I shot my first White Sea Bass yesterday afternoon!
There is a about 300 (N.-S.) yards of inshore kelp that a school of mostly juveniles has been frequenting, so I've been stalking them. More accurately, I've been patroling this area ever slower and quieter each time, in order for them to pass by me and perhaps linger. The slightest air bubble or ear squeak and they're gone. But they do come back to the same areas, and they seem to reappear out of nothingness. Most of the time I've seen them, I've seen bat rays first. On my first pass through the kelp I saw mostly some small ones, but there was also several "larger" (28-42") ones who sensed, perhaps, my intentions and quickly disappeared. On my second pass I was basically just floating above the kelp, with literally just my toes moving my fins when I saw the smaller ones first coming out of the kelp and grass. Some larger ones appeared and I lay on the surface stock still, with my gun pointed. I exhaled and as I descended (sank actually; I had weighted myself heavey) I got a bead just behind the gill plate on a good sized one and let my spear fly. Their reactions are incredible: he seemed to actually be fleeing the shaft by the time it entered about 4" behind the gill plate! He fought of course and I swam to him, after dropping my gun and grabbing the floatline, in order to make sure the flopper was all the way through him. I let him thrash in the kelp awhile until he went to the bottom and lay in some grass. I dove down and dispatched him.
32 inches. Not a monster, but the biggest fish I've ever shot and it feels nice to have my first White!
My little lady took a photo (film) of it at home that night and the DFG guy on the beach (I almost got a ticket for being out after sunset) took a photo of it too, so I'll try to post something.
Roan in Orange County.
There is a about 300 (N.-S.) yards of inshore kelp that a school of mostly juveniles has been frequenting, so I've been stalking them. More accurately, I've been patroling this area ever slower and quieter each time, in order for them to pass by me and perhaps linger. The slightest air bubble or ear squeak and they're gone. But they do come back to the same areas, and they seem to reappear out of nothingness. Most of the time I've seen them, I've seen bat rays first. On my first pass through the kelp I saw mostly some small ones, but there was also several "larger" (28-42") ones who sensed, perhaps, my intentions and quickly disappeared. On my second pass I was basically just floating above the kelp, with literally just my toes moving my fins when I saw the smaller ones first coming out of the kelp and grass. Some larger ones appeared and I lay on the surface stock still, with my gun pointed. I exhaled and as I descended (sank actually; I had weighted myself heavey) I got a bead just behind the gill plate on a good sized one and let my spear fly. Their reactions are incredible: he seemed to actually be fleeing the shaft by the time it entered about 4" behind the gill plate! He fought of course and I swam to him, after dropping my gun and grabbing the floatline, in order to make sure the flopper was all the way through him. I let him thrash in the kelp awhile until he went to the bottom and lay in some grass. I dove down and dispatched him.
32 inches. Not a monster, but the biggest fish I've ever shot and it feels nice to have my first White!
My little lady took a photo (film) of it at home that night and the DFG guy on the beach (I almost got a ticket for being out after sunset) took a photo of it too, so I'll try to post something.
Roan in Orange County.
