Did my usual Monday afternoon trip down to West Beach yesterday. This time I decided to float tube as I hoped to take a shot at a WSB when it got dark.

Launched about 6:30 or so after driving all the way to the beach, loading my tube and putting on my waders only to realize that I had left my license at home DOH! Not a good way to start. Pack my stuff up, drive home, then back to the beach, 30 min. wasted. Saw Mike leaving as I arrived, he had two short butts on the fly rod. I finally got on the water and started working the shoreline. Right away I'm on a short butt. Then over the next 2 hours I landed 5 more flatties, including one barely legal, released.

Now it's almost dark so I kicked over to the bait reciever area. On the way I switched over one of my rods to my seabass killer 6 inch "rainbow trout" Big Hammer on an 1.5 onuch dark green Hammer Head. When I finally got over there, it was dark, no moon and there were at least 4 dogs swimming around grunting at me. I'm thinking to myself, what am I doing here in the dark by myself, my confidence was low. My first cast thuded down on the reciever and was hung up for a few seconds. Luckily I got it loose. Next cast was about 2/3 of the way down the dock and about 5 feet off, right where I wanted it. As I let it fall I feel tap tap. Hey I actually got bit. Must have been a sand bass or something. Next cast was right back in the same spot. I let it fall and whack, I reeled down and swung on someting heavy and zzzzzzziiiinnnnnnggggggggggg. I'm on! Man I forgot how hard those suckers pull. I fortunatly was using my heavy set up with 20 pound on my Calcutta 400 as I was giving up line but could put the wood to him right back. It pulled so hard and deep at one point I thought one of the dogs might have grabbed it. Finally I worked it up to the surface and boated a 26 inch WSB. Not that big by WSB standards but it put up a great fight.

http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/1301.jpg

Not a great picture, but the best I could do in the middle of the harbor, in the pitch dark. That one really made my day!
Bryan

Attachment #1, (.jpg file)