Indian Summer

Fall Offshore Fishing : :  L a t e   i n t o   t h e   S e a s o n

Well its Fall and we are in the first week of October but the offshore fishing bite has turned on strong. Along with a few oppressive heat waves came small hurricanes off Baja and big south swells that pushed warm water currents up the coast. I am primarily an inshore bass fishermen because sitting on a boat trolling for 12 hours bores me to death but the last two trips where different. With all that warm water came a lot of floating kelp patties. We would spot a patty and slow troll some feathers by them, if the feathers got wacked we would circle back and fly line sardines at them. We hopped from patty to patty all day picking off fish. Just being out in open water offshore watching huge pods of dolphins crash bait and surf the bow of our boat is fun but to also catch fish is a bonus. A big thanks to Sam for taking me out on the Everglade Boat.

Kristian just got back from is Montana/Wyoming trip, new photos: P.S. Montana is Burning http://twoifbyseabass.blogspot.com

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Turning Up the Heat: Slow cooked fresh local Yellowtail in a garlic lemon herb butter over a grilled flour tortilla with a thin layer of melted sharp cheddar, black bean, avocado, cabbage, salsa and drizzled ranch on top 

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Swings are for Free

Field Test : : Island Plastics and WarBlade (3/4oz MB Secret LTD)

When bass fishing you can either swing hard for the fence when you first get bit or just keep reeling at a steady pace until the rod loads and you feel the weight of the fish on your line. Well when you swing big you tend to miss a lot of the times but when you do connect it's an instant fight.  These warblades are fun to fish, you can really swing on the bass because the fish is biting the hook when they hit it. There is nothing like winding on a lure and having your reel just stop dead from a hard hitting bass. 

I also got to test out a variety of 3 1/2" Island Plastics. They worked great, even had a Calico Bass chase the lure to the boat and bite the tail off. 

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Captive Audience

Sometimes I catch and release fish so fast that I don't spend enough time admiring their natural beauty. So today I netted a few bass and kept them swimming and healthy in the water while I took a closer look. I got to inspect all the unique characteristics of each bass from different spot configurations to subtle color changes. My captive audience was probably not as excited about me but at least they all got to swim off to fight another day.

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So Much Water so Close to Home

The vast  bodies of water in front of me and experiences in my life are in constant motion, always shifting and changing with the forces that be. I tried to recreate that great halibut fishing trip I had from last week, same drifts and same presentations but fish not biting, nothing doing anywhere.  Its like trying to orchestrate a fun night out on the town, you just can't force those things they have to occur naturally.

If I have learned anything from fishing its to keep on moving if nothings happening in one spot. So I switch gears and decide to target Calico and Spotted Bass. The wind is howling and drifts are so fast I have to move to more protected area. I get in tight along this headland and lock into some killer bass drifts. First drift I get surface bites every cast and land three bass. For the next hour its non stop action, 16 bass all catch photo release.

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quicksand

"falling into the quicksands of my thoughts…"  Fishing solo is a totally different experience, you almost go into a trance after a few hours of solitude and all your senses just focus on the immediate surroundings. Your mind just sinks into random thoughts all day and then your lure gets slammed and you break back into reality. 

Hooked into a handful of beautiful bass and one keeper halibut. After reeling the halibut up and successfully getting it into the boat I was physically shaking for a few minutes. I had to sit down and take it all in. I live for these days.

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trial & error

the great thing about shaping your own boards is that you learn so much each time from what works and whats does not.  i love the whole trial and error process. i have been sitting on this last hand plane shape for over a year looking at how to foil it and what to change up from my last shape. shortened the overall length and made it slightly thicker to get a even deeper single concave. that deep single concave is what really works well to create lift and pull you down the line. excited to try this new one out soon.

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Dog Days

"Dog Days" |  the hottest, most sultry days of summer between early July and September

I don't like freezing fish, I would rather give fillets away or just cook it all up. Invited a bunch of friends over to indulge in the local caught halibut in my small one bedroom sweatbox. It was hotter then hell from the heat wave and all 4 gas burners on in the kitchen but well worth the wait.

{ M E N U }

~Halibut Pineapple Ceviche with chips 

~Mini-Halibut Sliders with thin sliced tomato, onion, avocado and spinach 
~Halibut Fish Tacos 
~Halibut Tostadas with black beans, cabbage and salsa fresca
   (side of Spanish Rice and Beans)

 { D R I N K S }

~Pacifico and Dos Equis with lime
~Arnold Palmer (Sweet Tea Vodka with lemonade)
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Flatness is Good

When you hear the word flat and your first love revolves around waves negative emotions consume your psyche...

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...but the closer you become to full watermen the more you realize the ocean has to offer. When the surf goes flat I just switch gears into fishing mode. Flat, calm, glassy conditions are ideal for running about the bay and ocean.

Besides the flat ocean conditions I love hunting down the flattest of all fish, halibut. The last few months I have been learning more about the habits, habitats and hiding spots of these bottom dwellers. I have experimented with a ton of artificial baits and narrowed down three that are productive. But when it comes to the heavy hitting halibut live bait is the ticket. I hate giving the bait barge $25 bucks for a half scoop of disorientated, sluggish, beat up sardines. So instead I head out to the edge of the kelp and sabikki up my own bait. I usually get between 20-30 healthy smelt that last me all afternoon. Plus its more sporting if you put time into finding your own bait and catching it.

Sometimes fishing doesn't always produce fish but you always learn something new that can be used at a later time. A few weeks ago in one of my halibut spots I had a strange drift heading in the opposite direction. The water is only 14feet so you can see the bottom real good and there is one section were the sand ends and you hit a small kelp bed about ten feet wide then right back to sand. I got some short halibut off a plastic jerkbait there a few weeks ago by fishing both edges of that sand to kelp patch. Yesterday we had that same drift and I fished it the same way with some big live smelt and first drift I got a keeper on the front side and the next drift I got another keeper on the opposite side. It has taken a few months to get a keeper but it is rewarding when it happens.

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