16
Tackle Talk / Time for a new Crimper
« on: February 01, 2017, 09:57:40 PM »
This one scared the hell out of me. I was playing around with a new leader and just as I was making a crimp.....CRACK.
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17
Salt Water Shore Fishing Reports / Fish report - 9/17, 9/18
« on: September 18, 2016, 02:13:30 PM »
Fished both Sat and Sunday am.
Saturday 9-17
Arrived at the AO pre grey light to great conditions except for some grass that cleared as the tide came in.
Had a slow steady pick of Halibut and Calico's for the first hour, when I got a massive hit on the swimmie. I set the hook, only to feel the bait pop out its mouth, kept reeling...when 3 cranks later, BAM, another huge hit. This time the hook went home and the fight was on. At first just heavy weight and massive headshakes, then zzzzzz, zzzzzz, zzzzzz. As the fish started taking drag, I knew this was a good one. Five minutes later, I get my prize to the sand and got to measure my new PB WSB at 24", Quick pick and gently released back to Poseidon.
Picked up a few more bass and hali's to end the day.
Fished 6-9:30 for a total of:
1 WSB 24"
6 Calico up to 12"
5 halibut up to 17"
2 Mac
Sunday 9-18
Fished again from 6-9:30.
Today I got into a cool Mac blitz for about 15-20 minutes where the macs were pushing bait right onto the sand in front of me. I ended up chasing the action up and down a 100yd section of sand as they herded the bait ball. It was pretty cool catching the mac almost on the sand. I was only pitching the KM 10-15 to get into the action. I should have had a lot more but ended up catching about a dozen mac. They were having a hard time connecting with the KM in surge and were only getting 1 shot at before it hit the sand. I actually had 2-3 get washed onto the sand chasing my bait and had 2 hit me in the legs when the surge carried the activity directly where i was standing.
Right after the macs split, I picked up a few calico's and 2 YFC that were mopping up what was left.
Sundays total:
12+ mac
13 Calico to 15"
2 YFC
Saturday 9-17
Arrived at the AO pre grey light to great conditions except for some grass that cleared as the tide came in.
Had a slow steady pick of Halibut and Calico's for the first hour, when I got a massive hit on the swimmie. I set the hook, only to feel the bait pop out its mouth, kept reeling...when 3 cranks later, BAM, another huge hit. This time the hook went home and the fight was on. At first just heavy weight and massive headshakes, then zzzzzz, zzzzzz, zzzzzz. As the fish started taking drag, I knew this was a good one. Five minutes later, I get my prize to the sand and got to measure my new PB WSB at 24", Quick pick and gently released back to Poseidon.
Picked up a few more bass and hali's to end the day.
Fished 6-9:30 for a total of:
1 WSB 24"
6 Calico up to 12"
5 halibut up to 17"
2 Mac
Sunday 9-18
Fished again from 6-9:30.
Today I got into a cool Mac blitz for about 15-20 minutes where the macs were pushing bait right onto the sand in front of me. I ended up chasing the action up and down a 100yd section of sand as they herded the bait ball. It was pretty cool catching the mac almost on the sand. I was only pitching the KM 10-15 to get into the action. I should have had a lot more but ended up catching about a dozen mac. They were having a hard time connecting with the KM in surge and were only getting 1 shot at before it hit the sand. I actually had 2-3 get washed onto the sand chasing my bait and had 2 hit me in the legs when the surge carried the activity directly where i was standing.
Right after the macs split, I picked up a few calico's and 2 YFC that were mopping up what was left.
Sundays total:
12+ mac
13 Calico to 15"
2 YFC
18
Salt Water Shore Fishing Reports / Mixing it up in the BU again -8/7/16
« on: August 07, 2016, 08:14:06 PM »
Was able to hit up the suds this morning for a few hours. I wasn't expecting a whole lot as grey light coincided with dead low tide.
Boy was a pleasantly surprised.
I hit the water at 6am and fished til 9am with the low tide of .9 around 6:40.
Conditions were good, A lot morning gloom, in fact the sun never made it out till after I left. Minimal salad and widely spaced 1-1.5 foot surf with lots of flat water in between sets.
No visible signs of activity as I walked up to the water. I'm rigged with my trusty 3/4oz green and silver KM. I make my first cast, and my heart immediately drops as I get slammed just as it hits the water. fearing the "First Cast Curse" I bring in what turns out to be about a 16" surf Cuda.
Thankfully the "FCC" did not materialize as on my next 4 casts I bang both a Mac and an 11" Calico. Over the next 3 hours, I managed to thoroughly get tired of macs while also managing another cuda, more bass and some YFC up to 12"
Total count for the day:
30+ Mac (quit counting at 30)
6 calico bass
5 YFC
2 Cuda
I do love the surf Mac's as the make the day interesting when they are around, these were mostly on the far outside of the cast necessitating reeling them in the whole way.
Thanks for reading.
~Ron~
Boy was a pleasantly surprised.
I hit the water at 6am and fished til 9am with the low tide of .9 around 6:40.
Conditions were good, A lot morning gloom, in fact the sun never made it out till after I left. Minimal salad and widely spaced 1-1.5 foot surf with lots of flat water in between sets.
No visible signs of activity as I walked up to the water. I'm rigged with my trusty 3/4oz green and silver KM. I make my first cast, and my heart immediately drops as I get slammed just as it hits the water. fearing the "First Cast Curse" I bring in what turns out to be about a 16" surf Cuda.
Thankfully the "FCC" did not materialize as on my next 4 casts I bang both a Mac and an 11" Calico. Over the next 3 hours, I managed to thoroughly get tired of macs while also managing another cuda, more bass and some YFC up to 12"
Total count for the day:
30+ Mac (quit counting at 30)
6 calico bass
5 YFC
2 Cuda
I do love the surf Mac's as the make the day interesting when they are around, these were mostly on the far outside of the cast necessitating reeling them in the whole way.
Thanks for reading.
~Ron~
19
Salt Water Shore Fishing Reports / 7/30 Mac Attack in the BU
« on: July 30, 2016, 10:48:26 AM »
With the absence of the toothy kind, I decide to hit the light rod today.
Some great conditions in the BU this morning.
Fished from 5:30 - 8:30am.
Very minimal weeds today at this AO.
Weapon of choice: 3/4 b/s kastmaster.
I ended up with a nice variety of fish this outing.
Total for the day was:
18 Mac's (added 6 to my shark bait stash)
7 Calicos to 12"
1 lonely smelt
and 2 pancake butt's.
"Professionally" released around a 1/2 dozen or so, including 1 really good fish that gave about 1 sec of drag burn on the hookset then released.
All action died by around 8. so called the trip early. Might give it another go tomorrow.
Some great conditions in the BU this morning.
Fished from 5:30 - 8:30am.
Very minimal weeds today at this AO.
Weapon of choice: 3/4 b/s kastmaster.
I ended up with a nice variety of fish this outing.
Total for the day was:
18 Mac's (added 6 to my shark bait stash)
7 Calicos to 12"
1 lonely smelt
and 2 pancake butt's.
"Professionally" released around a 1/2 dozen or so, including 1 really good fish that gave about 1 sec of drag burn on the hookset then released.
All action died by around 8. so called the trip early. Might give it another go tomorrow.
20
Salt Water Shore Fishing Reports / Late report 6/11/16
« on: June 25, 2016, 03:39:13 PM »
LOL!
I just realized I never posted my 7's from 2 weeks ago after Joe's sandhand post.
I met up with Joe in VC for a nite of 7 hunting.
Conditions were pretty nice with a small outgoing tide and low surf.
Tally for the night was 1 small bat (upper 20's low 30's) and 2 male 7's of 81" and 90".
Both were on my last 2 pieces of Bonito.
I missed another fish that I felt spit the bait just as I reeled down on it.
I think Joe missed a couple good hits as well.
I just realized I never posted my 7's from 2 weeks ago after Joe's sandhand post.
I met up with Joe in VC for a nite of 7 hunting.
Conditions were pretty nice with a small outgoing tide and low surf.
Tally for the night was 1 small bat (upper 20's low 30's) and 2 male 7's of 81" and 90".
Both were on my last 2 pieces of Bonito.
I missed another fish that I felt spit the bait just as I reeled down on it.
I think Joe missed a couple good hits as well.
22
Salt Water Shore Fishing Reports / VC 6/11 - Grinner Chew part 2. (The Chew Continues)
« on: June 12, 2016, 12:34:47 PM »
Longcast Joe and I hit up one of the 7 spots last night to take advantage of the small surf.
I arrived at the AO at about 6pm hoping that I might get some twilight action with all the heavy overcast.
Alas it ended up not to be. Joe rolls up around 7pm and I haven't had so much as a bump other than crabs which were really bad tonight. (I actually had a big Bonito tail completely stripped to nothing but skin and back bone during a 20 min soak.)
Joe starts setting up and shortly after, my far rod starts a slow clicker run. I ran over and get the fish on the line. At first it felt like the right kind, but somehow the fishgods turned it into a 30inch Bat when it hit the sand. (*shakes fist at the fishgods*)
Shortly after as the tide got lower, some grass and mini kelp made an appearance. With barely any surf or current, it wasnt really an issue with it collecting. It was more a pain to find clean sand for the sputnick to grip. It sometimes took 2-3 casts to get the sputnick to hit clean sand instead weed.
In the End, Joe had a few takes that never truly connected and I ended up with 2 7's and missed a buzzer beater that dropped the bait as I reel down on him.
81" male, falling tide, Bonito chunk.
90" male, low slack tide, Bonito Head.
I arrived at the AO at about 6pm hoping that I might get some twilight action with all the heavy overcast.
Alas it ended up not to be. Joe rolls up around 7pm and I haven't had so much as a bump other than crabs which were really bad tonight. (I actually had a big Bonito tail completely stripped to nothing but skin and back bone during a 20 min soak.)
Joe starts setting up and shortly after, my far rod starts a slow clicker run. I ran over and get the fish on the line. At first it felt like the right kind, but somehow the fishgods turned it into a 30inch Bat when it hit the sand. (*shakes fist at the fishgods*)
Shortly after as the tide got lower, some grass and mini kelp made an appearance. With barely any surf or current, it wasnt really an issue with it collecting. It was more a pain to find clean sand for the sputnick to grip. It sometimes took 2-3 casts to get the sputnick to hit clean sand instead weed.
In the End, Joe had a few takes that never truly connected and I ended up with 2 7's and missed a buzzer beater that dropped the bait as I reel down on him.
81" male, falling tide, Bonito chunk.
90" male, low slack tide, Bonito Head.
23
Lure & Rig Crafting Board / Fish Jerk's Pulley Rig (Grinner style)
« on: June 04, 2016, 12:52:22 AM »
Ok I just wanted to post my version of the standard pulley rig, just up-sized with 7 gills and soupies in mind.
The basics of the pulley rig consist of in order, Sinker, bait clip, running line with beads and free running swivel, swivel, leader, hook. These are the components I have been using.
I have been using "Gemini Splashdown" bait clips lately and really like that they positively lock until splashdown which prevents your weight and bait from separating in mid cast. Other components include 500lb swivels, 10 mm beads and 12/0 or 13/0 Eagle Claw L2004 circle hooks. I have found these to be excellent quality for a great price.
Generally speaking, most directions tell you to use a plain swivel as your free running swivel, however, I have found that having mono fold over just the swivel caused a severe crimp in the line from casting and always gives me doubts about having a weak point. So I came up with my solution, which is the item in the upper right above. I take a size small thimble and swivel and crimp together with heavy mono. This gives my "pulley" a wider pivot point that prevents the line from developing the kink.
Here is a picture of an assembled rig. I am using 125lb mono here and 270lb 49 strand uncoated cable. Of course everything is double crimped, with shrink wrap on the leader side crimps. A few important points about the pulley rig. The sinker weight must be greater than bait weight and the Mono section must be longer than the leader section. I have been using a leader length of approximately 3 feet and a mono section of around 4 1/2 feet. When folded and ready for casting this gives me around a 4 to 4 1/2 foot drop from rod tip to sinker which works well for me.
You may have noticed a small mono loop attached to the hook. The reason for it is due to the Gemini clip. the clip is only designed for light wire hooks up to about 2/0, so the mono loop allows me to clip any size hook I want to the clip. I use 60lb mono for this and it is attached to hook eye, not the leader loop.
Here is the rig, ready to cast.
Closeups of the pulley section and the hook / clip section.
The basic principle benefits of the pulley rig are 2 fold:
The primary negative(for some) of the pulley rig is that it works best with Circle hooks which do not require "setting the hook". The pulley rig would require tightening of the pulley system prior to setting the hook and could result in a fish dropping the bait. On a side note, probably not such a big deal with any of the fish make the reel scream, but might be more troublesome for those more finicky fish that just sit there chowing down instead of taking off.
I recently made up some "stealth" versions for my next trip. These include coated 49strand 270lb cable and taped hooks to supposedly reduce the "electrical signature" of the metal in salt water.
Enjoy...
Ron
The basics of the pulley rig consist of in order, Sinker, bait clip, running line with beads and free running swivel, swivel, leader, hook. These are the components I have been using.
I have been using "Gemini Splashdown" bait clips lately and really like that they positively lock until splashdown which prevents your weight and bait from separating in mid cast. Other components include 500lb swivels, 10 mm beads and 12/0 or 13/0 Eagle Claw L2004 circle hooks. I have found these to be excellent quality for a great price.
Generally speaking, most directions tell you to use a plain swivel as your free running swivel, however, I have found that having mono fold over just the swivel caused a severe crimp in the line from casting and always gives me doubts about having a weak point. So I came up with my solution, which is the item in the upper right above. I take a size small thimble and swivel and crimp together with heavy mono. This gives my "pulley" a wider pivot point that prevents the line from developing the kink.
Here is a picture of an assembled rig. I am using 125lb mono here and 270lb 49 strand uncoated cable. Of course everything is double crimped, with shrink wrap on the leader side crimps. A few important points about the pulley rig. The sinker weight must be greater than bait weight and the Mono section must be longer than the leader section. I have been using a leader length of approximately 3 feet and a mono section of around 4 1/2 feet. When folded and ready for casting this gives me around a 4 to 4 1/2 foot drop from rod tip to sinker which works well for me.
You may have noticed a small mono loop attached to the hook. The reason for it is due to the Gemini clip. the clip is only designed for light wire hooks up to about 2/0, so the mono loop allows me to clip any size hook I want to the clip. I use 60lb mono for this and it is attached to hook eye, not the leader loop.
Here is the rig, ready to cast.
Closeups of the pulley section and the hook / clip section.
The basic principle benefits of the pulley rig are 2 fold:
- Increased Distance and Castability - Keeping the weight and bait together streamlines everthing resulting in a longer cast.
- Decreased Sinker Snag - While fighting a fish, the nature of the rig pulls the sinker tight and in-line reducing(not preventing) the chance of the sinker snagging on bottom debris. (The 3-way rig and the Clip-down running rig both leave the sinker leg dangling which increases the likelihood of the sinker snagging bottom during the fight)
The primary negative(for some) of the pulley rig is that it works best with Circle hooks which do not require "setting the hook". The pulley rig would require tightening of the pulley system prior to setting the hook and could result in a fish dropping the bait. On a side note, probably not such a big deal with any of the fish make the reel scream, but might be more troublesome for those more finicky fish that just sit there chowing down instead of taking off.
I recently made up some "stealth" versions for my next trip. These include coated 49strand 270lb cable and taped hooks to supposedly reduce the "electrical signature" of the metal in salt water.
Enjoy...
Ron
24
Salt Water Shore Fishing Reports / VC JACKPOT: 7 7 7 (5/29/16)
« on: May 30, 2016, 03:02:11 AM »
WOW!!!
What a night. With the great surf conditions, I just had to take a run to VC to have a try at some more 7's. As it turns out, I am so very glad that I did. there was as much tidal movement as I would have liked, but when the surf gods give you less than a 1 foot swell/surf, you just can't ignore the call. Unfortunately, I had to fly solo as I had 2 friends who were unable to join me tonite.
Conditions were great, mild current, mild surf and no weeds.
On the drive out, I was glad to see that there was cloud cover starting just south of where I was heading. I was hoping this meant few people at this beach today, and I was right. I was able to setup as soon as I parked the Jeep. I had a line in the water by 7pm and was hoping for an early grinner for a good pic. Alas it wasn't to be.
I was getting a bit less optimistic as I had 2 rods for about 1.5 hours with nary a nibble, just some crab picked bait to show.
Around 8:30 ish, I decided to pop on some glows on my rods before it got pitch black. I get the glow on the closest rod, walk over to the further rod, stretch it out, put the glow on and just about dropped the rig in the sand as I get good thump. My heart starts pumping as I slowly get the rod back into an upright position and, thump thump. I give it a little slack and feel something pull the slack out. Alright I think, time to get busy. I reel down, tighten the drag then slowly pull back to set the circle and am rewarded with the head shakes I'm looking for. Alright, fish-on! The shark makes a short run, then starts the classic side to side swimming back and forth along the beach. I finally get him in the skinny, since I'm solo this trip again, I place the rod in my spike, loosen the drag and make a sprint to the surf to grab the shock leader. I make the solo tail grab and have to keep jumping my feet out of the way as this guys pretty feisty. Pretty happy for myself, I get the hook out and start working the tape back until the tail reads 89 inches. Awesome, a new PB by an inch. Ok, now I gotta do the tail dance again and get him safely back in the water and watch as he sinuously makes his way out past the surf. Give myself a pat on the back for a job well done.
89 inch - male
Alright get the rod back working, sit down and make a few txt's to my buddy's that couldn't make it. Sean congratulates me and tells me to go get another one. Little did he know that I would literally do just that and then some.
30 minutes go by, and the same rod goes Thumpitty Thump, and then a slow run gets my clicker going, zzzzzzzzzzz! I jump up and grab the rod and get the circle set, FISH ON! Alright, feel the head shakes and think YES! Another of the right kind. This one feels a little smaller than the last one. I'm thinking, it's ok, any grinner is better than no grinner, right? Boy, was I wrong about the size, Just as I can tell the toothy one is getting close to the shore, she finally remembers how to fight and powers herself straight out about 50 yds against my locked Fathom 30 drag. She does this last minute power run 2 more times before I can see her in the surf and hear her tail slapping like a giant bats wing flaps. Ok, now for the tail grab, rod in the spike, loosen the drag and a sprint down to the waters edge. Once I got a good look at the size of her, I felt like running back up the beach to get away from the monster. I grab the tail, wait for a wave to give a hand and pull.....I almost put my back out and felt like I was gonna pop my shoulder out of place. Oh my gaud! This B**** is heavy. In the end, I couldnt get her past the upper reach of the incoming waves. Without the water to help, I just couldn't budge her. This one took a little longer to get the hook out, she just kept lifting her head and snapping at me. This was literally the first shark I was really afraid of.
I get up the nerve to start the 1 man taping endeavor, and successfully finished with both hands and both feet intact. I conservatively got her taped at 107" of mean B****. I think she might have gone an inch or two bigger had I been able to do a better job. It took me about 5 minutes to get her to go in the right direction towards deeper water. I swear she was intent on taking a piece of me with her everytime I got her in the water.
107 inch - female
Took a 15 minute rest and watched some fool kayakers trying to launch in the dark until they finally gave up. Its about 10pm now and need to pull the rods at 10:30. I decide to keep using the lucky rod and move it to my closer spike, bait up with another bonito chunk and get it set. Make a few more txts while I catch my breath. At 10:18pm I get the buzzer beater Thump Thump. This one was at little anticlimatic. I decided not to tape this one, but estimate it was in the mid to high 70's. this was hooked further up from the corner of the mouth than the circles usually catch. It was close to this little girls right eye, I had a heck of a time getting the hook out, as the eye of the hook kept wanting to poke her in her eye and I was trying to be very careful to not damage it. Once I got the hook out, she started bleeding somewhat from the wound in her mouth. I decide just to get her back in the water as quickly as possible, so no pic and no tape on this one.
For the record, all 3 hit Bonito, nothing on mac tonight.
89" - Male (claspers were not engorged on this one, breeding season over maybe?)
107" - Female
75" - Female (size estimated)
What a night. With the great surf conditions, I just had to take a run to VC to have a try at some more 7's. As it turns out, I am so very glad that I did. there was as much tidal movement as I would have liked, but when the surf gods give you less than a 1 foot swell/surf, you just can't ignore the call. Unfortunately, I had to fly solo as I had 2 friends who were unable to join me tonite.
Conditions were great, mild current, mild surf and no weeds.
On the drive out, I was glad to see that there was cloud cover starting just south of where I was heading. I was hoping this meant few people at this beach today, and I was right. I was able to setup as soon as I parked the Jeep. I had a line in the water by 7pm and was hoping for an early grinner for a good pic. Alas it wasn't to be.
I was getting a bit less optimistic as I had 2 rods for about 1.5 hours with nary a nibble, just some crab picked bait to show.
Around 8:30 ish, I decided to pop on some glows on my rods before it got pitch black. I get the glow on the closest rod, walk over to the further rod, stretch it out, put the glow on and just about dropped the rig in the sand as I get good thump. My heart starts pumping as I slowly get the rod back into an upright position and, thump thump. I give it a little slack and feel something pull the slack out. Alright I think, time to get busy. I reel down, tighten the drag then slowly pull back to set the circle and am rewarded with the head shakes I'm looking for. Alright, fish-on! The shark makes a short run, then starts the classic side to side swimming back and forth along the beach. I finally get him in the skinny, since I'm solo this trip again, I place the rod in my spike, loosen the drag and make a sprint to the surf to grab the shock leader. I make the solo tail grab and have to keep jumping my feet out of the way as this guys pretty feisty. Pretty happy for myself, I get the hook out and start working the tape back until the tail reads 89 inches. Awesome, a new PB by an inch. Ok, now I gotta do the tail dance again and get him safely back in the water and watch as he sinuously makes his way out past the surf. Give myself a pat on the back for a job well done.
89 inch - male
Alright get the rod back working, sit down and make a few txt's to my buddy's that couldn't make it. Sean congratulates me and tells me to go get another one. Little did he know that I would literally do just that and then some.
30 minutes go by, and the same rod goes Thumpitty Thump, and then a slow run gets my clicker going, zzzzzzzzzzz! I jump up and grab the rod and get the circle set, FISH ON! Alright, feel the head shakes and think YES! Another of the right kind. This one feels a little smaller than the last one. I'm thinking, it's ok, any grinner is better than no grinner, right? Boy, was I wrong about the size, Just as I can tell the toothy one is getting close to the shore, she finally remembers how to fight and powers herself straight out about 50 yds against my locked Fathom 30 drag. She does this last minute power run 2 more times before I can see her in the surf and hear her tail slapping like a giant bats wing flaps. Ok, now for the tail grab, rod in the spike, loosen the drag and a sprint down to the waters edge. Once I got a good look at the size of her, I felt like running back up the beach to get away from the monster. I grab the tail, wait for a wave to give a hand and pull.....I almost put my back out and felt like I was gonna pop my shoulder out of place. Oh my gaud! This B**** is heavy. In the end, I couldnt get her past the upper reach of the incoming waves. Without the water to help, I just couldn't budge her. This one took a little longer to get the hook out, she just kept lifting her head and snapping at me. This was literally the first shark I was really afraid of.
I get up the nerve to start the 1 man taping endeavor, and successfully finished with both hands and both feet intact. I conservatively got her taped at 107" of mean B****. I think she might have gone an inch or two bigger had I been able to do a better job. It took me about 5 minutes to get her to go in the right direction towards deeper water. I swear she was intent on taking a piece of me with her everytime I got her in the water.
107 inch - female
Took a 15 minute rest and watched some fool kayakers trying to launch in the dark until they finally gave up. Its about 10pm now and need to pull the rods at 10:30. I decide to keep using the lucky rod and move it to my closer spike, bait up with another bonito chunk and get it set. Make a few more txts while I catch my breath. At 10:18pm I get the buzzer beater Thump Thump. This one was at little anticlimatic. I decided not to tape this one, but estimate it was in the mid to high 70's. this was hooked further up from the corner of the mouth than the circles usually catch. It was close to this little girls right eye, I had a heck of a time getting the hook out, as the eye of the hook kept wanting to poke her in her eye and I was trying to be very careful to not damage it. Once I got the hook out, she started bleeding somewhat from the wound in her mouth. I decide just to get her back in the water as quickly as possible, so no pic and no tape on this one.
For the record, all 3 hit Bonito, nothing on mac tonight.
89" - Male (claspers were not engorged on this one, breeding season over maybe?)
107" - Female
75" - Female (size estimated)
25
Salt Water Shore Fishing Reports / Rolled another 7 in VC 4-16 (added crappy picture)
« on: April 17, 2016, 01:34:16 PM »
I finally had a chance to hit sand again. The conditions looked pretty good for a VC Seven hunt.
Conditions were great. 1' Surf and the wind died down to almost nothing at sunset. High tide right before sunset so there would be some water movement during the session.
I missed a short bite that never did more than make the rod jump once or twice. The Bonito head looked untouched except for where the crabs were chewing the end. Decided to recast the same bait so I poke a couple holes with the knife for more juice and winged it back out. Didn't even have to wait 10 minutes before I see the rod tip doing the seven dance. After a brief fight, consisting of short runs and bulldog headshakes, I was able to beach the 79" seven. A quick hook removal and quick release with the shark swimming off strong.
Not bad for a short session.
Insert Crappy Picture here!!!
Conditions were great. 1' Surf and the wind died down to almost nothing at sunset. High tide right before sunset so there would be some water movement during the session.
I missed a short bite that never did more than make the rod jump once or twice. The Bonito head looked untouched except for where the crabs were chewing the end. Decided to recast the same bait so I poke a couple holes with the knife for more juice and winged it back out. Didn't even have to wait 10 minutes before I see the rod tip doing the seven dance. After a brief fight, consisting of short runs and bulldog headshakes, I was able to beach the 79" seven. A quick hook removal and quick release with the shark swimming off strong.
Not bad for a short session.
Insert Crappy Picture here!!!
26
Salt Water Shore Fishing Reports / Finally rolled a 7! - UPDATED w/pics
« on: March 19, 2016, 09:57:32 PM »
OK. I finally picked up my first 7-gill after trying for so long.
It was a fine male specimen with fully engorged claspers. Definitely in full breeding mode. Length was 88"
Bait was a middle chunk of Bonito.
Conditions were 1-3 with some good shore pound every few minutes.
Picked him up just after peak high.
Almost forgot, caught in VC.
It was a fine male specimen with fully engorged claspers. Definitely in full breeding mode. Length was 88"
Bait was a middle chunk of Bonito.
Conditions were 1-3 with some good shore pound every few minutes.
Picked him up just after peak high.
Almost forgot, caught in VC.
27
Salt Water Shore Fishing Reports / Batting strike out, Leo saves the night
« on: February 29, 2016, 06:06:32 PM »
I decided to try for an LA bat again this Sunday, Noone else was available, so flew solo.
Had a small run first, maybe 3-4 yds, poof gone before I even got the rod out of the holder. I reeled in to check bait and found a perfect 1/2 circle cut out of Bonito head (neck area). It looked clean cut, I can only assume it was a small grinner that couldnt get the whole bait in its mouth. the 1/2 circle cut was only about 2 1/2 inches wide.
About an hour later, I got a good run on my closest rod. After a decent fight, the 54" Leo hits the beach.
After another hour got another short run on the far rod. This one seemed bat-ish, medium slow run for about 4-5 yds, Just as I get the rod in my hands, I feel the fish drop it. I let it sit for a few minutes, but it never came back. Checked the bait to find the bottom 1/2 of the mac tail crushed flat up to bend of the hook. I figure it was a small bat that didn't get the whole bait in its mouth before swimming off with its dinner.
That was it for the night. Not normally a super productive night, but compared to what we've been seeing up in the LA are this year, I am not really gonna complain.
Had a small run first, maybe 3-4 yds, poof gone before I even got the rod out of the holder. I reeled in to check bait and found a perfect 1/2 circle cut out of Bonito head (neck area). It looked clean cut, I can only assume it was a small grinner that couldnt get the whole bait in its mouth. the 1/2 circle cut was only about 2 1/2 inches wide.
About an hour later, I got a good run on my closest rod. After a decent fight, the 54" Leo hits the beach.
After another hour got another short run on the far rod. This one seemed bat-ish, medium slow run for about 4-5 yds, Just as I get the rod in my hands, I feel the fish drop it. I let it sit for a few minutes, but it never came back. Checked the bait to find the bottom 1/2 of the mac tail crushed flat up to bend of the hook. I figure it was a small bat that didn't get the whole bait in its mouth before swimming off with its dinner.
That was it for the night. Not normally a super productive night, but compared to what we've been seeing up in the LA are this year, I am not really gonna complain.
28
Classifieds / FS:Spinning and Conventional(SOLD) Long rod setups
« on: February 26, 2016, 07:56:00 PM »
Selling an Okuma Coronado CD-80A and Okuma Solaris 12' Spinning rod.
Looking to sell as a combo for $150 OBO.
Both rod and reel are 9.5/10 cosmetic/mechanical condition.
Rod is rated at 3-8oz with the sweet spot of 4-5oz + bait.
Combo was only used a few times before switching to conventional.
Reel was rinsed after every trip and comes loaded with 50# PP braid.
Reel comes complete with box and all parts.
SOLD - Selling a Daiwa Sealine 40SHA reel & Okuma Longitude 12' Casting rod.
Looking to sell as a combo for $125.
Both rod and reel are 9.5/10 cosmetic/mechanical condition.
Rod is rated at 3-8oz with the sweet spot of 4-5oz + bait.
Rod was used 2-3 times as a secondary back-up rod,
Reel was rinsed after every trip and is static magged.
Reel comes complete with box and all parts including the brake blocks and rod clamp hardware.
Located in the San Fernando Valley.
PM or Post any Questions, reasonable offers will be considered.
~Ron~
Looking to sell as a combo for $150 OBO.
Both rod and reel are 9.5/10 cosmetic/mechanical condition.
Rod is rated at 3-8oz with the sweet spot of 4-5oz + bait.
Combo was only used a few times before switching to conventional.
Reel was rinsed after every trip and comes loaded with 50# PP braid.
Reel comes complete with box and all parts.
SOLD - Selling a Daiwa Sealine 40SHA reel & Okuma Longitude 12' Casting rod.
Looking to sell as a combo for $125.
Both rod and reel are 9.5/10 cosmetic/mechanical condition.
Rod is rated at 3-8oz with the sweet spot of 4-5oz + bait.
Rod was used 2-3 times as a secondary back-up rod,
Reel was rinsed after every trip and is static magged.
Reel comes complete with box and all parts including the brake blocks and rod clamp hardware.
Located in the San Fernando Valley.
PM or Post any Questions, reasonable offers will be considered.
~Ron~
29
Salt Water Shore Fishing Reports / Redemption 2/13
« on: February 14, 2016, 11:09:31 AM »
Well, after getting bit off last week by a large shark, I was itchin for round 2.
Hit up the same spot running solo. I was determined to go big or go home, so no squish.
Brought a couple Bones and some new bait I found at the local asian market (Baby Mullet - 4-5 in.)
Fished from 6-10pm. First up was a nice 53" Leo to get the heart pumping. Thanks go out to nice Young couple who wandered by just as the clicker screamed for taking this Pic.
Being already 1/2 way thru to quitting time and the tide now starting to come in good, I decided to put the head, I had been saving on. This was a good size head about 6-7 oz. Zingged that puppy out there to soak. After about 1/2 an hour, I notice a slightly different rhythm to the pulses on my rod tip. Looks like something playing with the bait. I walk over to get a better look, 2-3 clicks as a little line slips. I keep watching as it looks a little like weed buildup as well. 3 more clicks. I pick up the rod to get a feel for whats going on and feel a couple 1/2 hearted tugs. Just as I am getting ready to pop the sputnic to check the line, a very slow click, click, click, click as line is slowly released. For every increase in the drag as I tighten down, there is similar increase in the speed that the line leaves the spool. It wasn't until I hit full drag that she hit the afterburners and proceeded to take 150yds of line. She pretty much burned herself out in the first run though.
I finally get her to the surf, and the real battle begins. Bringing in big bats in the surf solo really sucks. But got her in and safely released, big fat and preggo. Taped at 47", but could not get a tape pic solo.
That was it for the night, kinda glad though as I was pretty beat by that Bat and wasn't sure I wanted to deal with another one.
Thanks for reading.
Ron
Hit up the same spot running solo. I was determined to go big or go home, so no squish.
Brought a couple Bones and some new bait I found at the local asian market (Baby Mullet - 4-5 in.)
Fished from 6-10pm. First up was a nice 53" Leo to get the heart pumping. Thanks go out to nice Young couple who wandered by just as the clicker screamed for taking this Pic.
Being already 1/2 way thru to quitting time and the tide now starting to come in good, I decided to put the head, I had been saving on. This was a good size head about 6-7 oz. Zingged that puppy out there to soak. After about 1/2 an hour, I notice a slightly different rhythm to the pulses on my rod tip. Looks like something playing with the bait. I walk over to get a better look, 2-3 clicks as a little line slips. I keep watching as it looks a little like weed buildup as well. 3 more clicks. I pick up the rod to get a feel for whats going on and feel a couple 1/2 hearted tugs. Just as I am getting ready to pop the sputnic to check the line, a very slow click, click, click, click as line is slowly released. For every increase in the drag as I tighten down, there is similar increase in the speed that the line leaves the spool. It wasn't until I hit full drag that she hit the afterburners and proceeded to take 150yds of line. She pretty much burned herself out in the first run though.
I finally get her to the surf, and the real battle begins. Bringing in big bats in the surf solo really sucks. But got her in and safely released, big fat and preggo. Taped at 47", but could not get a tape pic solo.
That was it for the night, kinda glad though as I was pretty beat by that Bat and wasn't sure I wanted to deal with another one.
Thanks for reading.
Ron
30
Salt Water Shore Fishing Reports / New PB Surf Halibut 10/4
« on: October 04, 2015, 08:21:50 PM »
Made plans to hit the beach with my buddy Sean. Not sure what we were gonna run into as the forecast was for 50% chance of rain and it was drizzling when I picked him up. The day turned out great, stayed overcast till around 9-10, no rain, low surf and slack tide coming.Overall we had some great conditions today.
We picked up some of the usual suspects: mac, bone, pancakes and calicos, Sean picked up a Juvie WSB & I scored my second Legal halibut and new PB, all 35.5 inches of Fatty Flatty.
I got a big hit while working a spot Sean had said to hit while he went back to rework another spot. First cast, picked up a micro bone at 8-10 in that I decided to keep for bait. 2nd cast, 1/2 way in, BANG, zzzz zzzz zzzz. I could tell it was a big fish, but didn't know just how big. Originally, I was thinking either a nice legal hali or a big Calico by the way it was fighting. Heavy strong fish, head shakes and stayed deep. After a couple good runs, as the fish got into the surf zone, it did a somersault and I caught a glimpse of the huge white belly and tail, I was like, "Holy S**t, big Hali!. I knew then that I wanted a landing assist with this one, so I bellowed for Sean who was 200yds down the beach and frantically waved him to get his rear over to me. Once Sean arrives and I get the beast into the shallows, it took 3-4 tries to get her far enough up the beach for Sean to get a good tail grab and finish pushing her up the sand. We took some pics and back in the water she goes. I big tail slap to say goodbye and off she goes strong as can be.
Epic day on the sand and thanks for reading.
We picked up some of the usual suspects: mac, bone, pancakes and calicos, Sean picked up a Juvie WSB & I scored my second Legal halibut and new PB, all 35.5 inches of Fatty Flatty.
I got a big hit while working a spot Sean had said to hit while he went back to rework another spot. First cast, picked up a micro bone at 8-10 in that I decided to keep for bait. 2nd cast, 1/2 way in, BANG, zzzz zzzz zzzz. I could tell it was a big fish, but didn't know just how big. Originally, I was thinking either a nice legal hali or a big Calico by the way it was fighting. Heavy strong fish, head shakes and stayed deep. After a couple good runs, as the fish got into the surf zone, it did a somersault and I caught a glimpse of the huge white belly and tail, I was like, "Holy S**t, big Hali!. I knew then that I wanted a landing assist with this one, so I bellowed for Sean who was 200yds down the beach and frantically waved him to get his rear over to me. Once Sean arrives and I get the beast into the shallows, it took 3-4 tries to get her far enough up the beach for Sean to get a good tail grab and finish pushing her up the sand. We took some pics and back in the water she goes. I big tail slap to say goodbye and off she goes strong as can be.
Epic day on the sand and thanks for reading.