Introduction:

Perhaps I have played too much Rainbow Six, the counter-terrorism computer game. Or maybe it was watching too much Cops featuring SWAT teams entering and clearing rooms but I have found that going after calico bass that live in boiler rock shallows possesses much of the same mindset, techniques and adrenaline rush that the aforementioned activities own.

Boiler-rock fishing conjures up images of rough water, big fish and swamped boats. It's hand-to-hand, in-your-face calico fishing! These boiler fish are not the golden, school-oriented checkerboards of the kelp beds. They have muscle and are more solitary by nature. Let's take a look at a battle plan to go after them.

Mission Briefing:

Gather intel. A successful mission is hinged on arming yourself with all you can know about your target. You'll need a target and in this case it is calico bass. Too many anglers who are "fishing for whatever bites" go home far less successful than if they focused on one species. You will certainly catch other species boiler-fishing calicos but these should be considered incidental or 'collateral damage'. Fish such as sand bass, halibut, white seabass, cabezon and sculpin always seem to show up.

Profile your target. Boiler calicos like surge, off-color water and lowlight conditions such as overcast or early morning. They like rag kelp growing on rocks. They are found in unbelievably shallow water, sometimes as little as 3 feet deep. Most of my inshore fishing for them is only out to about 20 feet deep.

Tactical Weapons:

This is not the place for spinning gear. Fish a 7 to 8 foot fast-taper graphite rod. You want a smooth-casting, tough-cranking bass reel with a 5 or 6:1 ratio. Either the palming style or round style is fine. I rarely fish boilers with anything less than 15-20 pound test, sometimes using even 25-pound test.

Lock and Load: crank that drag tight. Zero give. Nada. We are not here to be sporting, that will come later. If you give the fish any line via a loose drag, it'll rock you--which is just as frustrating as popping one off due to a nick. Speaking of nicks, if in doubt, re-tie.

I prefer 5 and 6 inch Big Hammer swimbaits when boiler fishing. This is true reaction-bite fishing-they won't hesitate to eat a larger profile swimbait. A 3/4 oz. Hammerhead jig head on the 5-inch size and a 1 oz. jig head for the 6-inch size is perfect. Most colors of Big Hammers will get bit in the boilers but you may want to tailor your offerings based on what boiler calicos mostly eat. Smelt, surfperch, crab, octopus, and shrimp are typical boiler forage-match your lure colors to them.

Be En Garde:

Be alert while fishing in boiler territory. Be ready to be bit on every cast. On every bite, treat it as if it's a big bass. If you don't, you'll be too late to react if it is a toad and you'll be broke off in a flash. Many big-fish bites seem like nothing because they completely engulf the lure and are charging at you.

Use CQB (Close Quarters Battle) Tactics:

This is similar to what room-clearing teams use. Safety is foremost. Enter an area slowly. If on a boat, sit back for at least 20 minutes if unfamiliar with surf patterns at a spot. Leave the engine running. If fishing from the shore, watch the surf for a while before fishing and never turn your back to the waves. 

Many rocks may not hold any bass and some only hold them on certain sides. Find this out by 'slicing the pie'. Just as tactical assault teams gradually work around corners in a building, cast to an edge of a rock and on subsequent casts, slowly move your boat around it so you can cover different angles of the same spot until you know it's 'clear' (this almost always requires a trolling motor for boat positioning). If on shore, move to new positions while casting to the same rock. Many times, anglers make only one or two casts to a rock and leave the spot thinking there's no fish there, when in fact, the bass never even saw their lures. Cover all the angles.

Make short casts. Gradually fish your way into a spot. This gives you a better chance of landing a big bass lurking in nasty rocks. Too long a cast, and a hooked fish can go downward or sideways into the rocks because you have no line control or leverage. I have lost some big ones before I figured this out.

Take No Prisoners:

Now is your chance to be sporting. Release. Release. Release. Boiler calicos are homebodies. These are the ones that don't migrate around. You'll find that most boiler calicos are dark bronze or charcoal from living next to the rocks and in rag kelp. There is nothing more intense than pulling on a fish that has the advantages of it's nasty 'hood. Please put all of them back to be caught (and released) again.

Clipped and used with Permission by Pete Wolf.