SWAT Team CURSE is Broken!!!!! Thanks Wingnut PUG!

[flyngby]

Wingnut and Bones have previously asked me to join them in the surf in the past and it had become an inside joke that I was the keeper of BAD LUCK as we went to all of their SECRET SPOTS!!!

Wingnut made a promise to me to get me on my first Halibut in the Surf after he was my guest on board the Spotted Fever in NPH about 14 months ago! So time has passed and after 6 trips together we were unable to even post a single report!!!!!

Every time we got together we were dealt a raw deal by mother nature with water conditions, big surf, or high winds or a combination of all, but we just had a great time together as friends do and worked it had from Grey light to Orange light!

So Arthur called last night and said the things were perfect for this morning!!!! (Yea Right!!!) I have heard that before! If they are then you should go on your own as you know what happens when I join you two!

Arthur would have nothing of it and demanded that I be at his place at 0500 in the morning!

So I arrived to find Wingnut Pug in the front yard defending my usual parking spot! She then called me over for a chat!!!
Hey Flyingby! Every time you go to the surf with My Master I never get any FNN Exposure Time.!!!!!!! So here is the plan. Let’s do the Bonus picture now and Break the CURSE!!!!!!!!!!

So we arrived at our destination in the dark and hike to our starting spot! It was barley grey light! Conditions were in fact perfect as far as I could see in the limited light. The shoreline looked like that of a lake.

I stepped into the surf and then the MAGIC began to happen! Just after my first cast hit the water I was on with what would be my:
My First Surf Halibut.
My First Legal Surf Halibut at exactly 22”
My First Lucky Craft Halibut!

Arthur and Mike had spent so much time and effort to make this moment happen for me!!!!! THANKS for all the hard work you 2 put into it!!!!!!

Now that the long hard fought mission of the past 6 trips was over and to their relief it had finally happened is now time to have to just have fun again together! Yea Right!!!!!

The competition had begun!! The next hour was followed by a flurry of pancakes, YFC’s, and large Smelt attacking the LC’s and Drop Shot by all!

A very short move produced more of the same with a few Calico Bass in the mix.
To make a longer story short, it was soon about 6 hours later and we made a deal to break the tie of 10 Flatties each. We would end the Surf Session whenever the next flattie was brought to the beach.

Since the LC was no longer producing, I decided to go to the drop shot and went bendo on the first cast for a short WSB. I then ended the deal with another pancake and we ended the session early for the SWAT TEAM about 2pm and went of for a nice lunch together after shorter but successful mission!!!!

OH! Today I had even some more luck on my side! Twice while getting hit by waves my 2nd pole was ripped from my 3rd grip without me noticing it and on the first occasion moments later I found it pretty quickly! On the 2nd occasion I had no idea where it vacated my waist but fortunately Bones found it about 100 yards down the beach!

Thank’s Arthur & Mike for a great day out there!

I guess I was having to much fun Fishing and did not take very many pictures today!!!! Wingnut was the designated Photographer!!!!!!! He and Mike will add pics!!!

Steve

[Wingnut]

Wingnut Pug giving Steve a pep talk and some “luck to go” before we left for our mission.


Steve, all I can say is WOW! You accomplished so many great things today that I can’t even keep track of them all.
If I can remember correctly, our fish count is something like this (all released).

Flyngby:
(11) Halibut with (3) Legals! (22/22/23).
(1) White Sea Bass
(4) Yellow Fin Croaker
(3) Smelts
(1) Walleye Perch

Bones:
(10) Short Halibut
(5) Yellow Fin Croaker
(1) Smelt
(1) Calico Bass

Wingnut:
(10) Short Halibut
(3) Yellow Fin Croaker
(4) Smelt
(2) Calico Bass
(1) Grass Rockfish

You totally outfished both Mike & I by a large margin. Congrats on your multi-legal Halibut session! I can’t tell you how happy I am that I was there to see you pull in your first ever Halibut from the surf… and it was the legal one at that! You caught a legal Halibut on your very first cast and the last Halibut to end our fantastic session. Mike & I cannot take credit for any of your success because we only led you to the spot… YOU were the one that had to catch the fish, and catch them you did! I will however, take credit for the Wingnut “custom” LC’s that you were throwing to catch those fish.
Once again, congrats on your stellar S.W.A.T. performance… I am proud of you!

I'm glad that you brushed off your chores when I insisted that you joined us on today's mission!

Steve had all highlights of the day while Mike & I had a couple of lowlights...
I get rolled in the surf once and watched the boys laughing hysterically at me.
Mike's hand gets chomped by a Halibut while trying to remove the hook... OUCH!

Here are some pics of the fun and fantastic day in the surf.

Steve's first "legal" Halibut from the surf in the grey light.




One of my two Calico Bass.


These Torpedos were everywhere. They fought pretty good, but annoying.




Many, many short Flatties today... 31 in total with many more lost.








Cool underwater shot of my 21" short.



















I tried throwing the new LC 125 SSR for awhile, but no luck this time.


Mike... I TOLD YOU that Halibut's got teeth!

[sansou]

Congrats Flynby on the surf halibut!

[TShaffer]

Wow that's a day that you guys will remember for a long time. The curse was lifted in a BIG way. Great report and great fishing.

[CAPT'N]

All I can say is W0W !

Congratulations Steve on a fantastic day!

Arthur, I think you thought more about Steve getting his 1st surf legal flatties than he did; man on a mission.

Mike, guess whose kicking himself now???

Congrats guys !

Scott

[whate]

Wow, i've never seen that many flatties caught in a day. Congrats !!!

[bones]

Awesome day in the surf gentleman! I couldn't have asked for more....welllll....maybe that ever so elusive legal lately but damn.....Steve.....You really schooled us on how it's done today!
Very impressive I must say!
Other than your rod always trying to escape ......You had a day in the surf that Arthur and I were hoping for. You definately have the skill,patience and stamina to tough it out and make a very fruitfull day SWAT STYLE. What I like about the way we hunt flatties is that we go to remote areas and hike our azzes off to get to the prime spots. It's not for the faint of heart or quitters but even if the fish don't want to play......We still get a good workout and enjoy the beautiful rugged coastline. Today....The stars aligned.....The weather was awesome.....The swells were perfect and the timing couldn't have been better!
Even the steaks at the Outback were awesome afterwards. I still can't stop thinking about how the waitress described my Medium Well Steak......MMMMMM......A thin strip of pink in the middle sir......LOL
Thanks to both of you for a very memorable day in the surf. Sorry.....Got so caught up in taking notes from Steve on how to stick legals that I didn't take any pictures ....but hey... the ones in my head will last forever!!!!
Till Next time.......Tight Lines--------zzzzzzzzzzzzz----------<(()><

[delmar]

Thanks for the great report guys! and congrats on the catch!!!

[Granny Fish]

Nice job boys! Reassurance, that's what friends are for.

[Mondo21]

Great job Guys! Love the pic with Ms. Wingnut Pug. All the Fish you Guys caught, WOW! Thanks for the report and pics. Cindy