SC Fresh Air Friday 8/16/24

My work invented additional holidays during the pandemic to encourage people to not overwork called Fresh Air Friday.  At first there were four of them, but they since pulled back two of them, but still nice to have an extra day or two off.  I didn't get up super early, only arrived at the harbor around 8 and launched 30 mins or so later.  I got out side the jaws and bait was surprise surprise everywhere to be seen.  I floated around and jigged up a dozen or so anchovies, met some other guy out there and we fished and chatted for a while.  Dropping down anchovies at the school just got me croakers, big as they were I wasn't looking for them. Moved out to deeper water and started getting bit on brown rockfish.  I moved deeper still after releasing a few browns.  Out at 60 fow picked up a vermillion, that I considered for a long time that it might be dinner, but it got me all soft looking at me in my foot well, and I decided to let it grow up a bit bigger.  I trolled until the mile buoy and after landing the verm, got a really nice mackarel for bait.  I dragged it around for a long time, with not a single bite.  To my surprise, no lings for me, not even the little ones.  no butts either, obviously...  Conditions were good, it was mostly flat in the morning, very little breeze, even after 1:00pm when I was calling it quits, had to peddle in a bit.  My partner in the fog radioed that he did get a legal ling.  Saw not much happening when I was out there, or back at the dock. 

 

Sounds like a good fresh air day.

Was there any hint of red tide?

Thanks for the report 🤙

Been thinking about getting out to that same area for the first time myself, thanks for the report!

Looks like your top speed was over 21MPH....🙂

Sounds like a good fresh air day.

Was there any hint of red tide?

not that I saw in the area I was in.  There was a lot by the wharf a week ago.

Been thinking about getting out to that same area for the first time myself, thanks for the report!

Looks like your top speed was over 21MPH....🙂

I'm confused, as this was the first time I thought I'd started and stopped without driving on the app, but still, guess my Hobie is faster than I thought!

I was out there Friday as well.  Launched at 6:30 from A dock and got on anchovies immediately outside the harbor entrance.  A friend of mine had requested some anchovies for the table, so I started to load up.  The schools were smaller and harder to chase, so we moved on hoping there would be easier schools to stay with.  I was also hoping for a repeat of the previous week with a large Pac mack or three for the grill -- no such luck.  Trolled my way out to Lighthouse Point where bigger schools of 'chovy were being pushed up against the kelp beds in hopes for another repeat -- much luck on that hope.

I, too, released a few browns before I got to the yellow buoy... but no verm for me.  I heard Al talk about the verm on the radio and I was envious.  Once over at the reef off Lighthouse, the anchovies were once again thick and nearly at the surface.  I sat on top of those stocking up on anchovies for my friend and jacksmelt for this season's crab bait.  I picked up a few Jack mackerel, but no other luck on the mack front.  Then I caught a pretty big brown at 16" and couldn't fight the taco thoughts, so it went in the box and 4 of the sabiki hooks were sacrificed.

We trolled around the edges of the reef a bit and my buddy caught a legal ling but lost it at the side of the boat.  We started to troll back in and other than a few acrobatic sea lions, it was dead quiet.  I picked up a few small croaker as we approached the harbor, so I packed it up.  Right at the mouth of the harbor, we hit another massive school of anchovy with a few commies sitting on top of them.  I decided to top up the anchovy pile one last time and spent nearly an hour catching 1 or 2 at a time on my sad, but legal sabiki.

All in all, 1 big brown, 5 lbs of crab bait, and 3 lbs of anchovies wound up coming home with me.

All in all, 1 big brown, 5 lbs of crab bait, and 3 lbs of anchovies wound up coming home with me.

That's a lot of 'chovies!

Thanks for the detailed report.

Looks like your top speed was over 21MPH....🙂

21mph? Did you throw your kayak off the bridge over the harbor?

Thanks for the reports guys.

Sounds like a great day.  I'd love to fish there at some point.