Catalina 7-25 - with a First-timer on board
Took my buddy Todd over to Cat on my boat Sunday looking for the "3 B's". Todd is from Boston, where he'd done mostly surf fishing for Stripahs. He hadn't done a lot of fishing since moving out here, and asked if I could supply the tackle. Knowing most east coasters prefer spinning tackle, I set him up with a nice 8ft spinning rod with 12lb test to give him a proper light-tackle experience.
Skies were overcast, a breeze was blowing from the west. We launched out of
Cabrillo and picked up a half-scoop of pinhead anchovies for chum mixed with a few dines for hookbait. The mixed West and South swells with some chop made for a bit of a lumpy and wet crossing, but Todd didn't seem to mind a bit. I guess it was nothing compared to the winters in New England. It was like a lake once we arrived on the East End.
I set up outside a kelpline and helped Todd pin on a 'dine. He was instantly bit, and the fish took him into the kelp. After trying for a few minutes, I could see he wasn't going to get the fish out of the bush, so I told him to slack off. That did the trick, and the fish came right out. It was an impressive first catch. Pics don't do it justice. Todd is a big boy:
We must have been there at the right time. The fatty calicos were definitely gnawing the 'dines.
We were set up tight to the kelp, but some guy decided to run inside us anyway. That shut the bite off. We moved up the island, and found fish all along the frontside.
The rest of the day was spent playing with the small calicos, ever-present boneheads, and a few nice 'cuda. We had double hookup after double hookup. After running out of sardines, I taught Todd how to flyline a pinhead anchovy. In other words, I let him chum for me. After a while, he was able to successfully cast a bait without losing it, and he got bit every time. Meanwhile, I picked up my 7wt flyrod, went to work on the bonito that were boiling all around the boat on his lost baits. I caught about two dozen. If I let the fly sink, it was a guaranteed small calico. The action was nonstop.
On the crossing back over, in the warm, clean water, we had two Dorado jump ten feet off our bow. A sign of good things to come? Let's hope so...
Todd learned a lot on this trip, and wants to do another one soon. It was a great feeling knowing I'd been able to give someone a classic So-Cal fishing experience for the first time.
