LJ 11/19 nada
 

Short session launch by 0630. Couldn't make bait. Couldn't raise anything on plastics or krocs in the kelp on the bottom. Tried half heatedly yoyoing a salas near various lobster buoys. Trolled a rapala for the rest of the time. Saw plenty of bait in the water but nothing biting. Ended calling it early around 10 and practiced surfing and broaching at the landing.
Crazy viz n the water column. Could see my lure flash in 40+ ft. Saw sand bottom clearly in 25ish ft on the way back.

Good thinking on getting some surf practice in. Next time try bringing a bit of frozen anchovies or squid and you can use that to help catch bait or to catch fish if the plastics are failing you.

Thanks for the report!

Bet it was a nice day to be on the water, though.:jig:

Geno

I think I saw you on your way back in. I got a somewhat late start at about 8am and finally gave up trying for bait at 10. I made one lousy spanish, there were huge schools everywhere, crazy viz but no takers on the sabiki despite trying cat food and squid to help entice. I eventually made for the kelp and had decent luck on 7-8 calicos, only one legal. I also saw quite a few 20+ schools of very small rat yellows swimming through the kelp, a couple big boys popped up within 30' of the surface but I couldn't get em to bite anything.

Amazing weather and visibility out there, great day for the divers....wish I brought my speargun and mask with me. Better luck next time!

-Patrick

Nice meeting you Patrick. Good job on the Calico's, mind sharing what you pulled them on?

Geno- water glassed up pretty nice for a while. I couldn't have asked for better weather. The viz was killer in both ways.

If you can see bait feeding at the surface, try some different techniques. A good one I have found is using a small sinker (maybe 2 oz) and casting into the boils. Let your rig sink with the line tight and give it some light tugs. If you don't pick anything up in a few seconds try again. Another one is to cast out with the light sinker and try a slow retrieve near the surface.

I have had days where it took 4 hours to make baits. Stay with it. Some schools bite, some don't. When they don't move on. I found a school at one point after 3.5 hours, and pulled up 10 in 3 drops...and ended up having a great day. Also, I have been out with a friend that was 15 feet away from me pulling up 4-5 each drop to my nothing. He had 20 before I got one. I changed out to his sibiki size and began to kill it. Carry a size 14 and like a 8, and a few different types in those sizes. The bait feed on different bait also. I did the cat food before. No luck. Squid helps at times. Butt juice can also on the fly can help. Also as stated above, I run a 2oz glow sinker on the bottom of my sabiki. It usually gets hit before the flys. Also the 2oz will pick up bigger fish. I have hooked bonito on them by accident and lost my whole set up.

I was using a 4" big hammer calico hunter on 3/4oz weedless head. Most were hitting a little deeper than normal at like 15-20 feet in the kelp.

Go flat fall jigging them up butterfly style it's the hot ticket