Been getting out as time permits and have managed a few good days. Not a lot of fish around yet, but if you cover a ton of ground you can find pockets of them.
I've managed to lose a few big halibut this month, too, with one that will haunt me. That fish maxed out my heavier 9' set up with pretty stiff drag and took me down to the spool before unbuttoning. Nothing to show for it other than a mangled swim bait and a good lesson learned .... that being to not tighten the drag several minutes into a fight. But, not sure if it mattered as that thing got into the fast water and was pissed. I also lost two good ones because I got bored and fished LC's instead of a swim bait. Despite what you may have read or heard, they suck for big halibut ... which I have proven far too many times. Perch, Yellowfin, and the like love em, though.
Spotfin are around. I've managed to get at least one every time out looking for them and even had my best day ever on them. The weather was gray and shitty, and I walked forever and back in the water to find them, but when I did I had em all to myself wide open for over an hour. Alll are still swimming (a few pics below). They are still not settled in yet and require patient sight fishing/lots of looking. Also, I can't stress enough how important it is to NOT beat up holes or continue to blind cast in one area. More hunting and lass casting almost always equals more fish landed in my experience. Particularly with Spotfin. If you watch and wait, they will eat the first cast almost every time. Beat em up with multiple casts an they either relocate or shut down (and yes, this applies to fly guys, too, which I watched a few times last week).
Caught a few Corbina in May. Most in the 20-22" range with one legit tank (one of the average ones below). They are very few and far between, though, and are absolutely not settled in yet. The ones I have found required lots of stalking. Still fun, but absolutely not worth dedicating time to yet.
Managed a striped bass on a north county beach, too. A small guy, but a first for me. I've seen them before when spearfishing but never hooked one. And I can now say, from experience, that their spines are both sharp and positioned perfectly to puncture your hand.
All the Spotfin and Corbina came on soft shell sand crabs or medium/large crabs with roe. Same with the Striped Bass. All on Carolina rig, tungsten slider, and 12LB - 15 LB flouro. And, because I landed them with actual ocean fishing gear, they all swam away healthy. Pulled another hook and 4 lb leader out of a bigger Spotfin's mouth/throat on Sunday. I'm not sure anything makes me more pissed these days. It happens far too often, as well. Completely and totally unnecessary, irresponsible and absent of any reason. These fish are NOT line shy. You get no extra points for doubling or tripling the fight time ... or breaking a leader off in a bigger fish that outclassed you. You just kill more fish and look like an idiot for regurgitating entirely disproven theories. There is simply no reason, at all, to fish 4-6 LB leaders in the surf. Use appropriate gear, you brain, and your feet, and you'll do just fine. Sorry for the rant, but this bs needs to end.
Water is still 63-64 here, and feels colder. Looking like it is gonna be a very slow start to the surf fishing here in SD. But, with the reported El Nino, maybe we'll see good surf fishing late into the fall? Until the water warms up, and conditions settle down inside, though, offshore appears to be a better call.
I've managed to lose a few big halibut this month, too, with one that will haunt me. That fish maxed out my heavier 9' set up with pretty stiff drag and took me down to the spool before unbuttoning. Nothing to show for it other than a mangled swim bait and a good lesson learned .... that being to not tighten the drag several minutes into a fight. But, not sure if it mattered as that thing got into the fast water and was pissed. I also lost two good ones because I got bored and fished LC's instead of a swim bait. Despite what you may have read or heard, they suck for big halibut ... which I have proven far too many times. Perch, Yellowfin, and the like love em, though.
Spotfin are around. I've managed to get at least one every time out looking for them and even had my best day ever on them. The weather was gray and shitty, and I walked forever and back in the water to find them, but when I did I had em all to myself wide open for over an hour. Alll are still swimming (a few pics below). They are still not settled in yet and require patient sight fishing/lots of looking. Also, I can't stress enough how important it is to NOT beat up holes or continue to blind cast in one area. More hunting and lass casting almost always equals more fish landed in my experience. Particularly with Spotfin. If you watch and wait, they will eat the first cast almost every time. Beat em up with multiple casts an they either relocate or shut down (and yes, this applies to fly guys, too, which I watched a few times last week).
Caught a few Corbina in May. Most in the 20-22" range with one legit tank (one of the average ones below). They are very few and far between, though, and are absolutely not settled in yet. The ones I have found required lots of stalking. Still fun, but absolutely not worth dedicating time to yet.
Managed a striped bass on a north county beach, too. A small guy, but a first for me. I've seen them before when spearfishing but never hooked one. And I can now say, from experience, that their spines are both sharp and positioned perfectly to puncture your hand.
All the Spotfin and Corbina came on soft shell sand crabs or medium/large crabs with roe. Same with the Striped Bass. All on Carolina rig, tungsten slider, and 12LB - 15 LB flouro. And, because I landed them with actual ocean fishing gear, they all swam away healthy. Pulled another hook and 4 lb leader out of a bigger Spotfin's mouth/throat on Sunday. I'm not sure anything makes me more pissed these days. It happens far too often, as well. Completely and totally unnecessary, irresponsible and absent of any reason. These fish are NOT line shy. You get no extra points for doubling or tripling the fight time ... or breaking a leader off in a bigger fish that outclassed you. You just kill more fish and look like an idiot for regurgitating entirely disproven theories. There is simply no reason, at all, to fish 4-6 LB leaders in the surf. Use appropriate gear, you brain, and your feet, and you'll do just fine. Sorry for the rant, but this bs needs to end.
Water is still 63-64 here, and feels colder. Looking like it is gonna be a very slow start to the surf fishing here in SD. But, with the reported El Nino, maybe we'll see good surf fishing late into the fall? Until the water warms up, and conditions settle down inside, though, offshore appears to be a better call.
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