Perchin' Dave
01-10-2014, 09:31 PM
Persistence is key.
Ever heard that before .. Persistence is key? Well, I have. I've been tried and tested, and re-tested for the last 2.5 months, and hey, I even stopped fishing altogether. Has this ever happened with you? You fish your best and fish that way several times. You persist but find -nothing-?!! I would like to encourage each of you now by telling you my story ... of how I persisted and as a result, have grown tremendously .... and end this post you'll hear my story, my Personal Best.
Here's how my story began. I fished as a kid, my dad was an avid fisherman. We moved from upstate New York, my dad built his own fiberglass 17' canoe and when we moved to Santa Barbara, we brought that with us. We used to canoe and fish for halibut and catch a bunch 'back in the day' We rented boats and trolled for bonita (great smoked), fished for yellowtail on the all day boats, and caught a lot of species that are less common today. Now, for the most part, I had a lot of beginners luck and a big ego. I did pretty well for a kid not knowing anything. I was attracted to freshwater fishing, mostly stream and river fishing because I could find and fish the structure and do fairly well with limited ability (my personal best was 60 trout in an hour until I ran out of salmon eggs, ha!)
Fast forward a bunch of years and here's where my second story begins ... I re-started fishing 16 years ago and rediscovered fishing as if I had never fished before, and that if I did it right, that fishing is fun. A friend of mine, Mike Carmel, got me going as an adult (by this time I am married, a dad with kids) and invited me out surf-fishing in the fall under good conditions, a good tide, good structure, some beautiful clouds in the sky, an amazing sunset and from that point on I was HOOKED!
Realize, that those who knew me well at that time didn't understand what was about to change. They knew me as a backpacker, photographer, camper, day hiker, snorkeler, youth group volunteer, recording studio owner, one who led songs on his guitar, home business builder ... they knew that side of me ... But none of them knew or had a clue of what was about to begin. After that first day back on the water, and shortly thereafter, I made the decision I was going to "MASTER" the craft in the way/style that I fish. NOT to be a master fisherman who is versatile like Exfactor (Mikey Doering) or Dawn Treader (Brad Bailey). But to develop my skill to the point that on any day under any condition I could catch fish, mostly Barred Surf Perch from the shore since they were the most plentiful. Yet even with my limited fishing style, on a good year I would catch up to 7 species from shore fishing a grub and carolina rig.
........So it began, my passion to learn the craft. I made the decision ... and ... I fished -every-day- for two years, just to 'master' and become expert in the way that I fish. Persistence is key! I fished once or twice a day, under every condition. I learned a lot. The first year I got as good as I could with what I could learn on my own. I didn't ask questions, seek advice, I just would learn by trial and error. By repetition and by experience.
But .... learned a lot more the second year when I got over myself, my ego, and started asking questions around every person I met. I learned not just from my experience, but their years of experience too. My second year saw -rapid- improvement and results. Why? Because I was learning from others, applying, finessing, learning more, and asking more questions. It was a banner second year. It became a challenge to see if I could fish under this condition or that. I knew the only places to fish when the waves were 8'. When there were no waves, with murky water, with kelp everywhere, with no structure, and with structure. The following condition was especially difficult for me to master. How to fish a East Swell, with a 35 mph wind in driving rain with 3-4 foot surf, and do REALLY well! So after my two years of fishing every day, my fishing got to be a bit more sane. I didn't go out every day, maybe fished once or twice a week and always caught and always produced high numbers yet always had fun!
Fast forward to mid October 2013. The conditions changed and the fish .... are gone. Imagine how this fisherman felt. I couldn't find fish anywhere at any beach. With all the skills and experience and time I had put in to excel at this sport, and now, I would go out and get skunked, again and again. Nothing was there at any beach, no fish were to be found (at any beach on any day, not even a bite)
Just so you understand ... after mastering (perching with a grub) my personal stats are ... catching from 3-10 fish or more per hour under any condition on any given day .... unless .... they aren't to be found. My personal record for numbers in 149 perch in 4.5 hours. So you can totally understand why ... I stopped fishing in October, and all of November and December.
Why stop? I fish to have fun and it isn't fun when I don't catch anything. To catch hardly a fish on any given day for a few months ... was unusual to say the least, er, rather, it never happened, ever. Looking back, there were reasons. We had extended periods with flat wave-less surf fishing. No bait or signs of bait. NO HALIBUT to be found north of LA (I used to average 40-60 halibut a year on a grub and hadn't found -any- halibut in 2.5 years, not one!) You probably know if you have surf fished even a little, when it comes to barred surf perch, no waves, no structure, no bait, equals no fish.
Ok ... lets fast forward to ... today and the first new year. It is now January in 2014.
Seven time out since January 1st 2014
Here's my story that ends the "no fish" for 75 days and includes my personal best BSP. I have fished seven times since January 1st. My nephew Graham was visiting, he's 23 so we fished the Breakwater since it didn't require a license, he was out of state and I hadn't got mine yet. Day one, five BSP, the largest was 8". We fished for an hour. It showed promise, so we went out the next day and "we" caught one. 11". Ok for the breakwater. There are no fish there right now and one 11" is better than none. My nephew flies back home and I fish another beach with DawnTreader. We catch a few, my largest 12", DawnTreader 13.5". I go back the next morning on my own and find 40 in two hours, hey it was a thrill to break the fishing drought, my largest is 13 with a few 11" and 12", a fun day! We go back the next night and the waves are pounding and the water is dirty, the beach is steep, and found very little success although Dawn Treader did catch a 14" BSP and I caught a two pound grass bass (on a grub? go figure, I haven't done that before). I go solo again this morning and find two dinks in two hours. (persistence IS key) The water is dirty, the waves too big. So we go again tonight (Friday) with DawnTreader. The waves are still too strong and the water is too murky a combination that is death to fishing a grub with no scent, that is dark in unclear water at last light.
(Persistence is key).
And then it happened. I have been trying to break my personal best BSP for FOUR!!! years (a note to those who don't know me, I fish a grub, and -not- the LC). My previous personal best was 15 3/4" on a grub caught at Refugio Beach north of Santa Barbara fishing with Exfactor and Wingnut at last light. I have tried and tried and tried to break that 15" barrier but haven't been able to ... until tonight. With the murky conditions I only caught three tonight (fished for one hour before the light ran out). One was 9", one was 12" and the last is now my personal best, 16". (Arthur, I finally broke 15!) Now I know that his is not a HUGE BSP, but for a grub and -not- a LC, this is my very best to day, hooray!! This fish's mouth was huge. You could put a golf ball in his mouth without opening it. It was so 'tall' that I couldn't put my hand around the top of it and it looked like it had escaped a seal and had a few battle scars that a fish this 'old' could expect to have. I carefully and quickly released it back into the water, wow, what a beauty!
But enough about me. I would like to end this report pointing back to each of you. Persistence -is- key as you fish and master the craft. Consistency and being coachable has made a definite impact on my skills. Learning to master fishing has taken a long time and I encourage each of you to not just fish the same that you have always fished ... but instead to really finesse your fishing, to grow in your skills and abilities. Surround yourselves with those who are better than you are. I have found that I have grown so much by being around others who are far better than I, Exfactor Mikey, Wingnut Arthur, DawnTreader Brad. Be coachable. And don't forget to make it fun.
Yes ... there will be seasons like the last 2.5 months when they just aren't there ... but remember also ... that the next personal best could be there as your reward ... for getting out on the water and finding ... YOUR personal best. Make it fun. Enjoy the sunrises and sunsets and enjoy the friends you share the water with. Here's to YOU. Make it awesome! Enthusiastically! Perchin' Dave
(I did not take a photo of the 16" because a bait and wait and keep and eat all that he catches fisherman was watching me). Here's three photos from the seven outings.
http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa363/davesomm/Barred_zpsea686548.jpg (http://s1194.photobucket.com/user/davesomm/media/Barred_zpsea686548.jpg.html)
Perchin' Dave 14"
http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa363/davesomm/IMG_0277FNNSunset_zps1b2d427c.jpg (http://s1194.photobucket.com/user/davesomm/media/IMG_0277FNNSunset_zps1b2d427c.jpg.html)
DawnTreader fishing!
http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa363/davesomm/SeaweedBeachArtSpiral_zpsfea512f5.jpg (http://s1194.photobucket.com/user/davesomm/media/SeaweedBeachArtSpiral_zpsfea512f5.jpg.html)
Day 2 while out fishing, beach art, cool! facebook/dave.sommers1
Ever heard that before .. Persistence is key? Well, I have. I've been tried and tested, and re-tested for the last 2.5 months, and hey, I even stopped fishing altogether. Has this ever happened with you? You fish your best and fish that way several times. You persist but find -nothing-?!! I would like to encourage each of you now by telling you my story ... of how I persisted and as a result, have grown tremendously .... and end this post you'll hear my story, my Personal Best.
Here's how my story began. I fished as a kid, my dad was an avid fisherman. We moved from upstate New York, my dad built his own fiberglass 17' canoe and when we moved to Santa Barbara, we brought that with us. We used to canoe and fish for halibut and catch a bunch 'back in the day' We rented boats and trolled for bonita (great smoked), fished for yellowtail on the all day boats, and caught a lot of species that are less common today. Now, for the most part, I had a lot of beginners luck and a big ego. I did pretty well for a kid not knowing anything. I was attracted to freshwater fishing, mostly stream and river fishing because I could find and fish the structure and do fairly well with limited ability (my personal best was 60 trout in an hour until I ran out of salmon eggs, ha!)
Fast forward a bunch of years and here's where my second story begins ... I re-started fishing 16 years ago and rediscovered fishing as if I had never fished before, and that if I did it right, that fishing is fun. A friend of mine, Mike Carmel, got me going as an adult (by this time I am married, a dad with kids) and invited me out surf-fishing in the fall under good conditions, a good tide, good structure, some beautiful clouds in the sky, an amazing sunset and from that point on I was HOOKED!
Realize, that those who knew me well at that time didn't understand what was about to change. They knew me as a backpacker, photographer, camper, day hiker, snorkeler, youth group volunteer, recording studio owner, one who led songs on his guitar, home business builder ... they knew that side of me ... But none of them knew or had a clue of what was about to begin. After that first day back on the water, and shortly thereafter, I made the decision I was going to "MASTER" the craft in the way/style that I fish. NOT to be a master fisherman who is versatile like Exfactor (Mikey Doering) or Dawn Treader (Brad Bailey). But to develop my skill to the point that on any day under any condition I could catch fish, mostly Barred Surf Perch from the shore since they were the most plentiful. Yet even with my limited fishing style, on a good year I would catch up to 7 species from shore fishing a grub and carolina rig.
........So it began, my passion to learn the craft. I made the decision ... and ... I fished -every-day- for two years, just to 'master' and become expert in the way that I fish. Persistence is key! I fished once or twice a day, under every condition. I learned a lot. The first year I got as good as I could with what I could learn on my own. I didn't ask questions, seek advice, I just would learn by trial and error. By repetition and by experience.
But .... learned a lot more the second year when I got over myself, my ego, and started asking questions around every person I met. I learned not just from my experience, but their years of experience too. My second year saw -rapid- improvement and results. Why? Because I was learning from others, applying, finessing, learning more, and asking more questions. It was a banner second year. It became a challenge to see if I could fish under this condition or that. I knew the only places to fish when the waves were 8'. When there were no waves, with murky water, with kelp everywhere, with no structure, and with structure. The following condition was especially difficult for me to master. How to fish a East Swell, with a 35 mph wind in driving rain with 3-4 foot surf, and do REALLY well! So after my two years of fishing every day, my fishing got to be a bit more sane. I didn't go out every day, maybe fished once or twice a week and always caught and always produced high numbers yet always had fun!
Fast forward to mid October 2013. The conditions changed and the fish .... are gone. Imagine how this fisherman felt. I couldn't find fish anywhere at any beach. With all the skills and experience and time I had put in to excel at this sport, and now, I would go out and get skunked, again and again. Nothing was there at any beach, no fish were to be found (at any beach on any day, not even a bite)
Just so you understand ... after mastering (perching with a grub) my personal stats are ... catching from 3-10 fish or more per hour under any condition on any given day .... unless .... they aren't to be found. My personal record for numbers in 149 perch in 4.5 hours. So you can totally understand why ... I stopped fishing in October, and all of November and December.
Why stop? I fish to have fun and it isn't fun when I don't catch anything. To catch hardly a fish on any given day for a few months ... was unusual to say the least, er, rather, it never happened, ever. Looking back, there were reasons. We had extended periods with flat wave-less surf fishing. No bait or signs of bait. NO HALIBUT to be found north of LA (I used to average 40-60 halibut a year on a grub and hadn't found -any- halibut in 2.5 years, not one!) You probably know if you have surf fished even a little, when it comes to barred surf perch, no waves, no structure, no bait, equals no fish.
Ok ... lets fast forward to ... today and the first new year. It is now January in 2014.
Seven time out since January 1st 2014
Here's my story that ends the "no fish" for 75 days and includes my personal best BSP. I have fished seven times since January 1st. My nephew Graham was visiting, he's 23 so we fished the Breakwater since it didn't require a license, he was out of state and I hadn't got mine yet. Day one, five BSP, the largest was 8". We fished for an hour. It showed promise, so we went out the next day and "we" caught one. 11". Ok for the breakwater. There are no fish there right now and one 11" is better than none. My nephew flies back home and I fish another beach with DawnTreader. We catch a few, my largest 12", DawnTreader 13.5". I go back the next morning on my own and find 40 in two hours, hey it was a thrill to break the fishing drought, my largest is 13 with a few 11" and 12", a fun day! We go back the next night and the waves are pounding and the water is dirty, the beach is steep, and found very little success although Dawn Treader did catch a 14" BSP and I caught a two pound grass bass (on a grub? go figure, I haven't done that before). I go solo again this morning and find two dinks in two hours. (persistence IS key) The water is dirty, the waves too big. So we go again tonight (Friday) with DawnTreader. The waves are still too strong and the water is too murky a combination that is death to fishing a grub with no scent, that is dark in unclear water at last light.
(Persistence is key).
And then it happened. I have been trying to break my personal best BSP for FOUR!!! years (a note to those who don't know me, I fish a grub, and -not- the LC). My previous personal best was 15 3/4" on a grub caught at Refugio Beach north of Santa Barbara fishing with Exfactor and Wingnut at last light. I have tried and tried and tried to break that 15" barrier but haven't been able to ... until tonight. With the murky conditions I only caught three tonight (fished for one hour before the light ran out). One was 9", one was 12" and the last is now my personal best, 16". (Arthur, I finally broke 15!) Now I know that his is not a HUGE BSP, but for a grub and -not- a LC, this is my very best to day, hooray!! This fish's mouth was huge. You could put a golf ball in his mouth without opening it. It was so 'tall' that I couldn't put my hand around the top of it and it looked like it had escaped a seal and had a few battle scars that a fish this 'old' could expect to have. I carefully and quickly released it back into the water, wow, what a beauty!
But enough about me. I would like to end this report pointing back to each of you. Persistence -is- key as you fish and master the craft. Consistency and being coachable has made a definite impact on my skills. Learning to master fishing has taken a long time and I encourage each of you to not just fish the same that you have always fished ... but instead to really finesse your fishing, to grow in your skills and abilities. Surround yourselves with those who are better than you are. I have found that I have grown so much by being around others who are far better than I, Exfactor Mikey, Wingnut Arthur, DawnTreader Brad. Be coachable. And don't forget to make it fun.
Yes ... there will be seasons like the last 2.5 months when they just aren't there ... but remember also ... that the next personal best could be there as your reward ... for getting out on the water and finding ... YOUR personal best. Make it fun. Enjoy the sunrises and sunsets and enjoy the friends you share the water with. Here's to YOU. Make it awesome! Enthusiastically! Perchin' Dave
(I did not take a photo of the 16" because a bait and wait and keep and eat all that he catches fisherman was watching me). Here's three photos from the seven outings.
http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa363/davesomm/Barred_zpsea686548.jpg (http://s1194.photobucket.com/user/davesomm/media/Barred_zpsea686548.jpg.html)
Perchin' Dave 14"
http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa363/davesomm/IMG_0277FNNSunset_zps1b2d427c.jpg (http://s1194.photobucket.com/user/davesomm/media/IMG_0277FNNSunset_zps1b2d427c.jpg.html)
DawnTreader fishing!
http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa363/davesomm/SeaweedBeachArtSpiral_zpsfea512f5.jpg (http://s1194.photobucket.com/user/davesomm/media/SeaweedBeachArtSpiral_zpsfea512f5.jpg.html)
Day 2 while out fishing, beach art, cool! facebook/dave.sommers1