Finally found the fish, Epic day in the surf.
Okaaay , Don't really know how to start, this report is not going to be picture filled, as i tend to be clumsy with my vids and pics and give off not just my, but I'm going to say our spots, our standing for the people that do "get it". It's not easy doing a LOT of research and searching , putting in endless hours and days to scout areas and locate THE AO's and then get them hammered with 20 sticks a day because of a pic or vid and so on ....
Nooooow for the goodies, my favorite locations have just been overwhelmed with bait for about a week and fishing has been tough, every time i have hit the surf last week or so I've had the feeling that the fish had moved back in , i just knew they were around. Today was the day, i finished off a job at Topanga Cyn around 12:45 , checked the forecasts and immediately opened my trunk took out my 2 piece rod put it together(the rod that broke on a monster leopard a week back), tied everything up and put on a metallic ayu pattern 110, Checked if i had everything i needed , put everything back in the car
. At this point i am already just stoked to see all this life back , and happy as ever , when suddenly this beautiful kitty comes out of the trench, my estimate is around 5 ft. i start following it and finishing up my retrieve to cast to it . it was swimming so majestically it was unreal , you could almost sense its attitude , this was not just another leopard by the look in her eye. There is a lot of controversy whether leopards will hit artificials or not , many people say no , and some like me know they will if it is presented in the proper manner, just like Shovelnose guitarfish
. It only took me 3 casts to hook this bad girl , First cast landed maybe 5-10 ft in front of her and got chased all the way to my rod tip until i paused my bait like an idiot
, She turned and continued in sight , 2nd cast she snouted it and some how didn't get hooked , but i felt the tension and she just didn't care . i thought that would be it , and it was my last chance , she appeared again , 3rd cast landed 15 ft ahead of her and maybe a couple feet to her left , 4 fast cranks and what i saw can't really be described in words, i wish i had my go pro on , but sadly i didn't
. The Kitty jumps completely out of the water with my metallic ayu pinned on her face before i could even think about a hook set because she was peeling and jumped around 6 or 7 times .
Now for some more epicness , after getting sanded off by a jumper leopard that got itself tangled in my fluorocarbon, i decide to just let it go , and calm down , i could have landed it if i wasn't fiddling with my go pro to make sure its on for a couple seconds , i had loosened the drag at the time so the fish could take drag at will and thats when it got itself tangled while jumping . Anyway, little did i know what awaited me after that bad girl , after retie-ing and a half a mile walk located another magnificent stretch of beach with a trench like no other , little grassy but , you have to do what you have to do, Decided to switch it up and tied on a Slender pointer 127 , this is a little deeper diving bait and ideal for nice trenchy beaches ,after about a dozen croaker and perch i feel that thump and than it starts shaking
Calico's were all in the 12-15' range , croaker 15-20', perch 10-15. I was speechless and hungry
30 minutes or so and i get that thump we all love again , and bendo , this guy put a little more effort in compared to the 22" er , and was on the sand in no time 23.5' on the dot , back she went immediately . I was happy is to say the least, i game my thank you's to mother nature, and my sorry's for leaving a Metallic ayu Fm110 pinned on a leopards face , i hope she gets free of that fish catching machine as soon as possible and thrives.
Tight lines Everyone,
Edgar
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Hi Edgar:
(although I still could tell cuz there was still a hint in the vid but that's really cuz I know the area but I aint telling shhhhhh
).
Originally Posted by anchor3n1
. Im happy its you that noticed the spot at least, and hope no one else really know's the 'area'. Anyway good luck out there, it was trashed when i was leaving.
