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MY first 2 sessions only produced 3 fish.....but don't worry bout me and my fishing abilities. I predict that for me 2012 is the year of BIG fish.
2 Jan 2022-Shelter Island/Spanish Landing
Tide high @ 4:01 AM
Got to the water with 2 of my buddies sometime around 7 am and fished until around 1 (Can't really remember when we got on and off the water.....I'll have to keep better track of this in the future for my logs). Either way, the 2012 season greeted us with calm, glassy water and a thick layer of fog. Although these conditions usually produce big numbers for me I was only rewarded with 2 fish. The first spotty came after dropping an xmas oil T&C Swimgrub down a piling.....got bit on the drop. My next fish came after making a long cast in the "highway" between 2 sets of docks. I got bit a few more times in this area but after we already landed a few macs and lizard fish there was no way to know if these strikes were from reluctant spotties or some pest fish. We drifted quite a bit working the docks and eventually made our way to some anchored boats. Not even a strike here, so we kicked around shelter island for quite a while without any more takers. We pulled the tubes and headed over to Spanish Landing, another area I haven't fished before. This area looked "fishy" but with the outgoing tide and a lot of wind the area was very tough to fish. Not even a bite here, but I'll be back......when the conditions are better. All in all, a great day on the water to kick off 2012 although the fish didn't wanna play.
Fast forward 24 hours:
3 Jan 2012- Dana Point Harbor
Tide High @ 0433 AM
Again I was stuck fishing a dropping tide. This being said, any time I can get on the water is good with me regardless of the conditions. I was throwing the xmas oil T&C Swimgrub (a color that has been producing a ton of fish for me lately in all sorts of conditions) on 1/4 of lead. As I'm kicking over to a spot that looks like prime halibut habitat I get hit HARD. I was dragging my bait in front of me as I usually do when kicking from point A to point B. (My philosophy: If your bait ain't in the water you can't catch fish). Well, the fish hit's hard and my rod doubles over....he takes a bunch of line and my heart is pumping. By far one the bigger fish I've hooked up with inshore on bass gear. The fish is on for a solid 15+ seconds and I even get a few cranks on him....and then he's gone. I lookat my bait...no teeth marks at all. I check my hook on my thumbnail....razor sharp. I check my drag.....4 clicks away from being buttoned down all the way (with 8 pound test). I didn't give the fish any slack and did everything "right". I'm still pi$$ed that I lost a big mystery fish but I did everything in my power to capture him....maybe he was barely hooked or was able to shake the hook out of it's mouth. At least I didn't lose him to a bad knot or a dull hook.....
I kick over to this spot I've been dying to fish...and I am completely amazed by the water clarity. I'll be honest....I spent more time looking at the bottom than I did fishing...and even dropped the gopro (on my home made pole mount) to get some video of the structure in this area. At times I saw what looked like the perfect shape of halibut chilling on the bottom...I got some distance and made some casts but no hook ups. Another time I dropped my bait to the bottom just to see the action of the lure in this amazingly clear water and a TINY (4 inch) hali came out of nowhere trying to take my lure. I shoved the gopro under....hopefully I caught some of him on video...I'll check the footage later. That was pretty cool though, it's amazing how well they are at camouflaging themselves with the sand. After an hour or so of casting/looking for underwater structure I decide to call it a day. As I'm kicking in I work a spot that usually produces fish. I land one small spotty, and am so relieved I didn't get skunked. I'm gonna dedicate some of this year to learning DPH, I fish it often but want to learn everything about this body of water that is so close to me yet so mysterious.
In order: First spotty of the year, second spotty of the year, and my DPH skunk buster.
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2 Jan 2022-Shelter Island/Spanish Landing
Tide high @ 4:01 AM
Got to the water with 2 of my buddies sometime around 7 am and fished until around 1 (Can't really remember when we got on and off the water.....I'll have to keep better track of this in the future for my logs). Either way, the 2012 season greeted us with calm, glassy water and a thick layer of fog. Although these conditions usually produce big numbers for me I was only rewarded with 2 fish. The first spotty came after dropping an xmas oil T&C Swimgrub down a piling.....got bit on the drop. My next fish came after making a long cast in the "highway" between 2 sets of docks. I got bit a few more times in this area but after we already landed a few macs and lizard fish there was no way to know if these strikes were from reluctant spotties or some pest fish. We drifted quite a bit working the docks and eventually made our way to some anchored boats. Not even a strike here, so we kicked around shelter island for quite a while without any more takers. We pulled the tubes and headed over to Spanish Landing, another area I haven't fished before. This area looked "fishy" but with the outgoing tide and a lot of wind the area was very tough to fish. Not even a bite here, but I'll be back......when the conditions are better. All in all, a great day on the water to kick off 2012 although the fish didn't wanna play.
Fast forward 24 hours:
3 Jan 2012- Dana Point Harbor
Tide High @ 0433 AM
Again I was stuck fishing a dropping tide. This being said, any time I can get on the water is good with me regardless of the conditions. I was throwing the xmas oil T&C Swimgrub (a color that has been producing a ton of fish for me lately in all sorts of conditions) on 1/4 of lead. As I'm kicking over to a spot that looks like prime halibut habitat I get hit HARD. I was dragging my bait in front of me as I usually do when kicking from point A to point B. (My philosophy: If your bait ain't in the water you can't catch fish). Well, the fish hit's hard and my rod doubles over....he takes a bunch of line and my heart is pumping. By far one the bigger fish I've hooked up with inshore on bass gear. The fish is on for a solid 15+ seconds and I even get a few cranks on him....and then he's gone. I lookat my bait...no teeth marks at all. I check my hook on my thumbnail....razor sharp. I check my drag.....4 clicks away from being buttoned down all the way (with 8 pound test). I didn't give the fish any slack and did everything "right". I'm still pi$$ed that I lost a big mystery fish but I did everything in my power to capture him....maybe he was barely hooked or was able to shake the hook out of it's mouth. At least I didn't lose him to a bad knot or a dull hook.....
I kick over to this spot I've been dying to fish...and I am completely amazed by the water clarity. I'll be honest....I spent more time looking at the bottom than I did fishing...and even dropped the gopro (on my home made pole mount) to get some video of the structure in this area. At times I saw what looked like the perfect shape of halibut chilling on the bottom...I got some distance and made some casts but no hook ups. Another time I dropped my bait to the bottom just to see the action of the lure in this amazingly clear water and a TINY (4 inch) hali came out of nowhere trying to take my lure. I shoved the gopro under....hopefully I caught some of him on video...I'll check the footage later. That was pretty cool though, it's amazing how well they are at camouflaging themselves with the sand. After an hour or so of casting/looking for underwater structure I decide to call it a day. As I'm kicking in I work a spot that usually produces fish. I land one small spotty, and am so relieved I didn't get skunked. I'm gonna dedicate some of this year to learning DPH, I fish it often but want to learn everything about this body of water that is so close to me yet so mysterious.
In order: First spotty of the year, second spotty of the year, and my DPH skunk buster.
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