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Captain Jack reading fishing stories to his pet Pelican. |
FROM THE DECK
by Captain Jack
Candy bait means fish
Well mates, if’in ya haven’t been out on them waters from Malibu to Rock Point, I hate to say this, but, you really missed it. All week, up north to Alaska -- that would be Malibu, the party boys and locals have been pulling Halibut out by their lips one rite after the other; one day alone over 150 flatties. Then, off Rocky Point, big fat Yellowtail were spooling dang near anybody that got into those fish. Mix in some White Sea Bass and you have the makings for one nice Thanksgiving dinner. Forget the turkey…
Yer asking me what has caused all this to occur? One word. Candy bait, otherwise known as squid. That would be live squid, the one thing that a fish will die for. There is so much squid in the bay a person could almost walk on the bait balls that have been surfacing. On just about any morning a person can go out to the bell bouy in front of the entrance to King Harbor and scoop all you want and this is in broad day lite! Usually, you have to make bait at night, under the lites but not this week. There have even been squid taken at noon’day. Poor Charlie at the bait barge couldn’t even give an anchovie away. Folks felt so bad they actually gave squid to Charlie to sell. Aarg…
Now, lets talk about who did something wit all this candy bait. Martin "Hook’em in the Lip" and Andre the Mackerel Slayer take their squid and hightail it to Catalina. When they get there it’s wide open Yellowtail, White Sea Bass and Calico Bass. Captain Greg of Hermosajunk runs up to Malibu just for the Halibut and brings back a 125 pound Thrasher Shark. Said, "That shark was swimming rite in the middle of the Del Rey armada." Captain Jackie of the vessel City of Redondo took his fare out to Rocky for Yellowtail and White Sea Bass. In the harbor all around the bait barge Charlie was watching the rental skiffs yanking on nice two and three pound Bonita. He’s yelling, "Bait we got bait!" Sorry Charlie.
Think about this, it is November. Not May. The water temp is hanging around 68, calm seas and lite winds. Oh, well, we have the fog, but that’s what keeps the fish biting all day. Look, squid have big eyes and so do fish. They don’t like too much sun light. When it’s brite they try to find a hole or a place to hide. Wit a good cloud cover all yer favorite honey holes will keep producing from sun up to sundown. So, go fish.
There is one big problem wit all this bait. Mackerel. Two and three pound big Mac’s are as thick as fleas on a dock hound. It takes some heavy weight to get through’em; if’in ya can. The dang things are also rite on the bottom. On top it’s nice Bonita. Somewhere in the middle are the Sea Bass and full and fat in the sand are some big Halibut.
But how does ya get to those sweet fishesHere is a Captain Jack secret so don’t tell no one. Save all yer fish guts, heads and all. Freeze it up in a plastic trash bag. Next time ya go out to yer honey hole, go up 25 yards and dump all that chum. All the Mac’s, Bonies and Sharks will go for the chum. You get rite back to the hole and drop a live squid on a Halibut and give it a yank. You get yer Halibut and everything else gets yer chum, de chum, chum. AAarg sez the Captain.
From the mountains to the sea, the fresh water boys are having the time of their lives fishing Trout. Bad weather kept most off the lakes up north. South and out to the Colorado it’s a decent fall bite and them Catfish. Well, you know what they like. Stink bait. Yuck!!
Contest of the week: If you can name Jack’s Pelican you can win a fishing rod and reel. You must be at least four years old to enter. Email yer entry to easyreader@earthlink.net. c/o the Captain…Hey, and keep sending me those fish tails and fish pic’s. See ya out there. AAarg.