San Diego Bay 04/19

[addicted2sp33d]

Me, KNOTTx, and another buddy, rented a skiff today, knowing that the winds would be terrible, so that we could let the motor fight the wind for us.

Launched from MCRD boat rental and headed south towards the bridge. Even at 8:00A - 9:00A, there was already a strong southerly breeze that was drifting us south at 2mph. We drifted past the bridge, then motored back north, then drifted south again.

On one of our drifts, I hooked up on something that gave me the funkiest headshakes and then turned into a dead weight. Bam (like my weight hit a rock or something), then shake shake shake, then dead weight. I would reel some in, and again, shake shake, then Bam! WTF?? I thought it was a Halibut or some fish with involuntary muscle spasms. Not much of a fighter, didn't take any big runs against my 10lb drag, but definitely heavy.

After what seemed like 10-15 minutes, it comes to color and it is a huge Angel Shark, estimated to be around 5-6 feet, and unhappy about the situation. It was big enough that we didn't want it in the boat. We contemplated gaffing it, but decided that we really didn't know what to do with it - didn't even know what it was until we got home. Why take its life if we were just going to waste it?

As we were pulling the hook out, this thing would chomp down on the pliers and would make an audible chomp sound as its teeth came together! Imagine trying to thumb that or grab its lip!!??

After that, I caught 1 more keeper bass, and that was the end of the "interesting" action.

For the rest of the day, it was Lizardfish City. We were getting robbed constantly and would reel in our lines with a Lizardfish thief on the hook. I caught the Mother-Of-All-Lizardfish; it was easily 18" and had the girth of a soda can. It was longer than my keeper bass!

At one point, we looked around the bay and all we could see were sailboats and kites. We took that as a sign and call it a day at 2:00P.