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Since we are sharing info on fishing NPH. I wanted to share a chapter from the book I am working on titled "Kick Bass Fishing"
hope you enjoy it. I had to remove the pictures because for some reason I just cant download any onto this site.So the following is Chapter 5 Spotted Bay Bass
Spotted Sand Bass. (Paralabrax Maculatofasciatus)
A member of the saltwater bass family. It has been known to inhabit the waters off California from San Francisco Bay all the way south to Mazatlan, Mexico, with a dense population found in the northern Sea of Cortez. They prefer shallow warm water areas such as bays, estuaries and harbors. Typically they are not seen further north of Santa Monica Bay. They spend their time lurking in Eel Grass, rocky areas and a variety of man-made structure.
More commonly called “Spotted Bay Bass” or “Spotty” they are by far the most pursued fish to be found in Southern California inner harbor waters. The “spotty” has definitely been a very important fish in my life. I spend more time fishing for Spottys than any other species that is found in the waters off California. Its bone jarring strikes and the power they display when hooked is awesome. To make things even more interesting “Spottys” call the meanest line breaking structure you can find home.
With a maximum size of around 7 pounds, with most caught fish somewhere in the 1-3 pound class, spottys in habit most of Southern California’s bays and harbors. Like any other fish that swims, there always seem to be areas where they are found in greater numbers than others. Over the years I have found myself fishing just about anywhere “Spottys” can be found. My favorite areas to target them are as follows.
If its numbers I want, then the San Diego and Mission bay areas are hard to beat. I have consistently had more 20 fish days here than any other place I have fished.
What Alamitos Bay in Long Beach lacks in numbers it makes up in size. The fish I catch here are on average twice the size of anywhere else I fish.
I do have to mention that at times Newport Bay in sunny Orange county can provide the best of both worlds, and the only reason it does not get my vote as best place to fish is because of its inconsistency in recent years.
I will get into more detail regarding specific areas to fish later in this book.
Spottys are a very complex and worthy adversary. In many ways they behave similar to a largemouth bass. They are very structure oriented, and respond well to a variety of baits and lures. They can be caught year round, but I find that spring and fall seem to be the best seasons. One thing you can count on is that they will be found holding tight to structure. Structure in this case being almost anything you can imagine as long as it’s in the water. Docks are usually the first place I will target, followed by bridges, mooring lines, submerged drainage pipes, navigation signs, rocks, or whatever else you can find. They are the perfect fish for the bodies of water they call home. Just look at any of our harbors located in California and you will notice that there is no lack of fishable structure to be found. Yet, it’s that abundance of structure that can often make locating spottys difficult at times.
Spotted bay bass are best fished on the move. Very rarely do you find them schooled up in any one location, the exception being a brief time usually in late spring to early summer when they can be found in larger groups near the mouths of harbors preparing to spawn.
One key to Spotted bay bass fishing success is figuring out a pattern. As with Largemouth bass fishing, always be aware of what is relevant to the spots you are fishing. Such as water depth,claity,current, and structure type, as well as lures and presentation. A perfect example of this was a recent 24 hour trip I took with two of my fishing buddies. We were fishing in May 2010, and our trip started in Marina Del Rey around 11pm.With no Spottys to be found there, we headed south to Newport bay and fished from 1am till about 3:30 am, only managing to land one fish. Determined to get into some better fishing we went north to Alamitos bay and began fishing there around 5am.As we worked the abundant docks in the area we were getting a little frustrated from the lack of fish. At that point my friend Josh Yanez a veteran when it comes to bay fishing, decided to flip swimbaits in very shallow water tight to corners of docks and got bit immediately. Using that as our guide we began to seek out similar structure and were rewarded with fish after fish until the tide receded and were unable to fish that shallow anymore. We ended the day with at least 15 fish over 2 pounds caught and released.
Developing a pattern can make the difference between a good day and an epic one. Not only knowing what type of structure they are relating to, but the baits and presentations they are responding to. There are times when the fish are hitting baits as they sink down the water column, compared to days when a very slow retrieve bounced along the bottom will work. Add to that, the multitude of baits and lures they may or may not be biting on and you are left with quite a puzzle to solve. My suggestion is to have multiple set ups, and to throw a variety of baits. I use a simple process of elimination. I will always start with Swimbaits either 3” on a 3/8 oz. jig head, or 6” with a ¾ oz. head. I prefer colors like Anchovy, sardine, reds, and purples. If those are not producing I will switch to a curly tail 4” grub in chartreuse or red and drag them very slowly across structure. From there it’s up to the angler’s preference of what to try next.
Even though swimbaits and curl tail grubs are the most popular lures for spottys, there has been a developing trend towards the use of Spinner baits and crank baits. I have used both with very good results. One thing I have noticed when using these types of baits is that I do not catch as many fish, but I do catch larger ones. Personal preferences are always a factor when it comes to any lure thrown by fisherman. For me I only use Terminator brand spinnerbaits. These are constructed using titanium and can withstand the punishment given when using them in saltwater. I throw either ¾ oz. or 1 oz. depending on the strength of the current, as for colors I stick with white or chartreuse/white combinations. I will fish them around shallow structure and parallel to rocky shorelines. I use crankbaits on very few occasions, but when I find myself in the San Diego bay area that all changes. For some reason the spottys down there have an appetite for Frenzy rattling baits made by Berkley. I will work these baits in deeper waters and under any bait receiver I can find. I have also had great success with Luckycraft jerk baits fished around rocky structure and eel grass flats.
Spotted Bay bass can be caught 24 hours a day, but my preferred time to go after them is at night especially during the heat of the summer. It is this time of year when more people are to be found enjoying the ocean and its surrounding attractions. So in turn you get more boat traffic than you would at other times of the year. This is when the midnight patrol starts for me and for the spottys. If I can get a high tide peaking around an hour after sunrise in the summer you bet I will be fishing. That means I will be fishing the area I have chosen that night from about 2:30 am till about an hour or two after sunrise. I call that scenario the magic hour. It was exactly that combination of time and tide that I was fishing when I caught my 5 ½ pound spotty, still my biggest spotty to date.
Because of the type of structure they are found around and the brute strength spottys possess, I recommend using monofilament line that is abrasion resistant and has a breaking strength of at least 10# test. When fishing in low light conditions or stained water I will go heavier using at least 15# test but will go as high as 20# especially when using bigger baits. I use 6’-71/2’ casting rods with a fast taper and good backbone to keep the spottys out of cover. My reels are all quality brands with high gear ratios and superb drag systems. You can get away with spinning gear just be sure you are using rods that are strong enough and stiff enough to set the hook and keep these spirited fish from wrapping your line around the structure you are fishing. I made a bad choice years ago fishing with 2 and 4 pound lines around docks, so needless to say all I did was lose fish.
Here is a quick summary for spotted bay bass:
Can be found in all So. Cal bays and harbors
Relate to submerged structure (docks, bridges, pipes, rocks, etc.)
Can be fished year round day or night, best during good tidal movement
Preferred baits are Swimbaits, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and plastic worms
Use quality tackle and abrasion resistant lines.
