This weekend's forecast was looking like sh!t, so I told myself a few days ago that I'd commit some time to learning the harbors more this weekend.
Was on the phone with my mom yesterday and she asked if I was coming up for my dad's birthday on Sunday. It was the first time I considered his birthday in over a month and I hadn't gotten him anything yet. So I threw the idea out there that he come down my way and he join me in fishing the harbor and come on my boat for the first time, and maybe I get him his first spotty. He was a quick yes to the idea. I told him to bring a bass rod and whatever lures he felt like, but I'm overloaded with suitable tackle and we can pick from that.
He showed up at Newport ramp about 5 minutes after me, right about 0700. Boat in the water by 0730, and casting spinnerbaits at grass by 0735. Peak low was at 0800 so I figured the tighter water column around the grass might help things out. Well it didn't, so we moved on to docks.
I've been meaning to try drop shotting a streamer fly for spotties for a hot minute but I keep forgetting. But I already had a scampi tied on and wanted to go with tried and true to test the bite out. Dad started with dropshot gulp ghost shrimp at the docks. I got on the board early on with a decent fish.
Here it is, alongside my dad, busy with switching out his dropshot for a scampi.
With that bite, I decided to stick with the scampi for a while longer.
Flipped docks for about an hour before my dad was over that part of the program, so we switched to drop shotting gulp and drifting over the channel in hopes of halibut or whatever. I got a short halibut a few minutes into the first drift on the jerk shad.
Here's the fish (lefty), and my dad grabbing the jerk shad bag to switch out his ghost shrimp.
At the end of the next drift I got another slightly larger, but still short. Missed the first netting and he went on a wild run under the boat. Line was tore up all over afterward.
Righty.
Dad stoked on breaking the skunk with a lil turd roller.
Went tit for tat with him on that one. Shown here is dad visibly annoyed that I'm outfishing him.
Had one more drift for nada, called it a day around noon. He was impressed with the boat, albeit sore. Wish I got him a spotty but we'll have to do it another time. Fun day. I'll do it again solo tomorrow, maybe Huntington is next. Haven't hit it from the boat yet.
