Pacific Adventure, Catalina

The day started out overcast and chilly at the start but the water was much warmer than last time. Tied myself to the kelp throughout the day, came away with half a dozen short calicos. Got my bait stolen a bunch of times by kelpfish and other small fries. The anchovies we had to work with were a little on the small side and I only had a handful of sardines. There was a stretch of beaches along the way and like the others I tried for some halibut but only got 1 short. Got a pair of legal sheepheads while resetting my drifts, both released. I didn't see any birds/boils except for some very brief activity near the end of our trip.

The crew actually made out pretty good--I saw 3 or 4 large bonito (maybe 5 lbs?) and a large halibut (didn't get the size). They outfished us in terms of bigger fish and I think they moved just 3 times.

They did a good job of loading the kayaks faster this time but it was negated by a couple late stragglers and the latest one of all, the boat captain! Haha, do a better job next time.

MDR

Fished MDR during the last few hours of daylight with MJ after our Pacific Adventure mothership trip. Got some live bait and headed towards the channel. I was skunked with just a couple raked baits, but MJ ended up with a good sized spotted bay bass.

Spottie.


Lots of sailboats.

Pacific Adventure, Catalina

Had the privilege of riding aboard the maiden voyage of the Pacific Adventure mothership trip out of LA Harbor. It was a steal at $65 for about 5 hours on the water, but I would've gladly paid more to support the operation.

Fished the front side as we drifted near the isthmus with the wind at our backs. I stayed outside the kelp all morning looking for any signs of yellowtail. Hooked up on a pair of bonito just under 3 lbs. and had a couple raked baits. After a brief lunch back on the boat (1 meal was included in the cost) I decided to hit the kelp and ended up with a pair of calicos.

Just a real beautiful day to be out on the water. Looking forward to trying this again!

My own personal suggestions for kayakers... Try to pack light. It's not a big ship and it's difficult to maneuver around especially with everyone trying to get to their gear and trying to rig up. I'd say a max of 3 rods/reels, all the gear that can fit into your crate or a plastic bin, and a backpack for your personals. Also, it depends on how many show up but it's probably a good idea not to rig up your kayak before it's loaded onto the boat. And lastly, when your kayak is about to be lowered, have your paddle/rods together and ready so someone can hand them off to you when you get onto the water.

Loading up.


Arriving at Catalina.


Pacific Adventure.




Bonito.




Good underwater visibility.


Calico.


Loading back up.


A sample of the bounty.

Bolsa Chica

Took the little one to the beach to play and relax, no fishing report here! But I did make good use of one of my reels... Realized there wasn't any string for the kite so I tied it to a Daiwa spinner with 8# test that I had left in my backpack. We didn't keep it up for long--the heavy winds worried me as to the line strength and I'd perk up every time a gush of wind would make the drag sing, ha.