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Just a taste from across the sea. First report here.
Launched in the dark at a favorite beachbreak in Laguna Beach.
No later than 0545.
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Somewhere out there is Brisbane. Ha.
It was cloudy and the wind ripping offshore, out the canyon was chilly. There was a setting fullish moon, but with the clouds it was still really dark. Luckily there was small swell. Wait for the surge, put in, and stroke for 20 yards. This beach can have 3, 4, 5 meter faces detonating right on shore, if there's a huricane off Baja California or the Kiwi's send something our way [hint-hint]. Not today.
Just outside the break, I was rigging up and tossing plastics and spoons and it was quite active. The fish were small but I got 3 small halibut, 2 bonita, 4 sandbass, and 4 mackerel. Once I got the first mackerel, he went down toward the bottom rigged for a bigger halibut. This action petered out, and I had spent an hour and a half or so.
I then started my paddle to my coordinates I wanted to fish, about 2.5 miles away, still dragging my mack with an 8oz torpedo. I'd paddle 3-5 strokes then let that weight hit the bottom again for a bit and then paddle again. This went on for a while without much going on.
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Crappy pic, but that's the best I got. Not a very photogenic day.
It was still gray and hazy and a little windy, with the wind backing to the S, now --supposed to be from the N. Huh. On one of my pauses, the down rig seemed snagged. Once I got it out of the holder I felt a thump and started fighting it like a big 'but --loose drag, not too much rod movement; just winch. We played yo-yo 3 times, as he would take off back to the bottom. Finally he was close and I raised the rod and saw...my mack. WTF? The mack had worked its way up the leader and got caught on the dropper. I laughed out loud. Here I was hauling up something fiesty, and it appears to be my bait. Well right after the mack incident, I saw my biggest Lingcod, ever. Biggest for Laguna, biggest on a yak, my biggest period. I gaffed him in the jaw and hauled him aboard. While I was dicking around with my stringer, he jumped off the gaff and head-first into my crotch. My first reaction was to lay on him. Again I'm laughing to myself. I'm about to be yakko castratto.
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He mellow's and I stick him in the jaw again and then get him on the stringer and secured, and then I cut a gill. No, he wasn't done, yet. He jumped off one more time, but he was well lashed by that time.
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You can imagine the carnage going on. I'm splatter-painted. The mackerel [bait] is 33cm, and the ling is 81cm.
After that unexpected excitement, I made my way up to the spot I intended to fish, another 0.5 mile, where I found very little action at all, so I started my way back. The troll back was uneventful, as was the landing. Very fun morning, and I'll be eating some fine flaky fish for din. I wanted to get a baracuda to compare to the snook, but not today. The main action was still too early, too close to the waves, and too dark to have my camera out and ready, so any other species pix will have to wait.
Troy
Launched in the dark at a favorite beachbreak in Laguna Beach.
No later than 0545.
Somewhere out there is Brisbane. Ha.
It was cloudy and the wind ripping offshore, out the canyon was chilly. There was a setting fullish moon, but with the clouds it was still really dark. Luckily there was small swell. Wait for the surge, put in, and stroke for 20 yards. This beach can have 3, 4, 5 meter faces detonating right on shore, if there's a huricane off Baja California or the Kiwi's send something our way [hint-hint]. Not today.
Just outside the break, I was rigging up and tossing plastics and spoons and it was quite active. The fish were small but I got 3 small halibut, 2 bonita, 4 sandbass, and 4 mackerel. Once I got the first mackerel, he went down toward the bottom rigged for a bigger halibut. This action petered out, and I had spent an hour and a half or so.
I then started my paddle to my coordinates I wanted to fish, about 2.5 miles away, still dragging my mack with an 8oz torpedo. I'd paddle 3-5 strokes then let that weight hit the bottom again for a bit and then paddle again. This went on for a while without much going on.
Crappy pic, but that's the best I got. Not a very photogenic day.
It was still gray and hazy and a little windy, with the wind backing to the S, now --supposed to be from the N. Huh. On one of my pauses, the down rig seemed snagged. Once I got it out of the holder I felt a thump and started fighting it like a big 'but --loose drag, not too much rod movement; just winch. We played yo-yo 3 times, as he would take off back to the bottom. Finally he was close and I raised the rod and saw...my mack. WTF? The mack had worked its way up the leader and got caught on the dropper. I laughed out loud. Here I was hauling up something fiesty, and it appears to be my bait. Well right after the mack incident, I saw my biggest Lingcod, ever. Biggest for Laguna, biggest on a yak, my biggest period. I gaffed him in the jaw and hauled him aboard. While I was dicking around with my stringer, he jumped off the gaff and head-first into my crotch. My first reaction was to lay on him. Again I'm laughing to myself. I'm about to be yakko castratto.
He mellow's and I stick him in the jaw again and then get him on the stringer and secured, and then I cut a gill. No, he wasn't done, yet. He jumped off one more time, but he was well lashed by that time.
You can imagine the carnage going on. I'm splatter-painted. The mackerel [bait] is 33cm, and the ling is 81cm.
After that unexpected excitement, I made my way up to the spot I intended to fish, another 0.5 mile, where I found very little action at all, so I started my way back. The troll back was uneventful, as was the landing. Very fun morning, and I'll be eating some fine flaky fish for din. I wanted to get a baracuda to compare to the snook, but not today. The main action was still too early, too close to the waves, and too dark to have my camera out and ready, so any other species pix will have to wait.
Troy
