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Baits I have caught most kinds of fish on either Sardines or Anchovies. But to have the most luck you should use the bait they prefer the best. That would be: Sardines-Barracuda, Yellowtail, Big Tuna, Large Calico Bass, Halibut. Anchovies-Sand Bass, Little Calico Bass, Albacore, School Bluefin Tuna, Bonito. |
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Yellowtail/Dorado Some tips of fishing the kelp paddies. -Those people that concentrate only on the paddies miss the trolling available for Tuna and Dorado in open water as well. -If you are not the first one out on a busy weekend you will be checking paddies hit by a number of others already and fish will be shy to bite. -The compulsion to throw a bunch of chum on the paddie is pretty much a waste as few fish holding fill up and get smart fast and will be loathe to go after your hook bait. -Slow trolling a bigger bait around and just off the paddie often is the best way to get bit. -Super light lines of 10-15 lbs will often get bit better but a lot of these bigger fish break off or end up in the kelp. -In certain cases you can fish a paddie that someone else is on if you stay outside. Most of time ethics dictate you go and find your own. In SoCal summer Marlin are everywhere, so troll at least two small billfish lures as well as the feather jigs. Dorado will hit them willingly too. |
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Dorado Above the Border-July, 2009 This is purely an empirical observation but it happens so much that I think it is valid. When fishing Dorado (Dolphin-Fish) in more tropical waters such as Mexico and Florida, when you find them under floating weeds or debris they often eagerly bite the bait or lures. But when fishing under kelps in Southern California they are particularly apt to have lockjaw. Maybe it is because there are rather large schools of bait resident under these paddies so that they are more satisfied than ravenous. Even if the water temps (as this year) are in the desired low to mid 70s you may have to visit al lot of kelps to find eager biters.
One of the most detrimental techniques here is the tendency to throw large quantities of chum bait at the paddy. This tends to fill the fish (especially Yellowtail) before they see your bait. It is OK to throw a couple of baits at the kelp if you are just passing by to see if any boils pop up, but not too many. The slug of bait under the floating patch may be one reason that you frequently get bit while fishing up to 75 yards off the actual kelp. Too many time I have seen several boats sitting right on the paddy and brailing over huge quantities of chum and wondering why they don’t get bit.
Don’t despair though, it is only July and if the water temps hold up there is two months of prime Dorado time, interspersed with excellent shots at Striped Marlin |
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2009 Baja Regs. |
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Drags You probably know that I am a fan of Newell Reels by now. Instead of waiting for the drags to start slipping or jerking, I now just bring the whole bunch in to have them serviced and new drag washers installed. (Whether they say they need it or not.) Maybe it is not so important for the Penns and Shimanos but for the Newells the smooth drags ensure long fights and pleasurable fishing. All the major tackle stores should do it if you don’t want to do it yourself. My favorites in SoCal are Glenns in Costa Mesa, J.D.s on Balboa Island, or Longfin in Orange.
Look at the washers they return to you and see the slick, worn spots on either side, and replace the curved metal spacer-washer if any crack lines are present. |
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Rods-December, 2009 As we are into equipment buying season a couple of thoughts. When looking at rods for offshore or inshore I still think it is important to seek one piece blanks. A ferrule makes it easier to pack but you are giving up a little action in the center of the rod. It is not that hard to find a one piece, even if you have to give up a little in length. Guides is another place where some lower cost rods cut the corners. I have even seen some with only four guides. I would look for seven to nine, even on light weight models. If you can get guides with Teflon inserts so much the better. Trolling models should have a roller stripper above the reel and preferably a roller at the tip.
Don’t forget larger guides for use with spinning reels and a larger tip for offshore billfish casting. And the blank should be limber enough for the weight or bait you are casting but have enough body to lift a moderate to large fish when it hunkers down. |
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SoCal-April, 2010 Now is the time to get ready for the staples of Southern California fishing, Barracuda, Bonito, Sand Bass, Calico Bass, and even Mackerel. I pulled out the old boat fishing logbook yesterday and perused the last 10 years. Again, much as we want the good old days when March-April produced good bites, it showed that these fish showed up or started biting on the traditional spots about the first of June every year or shortly thereafter. And the chance at Yellowtail, White Sea Bass, and Halibut went along with these dates.
Depending on range and time, I would target La Jolla Kelp, Barn Kelp at Oceanside, San Onofre, Salt Creek, Newport reefs, Izors reef off Bolsa Chica, and the old Horseshoe Kelp off Long Beach. The front side of Catalina is a good bet too.
Looks like the recent El Nino event is about gone. Water temps in SoCal are 57-61 F now. Look for improved action when they get to 64-67 F. |
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Water Temps-June, 2010 Talking to someone that worked at the Long Beach Aquarium several years ago. He said they did an experiment that dropped the tank temperature to 59 F and the plentiful fish there, mostly bass, just lay there and stopped feeding altogether. Later when they kicked the temp up to 62-63 F the fish all started eating again. This all assumes that the fish are there in the first place in the outside world we fish in. |