I took my son Sean to Catalina for a few days of hooping and fishing. We launched from Huntington Harbor Monday morning and picked up a scoop of nice sardines from Nacho. The ocean was flat glass, but about halfway across we hit a dense fog bank which caused us to slow down to 5 knots as visibility was less than 100 feet. Fortunately, the fog lifted after 2 miles and we were up to speed again.
We put out the rapalas at Long Point and headed east for no takers. Sean did manage a small calico on a swim bait and another on a stick bait. We tried some front and backside beaches for halibut, but only got one bite which did not stick for our efforts.
About 3 PM as we were headed to our hooping spot, we saw some birds working a big area off the east end and 3 other boats on them. As we motored over slowly, Sean put a small iron right in the middle of the school and gets slammed hard. Too bad a big sea lion took the fish and the jig. Next, I get hooked up on a fly-lined dine and land a 7-pound bonito. Nice, the big boys want to play, and they were fighting hard! For the next 30 minutes the bones were hitting everything that was thrown at or dragged by them. We kept 7 and released the rest, all from 5 to 7 pounds. Not bad for January!
With plenty to stuff the bait tubes with, we set up on our hooping spot with no one in sight. It was a calm night with almost no wind, and we managed 9 legals, 3 of which were the bigger models. Tired but happy, we spent the night at Hen Rock.
Tuesday morning found us trying more halibut spots for no love, so out went the trollers again. We picked away at a smaller grade of bonito (but still good size) for a few hours and decided to get a mooring in Avalon.
After lunch and a quick nap, it was back to our hooping spot. The DFW vessel “Swordfish” was on the prowl and their launch stopped 2 boats as we trolled by them for a few more released bones, but they didn’t even give us a look. We must have really needed a shower by then! They headed west, and we never saw them again.
That night was a tough crawl and we only managed 2 legals in a couple of hours, but one of them was the biggest bug of the trip. We called it a night early figuring there were plenty of bugs in the tank. Talking to the guys in the boat moored near us the next morning, it seems the crawl was just off - as they said they didn’t even get a short.
The ride back to the barn was glass again and this time there was no fog. All in all it was a fun trip with quality time spent with my son, big bonito providing some surface action, double digit bugs, decent weather, calm seas and we made it back to the dock in one piece. Water temps were consistently 60 to 61. Plenty of tails for the Super Bowl Lobster-Fest party at Dons!
Be safe out there!
Sean with a nice bonito
Does this lit up bone think he's a wahoo? Dig those vertical stripes! That lure has seen better days!
Dinner for lobsters, party of 7
These two big guys just can't seem to let go!
We put out the rapalas at Long Point and headed east for no takers. Sean did manage a small calico on a swim bait and another on a stick bait. We tried some front and backside beaches for halibut, but only got one bite which did not stick for our efforts.
About 3 PM as we were headed to our hooping spot, we saw some birds working a big area off the east end and 3 other boats on them. As we motored over slowly, Sean put a small iron right in the middle of the school and gets slammed hard. Too bad a big sea lion took the fish and the jig. Next, I get hooked up on a fly-lined dine and land a 7-pound bonito. Nice, the big boys want to play, and they were fighting hard! For the next 30 minutes the bones were hitting everything that was thrown at or dragged by them. We kept 7 and released the rest, all from 5 to 7 pounds. Not bad for January!
With plenty to stuff the bait tubes with, we set up on our hooping spot with no one in sight. It was a calm night with almost no wind, and we managed 9 legals, 3 of which were the bigger models. Tired but happy, we spent the night at Hen Rock.
Tuesday morning found us trying more halibut spots for no love, so out went the trollers again. We picked away at a smaller grade of bonito (but still good size) for a few hours and decided to get a mooring in Avalon.
After lunch and a quick nap, it was back to our hooping spot. The DFW vessel “Swordfish” was on the prowl and their launch stopped 2 boats as we trolled by them for a few more released bones, but they didn’t even give us a look. We must have really needed a shower by then! They headed west, and we never saw them again.
That night was a tough crawl and we only managed 2 legals in a couple of hours, but one of them was the biggest bug of the trip. We called it a night early figuring there were plenty of bugs in the tank. Talking to the guys in the boat moored near us the next morning, it seems the crawl was just off - as they said they didn’t even get a short.
The ride back to the barn was glass again and this time there was no fog. All in all it was a fun trip with quality time spent with my son, big bonito providing some surface action, double digit bugs, decent weather, calm seas and we made it back to the dock in one piece. Water temps were consistently 60 to 61. Plenty of tails for the Super Bowl Lobster-Fest party at Dons!
Be safe out there!
Sean with a nice bonito
Does this lit up bone think he's a wahoo? Dig those vertical stripes! That lure has seen better days!
Dinner for lobsters, party of 7
These two big guys just can't seem to let go!
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