S.W.A.T. "Iron Chef" Mission 6/22/11. Plus SEVEN BONUS Reports!

[flyngby]

Then there were seven!

Won't even pretend to say I fully understood all that happened in this "Post Plus Six"! I see some new members of the SWAT Family, the usual great times with friends on the waters, lots of fun, and of course lots of fish!

I can only wish that I was there for each and every trip with my friends, but I also know that there are other priorities in life that keep us under lock and key at times!

Congrats to all that managed to be a part of this post including those none "SWAT Members" that contribute as well!

Arthur,

This little clip of this large post took me back to the day we met a short while back in Newport Harbor!

Arthur

"You know that it will be a good session when you hook-up in the first 3 or 4 casts and it's a NEW species.
These Sargo's can really pull... I used to think that the Zebra Perch fought hard, but these Sargo's are impressive."



I showed my once little fishing buddy Brad these pics and he said "you had better keep trying to get a quality “Sargo” that takes you for a ride 3 times around the boat on the old school “Trout Gear” on the 4 Lb. and it takes 2 hands to hold the prize!"


Ohhh! And Brad also recalled that you were spooled that day! “Start the Motor” SNAP!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the memories and I know you will find the time to hit the waters more often than you believe yourself in the future!

I look forward to every opportunity!

Steve

[DockRat]

Nice Sargo. Calif State Record is open to anyone who submits a 1 lb or larger Sargo.
DR

[Wingnut]

Okay, no more Bonus Reports... time to start a new thread.

WN
Nice butt and kabobs. Cool detour up North with the buds, good to see Bones out. Exfactor is the "McGyver" of S.WA.T.

Take care,
NG

Thanks NG, I think we're overdue for one of your reports.

I just can't start my day without my cup of coffee and reading about another successful SWAT outing!

Thanks for another great report Arthur. I'm planning my next outing to fulfill my quest for that legal hali.

Thanks Terry, I have no doubt that you will accomplish your goal VERY soon!
I already have your S.W.A.T gear all ready to ship.

Wingnut,

It was a pleasure meeting you and learning some new tricks!

I had a blast! Wish the flat ones were bitin, but thats fishin!

The highlight of the trip for me, aside from meeting and fishing with you, was a father and son walking back up the point, with fishing rods. They had not caught anything, and the son lit up when he saw my perch hanging on my stringer as I waded in the surf and ran over asking all sorts of questions......

I took about 45 minutes to rig his rods with with the right gear, and teach him where to cast and how to retrieve the 3inch BH I tied on for him. He finally caught a nice little perch and was so excited! I left him with a handful of BH's......

This morning, just went back to the first spot we went to, at high tide and it was 5 feet deep+ to cross, I tried 4 diff spots and got to within a half inch of floodin my waders before trying another spot for one perch and lots of salad!

Look forward to fishing with you again....

Marco
Santa Barbara

PS. for the record, while I have been slayin the big perch in the surf this year on the 3 inch Big Hammers and now the LC, I never keep them, those were the first 4 perch I have kept in 4 years, and were spawned out or I would not have kept them. I have an old Chinese couple who wanted a couple and mom asked for 2 to deep fry whole.... they came out great! Next time, halibut!

Really nice meeting you Marco, and THANK YOU again for all the gifts for me and the guys! Very much appreciated.
Very cool of you to help out the kid to catch fish. May karma reward you with a big Flattie very soon.

Nice Santa Barbara session gentlemen, looks like a beautiful day up there.
I think the last time I hit the surf up there was sometime last year with you guys.
Can't beat the scenery and when the bite is on, it's ON! We had some epics days up there huh Art?

I have one question, what are you doing with a PINK LC in your pack Art???

Dude, it's been so long since the last time you fished with us, I can't even remember when that was... Yes, we had some epic days fishing up North.
Regarding the pink LC... I'm "always" prepared.

Hey, Arthur...I've been running in so many directions these passed three weeks, I haven't had time to keep up with this wonderful thread...much less respond to it or hit the surf myself...Grim...But 'bravo' to you and all present and future SWAT members for the adventures you've had and the friendships you've shared and strengthened...It's really affirming to watch it all unfold...I only hope a few of the SWAT regulars can step up and try to fill the WPG (Wingnut Posting Gap) when your SWAT time gets squeezed...
Cheers,
Sid

You are the Man of the World Sid. You give the most "Interesting" Man in the World a run for his money. I have no doubt that you guys will have no problem picking up the slack for me...
See you Saturday my friend.

Have2fish, no need to justify your catch. It's a legal kill and NOBODY should give you any grief over keeping your catch. As long as you release MORE than what you keep.

Mikey, please explain this contraption. For the surf???
How heavy is it? How do you work it? Any previous notable catch?
I've never seen anything like it, now that's thinking OUTSIDE the box Mr. Fishing Yoda.

Well said on the catch & keep comment Binh. To each his own...
Mikey tries some off the wall stuff in the surf, and it damn amazes me every time when I see it work! That's why we consider him the Yoda of Fishing.
I'll tell you how he work the lure the next time I talk to you.

Good way to escape carmageddon and beat the heat. Well done guys. The perch sure do run BIG up there in Mikey's area. Good to see Bones back in the line up. Looks like the fish showed some love for the new Wingnut Signature Series Metallic Pink Sardine. I have a feeling we'll be seeing that color producing a lot of fish in the weeks/ months to come. Looks like a great day on the water.

The fishing up in Mikey's neck of the woods at the islands and along the coast sure has been good this season. I would love to fish from some of the beaches on Rosa or Santa Cruz. I think it's safe to say we would need to upgrade the stock hooks and fish some heavier line.

JerryG

There are Monster Perch in the SB area Jerry. Mikey got 3 or 4 16 inchers this year so far.
We've been talking about taking a flight out to fish one of the island beaches for a couple of years now. Maybe one day, we can make it happen.

Looks like you guys had a better run of fish up there than down here yesterday.
Dirty water and lots and lots of salad made it rough.
Still managed 5 fish though, highlight was an 18" sand bass.
Thanks for the Bonus, Bonus, Bonus, Bonus, Bonus, Bonus report...
Time to start a new thread Arturo..
Later Bro,
Robert
<><

Lol, okay, okay... no more bonus reports on this thread...
Hope to see you on Saturday bro.

SB has some monster perch. Wouldn't mind catching more on the LC if they were all that big. Tired of the dinky "crack" biters.

Arthur, Tess has been waiting to unleash her pink LC. Thanks for the trial run, it's good to see that the flatties go for pink. Well, I guess we have Mike to thank for that.

Weather looks beautiful in SB! Looked like fun. Til we meet again.

I'm sure Tess will be the first to catch a legal Halibut with the pink LC. Maybe Saturday...

I am home finely. 2 weeks on the road and even before reading the snail mail I had to check the FNN reports.

Looks like everyone survived Carmageddon and the 4 th. Some better than others
Read all the responses and 2- to everyone for getting out there.

Now one day of rest and then a short trip to New Jersey to visit in-laws. Anyone have the low down on where to fish there PM me quickly...

Have a good trip Bill, hope the toe is completely healed.

Then there were seven!

Won't even pretend to say I fully understood all that happened in this "Post Plus Six"! I see some new members of the SWAT Family, the usual great times with friends on the waters, lots of fun, and of course lots of fish!

I can only wish that I was there for each and every trip with my friends, but I also know that there are other priorities in life that keep us under lock and key at times!

Congrats to all that managed to be a part of this post including those none "SWAT Members" that contribute as well!

Arthur,

This little clip of this large post took me back to the day we met a short while back in Newport Harbor!

Arthur

"You know that it will be a good session when you hook-up in the first 3 or 4 casts and it's a NEW species.
These Sargo's can really pull... I used to think that the Zebra Perch fought hard, but these Sargo's are impressive."



I showed my once little fishing buddy Brad these pics and he said "you had better keep trying to get a quality “Sargo” that takes you for a ride 3 times around the boat on the old school “Trout Gear” on the 4 Lb. and it takes 2 hands to hold the prize!"


Ohhh! And Brad also recalled that you were spooled that day! “Start the Motor” SNAP!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the memories and I know you will find the time to hit the waters more often than you believe yourself in the future!

I look forward to every opportunity!

Steve

Steve, I'm glad that things are starting to get settled for you and you have finally found your way back to the water.
I remember that Sargo that Brad caught on my first trip on board the Spotted Fever. He handled it very well on light gear. Unlike how I handled the freight train that spooled me in ten seconds flat.
Hope to fish with you again soon my friend.

Nice Sargo. Calif State Record is open to anyone who submits a 1 lb or larger Sargo.
DR

That's surprising... I've seen a few Sargo caught that were well over a pound.

[Wingnut]

Okay, okay... I PROMISE this will be the last "Bonus" report on this thread.
Have to hop on a plane in a few hours and don't feel like starting an entire new report.



Bonus Report #7 - The Dynamic Duo Rides Again! One for the Road... South O.C. Surf - Tuesday 7/26/11


Didn't have to fly out until this afternoon, so I decided to hit the surf this morning, "One for the Road", since I won't be able to fish for another 2-3 weeks. Gave Surf Master Mike (Kichigai1) a call last night to see if he wants to head out just like old times... After checking with his "boss", He says "Let's do it!"

Shortly after Dana (Fisherman 57) introduced me to surf fishing a few years back, Mike took me under his wings and taught me the ways of the surf.

Took the long drive South from the Valley and arrived to the A.O. at grey light. For the first hour or so, we struggled to find some clean water to fish. A heavy concentration of salad made it nearly impossible to present our lures properly. I was throwing the LC and Mike was throwing a 4" BH swim bait. The swim bait outfished the LC by a 3-1 margin today.

We fished pretty hard from 5:30am to around noon. Grabbed a quick lunch and headed home. Finally found some clean water to work with and started putting fish on the sand. A few of them anyways... Mike & I both farmed a legal Halibut each in the skinny water today.

Not a spectacular day of "catching", but we had a good time regardless of the fish count. Mike ended up with a Sand Bass, a short White Sea Bass, and three short Halibut. I got three Barred Surf Perch, a Yellow Fin Croaker and two short Halibut.

Surf Master Mike, it was really cool fishing with you again... it was long overdue. Had a great time catching up with you and sharing fishing stories.
You are getting braver in your old age, attacking those waves with even more vigor than what I can remember. I saw you get rolled a few times and pop back up and just keep on fishing. Thanks again for joining me out there today, we'll set-up another trip when I get back in a few weeks. Lets get Big Dave (DFish) and Chris (tr0psn4j) to come along next time.


Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box.


Some pics of our morning session.
Damn Mike, you need to wash that gray right out of your hair...


My YFC.


Same fish.


One of my two short Halibut.


One of Mike's three short Halibut.


Surf Master Mike (Kichigai1).


Going...


Going...


GONE!




Mike forgot to take his Centrum Silver this morning...
You're lucky I let you sleep buddy...

[PONTOON]

Arthur,

Thanks for sharing your last report of your final day before the lockdown. It looks to me like you were in good company and the two of you were able make the best out of some tough conditions.

I've appreciated your lessons in the surf while you were here and I'll keep you informed of the progress.

I'll see you soon My friend and good luck to you.

[blackwater]

Now that is good to see, you two hitting the surf together again.
Mike, you are pretty nuts out there in the surf. You would give Robert (Murrieta Angler) a run for the money.
I'm hoping to see more epic future reports from the Dynamic Duo.

You BOTH farmed legal Flatties??? Damn rookies!!!

[bones]

I can't believe you let Mike sleep
I guess I'm the only one that you scare the living daylights out of by slamming on your brakes and screaming at the top of your lungs!
Great seeing you two on the sand once again.It definately was long over due.

[klocked]

Holy Cow Man!! I need to pay closer attention to things around here! LOL!!
Sorry Arthur, I usually do a quick scan down the left side of my screen looking for reports I haven't read yet.

Those capital letters "SEVEN BONUS" caught my eye this time!
You've been fishing alot more than I thought you have brotha!

It will take me a while to read through these 7 bonus reports but I'm sure every one of them will be worth it.
Thanks again for saving my day on the last outing we had together, it meant more to me than you know, that
someone would go out of their way for me like that, when to me, a reasonable person shouldn't of had to.
I know for certain that you aren't just an ordinary person, you're somebody extra special with a big heart of
gold and with that, some types of reasoning don't really fit. Somehow, I'm going to make you proud when
I figure out a special way to pay it forward and also give back to you.

I wish you the best in your new business endeavor. We're all going to miss you buddy, even though you'll be back
once a month!

[Which Way Out]

Time for the rest of us to Step up for sure.

Oh yea one more thing, what's with the " Wash the Gray out of your hair " Crap?

[murrieta angler]

Arthur,
I know it's going to be difficult, while you are out of town, to not think about fishing, but I will do my best to get you some pictures of some legals...
You have to hate the.. but we all have to deal with them.
Nice way to end your Bonus, Bonus, Bonus, Bonus, Bonus, Bonus, Bonus reports.
Take care,
Robert
<><