04-27-2006, 07:50 PM
[size 2]Hey guys,
SV ought to love this !
Fished the Liberty, All Day Catalina Freelance out of Long Beach Sportfishing day-before-yesterday. Late report I guess. Anthony runs the boat with 3 decks on duty. Made the usual run to Catalina ….. first stop ….. West End on the backside. Targeted both the rockfish and various large and small fishys lurking in the kelp and otherwise.
Short Report: 17 anglers. We caught limits of Bacaccio (Salmon Grouper). Limits … Duhh ! a number of California Scorpionfish (Sculpin), 21 Red Snapper, 61 other rockfish including: Starrys, Chilipeppers, Treefish, Barberpoles, etc., 2 Whitefish, 3 Sheephead, 5 Calico Bass, 4 Bonito (to 6lbs), 8 perch (looked like blacksmith), and 1 Lingcod Ops … can’t forget the two Sanddab I was being privileged to crank up from 240 feet! Average size of legal fish: A little small throughout all species caught.
Long Report:
Yesterday was Monday and Monday is Monday Madness Day. Translation: Only $50 for a … sure to go trip to Catalina. Seems like there is a group of guys that patronize the boat pretty often, although I’m not sure they (including myself) could be called ‘regulars’. (no negative connotation) Checking in the bait tank before we left, we still had a few live squid and sardines left over from a previous trip. That’s usually pretty cool as even if the remaining squid croak, they then become slightly washed-out fresh-dead. Frozen squid was already thawing so all was well on that front.
Heading out from the dock at 5am, we got the usual spiel from Anthony on where this and that was in case of emergency, what we were looking at in the bait department, where we were initially heading (barring no big suprise) and hopefully what the outlook was for fishys to be caught and for …… WSB. We first hit the receiver at Cabrillo to get a nice mix of anchovies and sardines then headed out toward the West End. Sardines and anchovies would be the go-to bait for both the salmon grouper and the big ling cod.
I have no idea how the trip to the island was as ……… after getting my gear stowed and rods set up, I went down in the bunk area got an extra pillow and a blanket (included in the ticket), turned on the radio and chilled. (ya … you can actually get reception down there unlike a number of boats where you can’t even get reception in the galley!)
We got to the island in a reasonable amount of time (Liberty is no speed-demon), turned the corner West End and in 20 minutes were fishing. Fished shallower waters for a good mix of species and the possible chance of a WSB. With little going on shallow, we fished out at depths of around 250 feet to pick up the usual obligatory Bacaccio limit and other rockfish. After the Salmon Grouper limit, we pulled the hook and headed east …. er …. South …. Whatever.
With the clock ticking …. we got a call-in from a boat that was moving off their WSB spot and we headed for WSBland. Once we got to the hot spot, all that was left was one solitary private?? boat which incidentally hooked up while we were there…… only to lose the fish. Alas …. today was not to be the day I, or anybody else, would get one of the croakers! Not even a pick-up to my knowledge. After burning another hour or so after mid-day we again went out and hit some deep spots that held some nice Red Snapper…… unfortunately we just got some average sized ones.
Later on in the day, and in fact until we were ready to head home, we set our sites for the West End and hugged the kelp line stopping here and there. Picked up a few fish at each stop.
People fished mostly dropper loop rigs with 6 to 10oz torpedoes for the rockfish and seemingly encountered few problems although the current started to pick up later in the early afternoon and made you pay attention to others lines. Up in shallower water, ¼ oz sliding egg sinker/Carolina rigs were the norm fishing some of the kinda-live squid, pretty-fresh-dead-squid and then the chovies and dines. As usual ….. I was stubborn and would fish plastics if we weren’t in the deep water (hey ….. 150 feet ain’t deep for a 4-5 oz leadhead/plastic rigs …….. especially the MegaBait models). Who said you can’t catch a WSB on swimbaits?! See it on the ‘quiet’ private boat catch reports all the time.
The weather was beautiful and the sun was shining with the wind not be too much until the last. I even got a little sunburned. No eagles, a bunch of smaller birds sitting on top of the kelp like it was their nest, lots of Bonito charging through the area but never staying long ….. even with the decks good efforts to ‘bring ‘em to the boat’. Good heads-up guys! We had one pesky sea lion that wasn’t very pesky and moved on pretty quickly. Good doggie! The swell and current were decent until the early afternoon when swinging on the anchor was a real pain but unavoidable. As usual …. we could always say if it’s too hard to stay set on a spot …… go find an area you can do drifts!
Water temperature on the backside from the West End to way past Two-Harbors was bouncing between 59 and 61 degrees. The water color was that wierd blue/green/whitish that I associated with beaches that hold WSB during their best season. This color extended out 500 meters out from the shore! Bet it was a coupla degrees warmer on the frontside and the sportcoats were willing to play!
Our last stop on the backside, near the West End, didn’t pan out so we headed for the barn. We had hung for as long as we could to make it back to the docks by 7pm. With Anthony’s last message to us … ‘Roll ‘em or Troll ‘em’ we took off. Didn’t make it and got back at 7:20pm, which made me late to get my chili fries at Tommy’s on Anahiem St. My poor bass didn’t stand a chance in the jackpot with the appearance of that nasty ol’ 6lb Bonito. The Liberty has a raffle where you can buy a $2 chance at a free trip. This is great if you don’t want to get in the jackpot (honestly …. $10 is a little steep for the jackpot entry especially when you go out 3-4 times a week) but still would like to win something. Again, the trip back was …. me in the bunk listenin’ to talk radio and dozing off. (tired from the day before getting up early and working the Day at the Docks down in San Diego.
Everybody that wanted fish had a bag to take home.
That was the days’ fishing overall.
On the crew: Anthony, as usual, was working the spots, burning fuel to hunt, and on deck often. Decks were there anytime you wanted a hand or had questions and made everyone feel at home.
On the boat: The galley might be small, but the sundeck and comfortable tables and seats are a perfect place to chill and watch the glorious Catalina shoreline slip by in the sunshine.
My Fishing ..... I stuck to my plastics MOST of the day with some success. Went thru a lot of colors and was reminded that throwing swimbaits with anything over a 1/4oz leadhead up in the 30/40 foot shallows/kelp on the backside can be an expensive proposition. I used all four of my outfits…. each rigged differently for Catalina fishing this trip. 1st for bottom fishing (30lb braid/Seaguar fluro), 2nd throwing plastics (15lb Izor XXX/ Seaguar fluro), 3rd for straight flylining or lite Carolina livelining (15lb P-line flurocarbon), and 4th for WSB (30lb Izor Platinum/Seaguar fluro).
For deep water, I fished squid strips on circle hooks threaded on 20lb test fluorocarbon leader positioned with Carolina keepers ..... and a 12oz torpedo at the end for weight.
Aside: As usual ….. if there is anyone ….. anyone ….. on the boat that is in any way a tad bothersome …. they are fishing next to me! This trip …… it was mister know-it-all, trying to talk FISH then in the next moment asking what kind of fish it was while ponting to a Bonito! That’s ok …. he had a buddy that had given me some warning. It’s all good and that’s what makes a trip an adventure.
Another aside: Watch out! According to the deck (sorry I can’t recall your name … someone will let me know.. lots of tats) who got locked in the head and rescued by me …. the hook on the outside of the door sometimes bounces just right when it’s being closed so that it jumps in the eyelet to lock the hapless angler inside! I had to laugh once he said it happens and he didn’t suspect me of doing it!
Yet Another aside: Steve thanks for saving this trip for me! Dave did an excellent job getting this trip going and out the landing office door.
As always ….. had a great trip, decent bait, and had plenty of shots at whatever Catalina has to offer.
Tsurikichi[/size]
[signature]
SV ought to love this !
Fished the Liberty, All Day Catalina Freelance out of Long Beach Sportfishing day-before-yesterday. Late report I guess. Anthony runs the boat with 3 decks on duty. Made the usual run to Catalina ….. first stop ….. West End on the backside. Targeted both the rockfish and various large and small fishys lurking in the kelp and otherwise.
Short Report: 17 anglers. We caught limits of Bacaccio (Salmon Grouper). Limits … Duhh ! a number of California Scorpionfish (Sculpin), 21 Red Snapper, 61 other rockfish including: Starrys, Chilipeppers, Treefish, Barberpoles, etc., 2 Whitefish, 3 Sheephead, 5 Calico Bass, 4 Bonito (to 6lbs), 8 perch (looked like blacksmith), and 1 Lingcod Ops … can’t forget the two Sanddab I was being privileged to crank up from 240 feet! Average size of legal fish: A little small throughout all species caught.
Long Report:
Yesterday was Monday and Monday is Monday Madness Day. Translation: Only $50 for a … sure to go trip to Catalina. Seems like there is a group of guys that patronize the boat pretty often, although I’m not sure they (including myself) could be called ‘regulars’. (no negative connotation) Checking in the bait tank before we left, we still had a few live squid and sardines left over from a previous trip. That’s usually pretty cool as even if the remaining squid croak, they then become slightly washed-out fresh-dead. Frozen squid was already thawing so all was well on that front.
Heading out from the dock at 5am, we got the usual spiel from Anthony on where this and that was in case of emergency, what we were looking at in the bait department, where we were initially heading (barring no big suprise) and hopefully what the outlook was for fishys to be caught and for …… WSB. We first hit the receiver at Cabrillo to get a nice mix of anchovies and sardines then headed out toward the West End. Sardines and anchovies would be the go-to bait for both the salmon grouper and the big ling cod.
I have no idea how the trip to the island was as ……… after getting my gear stowed and rods set up, I went down in the bunk area got an extra pillow and a blanket (included in the ticket), turned on the radio and chilled. (ya … you can actually get reception down there unlike a number of boats where you can’t even get reception in the galley!)
We got to the island in a reasonable amount of time (Liberty is no speed-demon), turned the corner West End and in 20 minutes were fishing. Fished shallower waters for a good mix of species and the possible chance of a WSB. With little going on shallow, we fished out at depths of around 250 feet to pick up the usual obligatory Bacaccio limit and other rockfish. After the Salmon Grouper limit, we pulled the hook and headed east …. er …. South …. Whatever.
With the clock ticking …. we got a call-in from a boat that was moving off their WSB spot and we headed for WSBland. Once we got to the hot spot, all that was left was one solitary private?? boat which incidentally hooked up while we were there…… only to lose the fish. Alas …. today was not to be the day I, or anybody else, would get one of the croakers! Not even a pick-up to my knowledge. After burning another hour or so after mid-day we again went out and hit some deep spots that held some nice Red Snapper…… unfortunately we just got some average sized ones.
Later on in the day, and in fact until we were ready to head home, we set our sites for the West End and hugged the kelp line stopping here and there. Picked up a few fish at each stop.
People fished mostly dropper loop rigs with 6 to 10oz torpedoes for the rockfish and seemingly encountered few problems although the current started to pick up later in the early afternoon and made you pay attention to others lines. Up in shallower water, ¼ oz sliding egg sinker/Carolina rigs were the norm fishing some of the kinda-live squid, pretty-fresh-dead-squid and then the chovies and dines. As usual ….. I was stubborn and would fish plastics if we weren’t in the deep water (hey ….. 150 feet ain’t deep for a 4-5 oz leadhead/plastic rigs …….. especially the MegaBait models). Who said you can’t catch a WSB on swimbaits?! See it on the ‘quiet’ private boat catch reports all the time.
The weather was beautiful and the sun was shining with the wind not be too much until the last. I even got a little sunburned. No eagles, a bunch of smaller birds sitting on top of the kelp like it was their nest, lots of Bonito charging through the area but never staying long ….. even with the decks good efforts to ‘bring ‘em to the boat’. Good heads-up guys! We had one pesky sea lion that wasn’t very pesky and moved on pretty quickly. Good doggie! The swell and current were decent until the early afternoon when swinging on the anchor was a real pain but unavoidable. As usual …. we could always say if it’s too hard to stay set on a spot …… go find an area you can do drifts!
Water temperature on the backside from the West End to way past Two-Harbors was bouncing between 59 and 61 degrees. The water color was that wierd blue/green/whitish that I associated with beaches that hold WSB during their best season. This color extended out 500 meters out from the shore! Bet it was a coupla degrees warmer on the frontside and the sportcoats were willing to play!
Our last stop on the backside, near the West End, didn’t pan out so we headed for the barn. We had hung for as long as we could to make it back to the docks by 7pm. With Anthony’s last message to us … ‘Roll ‘em or Troll ‘em’ we took off. Didn’t make it and got back at 7:20pm, which made me late to get my chili fries at Tommy’s on Anahiem St. My poor bass didn’t stand a chance in the jackpot with the appearance of that nasty ol’ 6lb Bonito. The Liberty has a raffle where you can buy a $2 chance at a free trip. This is great if you don’t want to get in the jackpot (honestly …. $10 is a little steep for the jackpot entry especially when you go out 3-4 times a week) but still would like to win something. Again, the trip back was …. me in the bunk listenin’ to talk radio and dozing off. (tired from the day before getting up early and working the Day at the Docks down in San Diego.
Everybody that wanted fish had a bag to take home.
That was the days’ fishing overall.
On the crew: Anthony, as usual, was working the spots, burning fuel to hunt, and on deck often. Decks were there anytime you wanted a hand or had questions and made everyone feel at home.
On the boat: The galley might be small, but the sundeck and comfortable tables and seats are a perfect place to chill and watch the glorious Catalina shoreline slip by in the sunshine.
My Fishing ..... I stuck to my plastics MOST of the day with some success. Went thru a lot of colors and was reminded that throwing swimbaits with anything over a 1/4oz leadhead up in the 30/40 foot shallows/kelp on the backside can be an expensive proposition. I used all four of my outfits…. each rigged differently for Catalina fishing this trip. 1st for bottom fishing (30lb braid/Seaguar fluro), 2nd throwing plastics (15lb Izor XXX/ Seaguar fluro), 3rd for straight flylining or lite Carolina livelining (15lb P-line flurocarbon), and 4th for WSB (30lb Izor Platinum/Seaguar fluro).
For deep water, I fished squid strips on circle hooks threaded on 20lb test fluorocarbon leader positioned with Carolina keepers ..... and a 12oz torpedo at the end for weight.
Aside: As usual ….. if there is anyone ….. anyone ….. on the boat that is in any way a tad bothersome …. they are fishing next to me! This trip …… it was mister know-it-all, trying to talk FISH then in the next moment asking what kind of fish it was while ponting to a Bonito! That’s ok …. he had a buddy that had given me some warning. It’s all good and that’s what makes a trip an adventure.
Another aside: Watch out! According to the deck (sorry I can’t recall your name … someone will let me know.. lots of tats) who got locked in the head and rescued by me …. the hook on the outside of the door sometimes bounces just right when it’s being closed so that it jumps in the eyelet to lock the hapless angler inside! I had to laugh once he said it happens and he didn’t suspect me of doing it!
Yet Another aside: Steve thanks for saving this trip for me! Dave did an excellent job getting this trip going and out the landing office door.
As always ….. had a great trip, decent bait, and had plenty of shots at whatever Catalina has to offer.
Tsurikichi[/size]
[signature]