My Fishing Reports

Mirage

2008-10-16T20:00:00.000-07:00

The only party boat overnighter going out in all of SoCal was the Mirage of Port Hueneme Sportfishing. Rockfish, rockfish, and more rockfish. Just a note about Shimano's Lucanus jig... It's certainly gotten it's fair share of naysayers, and probably rightly so for the price Shimano charges (especially if you went all out and got the package), but it was deadly on this trip. A couple lings (both short), most of my rockfish, and even a surprise bonito on the drop.

Pics from the Mirage...

Admiring our not-so-spacious staterooms

Huh? Bonito on the Lucanus!

Dude, that's a big hook...

Port Hueneme Pier

2008-10-15T22:22:00.000-07:00

Spent a couple hours at Port Hueneme Pier while Thomas and I waited to board the Mirage overnighter. Stuck around mid-pier and was able to snag a few shiner perch, wherein I proceed to stick one on my halibut rig. Saw one guy catch 3 thornbacks in a row with market shrimp. Another guy walked off the pier with about a 26" hali. Guys at the end of the pier were snagging huge sardines.

Port Hueneme Pier with the Channel Islands in the background

City of Redondo

2008-10-14T23:59:00.000-07:00

Had plans to jump on a 1.5-day boat out of San Diego, but they were all canceled because not enough people had signed up. Decided to stick around LA and rode the City of Redondo half-day boat with fellow fishing buddy Thomas. It was a far cry from our dreams of tuna and yellows, but it was fishing nonetheless! We took a pretty good shot at bonito but they were few and far in between with each stop. My only success came on the butterfly jig. The rest of our time was spent picking up several sculpin and a nice 20" sand bass.

First Time Hooping Off The Yak

2008-10-09T23:42:00.000-07:00

Got a late start and was on the water by 8:30pm... Met up with fellow yakker Ron who was gracious enough to show me the ropes. Short story is that I pulled up a few worthless crabs and called it a night around 11pm.

The not-so-short-story of it was that after dropping my hoops, the rest of the night was spent assisting a stranded boat. This guy was out there on his dinghy without a radio, no lights, and no life-jacket. Apparently his motor wasn't working and he said he'd been rowing in circles for about 2 hours getting nowhere. I called out for assistance on channel 16 and got in touch with the Coast Guard who coordinated with Harbor Patrol. While we waited, I tied him to my kayak and we rowed together to keep him from drifting further out with the current. Harbor Patrol finally got to us and, needless to say, I was pretty worn out. Pulled up my hoops and went home.

Bolsa Chica Surf Fishing Clinic

2008-09-27T17:47:00.000-07:00

Report from Pierfishing.com

Ross, nice job on a successful clinic! Although the fishing turned out slow, it looked like everyone learned something new and enjoyed themselves, esp. the kids. Good to see the ol' regulars Mike, Hashem, Oscar and Jim. Pics for your viewing pleasure:

King Harbor

2008-09-21T21:11:00.000-07:00

Short report... Spent about 3 hours this morning in King Harbor. Got a scoop of anchovies from the bait barge. I was hooked up a half-dozen times but lost them all on the retrieve. :( Brought 3 of 'em to the yak before they popped off, 2 sand bass and a hali. I usually use circle hooks, but I was trying out some ringed flyliner hooks (#4 size) to allow for better bait movement. Lots of kayakers, boaters, and folks on the jetty out there today.

Mid-State Get-Together, Avila Beach Pier

2008-08-23T22:45:00.000-07:00

Report from Pierfishing.com

Sorry I missed ya polish, but nice to meet the others for the first time like kcruise and family, kingfisher and his bro (showcasing your fishing skills), redfish and his gf, and illcatchanything. Great to see santa and the SoCal regulars, too. Avila turned out to be a perfect location with it's nice beach town atmosphere and picturesque pier. Lots of bait--perfectly sized mackerel on Saturday and plenty of anchovies on Sunday--and a good number of halibut coming over the rail, but I still came away empty-handed. No problem, Hashem kept me entertained. Ross, thanks for taking time out of your own vacation to plan this get-together for us. Looking forward to next time, maybe Monterey?

Pacific Adventure, Catalina

2008-08-10T22:00:00.000-07:00

Heard about the Pacific Adventure's only Sunday trip for the summer so I had to reserve a spot... I thought the boat would be packed since many people were complaining that there weren't any weekend trips, but to my surprise only 3 kayakers showed up. What a disappointment. I know maybe some guys can't afford it right now and others had prior commitments, but only 3 out of the whole of LA's kayakfishing community? This can't be good for the future of mothershipping here.

Out of the 3 kayakers, I ended up with the slowest day. Capt. Kevin was gonna drop us off near Eagle rock just around the backside, but the swells proved to be too much. We came back around the frontside to calmer waters and started our trek from there moving south. I immediately paddled outside the kelp and started trolling a Rapala and some live bait for nada. After a few hours of absolutely nothing, I decided to head back into the kelp. I tied myself off (the wind was pretty strong) and let down some anchovies, coming away with 3 good hits. Each was a long battle trying to get them out of the kelp but they all ended up unbuttoned.

Dejected and tired of paddling against the wind, I decided to call it a day and headed back towards the boat. To my surprise, I saw fellow kayaker "Lokey" fishing from the deck and hooked up. He yells "bonito!" It wasn't wide open or anything but, sure enough, I climbed aboard and we brought in a couple bones over the rail (Lokey let me reel in one of 'em on his light setup). Caught a couple calicos, too.

Empty boat.

Here's a vid of some dolphins... always a treat.

King Harbor 7/12

2008-07-12T20:31:00.000-07:00

Report from Baytubers.com

Took my daughter out on the kayak for the first time on Saturday. I thought she might be tentative and scared at first, but she jumped right on and had no problems moving about. She was pretty adamant about paddling at times, too. Brought a tear to daddy's eye. On to the fishing...

My buddies Frankie and Johnny joined me on their tandem (this was their second time out). Got some really nice sized anchovies from the bait dock--they hit the jetty while we started trolling around towards the back of the harbor. Mina's line got snagged and as I tried to get it loose, the rod snapped in half (it was an ultralight rig, 4# test). There was only 1 guide left but we made the most of it. Had a double hookup on a couple short halibut, I reeled in mine first and then reeled she reel in hers. Her very first halibut (brought a tear to daddy's other eye!)

We also ended up with a sandie (prolly around 16") and another hali (this time legal, around 24-26"). I think the other guys made out with a few calicos. Off the water by 11am.

PV to Hermosa 7/9

2008-07-09T19:49:00.000-07:00

Report from Pierfishing.com

My buddy and I took the day off and made a tour of the South Bay from the Palos Verdes rocks to Hermosa Beach Pier. Got to PV a little after 6am and made the trek down to the rocks. The tides were pretty low which made the kelp forests all the more visible and, IMHO, more challenging to fish. Used both squid strips and "sidewinder" crabs with a single dropper loop, #4 circle hook, and 2 to 3 oz. torpedo and egg sinkers. The bite was good as we ended up with 3 calicos and a sand bass, as well as a couple lost to the rocks/kelp during the retrieve.

Around 10am we decided to collect some more crabs and made our way to Redondo Beach Pier. The mac bite was on although we weren't too interested in sticking around for it.

Moved on to the Redondo Sportfishing Pier and was graciously left a bucket of live sardines and anchovies left by a party boater. Spent about 4 hours throwing out squid strips, crab, live bait, and cut bait, only for it to turn into a royal feast for the bait-stealing senoritas. The constant tap-tap-tap can really get on a fisherman's nerves. One of the sardine heads (eyes, brains, guts) was picked clean with only the exoskeleton left perfectly intact. We didn't end up with anything, but there were probably a dozen or so very small calicos and a couple macs pulled over the rail. Also of note, the bubble hole was apparently pumping out some warm water and attracting baitfish as evidenced by the crashing birds.

Our last stop was Hermosa Beach Pier. We were finally able to make some bait and it was just about the right size--smelt a little smaller than the size of your hand. Had 2 really nice hits within 10 minutes of baiting up--got my blood going--but when I went to set the hook nothing was there. But the highlight of the day was a 33" hali caught near the end by a fellow named Al. I think he caught it on plastics? If you're reading this Al, congrats!

This was sorta my last hurrah before the 2nd child is born. Gotta stay close at hand for the delivery. Not sure how the wife feels about it, but I'll be glad to have another fishing buddy soon.

15" calico

Trying to outlast the pesky senoritas

Al's 33" hali

Hermosa Beach Pier

2008-07-05T20:29:00.000-07:00

Report from Pierfishing.com

Got to the pier around 6:30am when it was just past low tide. Set up near the end before the faucet area, one stick for my sabiki (#8 hooks) and another as my live bait rig (1/2 oz. slider, caronlina keeper, #4 circle hook). Only found one suitable baitfish which was a small salema, but it helped me see my only action of the day--a short halibut just over 19". Got a nice net assist from one of the locals nearby for the catch and release.

Saw a pair of sandies and a couple yellowfin croakers pulled over the railing. Also saw another short hali a bit more towards the pier entrance. Macs and salema were fairly consistent during the morning.

Tim and Thomas, good to see you guys today.

Short hali (thanks to Deandre for the pic)

Sandie

Pretty full pier today (hey Tim)

Snapped this surfer just as he passed through the pilings.

Pacific Adventure, Catalina

2008-06-25T20:41:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-11T22:08:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-11T22:06:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-07T19:32:00.000-07:00

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.

Chart House, Malibu

2008-05-24T22:28:00.000-07:00

Report from Pierfishing.com

Quick report... Chilly, but a good number still showed up. Squid was the winning bait. We had good company and good food, including a couple homemade snacks from Del (baklava) and Santa (ray jerky).

First-timer Del draws first blood with a shovelnose

Frank pulls in a weird one... Needlefish on his 5/0-lookin hook

Minutes after Ross arrives he beats the skunk, drawing evil eyes from Hashem!

San Clemente Island, Islander Mothership Trip

2008-05-17T22:16:00.000-07:00

Report from Baytubers.com

I'm tired so I'll just post some pics and a short report: Great time, fished 5:30am to 7:30 pm, lots of bass, big bonito, followed YT but they wouldn't bite, no halibut, saw flying fish and barracuda, and one big ass mac Smile ... Great crew. Can't wait to try it again!

More of the report... I think there were 21 yaks and a couple crew members who spearfished (hence the halibut). The captain said we covered about 5 miles on the leeward side, but it felt more like 8 because of the drift when the wind picked up in the afternoon. Chasing the YT was a funny sight--the Islander would call out one spot after another and the whole flotilla of kayaks would zigzag to keep up. My tackle was pretty simple... a couple 3/4 oz. leadheads with various 5" swimbaits (clear red seemed to work the best), 2/0 circle hooks and 3/8 - 3/4 oz. either carolina rigged or flylined, and my butterfly setup using the 55g pink jig.

Redondo Beach

2008-05-15T19:34:00.000-07:00

My friend and I went kayaking for just a couple hours at Redondo Beach before we jumped on the Redondo Special for a half day trip. Caught sculpin, a dink starry, a couple boccaccio, and a redbanded rockfish. Tried out the black/gold 3oz Lucanus jig from Shimano. After adding a 10oz weight, I let it fall to the bottom (200ft) then slowly cranked up about 15 turns and let it drop back down again. Got the starry and boccaccio with it.

Girls Surf Fishing Clinic, Dockweiler Beach

2008-05-10T19:11:00.000-07:00

Ross from PFIC conducted a surf fishing clinic for a group called the American Heritage Girls. Perch were the target species. Seemed to me a pretty good showing and it looked like everyone had a good time. I stopped by with Mina to join in on the fun! Tried a Hedden Zara Spook I bought while in Florida to see if any halibut would bite.

Read more about the event and see more pics here.

Redondo Sportfishing Pier

2008-04-27T21:08:00.000-07:00

Report from Pierfishing.com:

Decided to hit up Redondo Sportfishing Pier with my daughter today. Made the extra trip down to San Pedro to pick up the good stuff... ghost shrimp! (BTW, Paul's Bait and Tackle is under new management but everything still looks the same.) Got to the pier around 10:30am and it was already pretty hot with the forecast high in the mid-90s. Also ran into Thomas (noviceboy) who jumped on the Redondo Special half-day boat. (He won the JP the day before with a nice lingcod and was looking to score again. How'd ya do?)

I brought a couple light spinning setups with 8# and 10# test, carolina rigged with 1/2 oz. sinkers, 12# fluoro, and a #4 circle hook on one and a 1/0 kahle on the other. Started it off with a good-sized sargo and a legal sheephead, both perfectly mouth hooked (circle). Ended with a couple senorita, both foul hooked on the kahle (stomach and tail). I encouraged my daughter to reel each one in, but she squirmed away each time and apparently didn't want any part of it. Even while taking pictures she was freaked out. Weird since she had no problem playing with the ghost shrimp and with throwing them into the water. :)

Left around 1pm because it was way too hot and the little one was suffering from the heat. Gave the rest of the ghost shrimp to the couple next to me and hit the road. Here are a couple pics (bad quality because it was a disposable):

Sargo (Mina hiding behind me)

Sheephead (She's warming up a bit)

Quality time

Miami

2008-04-16T00:13:00.000-07:00

Got out for a couple hours on a charter targeting tarpon and snook in Miami. We saw a couple tarpon rolling and a couple thrashed our live bait, but we only came away with one snook and a couple ladyfish.

Largest "pier" I've seen--it's a an old converted bridge (old bridge is the lower one, new one is the taller one behind it).

First snook!

Mokai Trial Run

2008-04-13T21:42:00.000-07:00

Had the opportunity to take the Mokai for a spin in the Florida Keys. Some quick thoughts:

It's definitely not a kayak or a canoe (unless you've run outta gas!), although it has the benefit and low profile of those.
Bigger than I thought depth-wise and that's because you're sitting inside. When paddling (like for positioning yourself in the water), you have to reach up and over a little bit more.
I really didn't run into much chop so I can't comment on that, but getting around was obviously a breeze. The advantages are being able to push your boundaries, hitting more spots in your fishing day, getting in more drifts, etc.
Steering was easy, just push forward (right) or back (left). Throttle was easy, too, plus it comes with a sort of "cruise control" where you can screw in a tab to keep it in place. My only complaint was it's placement because bending my right knee up got into the way when turning. It'd be nice if it was adjustable according to your preference.
Turning radius is wider than I thought, but I don't imagine it's a problem for those out in the ocean. Maybe for bays in tight spots, but you just use your paddle to back out.
Noise from the engine was not a problem for me.
$3500+ is expensive, but you have to understand it's a personal watercraft.
I wonder if it's possible to use a smaller design.

On the cart

The rep taking it for a spin

Steering/Throttle

Convenient tie-downs

Motor cover with venting

Jet propeller

Standing up in calm water

Over the shoulder view

First ride out on the Mokai going full throttle.

Standing up in the Mokai, starting her up, and running into brush. :)

More cruising through the mangroves.

Example of turning radius during idle speed.

Taking the motor out.

Halibut Derby, Marina Del Rey - Day 2

2008-04-06T23:26:00.000-07:00

Report from Baytubers.com:

Sunday was much better or much worse, depending on how you look at it. Grabbed some live bait around 7am at the bait dock and made my way north. Set out a couple lines (trap rig with 2 oz. sinker and carolina rig with 3/4 oz. sinker) and paddled to Venice Pier. Drifted back for nothing.

Headed back in around 10:30 to try the harbor again. Found the hotspot this time and started off with 2 vicious hits. The 3rd time I hooked into a nice halibut, probably around 27" from my rough measurements next to the yak. I was nervous with the gaff but landed a solid hit, only to have it go crazy and fall off, biting the line off in the process. Sh*t! So if you come across a halibut with a big hole in it...

Ok, so the rest of the family has to be nearby, right? Caught his little brother next (20") and also saw a couple chasers follow my bait to the surface as I reeled in. Thought I had another one but this time came up with a chunky spotted sand bass, my first one (17"). Cool, but that's not what we're after.

On my 4th drift I hooked into something real good that pulled line easily. I tightened the drag and waited out the fight, then reeled in to find a nice, nice halibut at the end of my line. I didn't get a chance to measure but it was definitely bigger than the first one and my guess was likely around 30". So with my gaffing confidence almost nil, I decided to hang on tight and thought maybe I could drift back to the weigh station with it, LOL. Honestly, I just didn't know what to do. I drifted for a good while before I hailed down some boaters (turns out they were fellow yakers, Brian and Blair) and asked if they were able to assist me. Of course the answer was no because of the rules, but they provided me a little confidence boost to give the gaff another chance. I paddle away from the rocks, lift up the fish, and get ready to strike... Glancing blow and--F*ck--I miss! The halibut goes crazy, the line is cut, and he's gone. Sad

Ah well, if it was any other fishing day I'd consider it a successful day but the fact that prizes were on the line made it bittersweet. Great to see a few of the baytubers again and thanks for the tips/support, ha. I'll be practicing my skills and using that new technique! Congrats to yakers Mark, Pablo Joe, and Brian for placing in the tournament.

Crap bait tank if you're trying to move, but hey it slows your drift :)

Birds

17" spottie

Short halibut

Shot of the big one during the drift

Awards and raffle (Tons of giveaways but it lasted too long)

Halibut Derby, Marina Del Rey - Day 1

2008-04-05T23:24:00.000-07:00

Report from Baytubers.com:

Not much to report for Saturday. Was on the water by 6am, off by 10am. As I mentioned earlier I stayed well within the marina. No live bait, just swimbaits with unibutter and I also bounced the new Lucanus jig in gold and black for nada.

Glass morning

Embarcadero Marina Park Pier

2008-03-25T22:45:00.000-07:00

Report from Pierfishing.com:

Had the opportunity to fish for a couple hours while I was down in San Diego. Arrived at 3pm and tried drop shotting Berkeley Gulp shrimp with a half-ounce sinker for nada. I witnessed several macs caught, a short spotted bay bass (on a bucktail, I think), and a lobster inadvertently snagged (it dropped off as the guy was pulling him up). I've yet to catch the latter two... The wind really kicked up around 5 and with just shorts and a t-shirt on I was obliged to call it a day. Also stopped by the Ferry Landing Pier (Coronado) the next day just for a look.

No fish... so here are a bunch of pics just for the sake of showing pics.

Recycling bin looking fine at Embarcadero

I think this party boat was fishing they bay--they stuck around for about an hour.

My mode of transportation (took the train from LA to SD)

Day...

(Note: The "leaning tower" is just an artifact of the wide angle setting I used for this shot.)

...and night view from the hotel

San Diego morning skyline

Ferry Landing Pier

The Ferry Landing bin is kicked in and has some trash in it

I saw a new dock/pier being built in front of the restaurants

8 hours later it was already finished