Baby’s First Christmas - Haskell’s Beach

[Leapin Bass]

September 3, 2005


Float tubed Haskell's Beach in Goleta this morning with Bryan Davis. We typically fish to the West (North) but this time decided to try East (South) of the parking lot. I started off trying for some shallow water halibut and Bryan went out and started fishing the kelp for calicos. It wasn't long before he got a nice 18 inch Calico that had some followers (one stole the tail off of his bait) so I kicked out to join him. He lands another one or two calicos and I'm still looking for that first bite.


It finally comes and I set the hook into what I thought for sure was a snag until it started moving. At first it felt like a big calico, then it kind of felt like a white sea bass, then it started to feel like I might have snagged a bat ray in the wing. Whatever it was it was kicking my butt. Bryan kicks over to watch the fun. It seemed like forever before I finally got a glance at it. Just before I did Bryan says, "maybe it's a black sea bass". Just after he said it I looked down and saw a bunch of purplish/black polka-dots against a silvery/purple background. I finally got the thing close enough and it took off again for another short run. After a couple of attempts I got it on the Boga. It read 13 lbs. We got a few quick pictures and back in the water it went. It sat there for a second looking a little confused then it bolted away.


A short while later I hook up again and once again it's very heavy and for a second I think I am snagged but then again I feel something alive. I say, "no way, this can't be another one!" I was right. This time it was just a fish caught in a big mass of kelp. I kick over expecting to wrestle a calico out of the kelp. I look down and see something moving but can't tell what it is because of all the kelp. I lean on it for a while and then all of the sudden it comes loose and this big brown "carpet" shoots straight up toward me, gets about 4 inches from my tube, shakes it head like crazy, turns and shoots off in the other direction, snapping my 15 lb. like it was nothing. It was a big flattie. A conservative guess would be 30 inches or about 10 pounds but I think it was bigger than that.


Ended the day with a short sand bass and a rockfish. Bryan got several more calicos. I couldn't catch a calico to save my life.


All of my fish were caught on the 5.5 inch Christmas Tree colored Big Hammer and Bryan's fish were caught on both 5.5 and 5 inch Red Calico Hunter colored Big Hammers.

















Isn't she cute?

[creekster]

Yeah she's cute..lol...thats one exciting report pete, thanks!</font>

[JR12]

MAN WHAT A PIC NICE JOB THANKS I ENJOYDED THE POST

[Paigow]

Great report. Were did you launch from? I just picked up a
float tube and I an not ready for a surf launch but for quality fishing
I might give it a try.

[Joey805]

Great report and pics Pete! Even though no calicos, it sounds like a great day on the water to me.

[Leapin Bass]

We launched from the beach just before the pieces of the old broken pier (there are two on the shore and one out in the water - you can't miss it). This is the first time we tubed down there. Lots of nice structure.


We usually go to the other side and fish near the working oil pier. Launching right where the cliff starts.


Haskell's has been pretty "launch friendly" lately. The waves have been small. Haskell's can have big waves and launching in those is not advisable. I have been flipped once and it was at Haskell's. West Goleta Beach (near the wooden stairs from UCSB that go down to the beach) is a good place to learn how to launch. The waves are almost always small there.


I always wear a wetsuit, lay down on the seat of the tube like it was a boogie board, and kick out. Even in small surf I find that a much easier way to launch than the standard sitting way.


Timing the surf helps also. Watch what the waves are doing for 5 or 10 minutes and you should get a good idea when to launch (and if it's possible). Stand as far out in the water that you can, wait for what you think is going to be the last big wave of the set and then go for it. Oh yeah, shuffle your feet when you are walking. I got nailed by a sting ray several years ago and it was probably the most painful things I've ever endured.

[Paigow]

Thanks for the info. Are there any good non-surf areas to fish
around SB? Is your tournament on the 10th a surf launch.
Thanks!

[Leapin Bass]

By non-surf do you mean areas that have absolutely no surf at all? In that case the only place I know of is the beach between Stearn's Wharf and the Harbor. This used to be one of my favorite places to float tube but in the past couple years it has been kind of slow. In the past we also used to get lots of white seabass (including legals up to 15 lbs.) fishing near the bait dock with swimbaits (usually the bigger ones - I always used the 6 inch but if they come back I'll probably tre the 5.5 inch ones because I believe they swim the best).


The area I mentioned by UCSB is almost a non-surf area. The waves are tiny.


The tournament is a surf launch but there will be several other tubers out there (myself included) that could help guide you through it.

[BlackLion]

Pete,


Great report!! That is such a cool thing catching the black sea bass from the tube andsome great pictures too! Thanks for the great read and information.


Marvin

[YakSailor]

Good job on the Black Sea Bass! It's good to know that they are out there. I hope that they can come back in high numbers.


-YakSailor