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

Attachment #1, (.jpg file)
Attachment #2, (.jpg file)

Excellent report Sir. That float tube picture is one in a million.

http://www.trixjettyworm.com/

NEW Happy Anglers gallery- Part 2
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v388/fishtricks/happy%20anglers%20gallery%202/

At first I thought that it might be Larry horning in on you, lol. Then I figured it wasn't and it was some other guy. Bacon is only a 4-pack, hmmmm, who could it be?

Great Report Bryan! As usaual you and Pete have me Jonesin to make a trip down to S.B. What color Big Hammers were the big producers?

I have a question, from the looks of your gear you guys use some high end stuff in the salt. How do you combat the corrosion aspect of fishing from a tube in the salt? I have fished from a tube down there and even after washing off my gear after using it, I still find it corroding fast...whats the answer?

Bryan Vogt

To fish is to live!

Bassin,

As far as colors go for the Big Hammers, red calico hunter, christmas tree, sardine, senorita have been good to me this year. Try the 5.5 inch, it swims great and I have had a bunch of big fish on it.

As far as gear goes. We fish some quality gear, almost all Shimano upper end stuff. Actually I think the fact that it is high quality gear, that helps with the salt water corrosion factor. Other then that, trying to not dunk your reels while your out there or launching helps alot and then just rinsing you gear throughly is ultra important. Plus I send all of my reels into shimano for service every year, which helps a ton.

Sorry I didn't meet up with you guys out there. I saw you but we never got very close.
As for my report; that was the hardest beach launch I've ever had! I capsized my kickboat twice(once should have been enough, but I'm hard-headed). After losing more gear than I care to think about (lifetime license, plano 3600 full of iron & plastics, both oars, pliers and work cell phone), and injuring my shoulder, I finally made it out. I'm glad I did as it kind of made up for the bad luck. I caught 2 1.5-2# Calico's right off the bat. They were on 3 stringers of kelp with clear lanes between. Next I kicked out towards the oil boats and picked up 2 rockfish. I decided to work over to the bird stands and on my way there I was passing by a lone strand of kelp atleast 2 long casts from any other kelp and I figured what the heck maybe it'll still hold something. I juiced up my swimbait and threw past it. I thought it had hit some unseen kelp on the way down because it just kind of slowed to a stop. I started to reel down to finnesse it out of the kelp and it went sideways. I swung hard and the 15# line started to sing through the water followed by my drag singing a staccato burst of rants. The fish headed for the base of the lone stringer and I felt the line cross the kelp for a second then stick. I thought for sure that was the end of that, then it tore loose and headed off in a different direction. The stringer had torn loose and was floating away. Suddenly the bass switched directions and headed for the now floating stringer and jumped about a foot from it trying hard to reach it. I had to kick hard to keep her out of it. When I finally got her up she had a huge belly and since I don't know when they spawn I figured I'd better let her go quick. I weighed her at just short of 5.5# and slipped her back into the water. To thank me for giving her her freedom back she gave me a good shower and was gone. After that I worked over to the bird houses for a big 0, then back towards the boats for a total of 10 bass (all Cali's), 4 rockfish, and a couple missed hali bites as I was headed in.
Tight lines,
Wade
PS: I drank enough saltwater to get pretty sick on the drive home and missed work yesterday. Maybe next time we can find an easier launch and I won't be such a tackle ho.

Good job wade,

That surf launch can be tough, sorry to hear about the lost gear. Sounds like you made up for it though. A 5.5 Calico is a great fish. Let me know when your heading this way again and maybe we can hookup.

Bryan

Good job Wade,

I launched my kickboat from Goleta beach once, it was like a lake when I launched but by the end of the day when I was coming in there was 3+ foot swells coming in...Yep, I dumped it. I think it is much easier to launch a floattube in the surf....Did you go to Haskells? If it was Haskells didn't you have a long trek to the water from the parking lot? We should hit up one of those spots some time.
I have heard that after the water starts warming more, there is better luck with the Hali's...
Bryan

To fish is to live!

It was a trek filled day. Luckily one of the grounds guys gave me a ride with my box full of gear down to the beach after I asked where a restroom was. Unfortunately, I'd already put my wallet away and I think the lack of a tip miffed him or I might have gotten a few more rides. I don't know how many trips I made but it was too many.
I think the kick works better than a tube when your getting out of the water as it surfs the waves a lot better. On the way out onto the water a tubes lower center of gravity has me way beat.
I think the biggest lesson I need to learn from this is the same one I need to learn for bass tourneys, K.I.S.S.. I'm too much of a tackle ho. I brought a flippin stick (which I ended up using), a fly-rod which I wanted to try out just for the fun of it (a Cali on a 6wt would be near insanity), a heavy bait rod, a bait catching/heavy drop-shot rod, and lastly a med weight spinnerbait rod. Add to that my livewell/dry box, 2 plano 3700's, 2 gallon zip-locs of plastics, and a fly box. I had more gear than I could have effectively used in a week if I threw 1 lure for an hour and switched.
After flipping the second time I took everything back to the car except the flippin stick, 6 jigheads, 1-gallon Zip-loc of swimbaits and assorted other plastics, 2 bottles of scent, pliers, scale, anchor & line (for safety), lifevest and fins. By cutting back on what I took (and it was still too much) I was forced to take the essentials and make them work. It was 1 of the more productive days I've had in a while.
Tight lines,
Wade

Wade,

Sorry to hear your flipping experience. I've done that once in my tube and it was at Haskell's. So I know how much it sucks. I lost a nice Loomis rod and a Calcutta 150 and ruined my cell phone and digital camera.

Nice to hear you got into the fish over there!

I found launching/landing a bit sketchy on Sunday. I got pretty wet going out. I usually wear a wetsuit and ride my tube out like a boogie board but lately I've been wearing waders so I don't have that luxury when launching.

Pete

nice checkers, sucks you got hopped by the party boy boater. One thing i've learned, don't ever go to the local Japanese market and grab a few of the fresh dead octopussies!! Good stuff, although the fresh barfed models are the best! :D

Ooops!