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Alrighty, here we go. Thursday, it started to look like I was free Sunday, tides looked good, Mo2vation wanted to do Newport next, let's make it happen. Unfortunately, Mo2vation was going to be out of town, Skipjack had teenager stuff to do, so I was on my own. I decided to go with the old familiar, Cherry Beach. Low tide was set for 0415ish, parking lot opens at 0500. Perfect. (start playing yackety sax now)
I get there about 0520 and realize something profound and important. I've tubed, I've tubed the ocean, I've tubed the ocean at night, but I've never tubed the ocean at night in the dark. It's always been in well lit marinas etc. I know I know, but if I'm not comfortable, it's not fun, and if it's not fun, it's not fishing. So I valiantly decided to finish my coffee and wait for just a little bit of light.
About 6ish I got the tube out and proceeded to get into an EPIC knock down drag out fight. The bladders kept shifting, forcing me to deflate and reinflate each bladder 3 dang times. Finally hit the water 0630ish (I stopped checking the time), angry, but happy.
Perfect conditions, the water was just cool enough to be refreshing, but not jigglies hitting the roof of your mouth when you get in, ya know? Overcast, tide still coming in.....let's fish.
I brought two basic colors, a proprietary mix of 50/50 gold pearl powder and standard pearl powder, with gold flake mixed in. This was in 2.5" swimbaits and a grub I made, not because I can make a better grub than store bought, but because when I catch fish, I catch them on my lures, period. The other color was Jolley Rancher blue with silver flake.
I hit the water and head towards Belmont pier as always to my hot spot. Kicked for over two miles, shallow, middlin', and over halfway to the oil island for nooooothiiiiiing. What the Heck?! I mean, 2 tiny sandbass and a palm sized halibut. On a perfect incoming tide with lures and colors I KNOW work. This was weird.
Conditions were so nice I just wanted to stay out there, fish or no fish, but the clock was ticking and I had to start heading back, this was bout 0900. I get out in front of the car with still some time to kill. Now I NEVER go to the right (up toward the aquarium and cabrillo etc) simply because I fished a tournament over that way once and egged. Still a little sore about that I guess. But I figured it couldn't hurt and the fish had to be somewhere........
Worked a few hundred yards past the car and get a couple of hits...hmm....running out of time.....I swing in shallow and head for the car. Wham wham wham wham, I can't keep both rods in the water. I can literally feel the fish fighting eachother to get to the lure. First one that hangs feels like...a perch? Great fight on light rig, lots of fluttery movement etc. and I bring up a Diamond Turbot! Second fish is a halibut, and then it just switches off. The turbot have tiny mouths, so they're eating the gold grubs on the light rig, the halibut are eating the swimbait on the heavier rig, loving the gold as well (I pour that color specifically for the halibut here).
I spent the last half hour just switching rods and catching and releasing right in front of my dang car. Finally dragged myself away to make sure I got home for other obligations. The lesson here is to follow your own advice, I know that when fishing a non structured sandy bottom I may have to explore but I became a creature of habit and it cost me. But I still caught fish and had a wonderful outing.
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p.s. I saw Skipjacks turtle, which was cool and I'm really loving those force fin knockoffs, man can you cover a lot of water with them.
I get there about 0520 and realize something profound and important. I've tubed, I've tubed the ocean, I've tubed the ocean at night, but I've never tubed the ocean at night in the dark. It's always been in well lit marinas etc. I know I know, but if I'm not comfortable, it's not fun, and if it's not fun, it's not fishing. So I valiantly decided to finish my coffee and wait for just a little bit of light.
About 6ish I got the tube out and proceeded to get into an EPIC knock down drag out fight. The bladders kept shifting, forcing me to deflate and reinflate each bladder 3 dang times. Finally hit the water 0630ish (I stopped checking the time), angry, but happy.
Perfect conditions, the water was just cool enough to be refreshing, but not jigglies hitting the roof of your mouth when you get in, ya know? Overcast, tide still coming in.....let's fish.
I brought two basic colors, a proprietary mix of 50/50 gold pearl powder and standard pearl powder, with gold flake mixed in. This was in 2.5" swimbaits and a grub I made, not because I can make a better grub than store bought, but because when I catch fish, I catch them on my lures, period. The other color was Jolley Rancher blue with silver flake.
I hit the water and head towards Belmont pier as always to my hot spot. Kicked for over two miles, shallow, middlin', and over halfway to the oil island for nooooothiiiiiing. What the Heck?! I mean, 2 tiny sandbass and a palm sized halibut. On a perfect incoming tide with lures and colors I KNOW work. This was weird.
Conditions were so nice I just wanted to stay out there, fish or no fish, but the clock was ticking and I had to start heading back, this was bout 0900. I get out in front of the car with still some time to kill. Now I NEVER go to the right (up toward the aquarium and cabrillo etc) simply because I fished a tournament over that way once and egged. Still a little sore about that I guess. But I figured it couldn't hurt and the fish had to be somewhere........
Worked a few hundred yards past the car and get a couple of hits...hmm....running out of time.....I swing in shallow and head for the car. Wham wham wham wham, I can't keep both rods in the water. I can literally feel the fish fighting eachother to get to the lure. First one that hangs feels like...a perch? Great fight on light rig, lots of fluttery movement etc. and I bring up a Diamond Turbot! Second fish is a halibut, and then it just switches off. The turbot have tiny mouths, so they're eating the gold grubs on the light rig, the halibut are eating the swimbait on the heavier rig, loving the gold as well (I pour that color specifically for the halibut here).
I spent the last half hour just switching rods and catching and releasing right in front of my dang car. Finally dragged myself away to make sure I got home for other obligations. The lesson here is to follow your own advice, I know that when fishing a non structured sandy bottom I may have to explore but I became a creature of habit and it cost me. But I still caught fish and had a wonderful outing.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
p.s. I saw Skipjacks turtle, which was cool and I'm really loving those force fin knockoffs, man can you cover a lot of water with them.
