# CA USA: Summer Round-up



## Zed (Sep 18, 2006)

Conditions have been very good around here. A couple weeks ago some blue water pushed inside and for 2 days (a Monday and Tuesday) yellowfin were within striking distance of shore launches. I went out the Wednesday of that week and every Wednesday since, clocking miles and miles off the shelf for nothing but a nature show; Harbor seals, sea lions, common dolphins, Pac. white-sided dolphins, sheerwaters, terns, gulls, pelicans, but no pelagics aside from a couple mako hookups.

It's been good paddling, but I've missed the fleeting window, it seems.
Dana Point NOAA Weather Buoy









The Buoy and Dana Headland. I'm about 7k off.









The bait has been good and plentiful. These two, plus 2 livies on hooks made the round trip only to be eaten by a thresher and a calico bass back at the kelp. They died well, anyway. Amazing actually.









After a big loop I inevitably find myself back near the kelp fishing for the 3 B's (bass, bonito, barracuda) just to have a tug. An imitation donut, so to speak. I've had run-ins w threshers which isn't extraordinary, a couple soupfin (tope), and a couple more makos nearer to the kelp, but I haven't had much fish to eat this Summer so far, and not even the schoolie yellowtail have showed w/in yak range. I've had some heartbreaking mysteryfish that have spit hooks and chomped line, but no big payoff.

Now, today, the water is cooling, down near 70F (21C)inshore and greening, and the W winds are starting to mix the surface waters. It seems like a downward slide into Autumn. I may have missed the boat.

Today I got out again with my dad. Another Wednesday off Dana Point. I decided not to go offshore today, and spent my time inshore. My dad started off first with a legal ling cod, while I was trying to make bait. There was a lot of kelp debris in the water and I kept killing baits as fast as I made them. I finally managed a large green mack and a couple jack macks (yakkas), and I went out a bit deeper (~70ft) to get away from the floating kelp and grass. I put the big green on w/o weight and a jackmack down w a 2oz sliding egg. Almost immediately after starting a drift, the down bait starts to ZZzzzzzzzzzzz. I set that up and had a nice fight including a kelp wrap and unwrap with a personal best* calico bass at 23in. Released. If I had to guess, I'd say a solid 7-8lb fish. Stoked!

* In the US. I think I have caught larger in MEX.









I picked up a little smaller mackerel, and I figured I'd swap out the big one. I pinned it on and tossed it out, and it ran and ran in free spool, then it hit another gear and I moved the lever up to strike (TLD20 w 40lb) and I was big time bent. It took me outside off the shelf anyway, and I spent 50min all alone getting my ass handed to me, w/o knowing what it was. I was eventually straight up and down on it and I could tell from past experience it was a thresher that was probably hooked in the tail. It was a winch job getting it up and any slack or leeway it would bolt, nose down. Seeing the tail was a relief. I knew what it was. On the other hand it was huge. Maybe my biggest. It was hooked more toward the base of the tail than the tip leaving a lot of angry whipping appendage exposed as it came up.

A boater in a skiff came by and was asking 20questions, and trying to coach. He was an idiot, but that's beside the point. He said he had just landed a ~70lb. I said I had it hooked by the tail and it was close.
He asked, "Were you using a rapala?"
"No, straight mack."
"Oh, you don't have it tail hooked then."
*Voice in head*
"Whatever, idiot."
Side note:
Threshers commonly smack their prey with their tail before going in and eating the stunned bait. Trolling a rapala around here is dicey, because of that. Dragging a shark backwards will kill it eventually, plus having all those hooks flying around is dangerous, and landing it you have to grab the tail. If it's big enough, you will never stop it from a yak.

"No, he's hooked near the base of the tail."
I make a grab for the end of the tail and get a good grip, then back off the drag and start pulling up the shark hand over fist, sending the excess tail over the other side of the yak as it comes up. The guy in the boat yells, "WHOA, thats a BIG one!"
Right then the T doesn't like how much tail is out of water, and spazzes out, cracking its tail like a whip past my face and leaving me 0.2° away from going over.
"Duuuuuude you got sooo lucky. You almost went for a swim!"
"Whew."
I buttoned down the drag again and started over.
"Duuuuude, you're still on?"
"Yeah I backed way off to land it."
I got back to the tip of the tail right at the surface, and made another grab, and another good grip, and started hand-tailing it in again. I had my pliers ready, but it wouldn't stay still enough for me to grab the hook while holding it up left armed. It was tricky holding on as tight as I could, but ready to let go as fast as I could. I just couldn't get the hook so I cut the line right at the knot and away it went with one long slow tail whip. And I'm spent, bruised and dehydrated. The boater left, thanking me for the show, and I just floated, recuperating.

The silence is broken by my dad on the radio, about a mile away, a little out of breath.
"Whew, I just got a good size barn door over here on a mack."
"Yeah? How big?"
"Well it almost didn't fit in the pod."

I gathered myself and paddled back in his direction, and spent the rest of the morning in that area, soaking baits near the bottom for no more biters for either of us.

Back at the ramp, it measured out at 40in and 24lb. Still no fish for me. I kind of understand how a cheetah feels, expending all that energy over and over trying to get one meal.




























I'm going out again on Saturday morning. I hope to find something to take home. CaboJohn thinks he wants to harvest a thresher, so, yeah. It's gonna be a scene subduing one and getting it cut.


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## Zed (Sep 18, 2006)

Time bandits, thats what they are!
Ive got several rod butt bruises along my belt line.

Oh yeah on the subject of mysteryfish heart breaks, Ive had a couple of broken sabikis in the last few weeks too. Takes some skill to pull that off, eh?


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## Geoffw (Jan 23, 2011)

Great read Zed. Hope Sat is good to you.


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## alangoggin (Mar 7, 2011)

Thanks for the great read Zed, good luck at the weekend!


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## Fishane (May 11, 2014)

Great report Zed, a pity about the timing on the pelagics but well done on the thresher.


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## Zed (Sep 18, 2006)

> your old man's haligrouper


My old man IS a haligroper.

Calicos are good eating. Id liken them to bream as a fishery. Most folks c n r and this one was an old breeder that IMO deserved to keep at it. A couple 14in (legal) would probably be better that that old girl for eating. They fight hard and dirty using the kelp and rocks. This one was mountable. A real benchmark fish.


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## Zed (Sep 18, 2006)

You heard me.


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## cruiser (Dec 19, 2007)

d


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## Zed (Sep 18, 2006)

eric said:


> Your dad is one of my fishing heroes. Does he do his own reporting?


Usually by phone, SMS or by VHF.

We're on 69a if you care to listen in.


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## sunshiner (Feb 22, 2006)

Mid winter here, and I'm much further south, and colder, than usual. So I relished your TR, both the stinkboater dialogue and your Dad's beautiful halibut. What a shame we don't get those beautiful "barn doors" here.

Thanks again for a great report, Zed.


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