I heard the corbina were in so I fished Silver Strand Beach in Oxnard on 8/26. I got into a few perch then on a big sand crab got a solid hit. The fish ran parallel to shore for about a 100 yds. No head shakes just steady pulling. I thought it was a ray. I followed it down the beach recovering 4-lb line. It turned out to sea and way out, I see a splash and some fish tail. No ray. As I was about to get spooled, I ran out into the surf about chest deep to recover line. As I got it close to shore, I grabbed the fish and bear-hugged it to the beach. It was a 35 inch striped bass. Rob has the pictures.

Nick Tharp

A friend of mine also got a 35" Striper on a Gremmie surf fly on his flyrod at Sands Beach north of Santa Barbara. They have also been takey by flyrodders at Ventura River mouth the last few years. Let's let them go and maybe we will soon have a Striper fishery like they do on the East Coast!

Nick
Thanks for the reminder. Bill sent me the pictures a while back, my apologies for not posting them sooner. Here are a couple below. Nice fish, pretty cool to see the stripers down south.

http://www.calfishing.com/images/buddies/nicktharp1.jpg

http://www.calfishing.com/images/buddies/nicktharp3.jpg

Nick,

Sweet fish and great story! It's fun to think something may just be a ray only to find out it's a nice fish! Hopefully I'll nail one in the float tube sometime while fishing for halibut or seabass. It would be a fun surprise to find something un-expected at the end of my line.

Pete

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You can't catch tomorrow what you kill today - please practice catch and release.

does nicks dad own the hornet??????????

Cool fish, Nicholas!!! Must be all that practice you had in Hayward since you were little!!

Wow, what a fish story! Great catch!!!

PS When are we going sailing?

Nice fish, Nick! I'll print for my "boys" to see.

GREAT PICTURES, GREAT FISH.
HAVE YOU CBEEN KAYAK FISHING YET?
GOOD LUCK AND GOOD FISHING.
PAPA AND DOROTHY

Possible line class record? maybe too late now as I'm sure it's been cleaned and eaten :-)

Those right coasters must have some big rockfish, as they call them, on light line- wouldn't be surprised if an East Coaster or river guy has a 30+ on the 4 pound!