Oh and did I mention flattying. Met Pete and headed back out to my super secret honey hole of bass and ring cod. Well I thought it was super secret until this six-pac charter boat ( I won’t mention any names) rolls up and anchors right on top of me. These guys got a boat and the whole ocean to fish and they got to set up right next to me.

Well prior to the rude interruption, the fishing actually started out kind of slow. I drew first blood of the day with a quality smelt on the crank bait DOH! Then follows about 30 min of nothing. Pete answers back with a sweet mackerel on the 3 inch Big Hammer (hey it’s better then a smelt). He quickly redeems himself with a decent Calico and then kicks off into the thick kelp. I head out to my still secret spot (as far as I knew) and did my thing. I was chuckin the 5.5 inch Big Hammer in “Red Calico Hunter” heavily juiced up with the awesome new Pro Cure “Krill” Gel. It wasn’t long before I got a ring from a ling and put a barely short on the tube. Followed that one up with another one and this time as I got it on to the Boga it pukes up a whole baby octopus. It was pretty much intact and after I released the ling, I got an idea. Now you’ve no doubt heard of using squid strips on swimbaits before, but this was taking that theory to the extreme as I hooked that whole octopus on my Hammer and dropped her back down. That thing wasn’t down more then a few seconds when I get slammed and quickly put ling number 3 on board. The sweet part was the octopus was still there. Quick release and down she goes again. One second, 2 seconds, WHAM. Now I’m on with number 4. Unfortunately this one comes undone half way in and steals my sweet little octopussy to boot. Oh well, I hate bait anyway. Just about then my six-pac buddies show up, drop the hook and start chuckin bait at me on lame ass coffee grinders. I basically put my self in between the boat and the prime structure and just kept fishing.

No long after I get slammed on the drop, I wound down and stuck this little piggy.
http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/4943-Calico_1_5-7-06.jpg

About 5 pounds and all head. That’s what she said!

I get a “that’s a nice bass” from the skipper, no sh*t! I continued to work the area over for 3 more Calico’s to about 2.5 pounds, a brown rock fish. and 1 more just short ling. The six-pac boys stuck a couple of short lings and then caught and kept at least 2 tiny brown rock fish. Pete came over and had stuck 3 sand bass and a rock fish or 2 in the kelp. We worked the area over pretty hard and picked up another fish or 2, and then the bite died.

We finally moved towards the inside and ended up right on the beach. I looked down the beach and spied some boilers in the surf line. Pete heads over there, tosses out and gets bit right at the tube by what he says is a huge really dark colored Calico, like 8 pounds. Unfortunately it doesn’t stick, but his yell alone gets me over there quick. I toss into the swirling water and get instantly bit. A nice little boiler bass. A couple of tosses later I get slammed again. This time it’s a good one.
http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/4944-Calico_2_5-7-06.jpg

A really nice 5 pounder! That second fish made my day. We worked around those rocks for a couple of more checkers. I look over and Pete is down by the launch spot, trying to figure out how to get in without getting dumped by some building surf. While he waits he’s chuckin the fast trac. As I pull up he gets bit by the right kind and brings up a just legal flatty. Nice way to end it. We both made it in dry, luckily.

Final count:

Me

7 Calico’s with 2 5’s
4 lings all just short
2 brown rock fish
1 bull smelt

Pete

2 calico’s
3 sandies
a couple of lings
2 rock fish
1 flatty
1 mack attack

I can’t say enough how happy I have been with my quality of fish, since I have been using the new Pro-Cure “Krill” gel. That stuff is deadly.

Bryan

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