Visit to California - Newcomer Advice

[Mr_England]

Hi Will and welcome to Socal, USA!

I like your plan to spot some boilers and just start tossing at em' ..... ya never know what Poseidon may toss your way?

That's a great looking ESB! How long and heavy can the European Sea Bass get?

We normally throw Lucky Craft 110 lures, Krocodiles and swimmies and we target a wide range of species such as:
Halibut, White Sea Bass (ghost), Striped Bass (very rare), Barred Surf Perch (BSP), Wall-eyed Perch, Barracuda, Shovel Nose Guitar Fish (SNGF), Yellow Fin Croaker (YFC), Leopard shark, Calico Bass, Sand Bass (turd roller) ..... etc.

Heck ... I've been known to even catch a bird or two on the LC 110! Ha ha ha! (by accident of course)

Will ... just do what comes natural and everything else will follow, just like it does back home ... and remember ... have fun!

Good luck and please post a report of your sessions at the end.

PS .... Don't forget to purchase your fishing license for salt water fishing if you plan to fish on the beaches .... it's not worth the $ fine from the Warden.
Fishing on piers, man made jetty's will not require a fishing license.

PSS ... BEWARE of the MLPA areas ...... now protected wildlife reserves with limitations to fishing and or NO fishing.

Best success is usually at first light in the morning.

Good luck Will!

SP Dan <"))><

Hi mate - thanks for the reply. I've been fishing for ESB for approx 4-5 years on lures and my personal best is a 6lb 12oz Bass. But on the continent (around the Mediterranean) they can grow to 20lb+. I think the record is 22lb.

One of my favourite lures is the Lucky Craft Sammy 115 (I actually imported it from the US) and also the Gunfish. I could dig-out loads of photos of Bass caught on them (I'll include a photo with this post).

Please could you let me know some more details about the license and the protected zones.

[Mr_England]

Hi Will and welcome to Socal, USA!

I like your plan to spot some boilers and just start tossing at em' ..... ya never know what Poseidon may toss your way?

That's a great looking ESB! How long and heavy can the European Sea Bass get?

We normally throw Lucky Craft 110 lures, Krocodiles and swimmies and we target a wide range of species such as:
Halibut, White Sea Bass (ghost), Striped Bass (very rare), Barred Surf Perch (BSP), Wall-eyed Perch, Barracuda, Shovel Nose Guitar Fish (SNGF), Yellow Fin Croaker (YFC), Leopard shark, Calico Bass, Sand Bass (turd roller) ..... etc.

Heck ... I've been known to even catch a bird or two on the LC 110! Ha ha ha! (by accident of course)

Will ... just do what comes natural and everything else will follow, just like it does back home ... and remember ... have fun!

Good luck and please post a report of your sessions at the end.

PS .... Don't forget to purchase your fishing license for salt water fishing if you plan to fish on the beaches .... it's not worth the $ fine from the Warden.
Fishing on piers, man made jetty's will not require a fishing license.

PSS ... BEWARE of the MLPA areas ...... now protected wildlife reserves with limitations to fishing and or NO fishing.

Best success is usually at first light in the morning.

Good luck Will!

SP Dan <"))><

I can also vouch for being quite a proficient sea-gull catcher and un-hookerer! As my mate says: "watch your eyes!"

[Mr_England]

You came to the right place for great surf info Mr ENGLAND.

Im sure that the S W A T bunch will be able to point you in the right direction . No body knows the surf like they do!

I for one would like to welcome you to the west coast of our country and hope that your stay and trip here is a memorable adventure.

Welcome to FNN.




Is that a zara spook,,,,,,,,night time topwater action WOW! nice!
TRAIL BLAZER

Thanks Mr Trail Blazer, I am really looking forward to my visit, not long to go now. I fly-out on May 13th. The picture you have highlighted is Bass caught on (what I know as) a Heddon Spook One Knocker. I've just clicked on a link (http://www.heddonlures.com/product/one-knocker-spook-5/) and it does appear to have a sister called Zara which is very similar. I love this lure, it's cheap, it has a wooden-like ball inside it which makes a very distinctive dull rattle noise, and it casts very far due to its weight and its profile in the air.

[Mr_England]

Hey bones, thanks for the advice. I will watch out for the birds, maybe I'll consider taking some sub-surface lures in case the birds are a problem. I will post a similar question on the Northern section board as you suggested, I was in two minds where to post the original question. Thanks for the pointer

[Mr_England]

Hi, my missus ain't gonna entertain that! I'm having to smuggle the telescopic into the suitcase as it is!!!

[Mr_England]

yeah, what Bones and Dan said. sounds like a fun trip. leopard sharks tend to show up in numbers on So Cal beaches in May and it can be startling to suddenly find oneself in the midst of a dozen or so of these fish as they swarm the shallows. Fortunately, they are only dangerous to sand crabs and juvenile perch and are known to take lures and flies from time to time.

a couple bits of advice:

there are many places that claim to serve "fish tacos" but the only real fish tacos are batter fried white-fleshed fillets served on a corn tortilla (henco a mano is best) with shredded cabbage, the white sauce and three lime wedges on the side. grilled salmon is not a fish taco ingredient.

as you move north you will begin to encounter San Francisco Giants fans. try and remember it's not their fault - they are most likely born with that deficiency.

Ha ha I've never heard of San Francisco Giants, they must be an insignificant outfit! We have a football team in our district called Manchester City, their fans are a few beers short of a six-pack. Was thinking of taking-in a 49ers game or Raiders game but the missus isn't keen, until typing this I'd not even considered going to watch the Galaxy (I'm a Manchester United fan so seeing David Beckham again would be nice - if he's still there). Thanks for the advice matey

[Mr_England]

Our striped bass are in the same family as the ESB. I think that you'll do well fishing for them. It looks like many of your lures are just right.

The striper in the Ocean are more common up near San Fransisco in the Sacramento Delta and the Ocean. On the southern coast they are less abundant. They are also Landlocked in the California Aqueduct and in most of the lakes attached to it.

There are lots of other fish that will hit in the same zones where you would expect to find Sea Bass.

Enjoy your trip!
Tight Lines!

Thanks fishinone, that's the reassurance that I need. I'll take a couple of my fave lures which I feel confident using, chuck them out and take anything that may come along.

Tight lines and thank you

[bones]

Just to prime you up.....

https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...y+surf+fishing

You should also take the wife and visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium.... Very nice way to spend a few hours.

[one long cast]

Mr. England nice to see that this is read by fellow fisherman across the pond. The west coast of California is very beautiful and exciting to see. There are many areas that will take your breath away. Just to go over a few reminders that were stated on this thread, DO GET A Fishing LICENSE. maybe a couple of non-res 7day'ers. The Wardens in this state will cite their mothers for the chance to get a STAT. Now I don't know how well your Telescopic rod will work if you get into some good size fish and of course are you using spinning or casting reels?????. However if your Tackle fails you in any way and you are in the area or close to Seal Beach (next to Long Beach) PM me and I have more tackle than one person should have and I'll set you back up. Now if you wife gets upset as to you fishing on this trip, and you are in the San Francisco area, take her to Pier 39, take the cable car if you can and take her to a restaurant called Scoma's located on Scoma Way. The serve a flounder that is to die for its call Patralie and its served either battered or pan fried. I always take the latter. Enjoy Dennis

[Mr_England]

Mr. England nice to see that this is read by fellow fisherman across the pond. The west coast of California is very beautiful and exciting to see. There are many areas that will take your breath away. Just to go over a few reminders that were stated on this thread, DO GET A Fishing LICENSE. maybe a couple of non-res 7day'ers. The Wardens in this state will cite their mothers for the chance to get a STAT. Now I don't know how well your Telescopic rod will work if you get into some good size fish and of course are you using spinning or casting reels?????. However if your Tackle fails you in any way and you are in the area or close to Seal Beach (next to Long Beach) PM me and I have more tackle than one person should have and I'll set you back up. Now if you wife gets upset as to you fishing on this trip, and you are in the San Francisco area, take her to Pier 39, take the cable car if you can and take her to a restaurant called Scoma's located on Scoma Way. The serve a flounder that is to die for its call Patralie and its served either battered or pan fried. I always take the latter. Enjoy Dennis

Thanks Dennis, I will take every bit of that advice. Where abouts can I obtain a day license please??