Chinese Seabass - 7-24-05 Report

[Flipper]

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<DIV class=Msonormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Location: Channel Islands (santa cruz)</DIV>
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<DIV class=Msonormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Date: Sunday - July 24th 2005</DIV>
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<DIV class=Msonormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Time: 3:30am to 8pm</DIV>
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<DIV class=Msonormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Bait: Sardine, anchovy, mackerel, and LIVE SQUID!</DIV>
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<DIV class=Msonormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Tackle: 15-30lb setups, dropper loop, reverser dropper, jigs</DIV>
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<DIV class=Msonormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Catch: 2 White Seabass, Limits of Calico Bass, 1 batray and few sand bass</DIV></LI>[/list]

Report:


Looking to get the first white seabass on the tail chaser for 2005, Fishhead, Joey, and I met up at the boat at 3:30am. We got a half scoop of fin bait and headed for the breakwall, when we were to hit our first obstacle on the way out. Apparently, one of the running lights was out and harbor patrol stopped us to say we couldn't leave till it was fixed. Knowing we needed to be at the fishing grounds early for a white seabass, we hurried and found an extra bulb... installed it, and we were off! ...lost about 15 minutes with that.... Then... in the channel the fog kept us from visuallyidentifying a radar mark.... a big one! Probably a freighter... so we had to slow down and let it cross our path. But finally... after loosing another 20 minutes with that... we blew threw the channel and headed for Chinese Harbor at Santa Cruz.


We quickly saw a fleet of boats parked at Chinese... severalprivate boats and a few sport boats (seajay, island tak, mirage, pacific eagle, sunrise). We even saw FlattyMatty on the Prevailer... he had a full load (charter). So.. we sat on top of the squid bed and jigged a few pieces. Fishhead and I managed a few, but Joey was a squid jigg'n mo-foo! ..he alone put at least 40 pieces of candy in the tank! ..good job again Joey![img]smileys/[/img]


Fishhead dropped the anchor as Joey and I dropped down our baits hoping for the first fish of the day... and BAM! Before Fishhead could even get the anchor tied off... JOEY was ON! Yeah! ...clicker scream'n and line smoke'n off his torium... he and I get our lines tangled...but everything worked out... Joey got it to color and Fishhead made it to the stern just in time to sink the gaff into a nice 20+ pound seabass! So with blood on the deck and our adrenalines pump'n... we try untangling the lines... when... mine starts drawing up to the surface... HURRY HURRY... FISH ON! ...Joey quickly cuts out the tangle and I'm on also! ...quick fight... I see color... not a big fish... so we grab the net just in case and boated the second seabass of '05 for the tak chaser (Opps... I mean the tail chaser[img]smileys/[/img]). It was bigger than I thought (about 31 inches), so I had a fish too. So now its Fishheads turn. His line is finally wet, Joey and I drop back down... and we watch boats around us hooking up. Waiting for a screaming clicker, we hear over the radio that FlattyMatty got a halibut (sweet![img]smileys/[/img]). We see a couple small batrays GAFF'edby the party boats... but the bite quickly shut down and boats started moving on.


We hung in there for another hour or so... hoping the wsb would roll through once more.... but it didn't happen. So we made a run toward potato and beyond looking for life. We ended up almost to yellowbanks when we decided to do a drift for flatties.... nothing. So we turned back for Chinese and try some halibut drifts. We pounded sand for a few hours... for NO fish! Not even a raked bait!. We motored around a bit, and finally moved in shallow at chinese... caught a few calico bass but no halibut. So we hit the seabass spot again... drifted for a couple of hours... but no luck. Just a few more calico's here and there.


So the day's getting late... we worked up and down Chinese mostly... not much production after the mornings bite. At about 5pm we tried a few drifts at potato. Looked good'n'fishy... and the calico's were biting good! ...but no halibut again.


With Fishhead knowing he was in trouble with the warden for fishing all day... we headed home. A nice ride back... near grease conditions all day long... even in the channel. We stopped on a couple of Joey's sandbass spots from last year to see if the fish were on them yet... and yep! We found the sandies! ..nice to know[img]smileys/[/img]


The day ended with 2 seabass, a BUNCH of calico's, a few sandbass, a batray... and three happy anglers. The fishing was not wide open at all... but with weather like that... and laughs all day long. We had a blast!


Thanks Joey and Matt... good times





ok... here are some pictures








Edited by: Flipper

[obm7]

Great job guys, goo report too. [img]smileys/[/img]

[FISHHEAD]

Good report mike! It was like I was really there. Wait I was! It was a ton of fun. Ill see ya friday on the tak.

[ODH33]

way to go out there boys! sorry the bite died down before Matt got a WSB next time! nice pics and great report!

[vmfnb]

Dude that is amazing. you guys had a blast out there. Way to go!!!! [img]smileys/[/img]

[Soggyshoe]

NICE!!! I WANT ONE!!! Sweet report guys!!

[crawford23]

Sweet....Great report Mike and goof job on the ghosts there...Joey as well....So Joey's a squid catchin Mo Fo huh? I can just picture Joey with those lil squirters trying to get them to ink or squirt water onto you guys.

[SoCalSteve]

Hell of a trip, gentlemen! Glad yall killed the wsb...lets hope for a repeat performance this weekend on the TAK!

[fishinfanatic03]

good job guys. i wish i could get on a boat or on a seabass for that matter....

[FISHHEAD]

LOL crawford! Joey was trying to make em squirt! He even makes the perfect sound just like a squidwerd. I think joey may have been a squid in a previous life.