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Salt Water Shore Fishing Reports / 4/29 Report

« on: April 30, 2021, 07:49:48 AM »

I was able to do a little surf fishing last night and it was good to put the gear back into action. Fished from 8-11pm with the incoming tide. The conditions were amazing there was no salad, strong current or big waves. Unfortunately, there were no grinners either.  The water was still a little cold which is odd for the late spring season, the bioluminescence on the crashing waves is pretty amazing. I wonder if we are going to have the same level of algae growth we had last year? Bait was coming back missing or picked clean, so lots of small critters out there. I should bring the small stick, but I'm just too lazy to carry two rods.  Hopefully I can put one on the board soon.

 

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Salt Water Shore Fishing Reports / B-Day Surprise! 7/22

« on: July 23, 2020, 08:50:47 AM »

Normally July isn't a great month for shark fishing but with the cold water reports and a need to get out I went out a couple of days ago to see what might be going out there. Got to the spot and casted out my mac and was hit within ten minutes. Long story short, the fish pulls off but I get my rig back. Definitely was the right kind, I bait up again and another ten minute soak and I get hit again, this time it's a longer tug of war and I see it in the breakers since it's still day light out. It's a Soupie and it does a head shake and tail slaps my line breaking my 40lb mainline. Lost my rig so I need to put everything back together again. The next bite is a 40" bat ray not even picture worthy anymore. The next bite happens around 8:30pm on the incoming tide. This shark takes off and I feel like it's the right kind too. After a couple minutes of back and forth somehow it breaks my mainline again too. Upset that I couldn't seal the deal and an early appointment the next day, I call it at 9:30pm before the high tide at 10am.

I text Mike what happened and of course he wants to see for himself. So we make plans to hit it yesterday 7/22 which also happens to be my b-day. I get there after Mike and he is doing the light line and long rod thing when I get there. As I am walking up to him he gets a nice run on the long rod. It was fun watching him try and put away the light rod while also trying to set the hook on the long rod. Think Chinese fire drill 

By the time I put my things down, he is able to pull in a nice 55" Leo. We get to chit chatting when Mike lands the smallest bean I have seen in a while. It's about 8" but Mike believes in fresh bait so he pins it on the long rod and sends it out. About 30 minutes later he gets another nice pull down and it's got shark written all over it. We both though it was the right kind but it turns out to be another nice Leo (57").

I decided to downgrade the size of my Mac bait to get a little more distance on the cast. I get a nice center cut Mac out past the breakers and let it do it's magic. After 20 minutes I get a nice pull down, I pick up my rod to investigate since there was no initial run after the hit. I slowly wind in the slack line but I don't feel any weight on the line, so I wait hoping the fish will come back. Since it's a center cut mac it's easier to come off, so I decide to slowing bring in the line to check the bait. As I am bringing the line in I feel something on the line, I tighten up the drag and crank down on the reel. The fish realizes it's hooked and takes off, not much head shakes and my initial though was Batray, but as I get it closer I get side to side action. Turns out that it's a soupie in the 73" class. Mike does an impersonation of me sandhanding as it tries to take off his wrist a couple of times with his twisting. 


Another 30 minutes goes by and I am talking to Mike and I look over at my rod to see it bent over and line screaming off the reel. I look at my reel and I am half way into my braid backing. No time to play around with this fish, so I crank up on the drag on my reel. I slowly gain back my line and it turns out to be another nice Soupie in the 74" class.


It's getting close to my departure time, but Mike wants to get in one more cast, so I rebait and cast out again. While we chit chat my rod  goes down again! Mike is feeling a little left out at this point.  Not to worry it's not another shark but a 25" bat ray. We call it after that. It was nice to get a little redemption from the pervious day and for it to happen on my B-day just makes all the more special. Thanks Poseidon!

3

Salt Water Shore Fishing Reports / 6/20 Report By The Numbers

« on: June 21, 2020, 08:29:08 AM »

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there!

I fished last night June 20th from 6pm to 10pm. I arrived on the sand to find overcast skies and a steady west breeze. The surf was pulling north and the water temp was around 68 degrees. I brought two rods to to do a little light line soaking while I waited on the elusive big game bite. I was using my 8.6 Shimano clarus w/ a 2500 Sahara spinning reel to catch some fresh bait. It didn't take long on my third cast I caught a 10" YFC that I cut up into thirds. The head was hooked onto my 10/0 circle hook and casted out just past the first set of breaks (60 yards). I play around with the light gear for the next 30 minutes to land two more 10" YFC.

Sunset didn't happen til 8pm, so  I was able to see my line getting pulled north by the current. I didn't like the angle of my line so I reeled in my line to reset it. After bringing in the line I see an empty hook, there must have been some critters out there messing with my bait. I reset the long rod and by this time it's dark and I decide to pack away the small rod to give my full attention to why I came. As I am breaking down the small rod, my long rod bends over hard with my clicker screaming and line peeling off my Penn 535 reel. I get to the rod and set the hook but I forget to tighten down the drag first, so I had no tension on the line.  After realizing my error I tighten down the drag and try it again. The fish is still, so I continue to crank down on the reel. The fish goes left and does a head shake and it's gone.  .

I reel in the line to fine a big chuck on my bait missing, based on the bite and run, it was definitely a soupie and not a bat or 7 gill. I rebait with another chucks of YFC and cast it out again. I was a little upset with myself for rushing the hook set and acting like a noob :' (I know I would have gotten S%$t from Mike if he was there.  ) After 20 more minutes I get a second opportunity to redeem myself, the rod doubles over again and this time I wait to let the fish take the line and tighten the drag before I set the hook. After 5-10 seconds (which felt like hours) I wind down and give a pull up on the rod, the fish is on it's the right kind, I see splashing on the surface and it's a soupie, it goes right and shakes it's head, then changes direction to the left. I check the drag by giving the line a quick pull and it's tight, but not too much tension that I will break off this fish. The fish goes right again and then the line goes slack, I was so pissed that this second one got away. I was thinking "what did I do wrong?", as I am reeling in the slack, that feels really light. When I get the line back in I am missing my weight and find my cable frayed.


I chalked the second miss opportunity to equipment failure, I had been using that rig for two prior sessions. I tie on a brand new three-way rig on and add a 7oz weight. I cast it out again with another chunk of YFC. It's about 9:15pm by this time and the 6' high tide was at 9pm so the water is outgoing at this point. I reset my sand spike closer to the water line, since I have more beach to work with now. I wait another 20 minutes and I get a little tap on the line, I go to investigate what's going on. I pick up the rod and wait to see if what ever it was would coming back. I feel the fish come back and takes the bait while I am hold the rod. (very cool)

This time I am in no rush to set the hook, I give it a 10 second count while I am tightening up the star drag, I take take a couple of turns on the handle and then set the hook, this time it feel right. The fish doesn't take off immediately, it swims away but doesn't know it's hooked yet. I take a couple more turns on the handle and then the fish realizes it's hooked and takes off straight out to sea. No left or right movement, just straight. My line is peeling off and I don't dare touch the drag at this moment, I just let it run. My mono is almost gone and I can see the white braid backing on my real. The fish finally slows down and I start to crank on the handle to get my line back, the fish moves to the right and then to the left. I don't see any surface splashes, but by the speed of the initial run, I know it's not a 7gill. After a 5 minute back and fourth tug of war I get the shark in the shallow water. I can see it's a thick soupie! I time the next wave and walk the fish backwards, since I didn't have a sandhand!  (No one likes you Mike!)

So, I tried my best to get a couple of shots, but these photos don't reveal the thickness of this shark.



I estimate this female soup fin to be about 65" long. After a few minutes of reviving this fish, it swims away strong.

I checked my hook after the battle and you can see it did a number on the 10/0 circle hook. The hook on the right is the one that got bent into a "C" shape from this shark.


I called it quits at 10pm. Super cool to finally get a legit shark bit and put another one on the board. Thanks for ready my extended post!

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Fishing Talk / Red tide question

« on: May 05, 2020, 08:31:08 PM »

So the news in San Diego is reporting that the red tide is causing lagoons in the north county to have mass kill offs of fish. People are complaining about the odor caused by the decaying fish along the shore. If someone decided to help clean up this situation by collecting all of the dead fish for bait, fertilizer or even eating, would they be violation any fishing regulations? Do you need a fishing license in this case are you breaking any bag limits here? I am asking for Mike. 😀

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Fishing Talk / Lobster Card Reports are Due by April 30th

« on: March 23, 2020, 03:38:05 PM »

For all those bug catchers out there, your Lobster Report Cards are due by April 30th.

https://www.ca.wildlifelicense.com/InternetSales/CustomerSearch/Begin?utm_medium=email&utm_source=CA_ALDS&utm_campaign=CAReminder_Fish_Lobster&utm_content=SubmitReportLink

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Fishing Talk / 8 months

« on: February 28, 2020, 01:53:12 PM »

It's been 8 months since I caught a shark. I hate reading Steve and Tom's post. 

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Fishing Talk / Throwing down the bet

« on: November 08, 2019, 02:10:13 PM »

Since it's been hard as of late to get off the coach and get down to the beach. I need a little motivation, so I am going to make a public notice that I will catch a legit surf shark before Mike aka Pinoyfisher this season. I need your help coming up with a good wager that will motivate me. Let's hear your suggestion for the wager.

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Salt Water Shore Fishing Reports / Finally!!

« on: May 05, 2019, 09:26:48 AM »

It only took close to a year, but I finally broke the shark skunk streak! My last shark was June of 2018 and I've been fishing consistently for that entire time. It took a grunion run and my original Penn Squall setup to break the curse. Having a good sandhand helped too.  Andre came all the way down from L.A. to fish the incoming tide, and we both got hooked up at the same time. More evidence that soupies hunt in packs. Andre gets to his rod first since I was setting up my second rod. (sign of how desperate I've become ) He gets tight with his fish when I get my rod off the holder. I start to tighten the drag on my reel when I hear Andre yell that his fish broke off. As I am using my original Penn Squall 15 with 25lb mainline I have to be more careful not to put too much pressure on this fish. During the fight this soupie breaches a few times which was cool and nerve racking at the same time. I put this shark on the sand with a nice incoming wave.

Stats: Bait-Mac, 70" Female Soup Fin, Incoming tide

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Salt Water Shore Fishing Reports / Pre-Storm Fishing

« on: March 19, 2019, 01:24:55 PM »

So it's suppose to rain on my normal Thursday night fishing day, so I got out yesterday to see if I could find some grinners. The high was scheduled for 9pm, so I wanted to to give it a go at sunset (7pm). I arrived to find small waves and nice conditions. Small amounts of eel grass but very fishable. Baits were getting nibbled at all night during the incoming tide. Got a good cast and beat the skunk with a 17inch Calico.


The bites died down on the outgoing tide so I called it around 11pm. Weird, that this spring has been so slow. Hopefully, I can get one soon. I was able to find a decent bite of Macs at shelter island pier last week on the incoming tide. Just have to find some grinners willing to play.

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Salt Water Shore Fishing Reports / Still looking for the first of 2019

« on: February 13, 2019, 08:55:07 AM »

So after reading Kam's report I was a little hesitant of going out, but with the storm blowing in later in the week I had to take my shot. I fished a spot I have never fished before at night. It looked promising with little waves and no salad. Not what I was expecting at all. The baits go into the water around 7:30pm and within a few minutes I get critters on the bait. This place is rocky with lots of bugs around, so I knew it would be like this all night. The temp wasn't too bad either, I was expecting it to be a lot colder. I get a nice tug on the line that felt like a small Leo, but when I got to shore I find out it's a nice size grumpy bass.
. The picture doesn't do this fish justice, it was a least 14 inches long and thick. Mike wasn't with me so, this fish got to live another day. 

I packed it up at 10:30pm, but will be back again to see if this place pans out for me in the future.

Tom and Steve let me in on the SKK. 

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Fishing Talk / Cardiff report

« on: December 26, 2018, 10:13:08 PM »

If you haven't been to the SK recently check out these photos.
https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2018/dec/26/christmas-king-tides-ravage-cardiff-sea/#

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Fishing Talk / Who's Shore Fishing this week?

« on: December 18, 2018, 01:10:23 PM »

I heard the waves are a little high this week, so who's going out?

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Salt Water Shore Fishing Reports / The right kind of kitty fishing 11/3

« on: November 04, 2018, 01:05:58 PM »

Went out on a Saturday for a change right after sunset to try my luck at getting number 19 and 20 for the year. Went to the the well known soup spot since the high tide was pushing 5ft. Conditions were nice, no salad and little to no waves. I caught some nice bonito a couple of weeks ago on the pier, so I used that for bait on this trip. I just brought one big bonito since I wasn't planning on staying late. The bonito head goes into the water and I'm waiting. The local PD rolls into the parking lot to clear out all of the cars and shines his lights on me and said something over the load speaker, but I couldn't hear him over the sound of the ocean. As the cop is shining his light on me, I get a nice pull down on the rod. Weird to have the Po-Po as an audience as your reeling in a fish. I can't complain since it's been a while since I felt the tug on the line. After a short run, this nice size leo comes to hand. I would say it's about 45" long. The cops leave after seeing me release the fish back into the ocean.


The fog starts rolling in big time around 9pm, and I'm almost out of bait so I call it around 9:30pm. Nice to feel the tug again and not have to deal with salad.

I also caught this 5" leo trying to steal a chunk of bonito. He looked like he was just born.

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Saltwater Boat Fishing Reports / Overnight on the Tribute 9/3

« on: August 04, 2018, 10:04:42 AM »

Got the chance to fish offshore for the first time this season on the Tribute this past week. Got a call from a buddy to fish the full-day on the San Diego for Wednesday. I saw the fish counts and they were killing the YT down south, but I couldn't swing the Wednesday trip. I told him I could do a overnight trip Thursday, so he changed his reservations for the overnight on the tribute. Wednesday comes and I see the numbers drop big time (2 fish for 36 anglers on the Tribute overnight), but it's too late to cancel. Thursday night the captain (Shane) tells us that they did horrible down south so we would be fishing west of SCI. The deckhands says to tie on some Flatfalls rigged for big BFT. Didn't expect this type of trip, so I tied on a glow-in the dark Flatfall to my 40lb setup. We got to the fishing grounds and start looking for life at 6am. The water is a dark blue/purple color with over cast skies with no other boats in the area. We pull up on small patties all morning with a few YT and dodos on them, the bite is one and done at most of the patties. Most of the YT where in the 15-25lb range and the dodos were all in the 10-15lb range. All you needed on this trip was a 20lb setup based on what I saw. The bait was small (4" sardines) so most of us were using the size 4 mustad hooks. We found some foamers late in the day around 3pm, but they didn't stay on top for long and the captain needed to motor home. The final count for the trip was 9 fish (5 YT & 4 Dodos) for 32 anglers. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to pull on anything. Lessons learned from this trip is to wait as long as possible to pull the trigger on a offshore trip. Hopefully, this fishing skunk spell ends soon!

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Salt Water Shore Fishing Reports / Thursday/Friday Graveyard Session 6/21/18

« on: June 22, 2018, 10:18:36 AM »

Summer solstice is suppose to be the longest day of the year, but Mike and I wanted to extend it even further. We get to the grounds around 10:30ish to find a really clean beach for a change. I am talking about no salad in the water. The waves were not an issue and no ripping current. We meet Treecatcher on the sand and he said he got a Leo before we arrived. Mike strikes first with a little Leo, I'm talking about 5" long. He caught it with his hand in a foot of water. I think Treecatcher gets bit next, but he farmed it. I get a critter bite and set the hook on what I though was a lobster, but turns out to be our old friend Mr. Eel. (I know how much Tom loves those) 

Around 1am we start seeing the effects of the incoming tide. Water starts moving in and we start to pick up the action. I get a couple of Leo take downs that gets me to wake up.


Mike gets a 30" bat and Treecatcher gets a nice take down but farmed that one too.  I finally get the right kind to bite around 2am. It started pulling drag like a bat, but once I put some pressure on her she started fighting like a shark with head shakes and long runs. She goes to the surface and shakes her head a couple of times during the fight which was cool to see. She tapes out at 74 inches and thick too. The pictures don't do her justice, but it was nice to break the exotic shark skunk streak.



Treecatcher gets a nice take down on his rod while helping me measure my fish. He lands a decent size Leo too.
Mike was having no love from the fish gods for a change. I'm sure Steve is glad to hear that there was no Plink or Plonking from Mike. We packed it up at 4am.