Ahh, spring is in the air. The boater mafia is still consumed with the Coronados, and we have been lucky to have much of the coastline to ourselves.
While I will admit that most of my time recently has been spent in the kelp looking for some tankers, there is no other song like the one a yellow can sing. They don't know giving up, and have more than just one run in them.
This was especially true for this fish. This thing kicked my ass, after a long day of looking and not seeing anything I liked, it finally happened. This fight was long lived, and as fun as it gets. A sleigh ride around the pacific, in deep water, with no kelp or dogs around, just me against the fish. And though at times I didn't think I would, I won.
This guy earned my respect, especially on the table. As you can see in the picture, this thing had some shoulders and was a very fatty fish that made unbelievably good table fare. Normally it takes me a week or so to finish off a fish, but my family and I made quick work of this guy, and no, the neighbors didn't get any of this one!
A little side note about this fish, I hooked him at 6:45 at night. This was a busy day on the water with at least 30 other guys out there, and everyone was gone by 1. No, it wasn't wide open, but there were chances to be had out there. While many aren't lucky enough to have the highschool weekend schedule that I have, I have had this happen multiple times, a tough day where sticking around really has paid off. I find that I have to do this, or I will literally be filled with regret the rest of the school week, knowing how easily I could have left biting fish.