Oceanside Harbor Pier and Shore Report
Okay, so here is my second fishing report. Yesterday afternoon, my wife and I went to Oceanside Harbor to fish, leaving the heat of Moreno Valley behind us.
We got there around 4 p.m. Since we didn't have much bait, I went to the conveniently nearby floating docks to get some mussels. While I was there, I noticed several groups of Opaleyes actively feeding near shore among the seaweed. Also, there were lots of Garibaldi, very pretty but off limits fishing wise. I also saw a strange, pink fish swimming near the docks. It was not a Garibaldi. I don't know what it was.
After I took the mussels back to the pier where my wife was, I returned to the shoreline rocks to fish for Opaleye, one of my favorite saltwater fish. I set up my pole with a rig I have devised for preventing snags which I call Robert's Radical Rip Rap Rig. (Robert is my real name.) To do this, I attach a bobber to a swivel at the end of my line, and in front of the bobber, I have a short sliding leader with a jig, or a split shot and a hook. It slides down to the bottom, wherever that happens to be, but avoids getting stuck, by and large, because lifting the rod tip lifts the hook back out of whatever crevice it went into. I used this method for over two hours, I would say, and never once got snagged on the rocks yesterday, so I would say it worked. I also caught two Opaleyes using it, about a half pound each, which I kept, plus a 6 inch Kelp Bass which I released, and missed various other bites on it. That was a lot better than people on the pier were doing. The entire time that we were there, we only saw one small Topsmelt, and one small Octopus caught, plus a Spotfin Croaker of around 10-11 inches which my wife caught. I think the fish there like mussels much better than other baits such as squid, anchovy or sardines, which other people were using. The pier was fairly crowded, actually.
At one point, I somehow pulled up a Sabiki Rig, complete with weight, swivel, and the five little lures in good condition. Since I had forgotten to bring my one Sabiki Rig with us, this was fortunate. Some guys have all the luck. There I was fishing with the prettiest woman on the pier (yes I mean my wife), and also catching the most fish, although the fishing was definitely on the slow side. Later, I put the Sabiki Rig on another pole, put on some pieces of mussel, and caught another little Kelp Bass, and what appeared to be either a baby Kelp Rockfish or a baby Scorpionfish (not sure which), both released. That was it for the catching.
Being a Social Psychologist, or maybe just an observer of people, I did see some interesting things. One was a lady, who I think was Korean, by her accent, plus I think I heard her speaking Korean to her husband, who apparently was trying to catch an octopus on the shore. She actually had a chicken leg attached to a line, on a rock out of the water, waiting for an octopus to crawl out from the crevice in the rocks to get the chicken. Actually, I don't blame her; I like to eat octopus better than chicken myself. But the amount of chicken she was using seemed unnecessary. Unfortunately, she did not get any octopus.
There was also a flamboyant acting blond-haired man on the pier. I first noticed him when he reeled in a line near us, and started singing a "not even a nibble" song. Believe me; that one will never make the top 30 hit parade. Later on, I overheard him telling someone how, while he was in the Navy, he once jumped off a ship into the middle of the ocean while the ship was moving at 45 knots. (So he claimed; I didn't think the ships even went that fast.) I had to wonder why a person would say something such as this, and think it really amusing, since the possibilities are: 1. He made the entire thing up; 2. He was trying to commit suicide (definitely not funny); 3. He was being dangerously impulsive, probably with the encouragement of his buddies, or 4. He was "out of his mind."
Fortunately, he survived and doesn't seem too crazy, just eccentric. I hope he isn't mentally imbalanced, since he is a father. He was also introducing his son to people on the pier.
Oh, there are no pictures for this trip; we did not bring the camera, and all the fishly evidence has already been consumed.
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Originally Posted by TShaffer
