11-10 LAB run and the ONE that got away

[Alakai]

Date - Fishing Time: 11/10/18 – 6:30 am – 11:30 am
Location / Launch Location: Los Alamitos Bay, Mother’s Beach
Total Fish Caught: 3, 2 Spotted Bay Bass – 1 Halibut!
Bait Used (No of fish): HUB – Chovy (3)
Solo session

Water was once again beautiful with very little wind. Traffic in the water was medium with many kayakers and rowers moving through the channel.

Goals - My goal today was to use my new baits and try out my new rod (KastKing Perigee II) along with a visit to my highest catch location thus far. The rod was really great, the location and the baits did not do so well for me.

Report – Caught my first Halibut today, fights a slight lets aggressive but more “heavy” like a catfish maybe? Interesting and of course, still fun. My new baits were getting short bit in the morning hours only, I stuck with them way too long but after 7:30 am or so not more bites were had. I tried everything to get bites throughout the morning: HUB – Mint, Hub – Red Crab, Hub – Sardine Green, Hub - Chovy, DS Matsu, Homemade Keitech Impact swimmers and a gray speckled tube. Was so slow I ended up just getting exercise and paddling in and out of docks and slips to work my legs.

The One That Got Away or The Classic Fish Story – At the end of the day I was peddling back to Mother’s Beach and decided to hang out under the bridge a bit. I caught one of the largest Bay Bass I had ever caught then recast. When the bait hit the bottom my new rod twitched HARD, I set the hook and the rod bent in half and the drag started zipping. Knowing my drag was already set from the last bass I just caught I checked it and it was still set fine. I pulled up again and snap! My entire rig was lost and had snapped at the FG knot. I left deflated knowing that the largest fish I had ever hooked up on was lost and of course a little sad that my last Chovy was in some giants mouth connected to 5’ of fluorocarbon.