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Topics - TheCraftsman

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1
Fishing Talk / I'm back
« on: May 29, 2016, 09:35:46 PM »
Hey guys, sorry for my hiatus. Had some family stuff going on that was more important and needed my focus to be elsewhere. Stoked to see all the grinners on the board! I'm headed out to Florida (Singer Island) next week for some R and R and hoping to soak some bait while I'm out there. Only bringing light gear, so I'm hoping I can rent some heavier gear out there. Anyways, good to read back and see all those sharks on the sand, keep up the good work gents!

2
Fishing Talk / One last shot at 2015 anyone?
« on: December 27, 2015, 11:27:18 PM »
Would like to get in one more trip before the end of the year... Surf conditions look good, although tide is not optimal and it's cold as sh!te! Can probably get out Wed or Fri, possibly Sat.. Anyone up for it?

3
General Board / Merry Xmas
« on: December 23, 2015, 03:41:00 PM »
I probably won't be on the next couple days so wanted to wish a Merry Christmas to yall and your families!

Also.. Got my prize package from Nov contest yesterday! An early Xmas present for me. Thanks Tom! I'm stoked to have a P-Soul shirt to represent, got it on today as a matter of fact!

4
General Board / PUI
« on: December 19, 2015, 10:01:45 PM »
Please post here when intoxicated!

So I'm heavily under the influence😜
But just wondering what y'all's liquor of choice is:
I'm a Coors OG and whiskey or tequila guy personally... My tequila of choice is Coralejo Nd my whiskey of choice is Jamey..... What do you guys like!?

5
General Board / Lost my Contacts
« on: December 12, 2015, 01:07:49 PM »
Hey guys. My phone committed suicide and I lost a lot of contacts. Only had some of my contacts backed up on iCloud because of storage space. So please send me a text with ur contact info guys. Thanks, appreciate it.

6
Salt Water Shore Fishing Reports / Super Skunk
« on: December 06, 2015, 11:16:49 AM »
Myself, Ron and Joe went out last night in VC for a 3 way skunking... Not even a wiggles to show for it. Still it was nice to get out and havent seen Ron in a long while so it was good to see ya bud! Surf was not perfect but fishable, salad was a bit of a hassle but not terrible.

7
Fishing Talk / VC Fishin
« on: December 04, 2015, 07:33:06 PM »
I really wanna get out tomorrow in VC... Anyone available tomorrow evening?

8
Salt Water Shore Fishing Reports / VC Fatty Batty
« on: November 13, 2015, 01:47:04 PM »
Went out last night with Joe to try to put another Grinner on the sand.  Caught a little round stinger and a medium size wiggles on the light line. Hooked into this fatty batty about peak flood. Was a nice 30 min plus battle. Been a while since i hooked a bat, forgot how much heart those things have! Officially my first bat from the surf! Nice fish 2 trips in a row! Im lovin the luck!

48.5" Fatty Batty




Great to finally meet ya joe! Thanks for the help sanding that beast and for the pics!

9
Salt Water Shore Fishing Reports / VC Grinner!
« on: November 08, 2015, 02:56:22 PM »
All the hard research, recon and time soaking bait finally paid off! Been on a mission to land one of these fellas for a while now!
Ive been telling my ol' lady since Wed that conditions were gonna be perfect this weekend and we were going fishing. Driving out there i was telling her that I had a good feeling that tonight was the night.  We got to the AO just as last bit of light was fading out and set up shop. Conditions were primo! Didnt take long before getting bites on the light rod/squid setup... Started the night off the smallest SNFG ive seen at about 12"....

Then we got to see the crazy "fireball" in the sky. I think we were right underneath it and it was awesome... There was also probably about dozen shooting stars... Again I told my ol lady, good signs, we're gonna get one tonight...

Shortly after finally got one of the little bites to land and was officially my first grinner... Albeit a mini-grinner baby soupie, but I was still pretty happy it wasn't a SNFG! It was good to know they were out there.


A short while later the clicker sounds on the heavy! Got my heart going as i havent heard that sound in a good while! Sprang right into action... Hook set.. Fish on!

I was hoping it was a shark, but i wasnt sure, it was making long heavy runs and I thought it felt like a big bat ray... Took me about 10-15 minutes before my heart jumped out of chest! 40-50 yards out there was HEAVY surface thrashing and I saw the HUGE silhouette! "Baby! Its a shark!", "That things at least 6 feet!" I was was yellin at my girl... "Get the pliers, get the tape measure!"

Well i got in pretty good in the wash and handed the rod off to my girlfriend.... I headed out to sand that thing... Let me tell you if you haven't experienced this... Sanding your first shark, which happens to be bigger than you, with no one experienced at this around is TERRIFYING! The size of this thing was just shocking to see up close and personal for the first time! I was very happy i was well researched and knew exactly what to do. Got just outside of the waters edge and I was half way panicked... Trying to cover all the bases of pictures, measuring and unhooking within a really short time and knew i needed to get it back in the water quickly...
The pictures arent the best with all the adrenaline and half-panick of the situation for me and my girlfriend.. But we got a couple decent pics and got it back in the water in 2-3 minutes. Couldn't be happier.

92" Sevengill





There was definitely some hootin and hollering and high fiving after a smooth release!
My first official Grinner. So stoked! Proudest moment of my fishing career for sure.

Special thanks to Ramon for answering my 1000 questions. Would have been a lot harder without all your help big fella. Appreciated much!

10
Salt Water Shore Fishing Reports / Sevengill!!
« on: November 07, 2015, 08:52:22 PM »
Just bagged a 92" sevengill!! So f@$kin stoked! Pics and report to come later!!

11
Fishing Talk / Fresh Bait a must??
« on: November 01, 2015, 05:27:16 PM »
So I've heard people go on and on about the necessity of "fresh bait".
Is it really necessary? Whats the difference? I mean i can freeze a chicken breast for a few weeks and barely notice the difference myself... Its quite a bit out of my way to pick up fresh bait so just wondering.... Any one know how old the mack is they sell at the bait shop?? Anyone know a spot for fresh baits in North Ventura?

12
Salt Water Shore Fishing Reports / VC.. Finally great conditions...
« on: October 25, 2015, 12:37:19 PM »
But slooow in the VC! Been doing a lot of recon lately, decided it was time to soak some bait. The ol' lady and I headed out for a 6-10pm sesh. First AO was nice and calm but salad galore, so we quickly moved down the road a couple miles. 2nd AO was premium conditions. Low surf, no salad, no wind, absolutely beautiful out. Although our camp did get pummeled by a rogue wave! Caught a couple SNFG on the light gear to keep the skunk off but not even a nibble on the big stick.. Again.. Lol. Can't wait hear the clicker go and to get my first surf beast, nothin but SNFG from the surf so far for me...  Hopefully I'll find that honey hole and Lady Luck soon.

13
Tackle Talk / Paddy's Guide to Affordable Big Bait Heavers
« on: October 19, 2015, 01:13:39 PM »
So I was doing some research on big surf sticks for my upcoming purchase. I figured i would share all my findings with you guys and maybe help some others out along the way. All my research is for mid-price range casting rods. If you can afford a Saltiga Ballistic, well i kinda wanna punch you in the nuts out of pure jealousy😝, so do your own research! This is a pretty much comprehensive list of the 11'-12' heavers under $200 easily available today. I would like to state that i dont have experience with any of these rods, and these reviews are purely based off all and reviews i could find via professionals and shclubs posting on the many fishing forums out there. Im sure i missed a couple obscure brands, but oh well. Would love to hear any feedback yall have on these rods, especially if you have first hand experience. There is not, that I can find, a list like this anywhere on the interweb, so hopefully this draws a few new folks to the forum and helps some people in the process. Enjoy:)

^^Daiwa Emcast^^
     -12' xxh, 30-60lb, 6-12 lure, $150
     -11'3" xh, 25-50lb 4-10 lure, $130
     -11' h, 20-40lb, 4-7 lure, $100
* the only negative reports seem to be that it is a bit of a "broomstick" as well as a few reports of guide failure. Known to be a heaver that can handle some heavy weights and big fish. This is a well built quality rod.

^^Daiwa Emblem^^
      -12' xh, 25-50lb, 5-8 lure, $130
      -11' h, 20-40lb, 4-10 lure, $120
*fuji reel seat
*more sensitive than the emcast. A few reports that it is over rated and probably should be 3-6,4-8 rods. But still another quality offering from Daiwa.

^^Penn Battalion^^
     -12' xh, 25-50lb, 6-12 lure, $140
     -12' h, 20-40lb, 6-10 lure, $130
     -11' mh, 15-30lb, 2-6 lure, $120
*fuji guides and seat
* There are not a ton of user reviews on this rod because it only hit the markets a little over a year ago. All the reports so far are very good. No reports of snapping or any other problems yet. Impossible to know how durable it is yet. Upgraded components and a slightly stiffer blank than the prevail. Seems like it is priced right and a quality rod.

^^Penn Prevail^^
     -12' h, 20-40lb, 4-10 lure, $100
     -11' mh, 15-30lb, 2-6 lure, $90
*there are a few reports of this rod snapping when casting as well as a few reports of losing inserts on the guides. Cheaper components, but for a budget, beginner or backup this is a hard rod to beat for under $100.

^^Okuma Solaris^^
     -12' mh, 20-40lb, 3-8 lure, $110
     -11' h, 20-40lb, 3-8 lure, $95
*fuji seat and guide "inserts"
* i think i was the most surprised by the reviews of this rod as any other. There seems to be a consensus out there on the forums, "stay away from the okuma", but nobody really knows why. I have found the opposite to be true. Most of the people who bought this rod really like it. There are reports of breaking and guide failure but not a lot
Of them. It may also be overrated on the lure weight. I think this rod may rival the prevail for the best budget/backup rod.

^^Tica UGSA (Dolphin)^^
     -12' xh, 25-50lb, 6-12 lure, $180
     -12' h, 15-40lb, 4-10 lure, $190
     -11' xh, 25-50lb, 6-12 lure, $185
     -11' mh, 15-40lb, 3-8 lure, $160
**fuji guides and seat
*a LOT of people love this rod. There are a couple reports of the rod breaking on the cast, but not many. Reviews are mostly good. At the higher end of the $200 or under range, i think you can get more bang for your buck. But this is a quality rod by most reports and you could do a lot worse.

^^Tica UEHA^^
     -12' xh, 15-40lb, 4-10 lure, $160
     -11' h, 15-40lb, 3-8 lure, $140
**MANY reports of guide failure
*many people love this rod and say its the "best bang for the buck", but there are a lot of reports of snapping them on the cast. Between the guide failures and reports of them breaking, this rod is far from a "sure thing".

^^Tsunami Airwave^^
    -11'xh, 25-50lb, 4-10 lure, $130
**Pac Bay guides, Fuji seat
*while there are some reports of this rod snapping the top 10"-12" off, most people are pretty satisfied with this stick. For the price, i think your getting a good quality rod that can take a good amount of abuse.

^^Tsunami Trophy^^
     -12 xh, 20-40lb, 6-10 lure, $130
     -11' xh 20-40lb, 4-10 lure, $120
*A slightly beefier and stiffer version of the Airwave. Doesn't have the same quality components, but may be suited better to chunking big weight and bait.

^^Star Stellar Surf^^
     -12' h, 20-40lb, 4-12 lure, $190
     -11' h, 20-40lb, 3-8 lure, $150
*fuji seat and Pac Bay guides
*I literally cannot find a single negative report of any type on this rod. The only rod in the bunch (to my knowledge) thats boasts a limited lifetime warranty. Everyone who owns one seems to love it. If you can afford the extra cheddar, this might be the best surf heaver under $200.

^^Offshore Angler OM Surf^^
     -12' xh, 20-50lb, 6-12 lure, $170
     -12' h, 17-40lb, 3-6 lure, $180
*fuji guides and seat
*This rod gets great reviews. The only negative things i could find are that they are physically heavy rods and the xh is a bit of a "broomstick". Also a few reports on bad reel seat placement and needing to hack off a few inches. By nearly all reports, a very quality rod.

^^Lamiglas Insane Surf^^
     -11', 17-40lb, 3-8 lure, $150

*honestly cant find much in the way of reviews of this rod. A few reports of it being a bit of a "noodle". Not much in the way of positive or negative feeling towards it that I can find.



14
Fishing Talk / Harbor Lobsters
« on: October 14, 2015, 08:01:14 AM »
So a couple of my fishing holes in Ventura Harbor have quite a few lobsters. Ive always been weary to eat anything out of the harbor. But.... I do enjoy lobster! So what do you guys think, is it safe to eat these bugs or for that matter anything out of the harbor?

15
General Board / A quick introduction
« on: October 12, 2015, 12:20:30 PM »
Hey guys, a few of you know me from another forum, but for those that dont i wanted to introduce myself. My name is Paddy or Patty both spellings are fine its a nickname. I grew up mainly bait fishing for trout  in local lakes and the sierras. I became interested in salt water fishing a year ago when my step-son saw some people fishing in Ventura Harbor and asked if we could fish there. Well on my second outing i landed a 30ish inch smooth hound on a trout stick with 4lb test. Since then ive been hooked.  I mostly fished the harbor for the last year with only a couple trips to the sand.  Ive recently been getting very interested in searching for the big and toothy critters that can be caught from the surf. Ive learned a lot from this forum just by reading y'alls posts. I especially appreciated the one about shark leaders/rigging that Eric h told me to read. I look forward to getting my name on that shark chart yall got going! If anyone is heading out in the VC area i would love to join you schedule permitting. I enjoy that this forum is particularly geared for getting the big fish from the surf, which is my main interest, while still being able to talk about other types of fishing. I Look forward to being more active here, and getting to know yall better and possibly hitting the sand with some of you.
Thanks for reading.

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