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History of Marlin Fishing in Southern California
Southern California's history of marlin fishing is deeply tied to the region's rich marine ecosystem and its vibrant sportfishing culture. The waters off the Southern California coast, from Santa Barbara to San Diego, have long been home to an abundance of marine life, including the elusive and powerful marlin. While commercial fishing has always played a role in the area, the tradition of marlin sportfishing has its roots in the early 20th century.
One of the early pioneers of SoCal marlin fishing was Zane Grey, the famous American author and avid angler. Grey wrote extensively about marlin fishing in Southern California, blending his passion for the sport with his storytelling. In 1919, he set a world record by catching a 418-pound Pacific blue marlin near Catalina Island. Grey’s enthusiasm helped popularize marlin fishing in the region, drawing other enthusiasts who sought the thrill of catching large game fish.
Catalina Island also became the home of the Tuna Club, one of the oldest and most prestigious fishing clubs in the United States, founded in 1898. By the 1920s and 1930s, the club’s members had set multiple records for marlin and tuna, and Catalina Island gained a reputation as the birthplace of big-game fishing.
The mid-20th century marked the golden age of marlin fishing in Southern California. After World War II, advances in boat technology, tackle, and fishing techniques made it easier for anglers to target marlin. The region saw a boom in sportfishing tourism, and charter boats operating out of ports such as San Pedro, Long Beach, and San Diego began offering specialized marlin fishing trips. Anglers now had better access to deep-sea waters, where marlin were often found migrating during the summer and fall months.
During this period, striped marlin were particularly sought after. Known for their striking blue and silver stripes and their spectacular aerial displays when hooked, they became one of the most prized catches off the Southern California coast. The summer and fall months, particularly August through October, became prime marlin season, as warm water currents brought the fish closer to shore.
Several important tournaments were established during this era, further cementing Southern California's status as a marlin fishing destination. The Avalon Billfish Classic and other marlin tournaments attracted anglers from across the country, competing for trophies, records, and bragging rights. These tournaments showcased the skill and perseverance required to land such a formidable fish, and they helped to elevate marlin fishing into a prestigious sport.
By the 1970s and 1980s, however, marlin populations in Southern California began to face increased pressure from both recreational and commercial fishing. The rapid growth of the sport, combined with a lack of regulations, led to concerns about overfishing. In addition, the rise of commercial longline fishing for marlin and other billfish species in the Pacific Ocean further threatened local populations.
Recognizing the need to protect marlin and other game fish, conservation efforts began to take root. Catch-and-release fishing, which had been promoted by organizations like the Tuna Club since the 1920s, gained widespread acceptance among sportfishing enthusiasts. New regulations limiting the number of marlin that could be caught and kept per day were also introduced. Anglers increasingly adopted sustainable practices, and tournaments began to reward catches that were released alive rather than harvested.
In 1988, marlin and other billfish species were placed under the protection of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, which helped curb overfishing and promote sustainable management practices in U.S. waters. The shift toward conservation played a crucial role in preserving the marlin fishery in Southern California.
Today, marlin fishing remains a popular and respected sport in Southern California, though it has evolved considerably from its early days. Striped marlin are still the most commonly targeted species, though blue and black marlin are occasionally encountered. Many anglers now use lighter tackle, circle hooks, and more ethical fishing practices to ensure the survival of released fish.
While the number of marlin caught each season has fluctuated due to natural cycles, climate change, and oceanic conditions like El Niño, Southern California continues to be a prime location for anglers seeking the thrill of catching a marlin. Charter boats from coastal cities such as Dana Point, Newport Beach, and Marina del Rey take anglers into offshore waters, where they search for the telltale signs of marlin—feeding frenzies, bird activity, and the iconic dorsal fin slicing through the surface.
Tournaments like the Zane Grey Invitational and the Catalina Island Classic remain a testament to the sport’s deep-rooted tradition in the area. The culture of marlin fishing in Southern California is now one that balances excitement with a commitment to conservation, ensuring that future generations of anglers can experience the thrill of marlin fishing while preserving the species for the future.
As Southern California's ocean ecosystem continues to change, marlin fishing adapts with it. The bond between angler and marlin remains as strong as ever, a testament to the enduring appeal of one of the ocean’s most majestic predators.
-Latimeria
Early Beginnings (1900s-1930s)
Marlin fishing in Southern California took off in the early 1900s, with the rise of recreational deep-sea fishing. The first organized sportfishing expeditions began in the coastal towns, particularly in Catalina Island and the nearby Channel Islands, which offered quick access to deep, productive waters. Catalina Island, specifically, became a hotbed for marlin fishing, attracting wealthy sportsmen, celebrities, and adventurous anglers. The island's waters were known for their abundance of large game fish, including striped marlin (Kajikia audax), a species prized for its strength and speed.One of the early pioneers of SoCal marlin fishing was Zane Grey, the famous American author and avid angler. Grey wrote extensively about marlin fishing in Southern California, blending his passion for the sport with his storytelling. In 1919, he set a world record by catching a 418-pound Pacific blue marlin near Catalina Island. Grey’s enthusiasm helped popularize marlin fishing in the region, drawing other enthusiasts who sought the thrill of catching large game fish.
Catalina Island also became the home of the Tuna Club, one of the oldest and most prestigious fishing clubs in the United States, founded in 1898. By the 1920s and 1930s, the club’s members had set multiple records for marlin and tuna, and Catalina Island gained a reputation as the birthplace of big-game fishing.
The Golden Age of Marlin Fishing (1940s-1960s)
The mid-20th century marked the golden age of marlin fishing in Southern California. After World War II, advances in boat technology, tackle, and fishing techniques made it easier for anglers to target marlin. The region saw a boom in sportfishing tourism, and charter boats operating out of ports such as San Pedro, Long Beach, and San Diego began offering specialized marlin fishing trips. Anglers now had better access to deep-sea waters, where marlin were often found migrating during the summer and fall months.
During this period, striped marlin were particularly sought after. Known for their striking blue and silver stripes and their spectacular aerial displays when hooked, they became one of the most prized catches off the Southern California coast. The summer and fall months, particularly August through October, became prime marlin season, as warm water currents brought the fish closer to shore.
Several important tournaments were established during this era, further cementing Southern California's status as a marlin fishing destination. The Avalon Billfish Classic and other marlin tournaments attracted anglers from across the country, competing for trophies, records, and bragging rights. These tournaments showcased the skill and perseverance required to land such a formidable fish, and they helped to elevate marlin fishing into a prestigious sport.
Decline and Conservation Efforts (1970s-2000s)
By the 1970s and 1980s, however, marlin populations in Southern California began to face increased pressure from both recreational and commercial fishing. The rapid growth of the sport, combined with a lack of regulations, led to concerns about overfishing. In addition, the rise of commercial longline fishing for marlin and other billfish species in the Pacific Ocean further threatened local populations.
Recognizing the need to protect marlin and other game fish, conservation efforts began to take root. Catch-and-release fishing, which had been promoted by organizations like the Tuna Club since the 1920s, gained widespread acceptance among sportfishing enthusiasts. New regulations limiting the number of marlin that could be caught and kept per day were also introduced. Anglers increasingly adopted sustainable practices, and tournaments began to reward catches that were released alive rather than harvested.
In 1988, marlin and other billfish species were placed under the protection of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, which helped curb overfishing and promote sustainable management practices in U.S. waters. The shift toward conservation played a crucial role in preserving the marlin fishery in Southern California.
Modern Marlin Fishing (2000s-present)
Today, marlin fishing remains a popular and respected sport in Southern California, though it has evolved considerably from its early days. Striped marlin are still the most commonly targeted species, though blue and black marlin are occasionally encountered. Many anglers now use lighter tackle, circle hooks, and more ethical fishing practices to ensure the survival of released fish.
While the number of marlin caught each season has fluctuated due to natural cycles, climate change, and oceanic conditions like El Niño, Southern California continues to be a prime location for anglers seeking the thrill of catching a marlin. Charter boats from coastal cities such as Dana Point, Newport Beach, and Marina del Rey take anglers into offshore waters, where they search for the telltale signs of marlin—feeding frenzies, bird activity, and the iconic dorsal fin slicing through the surface.
Tournaments like the Zane Grey Invitational and the Catalina Island Classic remain a testament to the sport’s deep-rooted tradition in the area. The culture of marlin fishing in Southern California is now one that balances excitement with a commitment to conservation, ensuring that future generations of anglers can experience the thrill of marlin fishing while preserving the species for the future.
As Southern California's ocean ecosystem continues to change, marlin fishing adapts with it. The bond between angler and marlin remains as strong as ever, a testament to the enduring appeal of one of the ocean’s most majestic predators.
-Latimeria
The Hidden Joys of Fishing: Discoveries Beyond the Catch
Most of us are highly attuned while fishing, able to hear the faint pop of fish eating a bug or catch the sight of a jumping fish out of the corner of our eye. This heightened awareness helps build the anticipation of a strike, which is what we as fishermen live for and what makes fishing so special.
However, there are times when you just don’t feel the vibe that the fish are feeding. Factors such as high sun, wind, weeds, slack tide, and pleasure craft can all contribute to a lack of confidence. During these moments, I take the opportunity to look around and take in the things I might otherwise miss. Often, I’m so focused on catching fish that I don’t spend much time appreciating my surroundings. It is during these slow times that these discoveries can make up for a slow day of fishing or add the icing on the cake.
Using the acute senses that would otherwise be employed for fishing can also improve your perception of your surroundings. My wife tells me this is a clear sign of Attention Deficit Disorder, but what fisherman doesn’t have ADD to some extent? I like to think of it as a short attention span, but I’m sure my wife is closer to the truth.
While stalking the shoreline and casting, I often scan the ground. I’ve found many fishing lures this way, which is a bonus to my fishing session, but I’ve also discovered many natural gems. One of the most beautiful discoveries I’ve made is the impressions left by fish feeding in the muddy shallows of the back bay. The silt slowly settles out of the water, creating magnificent outlines. I’ve seen perfect imprints of all types of rays, with my favorite being the halibut impressions. These imprints are perfect and will disappear during the next tidal swing, but they remain long enough for me to admire before washing away during the flood tide. There are times when I’ve seen 30 impressions over a 20-yard stretch of beach. It’s just plain cool to see.
Some of the better imprints are from big bat rays that slide up into the shallow water to suck out razor clams. Occasionally, we see massive holes in the mud with big wingtips outlining the shape of these beasts. We especially enjoy seeing these big ray impressions when we are soaking bait for them, as it confirms their presence in the area.
However, there are times when you just don’t feel the vibe that the fish are feeding. Factors such as high sun, wind, weeds, slack tide, and pleasure craft can all contribute to a lack of confidence. During these moments, I take the opportunity to look around and take in the things I might otherwise miss. Often, I’m so focused on catching fish that I don’t spend much time appreciating my surroundings. It is during these slow times that these discoveries can make up for a slow day of fishing or add the icing on the cake.
Using the acute senses that would otherwise be employed for fishing can also improve your perception of your surroundings. My wife tells me this is a clear sign of Attention Deficit Disorder, but what fisherman doesn’t have ADD to some extent? I like to think of it as a short attention span, but I’m sure my wife is closer to the truth.
While stalking the shoreline and casting, I often scan the ground. I’ve found many fishing lures this way, which is a bonus to my fishing session, but I’ve also discovered many natural gems. One of the most beautiful discoveries I’ve made is the impressions left by fish feeding in the muddy shallows of the back bay. The silt slowly settles out of the water, creating magnificent outlines. I’ve seen perfect imprints of all types of rays, with my favorite being the halibut impressions. These imprints are perfect and will disappear during the next tidal swing, but they remain long enough for me to admire before washing away during the flood tide. There are times when I’ve seen 30 impressions over a 20-yard stretch of beach. It’s just plain cool to see.
Some of the better imprints are from big bat rays that slide up into the shallow water to suck out razor clams. Occasionally, we see massive holes in the mud with big wingtips outlining the shape of these beasts. We especially enjoy seeing these big ray impressions when we are soaking bait for them, as it confirms their presence in the area.
While this phenomenon mostly occurs with dorsally-ventrally flattened fish, I wouldn’t be surprised to see bass belly impressions in the soft mud one day. In any case, keep your eyes peeled and try to appreciate the coolness all around you when you’re out there.
Whether it’s a whale coming up for a breath or a unique sky formation in the distance, these moments can salvage a slow trip and create lasting memories.
-Latimeria
Whether it’s a whale coming up for a breath or a unique sky formation in the distance, these moments can salvage a slow trip and create lasting memories.
-Latimeria
Butterfly Ray
Round Stingray
Halibut
Butterfly Ray
Multiple Butterflies
Bat Ray
Clams on the move!
Bat Ray
The Grunion Run
As the grunion run approaches, the coast is set to be inundated with bait and the game fish that follow them. This includes a variety of species ranging from sharks and rays to bass and halibut. One of the most sought-after game fish during this period is the Shortfin Corvina (Cynoscion parvipinnis), which aggressively attacks the grunion as they move into the shallows to spawn. These West Coast sea trout or weakfish travel in small packs of 3 to 12 or more, herding bait as they slash through with open mouths and big appetites.
One of the most exhilarating ways to catch these fish is with topwater lures. The Zara Super Spook (One Knocker) in bass or chartreuse patterns are among my favorites for all local game fish during this period. Although corvina are not the strongest fighters and have very weak mouths, they are extremely aggressive in their strikes and have a knack for shaking off before you can land them. Any lure resembling the size and color of a grunion will work well, but be sure to set a looser drag to prevent them from throwing or pulling the hook.
As you might expect, nearly everything eats grunion. During a grunion run, you can catch halibut, bass, bonito, white sea bass, perch, yellowfin croaker, and even corbina. With all the smaller bait and game fish rushing in to eat the spawning grunion, larger game fish will also follow, preying on the fish that are feeding on the grunion.
Leopard sharks, Sevengill Sharks, Soupfin Sharks, Bat Rays, Shovelnose Rays, and even Thresher Sharks come into the shallow waters, chasing the bait and the game fish feeding on it. Using a fresh perch head with a steel leader rig in the surf can attract any of these species. The challenge lies in identifying the beach where the grunion will spawn, but once you find it and are present during the run, the action can be intense. Another strategy is to fish the beach the morning after a run or to fish a beach where a grunion run has recently occurred. The fish will come and go for several nights, with game fish staging in the area in anticipation of the next run.
Whether you are using a small rod or a long rod, the grunion run signals the time to prepare your gear for a potential workout. It is always an exciting time for fishermen when the grunion run begins.
-Phong
One of the most exhilarating ways to catch these fish is with topwater lures. The Zara Super Spook (One Knocker) in bass or chartreuse patterns are among my favorites for all local game fish during this period. Although corvina are not the strongest fighters and have very weak mouths, they are extremely aggressive in their strikes and have a knack for shaking off before you can land them. Any lure resembling the size and color of a grunion will work well, but be sure to set a looser drag to prevent them from throwing or pulling the hook.
As you might expect, nearly everything eats grunion. During a grunion run, you can catch halibut, bass, bonito, white sea bass, perch, yellowfin croaker, and even corbina. With all the smaller bait and game fish rushing in to eat the spawning grunion, larger game fish will also follow, preying on the fish that are feeding on the grunion.
Leopard sharks, Sevengill Sharks, Soupfin Sharks, Bat Rays, Shovelnose Rays, and even Thresher Sharks come into the shallow waters, chasing the bait and the game fish feeding on it. Using a fresh perch head with a steel leader rig in the surf can attract any of these species. The challenge lies in identifying the beach where the grunion will spawn, but once you find it and are present during the run, the action can be intense. Another strategy is to fish the beach the morning after a run or to fish a beach where a grunion run has recently occurred. The fish will come and go for several nights, with game fish staging in the area in anticipation of the next run.
Whether you are using a small rod or a long rod, the grunion run signals the time to prepare your gear for a potential workout. It is always an exciting time for fishermen when the grunion run begins.
-Phong
Big Game Battles
There are numerous ways to describe a day spent fishing. Sometimes, you start strong and finish weak. Other times, you can’t seem to find any fish at all. Occasionally, you can’t escape them, and sometimes, you start slow but end the trip with a great catch that erases the day’s misfortunes in one fell swoop. Regardless of the outcome, there is always an adrenaline rush, especially when a larger fish is hooked.
It begins with the initial strike, when you realize it’s not an average-sized fish. This is the first “rush” you experience. Your mind and body instantly prepare for the next stage: the battle. Various thoughts cross your mind, such as “Are my connection knots secure?”, “Is my drag set correctly?”, “Are there any weak spots in my line?”, and “Is the fish too close to structure?” Your body and mind go into overdrive, filled with excitement and a hint of nervousness that lingers throughout the fight. Whether you’re fishing from the beach, a boat, a kayak, or a jetty, this feeling is always present when you realize you have a large fish on the line.
The excitement and nervousness intensify as the fish nears the boat. This buildup is akin to an angler’s “happy ending.” The moment the gaff sinks in or the net surrounds the fish, and you know it won’t escape (or at least it’s very unlikely), pure joy, excitement, awe, and even relaxation flood your mind and body.
This is why fishing is so addictive. It provides an endorphin overload and a sense of accomplishment that keeps anglers coming back for more. The stories and bragging rights last for years.
This feeling is even more pronounced when you catch a prehistoric-looking beast like a California Halibut. Large halibut are hard to come by in the Southern California bight, and catching at least one legal fish per trip is a significant accomplishment. Catching a California Halibut over 20 pounds is an adrenaline rush. Catching one over 30 pounds can leave you in awe of its sheer size, and catching one over 40 pounds is truly a remarkable feat. I once saw my friend catch a 44-pound halibut, and it blew my mind. I have yet to join the 40-pound club, but I recently had a chance. The fish’s head was as large as a 40-pounder, but its body was only that of a 30-pounder.
Regardless, they are spectacular fish to catch. Many tedious hours go into halibut fishing for that one small chance at a reward, and the reward is incredibly sweet and satisfying.
Until next tide, happy fishing!
-Latimeria
It begins with the initial strike, when you realize it’s not an average-sized fish. This is the first “rush” you experience. Your mind and body instantly prepare for the next stage: the battle. Various thoughts cross your mind, such as “Are my connection knots secure?”, “Is my drag set correctly?”, “Are there any weak spots in my line?”, and “Is the fish too close to structure?” Your body and mind go into overdrive, filled with excitement and a hint of nervousness that lingers throughout the fight. Whether you’re fishing from the beach, a boat, a kayak, or a jetty, this feeling is always present when you realize you have a large fish on the line.
The excitement and nervousness intensify as the fish nears the boat. This buildup is akin to an angler’s “happy ending.” The moment the gaff sinks in or the net surrounds the fish, and you know it won’t escape (or at least it’s very unlikely), pure joy, excitement, awe, and even relaxation flood your mind and body.
This is why fishing is so addictive. It provides an endorphin overload and a sense of accomplishment that keeps anglers coming back for more. The stories and bragging rights last for years.
This feeling is even more pronounced when you catch a prehistoric-looking beast like a California Halibut. Large halibut are hard to come by in the Southern California bight, and catching at least one legal fish per trip is a significant accomplishment. Catching a California Halibut over 20 pounds is an adrenaline rush. Catching one over 30 pounds can leave you in awe of its sheer size, and catching one over 40 pounds is truly a remarkable feat. I once saw my friend catch a 44-pound halibut, and it blew my mind. I have yet to join the 40-pound club, but I recently had a chance. The fish’s head was as large as a 40-pounder, but its body was only that of a 30-pounder.
Regardless, they are spectacular fish to catch. Many tedious hours go into halibut fishing for that one small chance at a reward, and the reward is incredibly sweet and satisfying.
Until next tide, happy fishing!
-Latimeria
Keeping Secrets
We all have put some leg work in and found a very special spot that was either loaded with fish or had a beast living there tucked away to catch on your next trip. Even though we love to “Post for fame”, we sometimes get “Poached by lame”. In this age of the internet, people want to take the easy way and get instant gratification without putting in the time to acquire the experience.
There are a few reasons that I could think of.
-The World Wide Web gives you access to whatever you want to know at the touch of a key.
-People are extremely busy with family and work and have no time to find fish. It’s just easier and faster to find where other people are catching.
-Possibly a feeling of entitlement for those who never had to work to accomplish a goal.
This is not to say that it is a bad attribute to take the path of least resistance, but there are people who work very hard and put their time in to find the places and patterns. After all it costs gas money, time, and frustration when trying to find the species you are targeting. We have all told someone to keep it “Secret” just to come back to find multiple people fishing that exact place you asked to keep secret. It never fails, but in the interest of the people who work hard to get rewarded, it sometimes pays to photoshop out back grounds or not even have anything in the back ground to begin with. Besides, many of the photoshop back grounds are pretty amusing and it gives it a little comic relief to the post.
Most people are willing to “share knowledge”, such as rigs, baits etc, but be prepared to not be told every trade secret and definitely not specific honey holes. Those places are earned and well deserved to be kept from the rest of us as it took a lot of hard work and maybe a little luck. I am not suggesting that everyone Photoshop or edit every background when posting their fishing experience, but be aware that people do this for a good reason and there is no need to hate on them for doing it.
When you see that fish are being caught, just know that there is also somewhere else that they are being caught. Rig up for that particular species and get out there for a scouting mission. I can’t begin to tell you how rewarding one of these missions could be and make you the one that is posting for fame.
I think many of you understand this point I’m making whether you agree with it or not. It’s just something that many good fishermen I’ve run across mention. This is in fact what helps them stay on their game and continue to be successful. Just like most things in life, hard work and patience will reward those over taking the easy route.
Tight Lines.
~Latimeria
There are a few reasons that I could think of.
-The World Wide Web gives you access to whatever you want to know at the touch of a key.
-People are extremely busy with family and work and have no time to find fish. It’s just easier and faster to find where other people are catching.
-Possibly a feeling of entitlement for those who never had to work to accomplish a goal.
This is not to say that it is a bad attribute to take the path of least resistance, but there are people who work very hard and put their time in to find the places and patterns. After all it costs gas money, time, and frustration when trying to find the species you are targeting. We have all told someone to keep it “Secret” just to come back to find multiple people fishing that exact place you asked to keep secret. It never fails, but in the interest of the people who work hard to get rewarded, it sometimes pays to photoshop out back grounds or not even have anything in the back ground to begin with. Besides, many of the photoshop back grounds are pretty amusing and it gives it a little comic relief to the post.
Most people are willing to “share knowledge”, such as rigs, baits etc, but be prepared to not be told every trade secret and definitely not specific honey holes. Those places are earned and well deserved to be kept from the rest of us as it took a lot of hard work and maybe a little luck. I am not suggesting that everyone Photoshop or edit every background when posting their fishing experience, but be aware that people do this for a good reason and there is no need to hate on them for doing it.
When you see that fish are being caught, just know that there is also somewhere else that they are being caught. Rig up for that particular species and get out there for a scouting mission. I can’t begin to tell you how rewarding one of these missions could be and make you the one that is posting for fame.
I think many of you understand this point I’m making whether you agree with it or not. It’s just something that many good fishermen I’ve run across mention. This is in fact what helps them stay on their game and continue to be successful. Just like most things in life, hard work and patience will reward those over taking the easy route.
Tight Lines.
~Latimeria
Better Baiting
One important question for a cut bait fisherman is what bait to use and what will work the best. Sometimes we have all put a live or chunked bait on and thought “Now this is the bait that will catch the big one” or “This thing is not going to stay on the hook on the first cast”. As fishermen and our experiences with fishing, we sometimes know and do things through experience without thinking about it. It becomes second nature to more experienced anglers but unfortunately this is not the case with everyone.
We will stick to cut bait fishing as this pertains to the bulk of the website and the quarry we seek out. I’ll touch on a few reasons for the fresher bait over the older bait questions.
Popular opinion sometimes thinks that a big dumb shark or ray will eat any bloody piece of bait that is presented in front of their face… the stinkier the better mentality. This is not at all true. Even if you are a vulture or Hyena, most creatures will seek out a fresh kill or in this case a fresh bait over one that has the smell of death. This is due to the senses they have acquired through evolution as they or any creature instinctively knows what is more appealing to them through scent.
I’m not a guy that likes to anthropomorphize creatures, but I think this is a fair comparison for the question in hand. When you smell something, let’s say a fresh fish fillet as we are talking shark bait here, it doesn’t have a smell that puts you off (Unless you are like Steve and don’t like fish). If you let it sit there in a hot garage for a day, you’ll have a much different reaction of the fillet as it will be usually followed by a repugnant rotting fish smell. The fillet is overcome by a strong and sour smelling odor. Most organisms are repelled by that particular smell unless hunger pains outweigh the repulsion of the odor. I’m not saying that a shark won’t eat a nasty old fish, but I will say if an opportunity arises for them between a “Fresh Kill” and a “Rotten Kill”, they will take the fresh kill a majority of the time.
When a bait sits in your freezer, it does not stop the rotting process, it just slows it down. Unless you have a Cryo-freezer unit like liquid nitrogen unit which would put the bait in suspended animation, it will continue to rot in the freezer… just at a much slower process. You can tell a mackerel that has been in the freezer for months as opposed to the one that has been in the freezer for a week for example.
Besides the scent factor, fresher baits stay on the hook much better than older baits. The meat is more condensed and tauter while older bait has the muscle fibers breaking down at the cellular level. This makes the bait “softer” and more prone to cast off the hook by the force of a long rod trying to get your bait out into the zone. If I don’t have fresh bait available, I actually like the fresh frozen. This is bait that I have caught, such as mackerel or bonito, that has been in the freezer for a month or less. Soon as it passes that month being frozen, it starts to freezer burn and form ice crystals which means the cells are lysing and the bait is becoming soft and rotting slowly in the freezer. It will still work for bait, but over time you’ll be perfecting your big game fishing techniques, and it will be evident that the freshest baits will attract more bites.
One last major bait question we will deal with in this article is how many times can you freeze and defrost your baits before they become mushy and not good to use?
The more you freeze, thaw and re-freeze your baits… the quicker the rotting process goes and even accelerates as the expansion of the cells between defrosts and re-freezing cycles just ruins the meat. I usually stick with the rule of thumb that I will keep a bait for one re-thaw/freeze and use it for mud marlin, bay fish or chum after that. If you can keep your bait from totally defrosting by storing it in a cooler bag and keeping them still staying partially frozen, then you may get a second trip out of them, but they will not be used as my alpha baits. I’ll use the multiple re-frozen baits as trash fish bait, usually during the light hours or when the bass, eels, or shovelnose guitarfish are ever present, and I am waiting for the sun to drop into the magic hour. I look as using this older bait as “putting some scent in the water” where I am casting. It hopefully catches the big game’s attention and gets them in the area where I am casting. However, when magic hour hits, the fresh prime baits go on the hook for when they come to make a closer inspection of their meal before inhaling it.
In summary, this is my personal preferences for getting fresh bait that you plan on using or freezing for short time use.
• Go to the local pier or jetty armed with your mackerel or bait gear. Be sure to have a cooler with ice in it as that will help to preserve the freshness no different than you icing your own fish for consumption. When you get home, assign what you catch to what you usually go through “bait wise” in a long rod session and portion out gallon baggies with one evening’s worth of bait in each bag. I like to lay my bait out flat before freezing to prevent me from having to rip the frozen fish off each other on the night of use and they freeze much quicker, but that’s just pulling at straws depending on what you like to do. Now you have portioned out bags of fresh bait and you will know how many trips you can fish before having to go out on another bait run. You also don’t have to freeze and defrost more than you need for a single session. Of course, it would be best to use the macks/bait you caught that night, but it sometimes does not work out the way you plan.
• Bring small surf gear to catch some perch or other surf fish that would make exceptional “Match the Hatch” baits for surf sharks and big game. The only thing here is sometimes the perch, yellowfin croaker and other surf fish do not always cooperate with you and you spend a lot of time on the beach just fishing for bait. This is an extremely effective method for surf fishing big game, but always bring some back up baits in case the bait you are searching for does not cooperate.
• Asian Seafood Markets are a great resource for bait! This is (usually) human consumption quality food which in turn is great bait! Buying fresh mackerel or bonito from these stores prior to a surf sharking trip is ideal because it saves a lot of time and effort having to get the bait yourself. I have even bought it to short term freeze for a few upcoming sessions. It works well in a pinch.
• Sport fishing Landings. When the boats are coming back from their 1/2 or 3/4 day trips, a lot of times they have leftover bait or bait at the bottom of their tanks that get stuck in the corners when they dump them. A lot of times, the deck hands will let you scoop them out as it makes it easier for them to clean the boat and don’t care about bait they hope got flushed on the dump. Sometimes, just getting to know some of the deckies at the landings will get you an opportunity to scoop some nice baits from the tank, so always be thankful and bring them some beer. They will appreciate it if they allow you to scoop any. This is not a sure dunk thing though, but just another option at getting some possible fresh bait.
Just like on the sport boats when they are yelling to “Grab Fresh Baits!” during a slow pick of fish, be sure to do the same with cut baits. Change your baits often and use the fresh stuff. It will definitely give you an advantage when hunting the big ones!
Tight Lines
-Latimeria
We will stick to cut bait fishing as this pertains to the bulk of the website and the quarry we seek out. I’ll touch on a few reasons for the fresher bait over the older bait questions.
Popular opinion sometimes thinks that a big dumb shark or ray will eat any bloody piece of bait that is presented in front of their face… the stinkier the better mentality. This is not at all true. Even if you are a vulture or Hyena, most creatures will seek out a fresh kill or in this case a fresh bait over one that has the smell of death. This is due to the senses they have acquired through evolution as they or any creature instinctively knows what is more appealing to them through scent.
I’m not a guy that likes to anthropomorphize creatures, but I think this is a fair comparison for the question in hand. When you smell something, let’s say a fresh fish fillet as we are talking shark bait here, it doesn’t have a smell that puts you off (Unless you are like Steve and don’t like fish). If you let it sit there in a hot garage for a day, you’ll have a much different reaction of the fillet as it will be usually followed by a repugnant rotting fish smell. The fillet is overcome by a strong and sour smelling odor. Most organisms are repelled by that particular smell unless hunger pains outweigh the repulsion of the odor. I’m not saying that a shark won’t eat a nasty old fish, but I will say if an opportunity arises for them between a “Fresh Kill” and a “Rotten Kill”, they will take the fresh kill a majority of the time.
When a bait sits in your freezer, it does not stop the rotting process, it just slows it down. Unless you have a Cryo-freezer unit like liquid nitrogen unit which would put the bait in suspended animation, it will continue to rot in the freezer… just at a much slower process. You can tell a mackerel that has been in the freezer for months as opposed to the one that has been in the freezer for a week for example.
Besides the scent factor, fresher baits stay on the hook much better than older baits. The meat is more condensed and tauter while older bait has the muscle fibers breaking down at the cellular level. This makes the bait “softer” and more prone to cast off the hook by the force of a long rod trying to get your bait out into the zone. If I don’t have fresh bait available, I actually like the fresh frozen. This is bait that I have caught, such as mackerel or bonito, that has been in the freezer for a month or less. Soon as it passes that month being frozen, it starts to freezer burn and form ice crystals which means the cells are lysing and the bait is becoming soft and rotting slowly in the freezer. It will still work for bait, but over time you’ll be perfecting your big game fishing techniques, and it will be evident that the freshest baits will attract more bites.
One last major bait question we will deal with in this article is how many times can you freeze and defrost your baits before they become mushy and not good to use?
The more you freeze, thaw and re-freeze your baits… the quicker the rotting process goes and even accelerates as the expansion of the cells between defrosts and re-freezing cycles just ruins the meat. I usually stick with the rule of thumb that I will keep a bait for one re-thaw/freeze and use it for mud marlin, bay fish or chum after that. If you can keep your bait from totally defrosting by storing it in a cooler bag and keeping them still staying partially frozen, then you may get a second trip out of them, but they will not be used as my alpha baits. I’ll use the multiple re-frozen baits as trash fish bait, usually during the light hours or when the bass, eels, or shovelnose guitarfish are ever present, and I am waiting for the sun to drop into the magic hour. I look as using this older bait as “putting some scent in the water” where I am casting. It hopefully catches the big game’s attention and gets them in the area where I am casting. However, when magic hour hits, the fresh prime baits go on the hook for when they come to make a closer inspection of their meal before inhaling it.
In summary, this is my personal preferences for getting fresh bait that you plan on using or freezing for short time use.
• Go to the local pier or jetty armed with your mackerel or bait gear. Be sure to have a cooler with ice in it as that will help to preserve the freshness no different than you icing your own fish for consumption. When you get home, assign what you catch to what you usually go through “bait wise” in a long rod session and portion out gallon baggies with one evening’s worth of bait in each bag. I like to lay my bait out flat before freezing to prevent me from having to rip the frozen fish off each other on the night of use and they freeze much quicker, but that’s just pulling at straws depending on what you like to do. Now you have portioned out bags of fresh bait and you will know how many trips you can fish before having to go out on another bait run. You also don’t have to freeze and defrost more than you need for a single session. Of course, it would be best to use the macks/bait you caught that night, but it sometimes does not work out the way you plan.
• Bring small surf gear to catch some perch or other surf fish that would make exceptional “Match the Hatch” baits for surf sharks and big game. The only thing here is sometimes the perch, yellowfin croaker and other surf fish do not always cooperate with you and you spend a lot of time on the beach just fishing for bait. This is an extremely effective method for surf fishing big game, but always bring some back up baits in case the bait you are searching for does not cooperate.
• Asian Seafood Markets are a great resource for bait! This is (usually) human consumption quality food which in turn is great bait! Buying fresh mackerel or bonito from these stores prior to a surf sharking trip is ideal because it saves a lot of time and effort having to get the bait yourself. I have even bought it to short term freeze for a few upcoming sessions. It works well in a pinch.
• Sport fishing Landings. When the boats are coming back from their 1/2 or 3/4 day trips, a lot of times they have leftover bait or bait at the bottom of their tanks that get stuck in the corners when they dump them. A lot of times, the deck hands will let you scoop them out as it makes it easier for them to clean the boat and don’t care about bait they hope got flushed on the dump. Sometimes, just getting to know some of the deckies at the landings will get you an opportunity to scoop some nice baits from the tank, so always be thankful and bring them some beer. They will appreciate it if they allow you to scoop any. This is not a sure dunk thing though, but just another option at getting some possible fresh bait.
Just like on the sport boats when they are yelling to “Grab Fresh Baits!” during a slow pick of fish, be sure to do the same with cut baits. Change your baits often and use the fresh stuff. It will definitely give you an advantage when hunting the big ones!
Tight Lines
-Latimeria
Bat Ray Fishing
Bat Ray Fishing Southern California Bays
Here is a little information about how I fish for bat rays in Mission Bay. This isn’t the only way to do it, but it works for me, the guy who taught me much of it, and others whom I have shared these techniques with.
Why? Bat ray fishing in the bay is a fun way to spend some time outdoors. Sitting on the sand with a friend or two, watching the comings and goings of the bay, maybe even a bonfire. Add to that the chance of catching a fish in the 100-pound range or larger and you have the makings of a good time.
Tackle
Targeting bat rays means you may tie into fish over 4 feet across weighing 80-100 pounds or more, so your gear needs to be able to handle that size fish. I prefer conventional gear, but they can be landed on spinning gear too if you are more comfortable using it.
I use mostly 40# test mono line. It is strong enough to pull in big fish and is fairly abrasion resistant. Sometimes I will use 30# mono, but the risk of losing fish is greater. Nobody likes to lose fish, even worse are the comments from the old salts along the lines of “30 pound? Hmmm.”
For rods, something that will handle 40# test and that you are able to cast will do. There is no need for expensive gear, or lightweight modern rods, though if you have them, you might as well use them. Old tuna rods, jigsticks, or if you want a real workout, bring down the 12-foot surf rod.
Reels should be able to hold around 300 yds of 40-pound line. Enough for a good cast, a long powerful run, and some left over so you don’t get all nervous about getting spooled. Simple reels are best. Easy to maintain and able to perform with a little grit and grime without failing and sending you home for the evening. I have Daiwa Sealines, but friends use Penn 500 series with great success. Again, bring the new gear if you want, but most of the time the rod will be in the holder close to the sand, so durability trumps light weight in my mind.
Hooks should be big and strong. I like offset octopus hooks in 9/0 or 10/0 size. Big enough to pin 2 whole squid or a big chunk of mackerel on and leave some of the hook point exposed. Here I have found I prefer the designer hooks. Bat rays have bony plates for teeth and I have lost many fish that I thought were solidly hooked, to cheap hooks bending on the teeth instead of penetrating.
To round off the tackle, you will need egg sinkers in 2-4 oz sizes, pyramid sinkers in 2-6 oz sizes, some heavy swivels in barrel and three-way styles, and some beads.
Rigs
I use three basic rigs, the cannonball rig, a modified fishfinder rig, and a three-way rig
The simplest of these is the cannonball rig. Thread an egg sinker onto your mainline, then a small bead, then tie your hook on. Choose the size of the sinker by the amount of current. You want the sinker to be able to roll some to help position the bait in the current, but you don’t want it to be carried away. This rig is fished with the reel in freespool and with the clicker engaged.
Next is the modified fishfinder rig. To make this rig, cut two pieces of line 2-21/2 feet long and tie a barrel swivel to one end of each of them. to the other end of one, tie your hook. For the second, tie a pyramid sinker to the end opposite the swivel. Again, let the current determine how much weight. The goal with this rig is to have your weight positioned in a specific location and allow you bait to drift away from it in the current without straying too far from where you place it. Also fish this rig in freespool with the clicker on.
The third rig I use is the three-way rig. To one eye of the three-way swivel tie about 2 feet of line with your hook on the other end, to another eye tie a roughly equal length of line with a pyramid sinker. The idea here is to keep the bait close to where you cast it. I fish this rig with the drag engaged, but at about half what I would use to fight the fish, also with the clicker on.
Where to Fish
When selecting a spot to fish, I prefer a sandy beach. Fishing from the rocks at night makes things more difficult. It also is pretty rough on the fish to land them on the rocks. I like to fish in channels and off points of land rather than off a long line of beach. Channels, because they have moving water and concentrate fish as they move about the bay. Points offer access to more water from a given location.
Choosing where to cast your bait once you have chosen your spot is not difficult. Just throw it out there. Bomb it as far as you can, or lob it out just a little ways. Both will work. As you fish a particular location, you may find that certain areas are more productive than others to place your bait. If the current is strong, or there are bits of floating eelgrass, a shorter cast will stay put longer, as will a rig that uses the pyramid sinker.
Bait
For me there are basically two choices for bait, squid, and mackerel. They both have produced well for me in the past, sometimes on the same night. Other nights, the fish seem to prefer one or the other so I like to have both available. I usually fish with two rods so to begin with I will use squid on one rod and mackerel on the other. If one seems to be getting bit more often I will use that on both rods.
Not all squid or mackerel are the same. I prefer bait that I caught myself, that way I know it is reasonably fresh. If I have to buy bait, I look for the best, fresh looking bait I can find. Markets that specialize in Asian foods are often a great source for both mackerel and squid, but they are not always convenient. If I go this route I tend to buy enough bait to last several sessions.Tackle shops usually have both baits available as well, however I usually stick to squid from the tackle shop as often the mackerel are larger than the 12-14 inch size that I prefer. This size allows 3-4 nice baits to be cut from it, but they are not so large that they are difficult to cast or tend to fall off the hook.
Now that you have your bait, take care of it. Fresh, or frozen, I keep my bait in a small cooler bag and only remove what I need to bait the hook. In warmer weather I include a small frozen water bottle to help keep things cold.
When using squid, I will commonly put 2 whole squid on the hook. I hold them together and put the hook through both at the same time at the pointed end, then turn the hook and put it back through them both again. For mackerel, depending on size, I will use the head cut off just behind the pectoral fins and 2-3 more chunks from the body. I usually cut off the tail from the section that contains it.
Other Gear
You will need rod holders. These can be purchased most tackle or sporting goods stores, or home made. Something as simple as 2-3 feet of 1 ½ inch schedule 40 PVC pipe with one end cut at a sharp angle works great. Just make sure your rod butt will fit in easily.
A chair is great to have. Sometimes there can be lots of waiting for a bite.
A light of some kind is essential. I use a headlamp to keep both hands free. Especially helpful when landing and releasing fish.
A knife to cut bait, pliers to pull hooks out and to cut line if you need to re rig.
Rubber boots to keep your feet dry in the water and mud.
After that, the rest is just personal needs, a couple beers, low key of course, some snacks, a rag to wipe your hands, and clothes suited to the weather.
Don’t forget a friend or two, it is good to have some company during slow fishing and good to have some help if the fishing is good
Hooked One, Now What?
Ok, you have gotten your gear together, picked your spot, schlepped everything down to the water's edge, rigged up, pinned on a nice of bait, and cast out. At some point, you will get a bite. This is usually a long clicker screaming run that will make your heart pound, make you jump out of your chair and run to grab your rod. Other times it is just a subtle bump or bend in the rod.
If you get the screamer, grab your rod out of the holder, put it into gear and hold on tight. Turn the clicker off after you are sure all your friends know you have a fish on. Then set the hook with a couple good tugs. Most times by the time the fish is pulling drag the hook is firmly in its mouth, the hookset is just for security. Make sure your drag is set properly for the line you are using. I do this by hand and always have. One of these days I should measure it with a scale.
If you see a subtle bend, or maybe your line suddenly goes slack, you may have a bite. Put you reel in gear, take up the slack and set the hook. You will know if you have a fish on right away. Hooksets are free and if you didn’t have a bite, it is a good excuse to check your bait.
So, now you are hooked up, line is peeling off your reel, and you are wondering if you really do have enough line. Relax, keep a bend in the rod, and enjoy the fight. Let the drag do its job. At some point the fish will tire or turn and come towards you. This is when you gain some line back. Keep tension on the line and a bend in the rod, as the fish gets closer to shore, it is helpful to back up rather than reel in more line. This will put more of the force into pulling the ray into shore than into trying to lift it up.
Once you have your fish in the shallow water, it is time to pull it onto the beach. From in front of the ray, grab it using the two blowholes, one on each side of the head near the eyes. These make a convenient handle and if done carefully don’t harm the fish. This is when it is nice to have a friend around. Either to land the fish, hold your rod while you land the fish, or run to grab the pliers and camera to release the fish and get a picture.
Beware of the spine located near the base of the tail. It is not a pleasant experience to be stung. I recommend leaving the ray on the ground for pictures.
After landing the ray, and getting a couple pictures, turn it on its back and remove the hook. Then turn it back over and drag it back to water deep enough to cover it. It may swim off right away, or it may need to rest up after its ordeal. If you can see it moving water through its blowholes, it will be fine. They are tough creatures but should be handled respectfully and returned to the water in a timely fashion.
~Sasquatch
Here is a little information about how I fish for bat rays in Mission Bay. This isn’t the only way to do it, but it works for me, the guy who taught me much of it, and others whom I have shared these techniques with.
Why? Bat ray fishing in the bay is a fun way to spend some time outdoors. Sitting on the sand with a friend or two, watching the comings and goings of the bay, maybe even a bonfire. Add to that the chance of catching a fish in the 100-pound range or larger and you have the makings of a good time.
Tackle
Targeting bat rays means you may tie into fish over 4 feet across weighing 80-100 pounds or more, so your gear needs to be able to handle that size fish. I prefer conventional gear, but they can be landed on spinning gear too if you are more comfortable using it.
I use mostly 40# test mono line. It is strong enough to pull in big fish and is fairly abrasion resistant. Sometimes I will use 30# mono, but the risk of losing fish is greater. Nobody likes to lose fish, even worse are the comments from the old salts along the lines of “30 pound? Hmmm.”
For rods, something that will handle 40# test and that you are able to cast will do. There is no need for expensive gear, or lightweight modern rods, though if you have them, you might as well use them. Old tuna rods, jigsticks, or if you want a real workout, bring down the 12-foot surf rod.
Reels should be able to hold around 300 yds of 40-pound line. Enough for a good cast, a long powerful run, and some left over so you don’t get all nervous about getting spooled. Simple reels are best. Easy to maintain and able to perform with a little grit and grime without failing and sending you home for the evening. I have Daiwa Sealines, but friends use Penn 500 series with great success. Again, bring the new gear if you want, but most of the time the rod will be in the holder close to the sand, so durability trumps light weight in my mind.
Hooks should be big and strong. I like offset octopus hooks in 9/0 or 10/0 size. Big enough to pin 2 whole squid or a big chunk of mackerel on and leave some of the hook point exposed. Here I have found I prefer the designer hooks. Bat rays have bony plates for teeth and I have lost many fish that I thought were solidly hooked, to cheap hooks bending on the teeth instead of penetrating.
To round off the tackle, you will need egg sinkers in 2-4 oz sizes, pyramid sinkers in 2-6 oz sizes, some heavy swivels in barrel and three-way styles, and some beads.
Rigs
I use three basic rigs, the cannonball rig, a modified fishfinder rig, and a three-way rig
The simplest of these is the cannonball rig. Thread an egg sinker onto your mainline, then a small bead, then tie your hook on. Choose the size of the sinker by the amount of current. You want the sinker to be able to roll some to help position the bait in the current, but you don’t want it to be carried away. This rig is fished with the reel in freespool and with the clicker engaged.
Next is the modified fishfinder rig. To make this rig, cut two pieces of line 2-21/2 feet long and tie a barrel swivel to one end of each of them. to the other end of one, tie your hook. For the second, tie a pyramid sinker to the end opposite the swivel. Again, let the current determine how much weight. The goal with this rig is to have your weight positioned in a specific location and allow you bait to drift away from it in the current without straying too far from where you place it. Also fish this rig in freespool with the clicker on.
The third rig I use is the three-way rig. To one eye of the three-way swivel tie about 2 feet of line with your hook on the other end, to another eye tie a roughly equal length of line with a pyramid sinker. The idea here is to keep the bait close to where you cast it. I fish this rig with the drag engaged, but at about half what I would use to fight the fish, also with the clicker on.
Where to Fish
When selecting a spot to fish, I prefer a sandy beach. Fishing from the rocks at night makes things more difficult. It also is pretty rough on the fish to land them on the rocks. I like to fish in channels and off points of land rather than off a long line of beach. Channels, because they have moving water and concentrate fish as they move about the bay. Points offer access to more water from a given location.
Choosing where to cast your bait once you have chosen your spot is not difficult. Just throw it out there. Bomb it as far as you can, or lob it out just a little ways. Both will work. As you fish a particular location, you may find that certain areas are more productive than others to place your bait. If the current is strong, or there are bits of floating eelgrass, a shorter cast will stay put longer, as will a rig that uses the pyramid sinker.
Bait
For me there are basically two choices for bait, squid, and mackerel. They both have produced well for me in the past, sometimes on the same night. Other nights, the fish seem to prefer one or the other so I like to have both available. I usually fish with two rods so to begin with I will use squid on one rod and mackerel on the other. If one seems to be getting bit more often I will use that on both rods.
Not all squid or mackerel are the same. I prefer bait that I caught myself, that way I know it is reasonably fresh. If I have to buy bait, I look for the best, fresh looking bait I can find. Markets that specialize in Asian foods are often a great source for both mackerel and squid, but they are not always convenient. If I go this route I tend to buy enough bait to last several sessions.Tackle shops usually have both baits available as well, however I usually stick to squid from the tackle shop as often the mackerel are larger than the 12-14 inch size that I prefer. This size allows 3-4 nice baits to be cut from it, but they are not so large that they are difficult to cast or tend to fall off the hook.
Now that you have your bait, take care of it. Fresh, or frozen, I keep my bait in a small cooler bag and only remove what I need to bait the hook. In warmer weather I include a small frozen water bottle to help keep things cold.
When using squid, I will commonly put 2 whole squid on the hook. I hold them together and put the hook through both at the same time at the pointed end, then turn the hook and put it back through them both again. For mackerel, depending on size, I will use the head cut off just behind the pectoral fins and 2-3 more chunks from the body. I usually cut off the tail from the section that contains it.
Other Gear
You will need rod holders. These can be purchased most tackle or sporting goods stores, or home made. Something as simple as 2-3 feet of 1 ½ inch schedule 40 PVC pipe with one end cut at a sharp angle works great. Just make sure your rod butt will fit in easily.
A chair is great to have. Sometimes there can be lots of waiting for a bite.
A light of some kind is essential. I use a headlamp to keep both hands free. Especially helpful when landing and releasing fish.
A knife to cut bait, pliers to pull hooks out and to cut line if you need to re rig.
Rubber boots to keep your feet dry in the water and mud.
After that, the rest is just personal needs, a couple beers, low key of course, some snacks, a rag to wipe your hands, and clothes suited to the weather.
Don’t forget a friend or two, it is good to have some company during slow fishing and good to have some help if the fishing is good
Hooked One, Now What?
Ok, you have gotten your gear together, picked your spot, schlepped everything down to the water's edge, rigged up, pinned on a nice of bait, and cast out. At some point, you will get a bite. This is usually a long clicker screaming run that will make your heart pound, make you jump out of your chair and run to grab your rod. Other times it is just a subtle bump or bend in the rod.
If you get the screamer, grab your rod out of the holder, put it into gear and hold on tight. Turn the clicker off after you are sure all your friends know you have a fish on. Then set the hook with a couple good tugs. Most times by the time the fish is pulling drag the hook is firmly in its mouth, the hookset is just for security. Make sure your drag is set properly for the line you are using. I do this by hand and always have. One of these days I should measure it with a scale.
If you see a subtle bend, or maybe your line suddenly goes slack, you may have a bite. Put you reel in gear, take up the slack and set the hook. You will know if you have a fish on right away. Hooksets are free and if you didn’t have a bite, it is a good excuse to check your bait.
So, now you are hooked up, line is peeling off your reel, and you are wondering if you really do have enough line. Relax, keep a bend in the rod, and enjoy the fight. Let the drag do its job. At some point the fish will tire or turn and come towards you. This is when you gain some line back. Keep tension on the line and a bend in the rod, as the fish gets closer to shore, it is helpful to back up rather than reel in more line. This will put more of the force into pulling the ray into shore than into trying to lift it up.
Once you have your fish in the shallow water, it is time to pull it onto the beach. From in front of the ray, grab it using the two blowholes, one on each side of the head near the eyes. These make a convenient handle and if done carefully don’t harm the fish. This is when it is nice to have a friend around. Either to land the fish, hold your rod while you land the fish, or run to grab the pliers and camera to release the fish and get a picture.
Beware of the spine located near the base of the tail. It is not a pleasant experience to be stung. I recommend leaving the ray on the ground for pictures.
After landing the ray, and getting a couple pictures, turn it on its back and remove the hook. Then turn it back over and drag it back to water deep enough to cover it. It may swim off right away, or it may need to rest up after its ordeal. If you can see it moving water through its blowholes, it will be fine. They are tough creatures but should be handled respectfully and returned to the water in a timely fashion.
~Sasquatch
Big Game Long Rod Fishing
Surf fishing in Southern California for many anglers down here usually involve small bass rods and light line. There are a few who target something a little bigger and badder that swim our surf and can test your tackle as well as your back.
For years my friend Don up in LA would try to get me to go out in the surf looking for bigger surf critters. I would occasionally do so, but spending all of that time and energy getting to the beach just to find it loaded with kelp (totally unfishable) or loaded with beach goers was too much for me. Plan B was seldom an option, so I only fished this way when I knew I could actually “fish”. Don has caught many Soupfin Sharks, Leopard Sharks and Bat Rays on his long rod in the surf and constantly made
fun of my easy going and comfortable “Bay Fishing” rather than fishing the chaos of the surf.
During one of our Saturday Night Bat Fights (2009), Don calls me up to let me know that he just caught a 101” monster male Sevengill Shark! Even though it did not count for the tournament, it was by far the biggest and best thing caught in the event. This catch of his truly opened up my eyes forced my hand to get out and surf fish for big game! After all, most fishermen have an inner (friendly) competition within them to out fish their buddies at all costs.
I had a beach picked out that I wanted to try for months, but always just put it on the back burner. Finally Sasquatch nudged me to go out and give it a try one night. We armed ourselves with the long rods, steel leader and big baits. It wasn’t long before the disease spread through us as we both got a Sevengill Shark each on our first try along with some whopper Leopard Sharks. We were officially hooked at this point and have not let off the gas since.
The gear is simple but the rigs have evolved over time as we started with a modified slide rig to a straight 3-way swivel rig. Here is a list of the general gear we use.
This is just what we found to work the best for us, but there is no right or wrong way if you are catching fish on your “go to” rig.
The Gear (This is just what we consider ideal, but not necessary)
• 12’ to 14’ conventional surf rod capable of throwing weights in the 6-10+ ounce range.
• High speed conventional reel capable of holding at minimum of 300 yards of 40# mono.
• Long sand spike (6’) that could accommodate the rod and possibly hold it up another 3 feet off the sand for better line clearance of the surf
• Heavy Duty Pliers
• Knife & cutting board
• Towel
• Waterproof camera
The Tackle
• 8/0 to 10/0 Hooks (XXX Octopus is our favorite, but a live bait hook will also do)
• 90# to 170# steel leader with appropriate crimps
• 3-way swivel 100# to 135#
• 150 yards of 80# braid backing / 250 yards of quality 40# mono / 20 feet of 80# shock leader
• 6 to 8 ounce Sputnik style surf sinker
• Back up rigs since it is inevitable you may lose a rig or two while fishing this manner.
The Bait
• Mackerel (Spanish or Greenies)
• Bonito
• Fresh Surf Perch
• Sardines (Not my favorite, but they do work)
• Whole Squid
*Sasquatch uses hollow braid and a nail knot to 80# shock leader to avoid the Albright Knot that I use. It keeps the big knot from going through the guides and possibly breaking out an insert as well as not ripping his thumb open on a huge cast if he doesn’t line the knot up right. Personalization is key as you need confidence in what you do. Both ways have served us well.
The next thing is to find a fishy beach depending what target you are looking for and set up. Reef, Sand, Kelp line, Sloughs, Inlets are all things you want to be looking for when deciding on where to go, but sometimes let the bait decide things for you. If there is a big grunion run going on, well there certainly will be game fish to eat the bait and BIGGER game there to eat them! It takes a lot of trial and error as each place behaves differently than another when it comes to how /when the fish bite.
We generally like the incoming tide, but have caught fish in all tide levels. We fish when we could get out, so sometimes the tide doesn’t matter as long as the surf is fishable for us to heave out a bait and let it soak for at least 10 minutes undisturbed at a time.
The general rule of thumb is to cast as far as you can. A 40-70 yard cast is usually ideal depending what bait you throw. A mackerel steak will go a hell of a lot further than 2 squid pinned on a hook or even a head for that matter. I’m not sure if it is wind resistance, density of the bait or possibly your thumb having a harder time to hold the spool on the cast and thus does not retain all of the energy of the rod loading up. If you make a short cast and there is a slough running there, then all the better. Some of these big fish really swim in skinny water (well at least for their mass).
Be prepared to spend many nights wearing the stripe as this type of fishing truly requires patience.
Now you have the cast out… and what now? Steve and I like keeping the reel in gear, but loosening up the star drag a crank or two. You want to be able to pull line off easily with your hand, but not enough for the fish to rip the rod out of the rod holder (I’ve made a small bungee rig attached to the rod holder to wrap around the rod butt as a safety strap).
Turn the clicker on and make the line taught. This will keep your line above the crashing waves and keep from bowing the line into your neighbor’s casting zone. Don’t worry about letting the fish run with the bait. Trust me, when you compare their mouths to the size bait you are using, they gobble it on the first shot and by the time you get to the rod and set the hook, it has already been on there for enough time. Each hit is different, so take what I just said with a grain of salt. Let the bite dictate how you react to setting the hook. Now it is just time to wait for the bite.
Each fish, even the same species, hits the bait differently. Some hit and run like a freight train and some seem to nibble on it just to turn out to be a monster! Once you set the hook, the fight is on and the hardest part will be landing them in the surf. Landing a fish in the bay is a cake walk compared to the pounding surf environment, not
to mention your quarry is usually bigger, meaner and toothier.
Make sure you take greater care in landing the fish and it is advisable to have a buddy out there helping you. A Sevengill is more of a fight for the person trying to beach the shark than the actual angler fighting it. These sharks can (and usually do) reach around in a complete circle and bite their own tail and will easily take your hand off it it gets you. Those teeth are multi-serrated and razer sharp. Don’t get complacent with your skills landing a big critter, as all it takes is that one moment of letting your guard down and BAM! It could get real ugly there fast.
Hopefully this helps you get out there and see what bigger game the surf has to offer. Be prepared to spend many nights wearing the stripe as this type of fishing truly requires patience. Look at this fishing as you are just waiting for that one bite… but that bite might be The ONE!!!!
Good luck and I may see you on the sand one day.
Tight Lines!
-Latimeria
For years my friend Don up in LA would try to get me to go out in the surf looking for bigger surf critters. I would occasionally do so, but spending all of that time and energy getting to the beach just to find it loaded with kelp (totally unfishable) or loaded with beach goers was too much for me. Plan B was seldom an option, so I only fished this way when I knew I could actually “fish”. Don has caught many Soupfin Sharks, Leopard Sharks and Bat Rays on his long rod in the surf and constantly made
fun of my easy going and comfortable “Bay Fishing” rather than fishing the chaos of the surf.
During one of our Saturday Night Bat Fights (2009), Don calls me up to let me know that he just caught a 101” monster male Sevengill Shark! Even though it did not count for the tournament, it was by far the biggest and best thing caught in the event. This catch of his truly opened up my eyes forced my hand to get out and surf fish for big game! After all, most fishermen have an inner (friendly) competition within them to out fish their buddies at all costs.
I had a beach picked out that I wanted to try for months, but always just put it on the back burner. Finally Sasquatch nudged me to go out and give it a try one night. We armed ourselves with the long rods, steel leader and big baits. It wasn’t long before the disease spread through us as we both got a Sevengill Shark each on our first try along with some whopper Leopard Sharks. We were officially hooked at this point and have not let off the gas since.
The gear is simple but the rigs have evolved over time as we started with a modified slide rig to a straight 3-way swivel rig. Here is a list of the general gear we use.
This is just what we found to work the best for us, but there is no right or wrong way if you are catching fish on your “go to” rig.
The Gear (This is just what we consider ideal, but not necessary)
• 12’ to 14’ conventional surf rod capable of throwing weights in the 6-10+ ounce range.
• High speed conventional reel capable of holding at minimum of 300 yards of 40# mono.
• Long sand spike (6’) that could accommodate the rod and possibly hold it up another 3 feet off the sand for better line clearance of the surf
• Heavy Duty Pliers
• Knife & cutting board
• Towel
• Waterproof camera
The Tackle
• 8/0 to 10/0 Hooks (XXX Octopus is our favorite, but a live bait hook will also do)
• 90# to 170# steel leader with appropriate crimps
• 3-way swivel 100# to 135#
• 150 yards of 80# braid backing / 250 yards of quality 40# mono / 20 feet of 80# shock leader
• 6 to 8 ounce Sputnik style surf sinker
• Back up rigs since it is inevitable you may lose a rig or two while fishing this manner.
The Bait
• Mackerel (Spanish or Greenies)
• Bonito
• Fresh Surf Perch
• Sardines (Not my favorite, but they do work)
• Whole Squid
*Sasquatch uses hollow braid and a nail knot to 80# shock leader to avoid the Albright Knot that I use. It keeps the big knot from going through the guides and possibly breaking out an insert as well as not ripping his thumb open on a huge cast if he doesn’t line the knot up right. Personalization is key as you need confidence in what you do. Both ways have served us well.
The next thing is to find a fishy beach depending what target you are looking for and set up. Reef, Sand, Kelp line, Sloughs, Inlets are all things you want to be looking for when deciding on where to go, but sometimes let the bait decide things for you. If there is a big grunion run going on, well there certainly will be game fish to eat the bait and BIGGER game there to eat them! It takes a lot of trial and error as each place behaves differently than another when it comes to how /when the fish bite.
We generally like the incoming tide, but have caught fish in all tide levels. We fish when we could get out, so sometimes the tide doesn’t matter as long as the surf is fishable for us to heave out a bait and let it soak for at least 10 minutes undisturbed at a time.
The general rule of thumb is to cast as far as you can. A 40-70 yard cast is usually ideal depending what bait you throw. A mackerel steak will go a hell of a lot further than 2 squid pinned on a hook or even a head for that matter. I’m not sure if it is wind resistance, density of the bait or possibly your thumb having a harder time to hold the spool on the cast and thus does not retain all of the energy of the rod loading up. If you make a short cast and there is a slough running there, then all the better. Some of these big fish really swim in skinny water (well at least for their mass).
Be prepared to spend many nights wearing the stripe as this type of fishing truly requires patience.
Now you have the cast out… and what now? Steve and I like keeping the reel in gear, but loosening up the star drag a crank or two. You want to be able to pull line off easily with your hand, but not enough for the fish to rip the rod out of the rod holder (I’ve made a small bungee rig attached to the rod holder to wrap around the rod butt as a safety strap).
Turn the clicker on and make the line taught. This will keep your line above the crashing waves and keep from bowing the line into your neighbor’s casting zone. Don’t worry about letting the fish run with the bait. Trust me, when you compare their mouths to the size bait you are using, they gobble it on the first shot and by the time you get to the rod and set the hook, it has already been on there for enough time. Each hit is different, so take what I just said with a grain of salt. Let the bite dictate how you react to setting the hook. Now it is just time to wait for the bite.
Each fish, even the same species, hits the bait differently. Some hit and run like a freight train and some seem to nibble on it just to turn out to be a monster! Once you set the hook, the fight is on and the hardest part will be landing them in the surf. Landing a fish in the bay is a cake walk compared to the pounding surf environment, not
to mention your quarry is usually bigger, meaner and toothier.
Make sure you take greater care in landing the fish and it is advisable to have a buddy out there helping you. A Sevengill is more of a fight for the person trying to beach the shark than the actual angler fighting it. These sharks can (and usually do) reach around in a complete circle and bite their own tail and will easily take your hand off it it gets you. Those teeth are multi-serrated and razer sharp. Don’t get complacent with your skills landing a big critter, as all it takes is that one moment of letting your guard down and BAM! It could get real ugly there fast.
Hopefully this helps you get out there and see what bigger game the surf has to offer. Be prepared to spend many nights wearing the stripe as this type of fishing truly requires patience. Look at this fishing as you are just waiting for that one bite… but that bite might be The ONE!!!!
Good luck and I may see you on the sand one day.
Tight Lines!
-Latimeria
The Curse of the Bad Luck Bananas
The Banana Curse…. I was always a freshwater fishing guy growing up and was hypnotized with the allure of the Largemouth Bass as many kids were back then. It was so easy to grab your bike and run down to the local pond looking for the next world record bucket mouth! Back then, riding your bike a few miles to go fishing wasn’t taboo, so I would ride down to the local pond and/or stream every day as my appetite for fishing could not be quenched.
It wasn’t until I was about 10 when my father took me out salt water fishing on one of the local party boats looking for fluke and weakfish. It was a strange and new experience in all senses… The sour smell of diesel along with a bitter smell of the salty low tide mixed with an almost sweet smell of fresh bait being cut for our first stop. I vividly remember a passenger taking out a banana for breakfast out of his cooler when the passenger next to me said to another “Tell the mate, someone’s eating a banana!”.
Sure enough the mate came around the stern and grabbed the banana right out of the patron’s hand and tossed it into the sea while yelling “What are you doing!?!? Looking to jinx the boat or get us all killed?!?!”
Now I was puzzled and asked my dad what was going to happen to us since the banana was such a bad thing. His response was nothing more than “Just a silly superstition boat fishermen have”. My dad didn’t seem to care, but I needed to know why there was such a reaction to the banana on board and what would cause a stranger to rip a banana out of another man’s hand and just toss it out to the big blue sea! I hunted down the first mate and questioned him why a banana was such bad luck to make him do something like that. His response did not actually answer why he did such a thing, but it left a lasting impression on me. To paraphrase, he said “One day you may work on a fishing boat, if you are lucky enough, and come to find out there is something bad lurking behind every wave in the ocean. Every sailor and captain know the words of wisdom passed down from generation to generation. Red sky at night, sailor’s delight…. red sky in the morning, sailor’s take warning and the worst of them all… NO BANANAS ON BOARD!!!!
It didn’t take much more than that to be etched into my brain that bananas are bad for all boaters.
As time went on, I never questioned the banana curse and eventually started working on party boats and private 6-pack charters. Each Captain was firmly rooted in the banana curse. I was instructed to throw any banana overboard that I saw and to check the coolers as we were heading out. I have to say that I have had many close calls with fist fights over this, but thankfully the majority of the passengers all knew the rule and I had enough people to back me when disposing of that vile musa fruit back into the sea.
Funny enough, the internet didn’t arrive until after I was out of college and all of a sudden, an entire barrage of information was at my fingertips! I needed to know why this was now burned into my brain and why so many people were aware of this curse when it didn’t seem possible that so many anglers/boaters could be on the same page over all of these years.
My research led me to two distinct scientific reasons and a bunch of superstitions to why it was bad luck. I came across a hundred reasons why, but I found the two most logical and best-known reasons stemmed from transatlantic crossings by wooden sailing ships as many hazards would befall the captains, crew and passengers. Disease, pirates, shipwrecks, storms, etc., claimed the lives of a good percentage of the captains, crew and passengers attempting the dangerous voyage. Needless to say, a transatlantic crossing in the 17th and 18th centuries was a very risky endeavor. Often the vessels would stop along the way in tropical islands to gather provisions such as food and water. There the passengers and crew would often purchase wooden crates of bananas from the locals and bring them aboard the ship. These crates would have all manner of critters in them such as bugs, spiders, vermin and snakes.
A similar twist on this hypothesis is when a fishing boat would head out to fish for a few days, they would load up with plenty of fruit and salted foods for the trip. Bananas were one of the most prolific foods in the area and would also carry these unsuspecting killers on board. Being on the boat with no way to escape, the spiders and deadly cargo could easily bite someone, and the boat would have to return to port with a severely injured captain or crew.
The second most common reason for bananas being a curse was that all of the food and fruit would go bad in a short time while on the boat compared to that on land and there was no logical explanation. This caused fishermen having to return early from a good bite because of lack of food and even starvation from this putrification. Little did they know that bananas, apples and other fruits give off a gaseous hormone ethylene that ripens fruit in a quickened state. This is similar to putting an apple in a bag with un-ripened avocados and having them ripen much quicker.
Whatever the reason for the superstition may be, 33 years after that first boat trip from the 10-year-old boy, I am a full-on believer. I have firsthand seen the curse in action time and time again with non-believers who now are fully believers in such a banana curse. There are some however that tempt fate and use them for bait and purposely bring them on board to buck the system claiming it as only a silly superstition. It’s fine for them as it hasn’t affected them yet, but my question to them is “Why tempt fate?” I love that I am passing down this time piece to future boatmen as it will always be lore in the life of a fishermen, whether you believe in it or not. I am generally not a superstitious, except in this case where I respect the curse… The curse of the BANANA!!!!
Tight lines
~ Latimeria
It wasn’t until I was about 10 when my father took me out salt water fishing on one of the local party boats looking for fluke and weakfish. It was a strange and new experience in all senses… The sour smell of diesel along with a bitter smell of the salty low tide mixed with an almost sweet smell of fresh bait being cut for our first stop. I vividly remember a passenger taking out a banana for breakfast out of his cooler when the passenger next to me said to another “Tell the mate, someone’s eating a banana!”.
Sure enough the mate came around the stern and grabbed the banana right out of the patron’s hand and tossed it into the sea while yelling “What are you doing!?!? Looking to jinx the boat or get us all killed?!?!”
Now I was puzzled and asked my dad what was going to happen to us since the banana was such a bad thing. His response was nothing more than “Just a silly superstition boat fishermen have”. My dad didn’t seem to care, but I needed to know why there was such a reaction to the banana on board and what would cause a stranger to rip a banana out of another man’s hand and just toss it out to the big blue sea! I hunted down the first mate and questioned him why a banana was such bad luck to make him do something like that. His response did not actually answer why he did such a thing, but it left a lasting impression on me. To paraphrase, he said “One day you may work on a fishing boat, if you are lucky enough, and come to find out there is something bad lurking behind every wave in the ocean. Every sailor and captain know the words of wisdom passed down from generation to generation. Red sky at night, sailor’s delight…. red sky in the morning, sailor’s take warning and the worst of them all… NO BANANAS ON BOARD!!!!
It didn’t take much more than that to be etched into my brain that bananas are bad for all boaters.
As time went on, I never questioned the banana curse and eventually started working on party boats and private 6-pack charters. Each Captain was firmly rooted in the banana curse. I was instructed to throw any banana overboard that I saw and to check the coolers as we were heading out. I have to say that I have had many close calls with fist fights over this, but thankfully the majority of the passengers all knew the rule and I had enough people to back me when disposing of that vile musa fruit back into the sea.
Funny enough, the internet didn’t arrive until after I was out of college and all of a sudden, an entire barrage of information was at my fingertips! I needed to know why this was now burned into my brain and why so many people were aware of this curse when it didn’t seem possible that so many anglers/boaters could be on the same page over all of these years.
My research led me to two distinct scientific reasons and a bunch of superstitions to why it was bad luck. I came across a hundred reasons why, but I found the two most logical and best-known reasons stemmed from transatlantic crossings by wooden sailing ships as many hazards would befall the captains, crew and passengers. Disease, pirates, shipwrecks, storms, etc., claimed the lives of a good percentage of the captains, crew and passengers attempting the dangerous voyage. Needless to say, a transatlantic crossing in the 17th and 18th centuries was a very risky endeavor. Often the vessels would stop along the way in tropical islands to gather provisions such as food and water. There the passengers and crew would often purchase wooden crates of bananas from the locals and bring them aboard the ship. These crates would have all manner of critters in them such as bugs, spiders, vermin and snakes.
A similar twist on this hypothesis is when a fishing boat would head out to fish for a few days, they would load up with plenty of fruit and salted foods for the trip. Bananas were one of the most prolific foods in the area and would also carry these unsuspecting killers on board. Being on the boat with no way to escape, the spiders and deadly cargo could easily bite someone, and the boat would have to return to port with a severely injured captain or crew.
The second most common reason for bananas being a curse was that all of the food and fruit would go bad in a short time while on the boat compared to that on land and there was no logical explanation. This caused fishermen having to return early from a good bite because of lack of food and even starvation from this putrification. Little did they know that bananas, apples and other fruits give off a gaseous hormone ethylene that ripens fruit in a quickened state. This is similar to putting an apple in a bag with un-ripened avocados and having them ripen much quicker.
Whatever the reason for the superstition may be, 33 years after that first boat trip from the 10-year-old boy, I am a full-on believer. I have firsthand seen the curse in action time and time again with non-believers who now are fully believers in such a banana curse. There are some however that tempt fate and use them for bait and purposely bring them on board to buck the system claiming it as only a silly superstition. It’s fine for them as it hasn’t affected them yet, but my question to them is “Why tempt fate?” I love that I am passing down this time piece to future boatmen as it will always be lore in the life of a fishermen, whether you believe in it or not. I am generally not a superstitious, except in this case where I respect the curse… The curse of the BANANA!!!!
Tight lines
~ Latimeria
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