south OC 3/25/14

[bulletoothulk]

Hit the AO with no success , 3 1/2 years surf fishing with no legal and hitting spots that produce because have meet SWAT guys about done with the skunk , Time to find a new hobby :LOL:

[fish hunt]

the laws of provibility you wont catch one for a while and when no one else can you will be on fire dont go and take up basket weaving just yet .
ive thrown the L.C etc did everything thing right and ive got mine on 2'' berkley sandworms out of the blue my best luck has been on frozen anchovie .
have you caught any fish ? perch etc if not not in right place they all will be were food is present perferably with an ambush spot to catch there dinner .
some times you just expect to much enjoy have fun and think were could I be lazy and get an easy meal read the water look for eddy's and holes if your not catching anything change your gameplan or move halibut can be on any piece of sandy beach any place that dosnt look the same as the rest of the beach is a good place to start

[bulletoothulk]

the laws of provibility you wont catch one for a while and when no one else can you will be on fire dont go and take up basket weaving just yet .
ive thrown the L.C etc did everything thing right and ive got mine on 2'' berkley sandworms out of the blue my best luck has been on frozen anchovie .
have you caught any fish ? perch etc if not not in right place they all will be were food is present perferably with an ambush spot to catch there dinner .
some times you just expect to much enjoy have fun and think were could I be lazy and get an easy meal read the water look for eddy's and holes if your not catching anything change your gameplan or move halibut can be on any piece of sandy beach any place that dosnt look the same as the rest of the beach is a good place to start

I think you're right back to basics , I have caught fish on the LC , just watch dudes blow up spots ive been to multiple times and guys catch big fish its a little frustrating, guess its a good idea to fish with a big group to get a lot of info

[fishinguy68]

I feel your pain brother. I read every bit of information I can, and fish as often as I possibly can but unless you are a member of a big group, you are only one person. Only if you are lucky enough to be a member of one of these groups will you really get good information from anyone. When I caught my first fish from the surf, I was told not to give away to much good information as to where I caught it and with what. And when I have met people on the sand and asked questions I have got the old "sorry can't tell you that" answer. I understand not giving away the farm, but this is a sport that people enjoy. I guess it is what it is. Good luck out there. Hope you get one real soon.

[bulletoothulk]

I feel the pain brother. I read every bit of information I can, and fish as often as I possibly can but unless you are a member of a big group, you are only one person. Only if you are lucky enough to be a member of one of these groups will you really get good information from anyone. When I caught my first fish from the surf, I was told not to give away to much good information as to where I caught it and with what. And when I have met people on the sand and asked questions I have got the old "sorry can't tell you that" answer. I understand not giving away the farm, but this is a sport that people enjoy. I guess it is what it is. Good luck out there. Hope you get one real soon.

True to that brother , thanks for the response

[exfactor]

you are fishing with a big group. Its called FNN, and we want you to be successful in your endeavers. Don't think we always catch either, but when you have a good day, the bad one's kinda just disappear

[DockRat]

Even SWAT guys skunk. They just don't post a story about it.
'Thats the fact Jack.'
http://i827.photobucket.com/albums/zz197/tomcat12161/pepelapew5.jpg (http://media.photobucket.com/user/tomcat12161/media/pepelapew5.jpg.html)

[remington]

I got skunked yesterday too & that's just part of the game. I think it makes those epic days much more enjoyable because we've experienced those less than stellar outings. Keep at it brother, good things will happen!

[skunked4life]

bulletoothulk,

I feel sad that you think this way. Here are some things to consider:

1. Why did you start fishing in the first place? For me, it was always to get away and relax. Something to do where I could experience nature and have some quiet time to think and pray. Having said that, I seem to go on skunk periods and forget why I even surf fish. When that happens, I try to remember this simple point. It is counter-productive to stress out when your are trying not to stress out.

2. Now it is always more fun to catch right? Have you ever seen the movie, The Patriot, with Mel Gibson? there is a great quote that the main character says to his kids when they are shooting at the soldiers: "aim small, miss small." I have skunked pretty bad a few times this year because I was aiming big. You should always try to hope for the best and expect the worst, but to make it more enjoyable for you, why don't you target whatever it is that bites and hope for the legal halibut by-catch? At least that way you will not get frustrated and forget the first point that I made; fish to have fun and relax.

3. There are times when I have fished with large groups, S.W.A.T. and non-S.W.A.T., and someone almost always skunks. Simply put, just cause there are legal halibut around, it doesn't mean that everyone who dips their lines will catch. It happens.

4. Don't analyze it too much, but try and think about what things you can do to advance your skill set. For me, and I still do this, when I fish with more experienced members, I watch their retrieve rate. I try and mimic the speed upon which the LC is being reeled in. Of course, there are variables like gear ratio and differing equipment, but more times than none I feel that these little things give you more confidence. Casting and retrieving is muscle memory (like in any sport). On good days, I am on fire. On bad days, I can't cast or get a fish to chase my lure worth a dime. Also, see where others are casting to and catching from. You know, the whole structure lesson? Sometimes, you may be standing next to someone fishing and catching but you are not. Why? Maybe you are outside the structure zone? I don't know. Little things, one at a time.

5. Engage with other members on this forum. S.W.A.T., non-S.W.A.T., doesn't matter. Fellowship in the sport gives you deep insight and adds to your arsenal of knowledge. You have like twenty some posts since 2010. Some people don't have time nor want to post, but if you are not proactively engaging in discussions (about fishing) and bouncing ideas off of one another, I am not sure it is benefiting you nor others.

6. Giving up doesn't help you in anything. Sure, we all have limits and we can't all be Wingnut, but really, giving up keeps you from finding out doesn't it?

Look, sometimes it takes awhile. History teaches us this. Moses (40 years), Lincoln (defeated in politics at least a half a dozen times in 30 years), Former L.A. Mayor Villaraigosa (failed the California Bar Exam at least 4 times - don't know if he passed), it happens to everyone.

There is no hidden message here. These are things that I am passing along that I have personally used in the past to help better myself.

Get out there and try again.

Skunked4life

[bachiboy]

Without writing a novel about it, we all skunk a LOT more than we succeed. I had six legals all of last year...that took close to 50-75 days of fishing (if not more). I was insanely lucky to get those fish too. It's the hunt that makes this great. If it were like catching mackerel off a pier, it would lose it's appeal. It's not like halibut put on the "end all" fight. Heck, a SNGF probably fights better, but it's the fact that this fish isn't easy to get that makes it such a prime target. I don't know you, your skills or where you're fishing so please don't take it the wrong way if I'm telling you something that you don't already know...

You mentioned that you've fished where you've seen S.W.A.T. members before. That doesn't mean that beach fishes great 24/7/365. Check the conditions, tides, water temps, bait presence, structure presence. By structure, we don't just mean rocks. It can be holes or trenches dug out by high surf, like we've had recently. You can fish a beach till you're blue in the face, but if you're just fishing the flat areas or blind casting, you're odds are gonna be very slim. All our "spots" weren't just given to us by others, we did our leg work and found areas that looked like it might hold fish. Then we did our recon to see what conditions they fished best. Even when spots were told to us by others, we still had to do recon to figure out how to fish it. People ask, do you fish on the high or low tides? It depends on the beach and the structure there. Some structure can't be reached during high tide...some is out of the water at low.

Your retrieve means a lot too with an LC. You should reel that thing in as slow as possible and still feel it kickin'. It takes practice to get the feel of it, cuz there are times also when the surge retreats where you'll stop the retrieve all together and still feel it kickin'. You can't just cast and reel, there's a bit of feel to it and you can't just stick to LCs either. There are times and A.O.'s when a dropshot, Kroc or swimbait is in order. Experiment...that's the fun in this! Believe me, when you score, you'll be on Cloud 9!

Try not to get discouraged. We all do at some point...well maybe not Wingnut cuz he's got a special deal with Poseidon :Wink:, but you gotta take each session as a learning experience, even if it's just where not to fish. Hope this helps.

Don


Even SWAT guys skunk. They just don't post a story about it.
'Thats the fact Jack.'
http://i827.photobucket.com/albums/zz197/tomcat12161/pepelapew5.jpg (http://media.photobucket.com/user/tomcat12161/media/pepelapew5.jpg.html)
How'd you get a hold of my mug shot?!!!:LOL:

[SP Dan]

bulletoothulk,

Where have you been fishing :EyePop: that you are having such difficulties putting fish on the beach .... the dead sea?? :ROFL:

I'd be willing to fish along side of you in your area, as long as there are sand and waves there and that you don't live too far away from me.

Remember that the word "Skunk" is just another way of saying that the fish weren't actively on the chew... at that time ... on that particular day.
We can't blame the problems of the world on you ..... the same as .... you can't blame yourself for the fish not biting on any particular day of any given week!
That's just ridiculous :LOL:!

Spend hours and hours at each of your AO's and learn: 1) which tide fishes best at your AO? 2) does your beach fish better when flooded or drained? 3) Have you learned where the structure is, 4) Do you constantly move, hunting down the fish in their locations, 5) Do you fan cast and practice different retrievals, 6) Do you keep a detailed written ledger of each of your sessions? 7) Is there a bait presence? 8) Are there birds diving or is there any other signs of life? 9) Is there an on-shore or a off-shore breeze? 10) What is the water temperature? 11) What is the air temperature? 12) What direction is the swell coming from? 13) What is the moon phase? And finally 14) Are you having :Big Grin: fun?!

The list just keeps going :EyePop: on and on. Remember ..... minus tides allow us an excellent view of the of all of the existing structure, in it's pre-flooded state ..... priceless INTEL!

When we have sessions that don't produce ... we just chalk them up to time well-spent doing RECON of a particular AO ...... and we always try to learn something new, each and every time time about our selected AO's.
Remember ..... knowledge is a powerful weapon ..... collect it and use it!

With patience, determination and perseverance ........all good things will come your way .... in due time! :Cool:

SP Dan <"))><

PS .... PM me when you are really ready to hunt down some fish. :Smile:
Who knows ..... I may be able to show you how to get "Skunked" .... SWAT style! :Big Smile::Applause: Ha ha ha!

[bulletoothulk]

Thanks for the reply guys

[Wingnut]

Well said by my S.W.A.T. Brothers... :Cool:
Never, ever, give up. :Wink:

[madbass]

Don't give up.....it happens all the time. At least you got to fish, I haven't hit the surf in months, knee surgery.
Just have fun relax and enjoy the sites. There'll always be eye candy in the summer time. I've been at it for years, still no butt for me, it'll happen. take 2 rods, 1 for the butts and another for the perch. That seems to help me, hope it helps you.
Good luck!

Alex.

[CrouchingNinjaHiddenFish]

ya man it happens. just keep trying and in different places.. HAVE FUN AT THE BEACH.... and if your tired of fishing ill buy your poles off of you
thanks