Having read about Rob's nice halibut (the recent one) I took my kayak out to Goleta Beach on 10/16. Got a later start than I wanted and was on the water at 2:00 p.m. Paddled out near the end of the pier where I saw two boats at anchor. There, I set up my rigs. Fairly strong wind had pushed me too close to the pier so by the time I was rigged up I had some paddling to do. I asked about "the stairs" and the only ones I could see or anyone knew of, were way off by IV. So I paddled looking for structure. There are small patches of kelp beyond where the lobstermen set their pots. Thinking there might be bass nearby, I dropped a green back- silver flake Wham Fisheeze on a 3/4 oz Kalin jighead. I dropped in alongside a stringer and jigged it a few times. Nada. Tried the other side of the stringer and jigged it. On the second jig, something nailed it. Seeing a sandie in my mind, I cranked to get it away from the bottom; it ran towards the kelp. I'm thinking "calico" or juvenile "seabass". On the surface, I could see it was a halibut. It measured 24 inches.<BR>Tieing off onto kelp, I tried a few other spots but no pole action. I worked my way into the near shore water but by then my drift (with no kelp to tie onto) was so fast a 1 oz jig on 12 lb line wouldn't touch bottom. I fished until 5:00 p.m. using the same jig and a brown Wham but got no other hits.

Bill,<P>Were you fishing the kelp that is all over that pipeline on the west (right) side of the Pier or some other patches of kelp? If so, where were you?<P>Just curious.<P>Pete

Hey Pete, Forgive me since I haven't fished Goleta off my kayak B4... I turned right after entering the parking lot and drove almost to the end of the lot. As you face the ocean, this is on the right side of the pier. Just offshore are the swimming area designation buoys. Just beyond those are the lobster floats. Just beyond those are scattered patches of kelp. I paddled right toward the point (away from the pier) about 1/4 the way. Directly toward the shore were the cliffs (so I was beyond the parking lot). Saw your post and it sounds like you were fishing much closer to shore and farther towards the point than I. I was out at least as far as the end of the pier. I wasn't looking for any pipes and didn't notice any. I know kelp holdfasts attach to rock (not sand) so I figured there was structure. Sure enough, under each kelp patch, there was a rock and a sandy rise near it. I'd cast into 40 feet and by the kelp, as I reeled in, it would be only 20. Has my description given you a better idea?

This sounds like the spot my cousin and I went the first time I float tubed in the ocean last July. We went well beyond the length of the pier and only hit water that was about 20 ft. deep. All we caught was lizardfish, croakers, and one tiny halibut (about 10 inches). We didn't know any better and were using plastics that now I know were too small. We did chart quite a few rocks and structure out there. After that we made our way over near the pier but didn't get anything there either.<P>Nice fish!