Ocean Party-Boat Fishing 07/04/13

My wife and I decided that the best way to celebrate our independence was to avoid traffic, families and barbeques this year.  So we signed up for a half-day fishing trip out of Dana Wharf.  The trip left at 10 am so this holiday morning felt suspiciously like another day of work, especially since the 4th fell on a Thursday this year. 

At the docks, we found that we would be fishing on the Dana Pride for the first time.  While most of the party boats we join can hold about fifty fisherman, this boat could easily hold double that amount.  And since there were only about forty anglers total, the boat seemed especially spacious.  Unfortunately, that concludes the positive part of the trip.

The fish count reports had been low for the past few days and the legal capture size for many of the varieties of bass (sand, calico, etc.) has changed from twelve inches to fourteen this year.  During the trip, we hit four spots near the San Onofre power plant that did not produce much.  My wife used squid and live anchovies and manage to catch a small sculpin at the first spot.  This was her first sculpin so this came with a bit more excitement that a catch like this would normally warrant.  Unfortunately, this was her only catch of the trip.

I was using a rubber jig until the third spot when I hooked something particularly large.  My fight was short, however, as I only pulled and reeled for a few seconds before the fish decided it was leaving.  It pulled me down hard and took my line for about four seconds before the line snapped.  About twenty minutes later, someone hooked another large fish.  He managed to bring it to the surface although it snapped his rod at the topmost segment.  It was a black sea bass (maybe 60 pounds) which was released at the ocean surface.  We were able to watch the fish float belly-up, resting from its fight for a minutes before some jackass decided to try to hit it with his tackle.  The line touched the big fish and it disappeared under the water without any further hesitation.

The fish trip was set to end at 3 pm but since there was a very low fish count, the captain decided to bring us to a kelp bed to get a more guaranteed catch.  I caught two calico bass with two cast at this new spot, but both were undersized and the entire boat had crowded to one corner of the boat, so I decided to call it a day.  I spent the rest of the day sleeping and the next day I admired my sunburn.  Still probably my best 4th of July yet.

Giant Squid Fishing 1/9/2013

Every 18 to 24 months in Southern California, we receive news reports about the giant Humboldt Squid passing through the waters of Newport Beach, beaching themselves on the shores en masse, consuming the local fish population and then moving on within a week.  Since I began my fishing journey, I’ve been watching the fish counts for local party boats for any reports of giant squid. 

On January 2nd of this year, I saw a report for 1 giant squid caught out of a Dana Point.  I bought a ticket for the next week and told my boss that I was leaving early to make the boat (squid are caught at night).  Due to poor weather, the boats were cancelled and I had to reschedule my trip for the next day and hope that the weather improved.  I was slightly anxious that the squid would decide that would leave for Mexico in the meantime, but I tried to remain hopeful.

I anticipated that it might be a bit cold fishing in evening so I brought a warm sweater with me and my wife brought one of those water-resistant sleeping-bag looking coats.  At the docks, there were several fishermen checking-in and we immediately assumed aspects of terror when we saw that several of them were wearing rain slickers and a few were wearing trash-bags.  One young man looked more worried than me; he was wearing a wife-beater.

After we launched, we spent about an hour heading out along the coast and watching the sun set.  By the time we reached our destination, the sun had set completely.  I was using my surf fishing rod, with 25 pound line, and a small squid jig.  I used my camera flash to charge the glow-in-the-dark segment of the jig.  Once the ship stabilized, we dropped our lines to 150 yards and waited.  After five minutes, someone shouted that he had hooked one and about five seconds later, my rod and it seemed every other rod on the boat arced down with the pull of squid. 

The giant squid attempt to jet straight down every three seconds which pulls the rod tip almost into the water.  Between tugs, you can bring the squid up a few yards.  The squid, upon reaching the surface, shower the deck with ocean water in their attempts to escape.  The crew members with the gaffs were occupied rushing from person to person.  Rather than wait, I grabbed the line with my hands and pulled it up to the deck hand over hand.  Upon removing the jig, the squid grab your hands which it about the most unsettling experience I’ve had.  Since the crew was busy, we just put the squid on the deck behind us.  The squid on the deck would flash back and forth between white and red, occasionally filling their bodies up with air and blowing it out.  That night, my wife and I caught thirty squid between the two of us, keeping three to fry and use as bait.

The only drawback to the trip was the cleaning of the squid.  For a five-hour trip, we spent thirty minutes cruising to the fishing spot, an hour and a half fishing, and three hours cleaning the catch.  As you can imagine, it is very cold from nine to midnight on a boat offshore in January.  My wife and I spent the rest those three hours sharing each others’ warmth and hoping that we would get back to shore soon.  It was really a once in a lifetime experience because neither of us are willing to brave the cold again…at least not anytime soon.

Village Pond Park Bluegill Fishing 6/1/2013

As the day gets longer and the local ponds get more sunlight, the plant life in said ponds grows rapidly and it become very easy to catch sunfish.  One of the most enjoyable places in Orange County is Clark Regional Park where the water is crystal clear and only about a foot deep. You can watch the fish swimming about midday and if you drop some food in, you can watch as they swarm it.  This Saturday, I walked to Village Pond Park which is less than a mile from my house with a telescoping travel rod, 2 pound test, a small bobber, a size 20 hook, and a small piece of rubber cut from an old jig.  Sunfish spawn rapidly and are not picky eaters so they will bite at most baits and lures.

Village Pond Park is known more for the bird population than it’s fishing.  At any given time, there will be more than one hundred birds: mostly geese, ducks, and loons.  There are some fishing birds too that will watch you and try to grab any fish that you drop on the grass/sidewalk.

I only had about fifteen minutes, so I cast a few times and caught a three-inch bluegill that I released immediately and a seven-inch bluegill pictured to the left.  My wife took over and caught a five-inch green sunfish and a five-inch bluegill, pictured from left to right below.

We kept the largest bluegill and returned the rest of them.  The bluegill will be used in a crayfish trap in one of the coming weekends.

Trabuco Creek Trout Fishing 4/20/2013

Read about a California DFG trout plant for this week at Trabuco Creek.  Trout plants usually occur sometime mid-week, so my wife and I got up with the sun to get some fishing done.  Trabuco Creek is accessible from a dirt road near the entrance of O’Neill Regional Park.  The road is rough but can be traversed by even the most humble of vehicles.  About 3 miles up the road is a sign proclaiming ‘Entering Cleveland National Forest’ and another tenth of a mile is your first bridge crossing Trabuco Creek and the first potential fish plant location.

Looking into the pool underneath the tiny waterfall, we spotted dozens of tiny trout swirling around each other in the pool.  Because the stream is very shallow heading out toward the ocean, the planted trout have no hope of ever leaving this pool except on the end of a fishing line or being picked out by coyotes.  If the fish weren’t planted here, there is another cement bridge that crosses the creek another mile or so up the road near the fire station and the Holy Jim Falls trailhead.

My wife and I were both set up with 10 pound line (which was overkill), sliding egg sinkers, small treble hooks and some dough power bait.  Due to the density of fish and the lack of other fisherman, we were able to catch each fish within two minutes of each cast.  My first catch and my wife’s biggest fish here (11” nose to tail):

In the end, we took six fish and were home by 8 AM.  And as I type, they are cooking with a Mexicali rub.

Gotta catch em all...

 

 



The same compulsive nature that led me to complete my Pokedex when I was eight was triggered when I first read about the California Fishing Passport.  I didn't have an opportunity to go fishing before I reached adulthood, but when I finally did I found that I couldn't stop thinking about traveling to new areas and seeing exactly what I could pull out of the water.



Catfishing in Big Bear during the 2012 Perseids

Thankfully, my then girlfriend and now wife didn't clash with my new hobby/obsession.  In fact, she will go fishing with me whenever I want to as long as I pack all the gear, set up her rod, and remove the hooked fish because they are apparently too disgusting to handle directly.  At first, I spent a while aimlessly catching trout, crayfish and panfish around Southern California before I discovered the Passport program which gave me a tremendous boon: a semi-viable reason to travel and fish more...which I have been doing, but in all the rush and fun of bringing in a catch I will often forget to take a picture of the fish before I release it.

Depending on whether or not you like mackarel, this is either a good or a bad haul.

Enter this blog.  I'm starting with a fresh passport and I will henceforth target any fish that I have not posted on this blog.  This should keep me focused and hopefully give a little direction for anyone else attempting to catch 'em all...