Home
I wrote those words another lifetime ago.... and each time I'm on the water, they become truer, still.
Today was my first time in Alamitos bay - what can be best described as my home waters (literally 5 - 6 minutes from my house) Been wanting to get in for awhile, but didn't know where to start... enter SP Dan.
Some days you are just a klutz
I had a pretty productive day today, despite it being Kenny and the Clustry Day... It seemed to be one CF after another today - and I still managed to grind through and bring in almost 30.
* GoPro fired up great and synched to phone flawlessly at launch. I shut 'er down and fished. Daylight, went to fire up... wouldn't synch.... so while Dan is catching, I'm messing around with my tech.... ugh.
* A boat with clueless driver ran across one of my lines... if it was only a line cut it would have been merciful. My braid became a brillo pad about 50 or 60 feet out...ugh
* A hasty cast to keep something in the water... huge birdsnest on one of the Bait Casting reels(been throwing a 1/4 oz...moved to a 3/8 oz and well, nest....)
* Couldn't tease out the nest - so had to pull the spool (while moored to a bouy in the middle of the main channel right near the entrance....)
So now I have two of 3 rigs out of commish.... it literally took me 40 minutes (one rig 3 tries) to tie on new leaders, baits, reassemble and get my groove back. While Dan is catching, I'm messing with my rigs....
Oh, lets not forget:
* Casting over a sign... snap off HUB. Stuck on the bottom... snap off HUB (2 times). Fish takes me round a mussel-encrusted concrete pylon... snap off HUB. Bad knot, set hook...snap off HUB (2 times). I think I lost at least 5 or 6 today.... ugh While Dan is catching, I'm retying....
Are you detecting a theme emerging? I deal with my multiple CFs, and SP Dan slays fish.
The very good news... I didn't cut, poke, jab, stab, slice, lacerate, abrade or stick a finger with a spine, hook or tooth to the point of bleeding today. So my fish handling is improving. Which is nice.
*Oh yeah.... on the way in, was swapping rods in the holders. My Phenix Recon Elite and Shimano Citica rig was chicken-winged under my arm while I re-positioned the heavy rig.... Got the strike of a lifetime that literally pulled the rod and reel out from under my wing and into the drink. I kicked out for it, I cast over it... but it was gone on a Nantucket Sleigh Ride with some keeper halibut or something.... Active Rods on a tube have two places: Rod holder and your hand. I've been doing this for decades. I know this. I'm careful. Today was the day I could not get out of my own way. I blew it and it cost me. Quite a bit.
The Gear Section
a) 6'-9" Phenix spinning rod with the new Daiwa Tatula LT-1000 Spinning reel. Filled with 10# PowerPro braid (Aqua green) and 7.3# Seaguar Flouro. Fished with 1/8 oz HUB in the early hours, switched to 1/4 oz after about 8:00 AM or so. I like how this casts, I like how it fishes. Caught a 14" Sand Bass on this rig today (among some other dinks)... very nice. A good addition to the paddock.
What I learned
* I remembered to bring a couple of spools of Flouro onto the tube. Needed leaders today!
* The Humminbird Helix 5 GPS flat out rocks. I love that thing. And I'm blow away that I turned it on when I launched and turned if off when I beached - 7 hours+ later. That 5Ah batt is amazing... Can't believe it was still rocking at 7 hours of max brightness.
* I'm keeping the HUBs in their original packages, and grouped by size (3/8, 1/4, 1/
in gallon Zip Lock bags, and its working for me. (Outcast tubes have so little storage room, this is the best solution for now)
* Added back my dry bags. The trunk in an Outcast tube is wet storage... when it gets warm, the jacket has to come off... last time I used it as a lumbar support. This time, into the dry bag...
* Last trip I dehydrated via 'the rainbow' - this time the gatorade bottle. The former is more fun in a junior high kinda way, the latter is how the grown ups seek relief.
* I stocked up on HUBs between trips. Good thing I did... I was losing them left and right today... ugh
* Today I went light - on 2 of the 3 rigs I had the Seaguar 7.3# Flouro. The fish in Alamitos were noticeably smaller, by and not-so-large, than in HH. So going light was great. Also - the water was pretty clear... I'm quite convinced going light helped me grind out fish as the day wore on.
Notes for next trip
* Get to the park onto the grass and work on casting that 3/8 HUB without backlash. Crimany....
* Install rod holder on right side of tube... will make some tight spaces easier to get into
* Bring a snack...marathon sessions like this would be better with some on-water grub
* As I continue to pimp out the Enterprise, I'm now risking not being able to be a one-take-jake.... necessitating multiple trips to and from the launch. This will not stand, man. I have an idea for the next trip to make this easier.
So much good stuff. I remain especially grateful to my 'guide' SPDan.
Lets do this again.... Soon, please.
No GP Video... because I'm a spaz. But Dan did get this shot of me, which pretty much says it all.
-Ken
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Today was my first time in Alamitos bay - what can be best described as my home waters (literally 5 - 6 minutes from my house) Been wanting to get in for awhile, but didn't know where to start... enter SP Dan.
Some days you are just a klutz
I had a pretty productive day today, despite it being Kenny and the Clustry Day... It seemed to be one CF after another today - and I still managed to grind through and bring in almost 30.
* GoPro fired up great and synched to phone flawlessly at launch. I shut 'er down and fished. Daylight, went to fire up... wouldn't synch.... so while Dan is catching, I'm messing around with my tech.... ugh.
* A boat with clueless driver ran across one of my lines... if it was only a line cut it would have been merciful. My braid became a brillo pad about 50 or 60 feet out...ugh
* A hasty cast to keep something in the water... huge birdsnest on one of the Bait Casting reels(been throwing a 1/4 oz...moved to a 3/8 oz and well, nest....)
* Couldn't tease out the nest - so had to pull the spool (while moored to a bouy in the middle of the main channel right near the entrance....)
So now I have two of 3 rigs out of commish.... it literally took me 40 minutes (one rig 3 tries) to tie on new leaders, baits, reassemble and get my groove back. While Dan is catching, I'm messing with my rigs....
Oh, lets not forget:
* Casting over a sign... snap off HUB. Stuck on the bottom... snap off HUB (2 times). Fish takes me round a mussel-encrusted concrete pylon... snap off HUB. Bad knot, set hook...snap off HUB (2 times). I think I lost at least 5 or 6 today.... ugh While Dan is catching, I'm retying....
Are you detecting a theme emerging? I deal with my multiple CFs, and SP Dan slays fish.
The very good news... I didn't cut, poke, jab, stab, slice, lacerate, abrade or stick a finger with a spine, hook or tooth to the point of bleeding today. So my fish handling is improving. Which is nice.
*Oh yeah.... on the way in, was swapping rods in the holders. My Phenix Recon Elite and Shimano Citica rig was chicken-winged under my arm while I re-positioned the heavy rig.... Got the strike of a lifetime that literally pulled the rod and reel out from under my wing and into the drink. I kicked out for it, I cast over it... but it was gone on a Nantucket Sleigh Ride with some keeper halibut or something.... Active Rods on a tube have two places: Rod holder and your hand. I've been doing this for decades. I know this. I'm careful. Today was the day I could not get out of my own way. I blew it and it cost me. Quite a bit.
The Gear Section
a) 6'-9" Phenix spinning rod with the new Daiwa Tatula LT-1000 Spinning reel. Filled with 10# PowerPro braid (Aqua green) and 7.3# Seaguar Flouro. Fished with 1/8 oz HUB in the early hours, switched to 1/4 oz after about 8:00 AM or so. I like how this casts, I like how it fishes. Caught a 14" Sand Bass on this rig today (among some other dinks)... very nice. A good addition to the paddock.
What I learned
* I remembered to bring a couple of spools of Flouro onto the tube. Needed leaders today!
* The Humminbird Helix 5 GPS flat out rocks. I love that thing. And I'm blow away that I turned it on when I launched and turned if off when I beached - 7 hours+ later. That 5Ah batt is amazing... Can't believe it was still rocking at 7 hours of max brightness.
* I'm keeping the HUBs in their original packages, and grouped by size (3/8, 1/4, 1/
in gallon Zip Lock bags, and its working for me. (Outcast tubes have so little storage room, this is the best solution for now)* Added back my dry bags. The trunk in an Outcast tube is wet storage... when it gets warm, the jacket has to come off... last time I used it as a lumbar support. This time, into the dry bag...
* Last trip I dehydrated via 'the rainbow' - this time the gatorade bottle. The former is more fun in a junior high kinda way, the latter is how the grown ups seek relief.
* I stocked up on HUBs between trips. Good thing I did... I was losing them left and right today... ugh
* Today I went light - on 2 of the 3 rigs I had the Seaguar 7.3# Flouro. The fish in Alamitos were noticeably smaller, by and not-so-large, than in HH. So going light was great. Also - the water was pretty clear... I'm quite convinced going light helped me grind out fish as the day wore on.
Notes for next trip
* Get to the park onto the grass and work on casting that 3/8 HUB without backlash. Crimany....
* Install rod holder on right side of tube... will make some tight spaces easier to get into
* Bring a snack...marathon sessions like this would be better with some on-water grub
* As I continue to pimp out the Enterprise, I'm now risking not being able to be a one-take-jake.... necessitating multiple trips to and from the launch. This will not stand, man. I have an idea for the next trip to make this easier.
So much good stuff. I remain especially grateful to my 'guide' SPDan.
Lets do this again.... Soon, please.
No GP Video... because I'm a spaz. But Dan did get this shot of me, which pretty much says it all.
-Ken
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
