January and February 2023 reports

[Farmer_Joey]

Have been fishing non-stop this winter, both bait drops and casted baits up to 4 times a week. Neither has been very productive but i have managed a few fish this year. The casted soupfin bite died in november and sevengill fishing has been very very slow from december-january so i have been fishing for different species or fishing different areas such as sd bay.

1/20/23
Fished a PM high tide in sd bay doing bait drops with a couple friends. First bait is bit in 10 minutes but spits it. Drop again and I'm bit and hook it this time. We get it landed and it's a soupfin right around 6ft but pretty fat. Bit right at the high tide. Really pretty coloring, a very golden brown all the way around with almost no white underbelly, only soupfin I've seen look like this. Fished through the outgoing and my friend had a handful of other bites that spit the bait and hooked one that he farmed.

1/21/23
Went out the next night to a deep water spot with 2 friends to fish for something a little different on bait drops. Good conditions, no wind and small surf. Baits were soaking while  we were all talking and my friend's rod bounces down hard. He let's it eat for a little bit and sets the hook. He fights his fish for a couple minutes when i see my reel is upside down in the rod holder and then line is on the ground. Slack line bite. Run to my rod and wind into it and I'm hooked up too. I'm on heavier gear so we end up landing them almost at the same time, both smaller grade prickly sharks. My friend's being 5.5ft and mine around 7.5ft. Released them back to back. These fish are delicate and don't swim well in the surf so we swam out with them past the surf to make sure they got back out fine. My friend that i doubled up with had to leave after so i stayed for another hour or so with my other buddy and he landed another prickly as we were packing up, about the same size as mine. Successful night, went 3 for 3 all landing one each.

1/27/23
Went back to the same spot with the same species in mind. Similar conditions other than even smaller surf and incoming tide rather than outgoing and this time there was 5 of us. I get bit just before midnight and it feels a lot bigger than my pervious fish. Still made short work of it on the heavy tackle and it got to the surf quick, pricklies don't tend to fight very hard. We get it landed and it's much bigger than my first one, over 10ft and estimated at 500-600lbs. It had a lot of energy so we released it fast and it actually swam off pretty well. Two other bites after that but both spit the bait. Only one fish landed that night but the size made up for it.

2/2/23
Fished surf casted baits at one of my favorite spots in SD, not much to report other than a sasquatch sighting up the beach and a missed bite from some type of shark right at high tide.

2/10/23
Went back down to sd bay to fish dropped baits during the PM incoming tide. Had baits out an hour after dark and we were bit pretty quick. First fish hooked and landed was mine, another fat soupfin. Near the top of the tide around 11pm my friend gets bit and it's another good sized soupfin. Missed a few bites as well. Left after we landed the 2nd soupfin.

[Farmer_Joey]

Not sure if prickly sharks count for the list or bay caught sharks but if they do I'll post tide, sex, water temp etc for them.

[Latimeria]

Not sure if prickly sharks count for the list or bay caught sharks but if they do I'll post tide, sex, water temp etc for them.

They would qualify.... 

[Latimeria]

Man, you have been fishing a bunch!  Was that you I saw a video of with the Prickly shark in the surf a few weeks ago?  I'm guessing it probably was!

Once again, Nicely done boss!

[vdisney]

Here's the pics   









Good job guys

[Farmer_Joey]

Man, you have been fishing a bunch!  Was that you I saw a video of with the Prickly shark in the surf a few weeks ago?  I'm guessing it probably was!

Once again, Nicely done boss!

Yes that was me haha, I'm the one in the video with my shirt off.

1/20/23, soupfin, 72 inches approx, female, bonito, 0ft surf (caught from a beach in the bay), 58 degree water, high tide, waning crescent, San Diego county

1/21/23, prickly shark, 90 inch approx, female, bonito, 2-3ft surf, 58 degree water, outgoing tide, new moon, LA county

1/27/23, prickly shark, 120 inches approx, female, bonito, 0-1ft surf, 58 degree water, incoming tide, waxing crescent, LA county

2/10/23, soupfin, 74 inches approx, female, bonito, 0ft surf, 57 degree water, incoming tide, waning gibbous, SD county

[jrodda]

Holy sh!t! Well done. Got on those exotics real good. That big one is BIG.

[xjchad]

Great catches for sure!  That monster prickly shark is rad!

[Ethansauce_]

Very cool! I'm super jealous haha, prickly sharks been on my list for a while!