release the guy and get Noelle back in the water.
Technicalities
I make my first cast when I hear "I'm snagged Dad":Confused: Uh oh! I proceed to get her rig out of the rocks and back out there. But poor Noelle regularly was hanging up on the rocks and I ended up retying bout 4 maybe 5 rigs for her. She was doing very little fishing and mostly watching me tie. I wanted her to have fun but this was going "south". At that point I finally realized that this AO was just to technical for her skills - to many rocks. She needed to fish somewhere a lot easier. So I called it.
Smiles
It took us a a couple minutes to get packed up and back the car, 3 minutes to get to the 2nd AO, and maybe 5 minutes to walk to the spot. I again get Noelle back in the water right away. Soon she says got one.
http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab162/anchor3n1/3_zpsf90c6e47.jpg (http://s860.photobucket.com/user/anchor3n1/media/3_zpsf90c6e47.jpg.html)
Now were talking. She catches fish after fish and no more snags - Yessssss!!!
(Sorry, had to "nuke" this one to keep the "ice chest posse" from IDing this spot) http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab162/anchor3n1/NoelleNuked_zps047558ed.jpg (http://s860.photobucket.com/user/anchor3n1/media/NoelleNuked_zps047558ed.jpg.html)
Noelle ended up catching 15 BSP and she had a great time. Her smiles tell it all:Big Grin:
http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab162/anchor3n1/fishy_zpsf6d0df03.jpg (http://s860.photobucket.com/user/anchor3n1/media/fishy_zpsf6d0df03.jpg.html)
Next time Noelle can't wait to go again and the next outing will be a "daddy-daughters' operation cuz I'll bring Alexa too.
One the way out of the AO I took a pic:
http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab162/anchor3n1/coast_zpsb1fccc5b.jpg (http://s860.photobucket.com/user/anchor3n1/media/coast_zpsb1fccc5b.jpg.html)
Take care everyone. And let's make some great memories from the surf in 2014!!!
Nick