Some details...
The day started off with the decision to renew my fishing liscence. I had been using my new speargun several times earlier in the month with the sole intention of familiarizing myself with my competitor #0. At the time I thought it was a huge gun-my only point of reference being my old slings...Fortunatley I hadnt caught a fish, or ran into F&G, either one being a bust.
After spending the $20.00 for the liscence (so little money- just stuped of me not to have purchased earlier) I drove up to the penninsula to check out the conditions.
As I was standing on the cliff edge looking at some brown, onshore, bumpy, uninviting water, an older gentelman walked up and we started talking. His name was Georges, from Spain , and said he used to be a professional freediver when he was a youth in Europe. He asked me about my equipment and assessed my knowledge, I think, and upon further conversation I realised that the guy was straight legit. We hung out for a while looking at the sea until he said he had to go. His wife had been waiting for him in the car the whole time!
Im about to get in my car to go home when he asks from the other side of the street where im going...."Home", I said....
And these are the exact words he spoke as he drove off - Ill remember them forever "You'd be a fool not to go out there"
So im sitting in my car seat by myself thinking about what he said and realized I HAD to go diving. I grabbed my equipment and headed down the trail against a stiff onshore wind. There were a few people around the tide pools as I put on my suit and got my equipment together, tied my polypro floatline to my gun with a bowline and dragged it behind me as I climbed rocks toward the sea. I dodged the waves fairly easily as I kicked hard to free myself from the kelp that was wrapped around my neck, ankles and elbows. The visability was fair at best...maybe 8-10 feet as I made my way outside the surfline. I made a couple shallow dives and wove through the kelp strands seeing a few perch and calicos. After a few more dives I saw a big fish. Well, probably a 20-25 lb. fish, although I was unaware what it was. I was stoked regardless. My heart was pounding as I sat on the surface hoping to see some more fish just like that one.
So Im laying motionless on the surface with kelp all around me. The only thing im moving is my hand which needs to periodically remove the kelp from in front of my mask. Gradually, I start seeing similar fish cruise by me in water between 3-8 feet deep. Large groups, small groups from the left, then the right... Im not sure how long it went on- I didnt even know they were white sea bass- i thought they might have been baracuda or something-but i was totally transfixed by the experience. Finally I slowly extended my speargun in front of me and shot a passing fish. It wasnt the largest I saw that day, or the smallest. Either way, it was the biggest fish I had ever taken a shot at.
The fish quickly wound itself around the kelp because I did not give it rope to run with. I had to cut the kelp underneath the fish, which was flapping all over the place, and I got to experience a small dose of that dangerouse tangle of wire, rope and kelp. Finally, after dragging a huge mess of kelp, shaft, fish, speargun and other crap collected on the way, I got back to the shore where I sat my ass down for a breather. A couple of other divers came by and asked about other fish- quantities, sizes etc. and I told them I didnt really know. It was only then that I was told what kind of fish it was.
With my wife working late this day, I took the fish to a buddies house to enjoy with the bros. I cant wait to go through a similar experience soon.
Adam
besides, just showing yall what a snapper throat is will win me that one!
