6/17 IB

We left the Marina at 5:15 this morning. I was fishing with Ed and Tito Howell, two brothers who live across the street and Bill Walsh a friend of theirs. Ed is a student at Stanford and plays on the varsity volleyball team. Tito is a high school student and Ed is an ABS surveyor. Our plan was to drag sardines at Imperial Beach and see if we could dredge up a halibut or two. Not much in the way of life when we arrived but over the side went the trapped sardines. I’m not noted for my halibut catching skills but I didn’t figure that birds diving and boils were important when fishing halibut so I was still optimistic. First thing on board was a nice but overly ambitious tomcod. How he managed to get a hook in his mouth is still an unanswered, but who cares, question. Shortly after my heart had settled down from the tomcod, Bill hooks up and this fish is showing some strength and a lot more mobility than a halibut. It’s not a yellowtail, but it has some size and since there is kelp all over I fired up the engines and we followed the nice fish around. After about 15 minutes, a definite tail beat and it isn’t hugging the bottom. I’m calling white sea bass. Five minutes later Ed has seen it says he thinks it’s a white sea bass. I reposition the boat and hit the deck just as the fish starts to give up. It’s not only a white sea bass but a nice one. As I’m gaffing it I’m thinking maybe 35 pounds, as I lift it over the rail I’m thinking 45 pounds and when I weighed it she was just over 55 pounds. Now I’m thinking maybe halibut fishing isn’t that bad after all. After a few sculpin and sand bass Ed hooks a better grade of fish and a ten pound halibut comes over the rail. I’m really starting to like halibut fishing, especially the by catch. Unfortunately as they say in the cartoons….. That’s all folks. The next four hours were largely an exercise in futility with an occasional short sand bass thrown in. All in all it was a great day on the pond with good people. I'll send the pics to Mike as I'm picture challenged.

Good goin Yale. We seem to be in the middle of a nice WSB bite locally. To bad I'm stuck at work all week.

Do you want me to put you down for a 55 seabass and 10 halibut on the score board?

Mike

Mike

Work is a curse to good fishing. They were both weighed so yes please put me down on the board. I'll try and download the pictures tomorrow and get them to you. The WSB took the scale almost to the limit. Think I may need one that goes to 150. I’m not sure who would boost the fish onto the scale though. I probably need to keep fishing with the young strong guys.

Updated the leader board and you're back on top of the pile.

Mike

On the pile is the story of my life. I’m leaving Saturday for a five dayer. I was going to Catalina, now I'm not so sure. I heard they are having bait problems again and Clemente is closed Monday thru Wed. Pyramid has been dishing out some really nice YT but with no squirts and only part of Saturday and Sunday to fish I’m starting to look to the south. Decisions………….

That's a nice biscuit Yale ! I'd stay local you don't have to go too far!

The fish were nice Jeff but the area looked dead. An hour after daylight the birds left, no bait on the meter and no current. It was grim. On the lighter side, never give a fish to a 6' 7" volleyball player to take a picture. The thing looks barely legal.

Nice going Yale!

Nice fish Yale!

Great Job on the fish. the smiles on their faces tell the story. The ocean is always changing Guarenteed it will be different tomorrow. Hereing theirs grey light YT at the middle grounds but get there early.
Good Luck