Visiting Southen California late February/early March 2012

[Anders]

Hello all of you California divers!

I'm going to a work related conference in Las Vegas February 29th to March 2nd. I'm planning to travel a bit in Southern California before and maybe after the conference and would love to hook up with some locals for a bit of freediving/spearfishing. I've been reading some of the trip reports about California diving and I'm really hoping to find someone to go out with. I'm open to all kinds of freediving/spearfishing; diving amongst the giant kelp has been a dream of mine for a long time. I'd prefer to do some spearfishing and I'm really hoping to get a chance at going after white seabass, but any kind of freediving/spearfishing would be fun for sure.

I dive nearly year round in Norwegian conditions, which means I've dove in temperatures of 0-20 C (32-68 F) with a typical visibility of 3-5 m (10-15 feet) or less (where I live). I'm comfortable diving to ca 20 m (70 feet) while spearing. I'll probably be able to bring a suit (3, 5 or 7 mm), gloves, socks, fins and a mask/snorkel, but I'm hoping someone will let me borrow the rest of the stuff I'll need (gun, weights etc.). I have no problem driving a bit to get to good diving/spearing spots (I'll have a car) and am more than happy to pay my share of any boat gas money. However, I'm mostly looking for local freedivers/spearos to go out with (and maybe have a few beers afterwards), not a guided tour on a commercial boat.

I'm really hoping some of you would like to show me a bit of the California diving. If that's the case, please send me a PM, an email or just reply below.

All the best from Norway,
Anders

 

[mermaidgirl]

You will need to buy a permit and we have just had a number of areas closed to marine protected zones. You can dive in giant kelp but you cannot hunt in the protected areas. There are not any reports of WSB around now but I think some came in January last year. They are more plentiful in summer,though. Right now it is lobster season, halibut, and sheepshead.
White Seabass
The recreational fishery for white seabass (Atractoscion nobilis) remains open year round. The daily bag and possession limit is three fish except that only one fish may be taken in waters south of Point Conception between March 15 and June 15. The minimum size limit is 28 inches total length or 20 inches alternate length.


you might want to post on spearboard.com in the California section and hopefully some nice guy will help you out. You will probably be fine in a 5mm since you are used to colder water.

 

[Bill McIntyre]

You will be a bit early for white sea bass, but there is always a chance. The water temp will probably be around 13-14° C.

I can't commit now to taking you out on my boat since I'm scheduled for surgery in January and am not quite sure how long it will take to recover.

Hmmm. On second thought, even if I'm not fit enough to dive by then, surely I'll be fit enough to run the boat and watch you dive. But check with me closer to the end of February to make sure I'm still alive.

If you go out with me, I could provide weights and an appropriate speargun.

Almost all of my favorite spots are not in the new protected areas, so that would not be a problem.

 

[Anders]

mermaidgirl:
Thanks for the tips and the link to the White seabass fact sheet. I'll be sure to get a fishing license before I go out.

Bill McIntyre:
Thank you very much for the offer, I appreciate it very much! I'm hoping you'll make a quick recovery from surgery.
I'll be buying my plane tickets in not too long, and I'll get in touch after that to let you know what exact dates I hope to do some diving/spearing (likely from March 3rd onwards).

Thanks again to you both for your tips and offers!

 

[mermaidgirl]

There is your nice guy ! You cannot do any better than Bill. He is a very well known and respected diver here in So. Cal. He is very generous with his knowledge and time.Many of my friends hunt with him and take all the fish( Dam) :t Have a great time and I hope you enjoy California! ..

 

[Bill McIntyre]

mermaidgirl:
Thanks for the tips and the link to the White seabass fact sheet. I'll be sure to get a fishing license before I go out.

Bill McIntyre:
Thank you very much for the offer, I appreciate it very much! I'm hoping you'll make a quick recovery from surgery.
I'll be buying my plane tickets in not too long, and I'll get in touch after that to let you know what exact dates I hope to do some diving/spearing (likely from March 3rd onwards).

Thanks again to you both for your tips and offers!

If you go with me, a visitors license can be purchased at the harbor where I launch the boat, so that would be easy.

Most of the coastal spots where I dive are around 50 to 55 feet deep, so it sounds like you would have no problem retrieving a fish if we can find you one to shoot. At that time of year, most white sea bass can be shot in the top 25 feet of water, with the distinct possibility that they can even be shot from the surface. The problem comes when they dive to the bottom and wrap up in the kelp, and its almost impossible to keep a big fish from doing that if it wants to. There is often a very bad murk layer on the bottom, and that can make it more challenging, trying to determine what kelp to cut without cutting your line, getting wrapped in your line, etc. If I get lucky and shoot one, I'll let you take care of the retrieval. I'm not proud.

If we're lucky, maybe we can bring Dam Nguyen along to show you how its done.

 

[Anders]

This sounds great, I can't wait to go!
I've been reading some of your old trip reports and I see that bringing Dam along will give me a good tutorial on the WSB shooting SOP

I'll do my best with the retrieval. I hope some experience with cold, 3 feet visibility water will help in succeeding at that job

 

[Bill McIntyre]

This sounds great, I can't wait to go!
I've been reading some of your old trip reports and I see that bringing Dam along will give me a good tutorial on the WSB shooting SOP

I'll do my best with the retrieval. I hope some experience with cold, 3 feet visibility water will help in succeeding at that job

That experience and Dam's presence would both help a lot. Of course we have to be realistic and remember that the weather and visibility have to cooperate, but that's a given almost everywhere.

I really do get a kick out of having a guest from out of town get a white sea bass, but there are no guarantees. But summer before last, a guy came out from Texas and got a 51 pound white sea bass on his first dive trip in California. I think I enjoyed that even more than he did. (photos below) It would be great if you could do the same.

In the name of full disclosure, I guess I should warn you that my surgery has a 1% mortality risk, but my surgeon says he hasn't lost a patient yet. I'm counting on him maintaining that record.

 

[Don Paul]

I have a very strong vintage halibut tip to take home with your name on it. I'll
PM you my contact #.

Cheers, Don

 

[Don Paul]

I can't commit now to taking you out on my boat since I'm scheduled for surgery in January and am not quite sure how long it will take to recover

Happy winter solstice Bill, wishing you a fast and full recovery.

Cheers, Don

 

[Anders]

That experience and Dam's presence would both help a lot. Of course we have to be realistic and remember that the weather and visibility have to cooperate, but that's a given almost everywhere.

I really do get a kick out of having a guest from out of town get a white sea bass, but there are no guarantees. But summer before last, a guy came out from Texas and got a 51 pound white sea bass on his first dive trip in California. I think I enjoyed that even more than he did. (photos below) It would be great if you could do the same.

In the name of full disclosure, I guess I should warn you that my surgery has a 1% mortality risk, but my surgeon says he hasn't lost a patient yet. I'm counting on him maintaining that record.

Apart from pool diving, conditions tend to vary here as well, so I'm definitely used to that. I'll just have to hope for the best
That looks like one nice fish, no wonder you (and he) enjoyed it! Do the big ones usually put up a hard fight?
A 99% success rate is quite good in my book, and having a surgeon who's even better than that isn't bad either
I've managed to book my flights now and I'll be in So Cal March 2/3-7. Hopefully you'll be fully recovered by then. I'm really looking forward to this trip, both the diving and meeting CA spearos. You definitely seem like a friendly and welcoming bunch!

Don Paul: Thanks!

 

[Bill McIntyre]

Apart from pool diving, conditions tend to vary here as well, so I'm definitely used to that. I'll just have to hope for the best
That looks like one nice fish, no wonder you (and he) enjoyed it! Do the big ones usually put up a hard fight?
A 99% success rate is quite good in my book, and having a surgeon who's even better than that isn't bad either
I've managed to book my flights now and I'll be in So Cal March 2/3-7. Hopefully you'll be fully recovered by then. I'm really looking forward to this trip, both the diving and meeting CA spearos. You definitely seem like a friendly and welcoming bunch!

Don Paul: Thanks!

Unless you get a stone shot, they put up a very hard fight. They are sprinters rather than marathoners, so they burn out quickly, but their initial run is very strong indeed. For example, last year I shot a 44 pounder and put as much pressure on as I could while still managing to get a breath now and then, and it took almost all of my 120' float line before it stopped. Then later in the day I shot a 55 pounder, and managed to stop it with only about half the float line taken. Generally though, if you put on much pressure, they turn and wrap up in the kelp. Then they are immobilized, waiting for you to find them, brain them, and cut them out of the kelp. Often we detach our mono shooting line from the float line or reel line to bring them up, then deal with retrieving the float line or reel line.

Do you use a reel or a float line? For many years I used a reel, but for the last couple of years I've been using a breakaway float line. Its a lot easier to follow through the kelp to a fish, and in general makes retrieval easier. I still have inserts for a reel in a couple of guns though, and could put a reel back on if you like.

I just checked my logs. This year the first fish taken on my boat were a 44 pounder on March 16 and a 60 pounder on March 18. The previous year the first was a 61 pounder on March 12. I'll let you guess who shot them. Sometimes that guy is a pain in the ass.

But fish are definitely around earlier than that. We just have to be lucky and have the right conditions so we can see them.

 

[Anders]

They seem like quite challenging and unpredictable then; no wonder you California guys like them so much.
For big fish I like to use a float line. In fact, it's pretty much the only thing I've ever used except for the kill shots on large halibut, but that's a very different situation. So I think a float line would suit me best. You use a very small, or no float when hunting in the kelp don't you?
I'm definitely a tad early then, but I'm happy as long as we can get in the water and there's a chance the fish are present. It'll be an adventure none the less.

 

[Bill McIntyre]

They seem like quite challenging and unpredictable then; no wonder you California guys like them so much.
For big fish I like to use a float line. In fact, it's pretty much the only thing I've ever used except for the kill shots on large halibut, but that's a very different situation. So I think a float line would suit me best. You use a very small, or no float when hunting in the kelp don't you?
I'm definitely a tad early then, but I'm happy as long as we can get in the water and there's a chance the fish are present. It'll be an adventure none the less.

Yes. Some people use no float at all, but I use a small one that slides through the kelp easily but serves as something to grab if all the line has been pulled through my hand.

BTW, I'm leaving in an hour to spend Christmas at my son's house and will return on the 27th. I may be able to log on now and then, but if I'm slow to respond, you'll know why.

 

[Anders]

That's good. I was afraid I'd loose the line if there was nothing on the end, but with a small float like that I think I'll manage. Merry Christmas!

 

[Anders]

It's now been a couple of weeks since I got back from Southern California and although I didn't see any white seabass I still had a great time and met a few very nice people.
Bill deserves a big thank you for taking me out on the boat and running up and down the coast from kelp bed to kelp bed to put me on fish. I guess the seabass just weren't around, but plenty of other fish and wildlife were. I saw lots of Calico bass, sealions, pelicans and even a Mola mola. They are amazing to watch under water and it was a first for me.
I also want to extend a big thank you to Don and his girlfriend for their great hospitality and friendship :friday
I also met a few other very nice guys but don't know if they're on this board. If you are, thanks a bunch to you guys too for making my stay a great time.

All in all I had a fantastic time in So Cal and would love to come back for a longer visit some day, hopefully with a bit more seabass around

 

[Bill McIntyre]

Sorry we couldn't put you on a white sea bass Anders, but maybe next time. The visibility has been even worse since you were here, and we had a big storm that dropped the water temperature to 52°F. Brrrr.

 

[Bill McIntyre]

Anders, I don't know whether to tell you this or not.

Remember that last thick kelp bed where you dove? Two days ago a friend was there and could see the bottom from the surface in 48 feet of water. There were big schools of white sea bass swimming around, and he just enjoyed watching them so he didn't take a shot.

And then yesterday a guy shot a 71 pound white sea bass at the first place you dove.

 

[Anders]

It's great to hear that the WSB schools are back, just too bad I was a little early.. Next time I'll be there at least a month later

 

[Bill McIntyre]

Here is a photo that a friend took at the last spot you dove.