A few months ago I was delighted when a couple bought the house next door and I found that he was a spearfisherman while she was a horse woman with a steed in the stable next to the stable where my wife's horse hangs out. It turned out that Joel had taken very nice dorado and yellowtail, but no white sea bass. When he looked at the photos on the cabinets in my garage, he vowed that he would get one diving from my boat, and I said I'd do my best to make it happen. It turned out to take two trips.
I went out yesterday with Dam and Joel. At the first stop, I actually got in the water before Dam, but the vis really sucked. Its not that I haven't taken fish in that sort of vis, but its just not fun diving, so I went back to the boat after about 15 minutes. But the youngsters won't take advice from their elders, so they kept at it while I fidgeted wanting to go to a better spot. After about 30 minutes, Joel popped up and said he had one on. I looked around for Dam, and he popped up and said he had just spooked one. I pointed at Joel and he went off to help out.
Dam helped find the fish on the 50 foot bottom, but after checking that it was a good holding shot, left it to Joel to retrieve. As Dam put it, when Joel surfaced with the fish in hand, we could hear orchestra music playing. The only thing I may like more than getting one myself is having someone else get his first one on my boat. It weighed 50 pounds.
Joel is a lot better diver than I am, and on the dive prior to shooting the fish, had gone to the 50 foot bottom. But his watch said that on the dive in which he shot the fish, the depth was 7 feet and the time was 10 seconds. I could do that! But then I guess I would have to be in the water instead of the boat.
I did go back in, but I think the vis was even worse, so we moved before long. At the next spot, Dam took his GoPro on a wand instead of his gun. He says that after surfacing from filming black sea bass down deeper, he turned of the camera just in time for the two biggest wsb he has ever seen to charge him on the surface. They were about 5 feet from him, but of course he wasn't carrying a gun.
I went back in, and he went back in with his gun, but no joy.
At the last spot, the vis really looked bad from the boat, but a guy going by on a standup board said it opened up down below, so we tried it. He was right. When you got below around 10 feet, the vis opened up to the best of the day- maybe 10 feet- but the temp also dropped from 61 to 57, so it was quite a contrast. After a while, I began to feel like I was 72, so I got in the boat. But Dam hung in there for a bit longer. He said that a very large fish came under him, going the opposite direction, while he was on the surface. The red tide on the surface was bad, but the fish was so shallow that he could see it anyway. By the time he got his gun pointed down, he was pointing at the tail, and had to sweep it down under him to point at the head. As near as he could tell, he actually brushed the fish with his tip as it swept up its back, and it spooked. So much for the necessity to be a deep diver.
As we got our suits off, I got a phone call from another friend who had just taken his first white sea bass and was wondering if I knew of a spot in Dana point with a scale. I told him I had one as long as a capacity of 100 pounds was enough, and he agreed to meet us at the launch ramp. It turned out his was also 50 pounds, and I took some photos.
He promised me that he wouldn't succumb to the pressure to remain silent so that no one would know that wsb are being taken off Socal. But just in case he wavers, here is his photo. At least his friends will know who he is. I really hope he'll share the joy of his first fish with us.
I went out yesterday with Dam and Joel. At the first stop, I actually got in the water before Dam, but the vis really sucked. Its not that I haven't taken fish in that sort of vis, but its just not fun diving, so I went back to the boat after about 15 minutes. But the youngsters won't take advice from their elders, so they kept at it while I fidgeted wanting to go to a better spot. After about 30 minutes, Joel popped up and said he had one on. I looked around for Dam, and he popped up and said he had just spooked one. I pointed at Joel and he went off to help out.
Dam helped find the fish on the 50 foot bottom, but after checking that it was a good holding shot, left it to Joel to retrieve. As Dam put it, when Joel surfaced with the fish in hand, we could hear orchestra music playing. The only thing I may like more than getting one myself is having someone else get his first one on my boat. It weighed 50 pounds.
Joel is a lot better diver than I am, and on the dive prior to shooting the fish, had gone to the 50 foot bottom. But his watch said that on the dive in which he shot the fish, the depth was 7 feet and the time was 10 seconds. I could do that! But then I guess I would have to be in the water instead of the boat.
I did go back in, but I think the vis was even worse, so we moved before long. At the next spot, Dam took his GoPro on a wand instead of his gun. He says that after surfacing from filming black sea bass down deeper, he turned of the camera just in time for the two biggest wsb he has ever seen to charge him on the surface. They were about 5 feet from him, but of course he wasn't carrying a gun.
I went back in, and he went back in with his gun, but no joy.
At the last spot, the vis really looked bad from the boat, but a guy going by on a standup board said it opened up down below, so we tried it. He was right. When you got below around 10 feet, the vis opened up to the best of the day- maybe 10 feet- but the temp also dropped from 61 to 57, so it was quite a contrast. After a while, I began to feel like I was 72, so I got in the boat. But Dam hung in there for a bit longer. He said that a very large fish came under him, going the opposite direction, while he was on the surface. The red tide on the surface was bad, but the fish was so shallow that he could see it anyway. By the time he got his gun pointed down, he was pointing at the tail, and had to sweep it down under him to point at the head. As near as he could tell, he actually brushed the fish with his tip as it swept up its back, and it spooked. So much for the necessity to be a deep diver.
As we got our suits off, I got a phone call from another friend who had just taken his first white sea bass and was wondering if I knew of a spot in Dana point with a scale. I told him I had one as long as a capacity of 100 pounds was enough, and he agreed to meet us at the launch ramp. It turned out his was also 50 pounds, and I took some photos.
He promised me that he wouldn't succumb to the pressure to remain silent so that no one would know that wsb are being taken off Socal. But just in case he wavers, here is his photo. At least his friends will know who he is. I really hope he'll share the joy of his first fish with us.