S.W.A.Ting the Slabs – Perchin’ It Up! Sunday 3/3/13 Plus “Secret” A.O. Revealed!

[Wingnut]

I was busy and didn’t have plans to fish this past weekend, but managed to squeeze in a morning session on Sunday. Lieutenant Bones (Mike) gave me a call Saturday and asked if I wanted to join him for a Perchin’ session Sunday morning. The Perch bite has been going off in the SAMO and Malibu area for the last few weeks as the big slabs are aggressively feeding and gorging themselves getting ready for the spawn. Soon, fat pregnant females will be dropping fry on the beach when caught.

Please remember to release all Perch during the spawn. If you catch a big female, release her as quickly as possible to reduce stress. If she drops live young during the process, release the Mom first and then gently pick up the fry and put them back in the water. Thank you for “Fishing Responsibly.”

Mike picked me up at 5:00am and off we went to the A.O. Got into the surf, located a nice hole and it was on… Perch after Perch… moving down the beach slowly and picking them off at will. The best day of Perch fishing I had in a long time. I think the last wide open Perch session I had was with Mikey and the Northern S.W.A.T. Crew last year. I lost count after a while, but we probably caught well over 50 fish each. The biggest Perch at 16”, ranging all the way down to dinks. Fun session!

The Lieutenant got my back! I knew that it was going to be a short session, so I only brought one spinning set-up with me, a 8ft Carrot Stix 6-12 lb rating and Daiwa Fuego 2500 spooled with #8 line. About halfway into the session, the reel suffered a catastrophic failure and jammed up. I usually bring a backup, but not this time and thought that my morning was done. Mike went back to the car and got me a little Shimano Sonora 1000 spinning reel that he had stashed away in his car and I was back in action… thanks Mike!

Mission Data:
6:00am – 10:00am
Outgoing tide, 2-3 ft swells, washing machine condition, water visibility good, salad condition excellent, moderate on-shore wind, water temperature approx. 58 degrees. Light Sand Crab presence, no bait fish presence.

Notable catches:
Bones: (1) 21” Corbina, (1) 16” BSP, (1) 15” BSP, (2) 14” BSP.
Wingnut: (2) 15” BSP, (3) 14” BSP.

Mike, thanks for giving me a refresher course in Perchin’ 101 and thanks again for saving me with the backup reel.

Have a great week everyone, see you at the Fred Hall Show… I’m going to try and make it on Sunday.

Arthur (Wingnut)


In life, don’t just expect everything to fall into place. Some assembly is required.


Photos…
We only took pics of the biggest Perch.

Gearing up… Mike actually was ready before I was for a change, lol


Here’s my biggest perch of the morning… pretty close to 16”… still on my quest to get my first 16”+ Perch. I thought I had it!


So damn close… I may have cheated myself on the measurement, but we’ll call this one a solid 15” plus.




Here’s one of Mike’s bigger units. Don’t ask about the “Black” glove… Hahaha


And another…


Here’s a nice 14 incher for me…




I got a Smelt also…


Another one for Mike.


Check out this FAT 15 incher I caught.




Mike gets a 16 incher!




And a solid 15+ incher too… this looks like another 16" fish Mike.




I get another chunky 14 incher.


One of the last ones for me…


Bonus catch for Mike, a nice 21” Winter Bean.


Weapons of Perch destruction…


Mike’s back-up reel that saved me… not fancy, but did the job.


Tools of the trade…


Now I’m going to share with you an “Ultra Secret” spot. Guaranteed Wide Frickin” Open every time you go. I won’t black out or blurred the background so if you find it, have fun, lol.

Mike and I stopped here after our surf session because the Iron Chef wanted some Trout for dinner… delivered FRESH!






















S.W.A.T. Members caught with a bucket?!? Shameful…
We caught 10 fish in 15 minutes… from 12 – 16”, cost me $100 bucks, ouch!






Put the Trout on ice and stopped at In & Out on our way home… what a fun morning.




Extra…
How do you like this pattern? Refurbished by my LC “Artist.” Spring is just around the corner!






Parting shots…
Pug Nation is growing… World, meet Romeo.

[bones]

How much fun was that....LOL

Ya know Arthur...... When ever we hit the sand we act like two teenagers ! Good times for sure brotha. I was so spoiled by the bite at that AO a week earlier that I almost forgot what a normal day of fishing was like. By noon you had slid at least 50 perch up on the sand with some real brutes mixed in as well. I stuck with the mini hammer and you went with the pointer 65 and outfished me 2 to 1. You are and always will be the Lucky Craft Slaya in the salt or fresh water. That slider was a nice surprise for me..... I thought I finally stuck perchzilla but knew in about 30 seconds that I had something with a little more spunk. That is only the second bean I've stuck legally on a artificial lure. What a ride!
When you said "Troutdale....Let's DO IT" I just laughed but I must admit......It was a fun time and the perfect way to end a spontaneous day. Could you imagine if all of the folks at Troutdale were tossing Pointer 65's. It was like shooting fish in a bucket and it felt good hooking up a few folks with some LC's so they could slay as well !
Thanks for hanging out and slayin some feesh with me brudda !

Peace

BTW...

Romeo is just too cute. Too bad they don't have a shot you could give them and they would stay that size

[City Dad]

those perch make me wanna try fishing

[FishinElectrician]

Incredible, Wingnut!!! Those were some big ol Perch you guys caught!!!

Im headed out there this Friday, rain or shine!!! Im hopin for a pig or two like those!

[PONTOON]

Arthur,

Your report had me in amazement with the size of the perch, Laughing at the SWAT Bucket Brigade and then calling for the girls to see Romeo!

You and Mike had another stellar day on the water and it's cool to see the two of you back in full swing............

I'll see you on the water.

[FishNFurious]

Those are some serious TOADS.
My biggest is a 12 inch perch.

[frankjz]

Great fun, Arthur! I love the tone and camaraderie between you two! Those perch are fantastic and getting bigger by the minute. Also, that corbina is nothing to sniff at. Good eating for sure. Thanks for the joy you feel.

fz

[Which Way Out]

Holly Cow! Just another Wingnut/Bones report.

You know the kind we read about all the time. Get up early, hit the beach, catch a ton of fish, eat lunch, get home early and have the misses make you a gourmet meal. What a life................



Kidding aside guys, its great to see some decent numbers along with the grand sizes of those toads.
The year is starting off well. The best to everyone this year.

WWO

[peanutbutter]

those are some toads im lucky i got in on the fun on saturday if not i would have been drooling over those pics
ps.x2 on the romeo is just too cute

[bachiboy]

Very, very nice job out there guys! Those were some really nice slugs topped off by a brute of a bean! Can't beat that...great quality, great numbers and great company. I think I'm seeing a pattern to your success Arthur...if I go one way, you need to go the other. Seems like whenever you point the compass in the opposite direction from me, you come out with a great session. Congrats on an incredible day and hats off to the newest addition to pug nation!

Don