Hit Huntington Harbour this morning with Jeffcpr

Seriously fun morning. Just a taste (the first taste is always free, right?)....

I'm still gearing up for local Salt... Jeff hooked me up. Loaned me a rod, loaned me some baits, some scent....all good.

In less than three hours I tubed 4 Halibut, had something very nice get off the line, and missed about 4 or 5 other strikes. Perfect weather, calm day. Super stoked. I believe I was using a Hoookup Tube bait, and from their site, it looks like it was a Sardine Green, likely the large (5/8 oz??) Jeff will chime in. I switched several times, and this was the one that was getting the strikes and the fish.


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My goal was to kick around with the finder (still learning the nuances of the Humminbird Helix 5) - catching fish was an unexpected surprise.

Jeff, of course, hooked up on his very first cast. And continued to hook up the entire time we were out there.

Super morning. I can so do this on the way to or from work.

So, of course, I spent the last several hours perusing the web (and several local shops) for suitable rods and reels.... as I'm a fly fisherman who does some ultralight spinning work.... I don't have anything in the 6# range.

Great morning. Thanks so much, buddy.


- Ken

Well done to both you and Jeff. There are a lot of fun salt sessions ahead of you for sure Nice meeting you earlier today.

Ken great day in the water today sir. Glad you could get out last minute like myself today. Very happy to show you the ropes you got it now. I will post a few pictures soon one of you with that nice Hali as well.

Nice Job you Guys take any Pictures ??

Litefoot wrote:Nice Job you Guys take any Pictures ??

Yep i will try to get some up soon.

Good deal! I'd guess the bait was actually a 1/4 oz "medium" or 3/8 large. The 5/8 large is a big gun, more for off shore.

Huntington Harbor is a great place to tube. Besides Seabridge, you can launch out of Humboldt or Davenport and have a whole different experience.

Thanks for the report! Looking forward to pics!

As for rods and reels, that's a great way to start a fight   Personally, I use a Phenix Maxim 6'10" graphite trout rod and a Kastking Sharky waterproof reel. But in my opinion, the rod and reel are the least important pieces of the puzzle.

You'll find with the Hookup Baits that the majority of hits happen on the drop, so you really have to watch your line. Just like LMB, the salties will inhale a bait that's falling and spit it right back out before you realize what's happening so th e extra sensitivity of the graphite is nice. The tag line they use at Hookup is "Don't blink on the sink!" and it's true!

Good to hear that you had a great session! HOOKED!!

SP Dan     <"))><

OK here we go first here is one of my ideas for the morning, I used an inflatable seat on the flatform which made for a more comfortable ride.  A little awkward but much more comfortable.
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Now here is a shot of Mo2vated landing his nicer Hali.
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I landed 5 for the day nothing crazy but here are a few on the day for me.
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Very nice

Hah!

In that shot, I'm employing the popular float tube fin-extraction and release method..... its what all of us Salty Noobs use when we can't grip the jig with pliers (hali was thrashing and giving me a proper shower) and don't have a lip-gripper yet for the toothy guys.

Mo2vation wrote:Hah!

In that shot, I'm employing the popular float tube fin-extraction and release method..... its what all of us Salty Noobs use when we can't grip the jig with pliers (hali was thrashing and giving me a proper shower) and don't have a lip-gripper yet for the toothy guys.

Hey, there you looked like a natural buddy you handle that Hali with grace and patience. I am sure we will see more saltwater reports coming from Mo2vation sooner than later.

Looks like a great morning out boys!
The no handed release is sketchy at best, but really entertaining to watch.

Thanks for sharing.

Very Nice Guys keep up the good work Did you try the Side Imaging ??

Litefoot wrote:Very Nice Guys keep up the good work Did you try the Side Imaging ??

"

Some thoughts:

* the SI .... I need to figure out how to turn the image around 180.... we kick backwards, the transducer points backwards.... so the stuff on the right is on the left side of the SI, and vice versa. People backtroll all the time... I'm sure there's a way to flip this.

* SI is pretty boring and lame in HH.... the place is flat bottom, shallow mudhole. I used it a lot on Gull lake. Found a sunken boat, found a Matterhorn-esque pinnacle and some other structure. In HH - its pancake flat and a big yawn.

Congrats on your first float at HH. Those spotties are notorious short-biters. Watching the line for "ticks" on the drop, and using braid for sensitivity has helped my hookup ratio some.

I was out in HH in the afternoon (launched at Homboldt). I'll try to post a report later.

Hope to see you out there some time. Tight lines

Thanks for that report on the S I is the screen big enough for a good look ???