ok I get it..why no one else is here

Ok...impressions from a newbie..

decided to get on the water for my 3rd attempt on landing a butt from yak..
went to ARW on monday the 20th..
still frustrated with my live bait question...ie DIY vs bait shop..
on this day I actually tried both... first stopped by Berkeley marina.. both the bait shop and harbor guy were out of anchovies..

then went to lake merrit to try DIY with Sabiki..after driving around aimlessly for 1/2, finally settled on trying from the boat house..
nada.

so  I called mikes bait shop..they were out of shiners too.
so I figured at least I can swing thru chinatown and get some fresh squid..while I picked up my Vietnamese sandwiches.

Got to ARW ...now its past 9am and there is wind and chop..
saw no other yakers around...not a good sign but figured people actually work for a living..

made the drift out along the rock wall..I have no FF so I am basically blind.
made it out around corner and along the brown pelican wall..made a couple drifts before deploying the sabiki tipped w/ small worm piece.

so after hours on the water.. I drifted back thru the sheltered harbor and beach exited vs...going back onto the windy side of the rock wall.

hauled my yak over the rocks and called it a day..
good scouting trip but realizing that I need to fish smarter...not harder..this was my 3rd atempt in 8days..

had I bothered to check tide chart that was sitting on my desk...I would have discovered that it was a big minus tide earlier that day..and I recall someone posting that Mr Butt no likey those conditions....

guess that why I was the only sucker out there fighting the wind.

So, for you regulars...does that mean you don't even bother getting out there when there is neg. tides days.???

So you got it why no one (except you, me and a few unfortunate ones who can't make it to Albion for the hook-up) here to answer your questions    I fish whenever I can regardless of the tidal and catch fish (Hali included) during both big and small tidal swings.   For me, it just luck that you got a bite/hook-up from the fish.  On the other hand, fighting and landing a fish required some skills and with the right equipment/tackles it would improve your chance to bring it home.  I enjoy being OTW with friends and taking pictures, catching fish is a "bonus" for me.  I look it this way, if I really want to eat fish, it would cost me less to buy from the supermarket than spending all the gas money, my time, baits/tackles and there's no guarranty to catch one!  So my advise to you is enjoy your time OTW.  The more time you spend fishing, the better chance you'll catch them.  See you OTW soon...

yeah..you are certainly right.. that very morning I was looking at the hacked up carcusses in a chinatown fish market and thought the same thing...it would be a lot simpler to pick up the fish here and go back to bed..

but the endeavor is a worthy one..yet one that has alluded me so far..
wife has even started to ridicule me slightly...joking that we will hold a celebration when and if I actually land one..

I agree that many of us must fish when we can..and that the conditions / tides aren't always aligned.. it is good to just get on the water and paddle.
it is though a lot of work though loading up the gear.
I look forward to fishing with you some time.
dave

Hey, I liked this report. Probably because I can relate to it so well 

But I'll echo SailFish's sentiment, for me it's about getting on the water. Catching fish (and I don't catch many) just adds to the experience.

See you "out there"

Ben

Well, I'm a newbie too & definitely relate to your frustration. Although that in itself can hinder one's approach to fishing. Call it an "energy" thing, in the Yoga sort of way... I feel we must find inner peace to catch fish or else the negative vibes travel out our poles and down the line, and our bait/lures become unattractive to the fish.

Maybe that's BS, but I think there is something to it. Frustration clouds our thinking and affects how we move our bodies. A fishing pole it designed around transferring vibrations, and that works in either direction.

But to offer a little more concrete advise and not just dogma, I want to say no fish finder doesn't make you blind and more gear is not what's holding you back. I was definitely in your shoes for the last year at the ARW also. Recently I finally bought my own boat, and I could not afford the "fishing" version. So no rod holders or FF or anything other than the boat and me.

I think this situation indirectly pushed me to improve my fishing skill. The new boat has been out only twice, once in Santa Cruz & once at the ARW. Each time I got hook-ups were previously on a rigged boat I'd always be the guy with no action what-so-ever!

What changed? Well I was forced to scale back my distractions on the gear and pay better attention to the actual act of fishing-ing-ing. With no rod holders I was forced to take only one rod & held it in my hands or under my leg only. I barely brought any tackle. Just a simple carolina rig and me holding the pole and I finally caught a hali and hooked up with a second after that. I really think the focus I was able to gain from simplifying really helped my luck.

The bait thing is a big deal, eh? Personally, I don't like buying live bait. You can't count on it being available. It's also expensive & it seems like the fish are always stressed to the max. Live anchovies are so fragile, and again going to get it clouds the focus and adds to the frustration of things.

My experience at Lake Merrit is the timing isn't always good for a Sabiki. The smelt often aren't in a feeding pattern. It's like they're there to rest (?). I think a throw net is more productive, although I really suck at using one thus far.

I think getting the bait the night before or even a couple days before going OTW is good. I was reluctant to hassle with it myself but I've concluded that part of being prepared to fish is being able to catch your bait, keep it alive at home & on the boat.

Hopefully I'm not coming across as a new self-proclaimed expert because I'm not. But we're really lucky to be on this board. This definitely puts us on the fast track to being capable fishermen. It would have taken me years longer to figure this stuff out if it weren't for all the expert advice available on this site.

Thanks guys!

I just spent close to $600 (mostly gas) chasing hali on my first vacation in 5 years - had one roughly 33-36" at the boat and lost it while reaching for my gaff - only 2 other legit bites for the week - but i promised myself no rockfishing until I got my elusive hali - still one of the best vacations in my life outside of one miserable night camping.  As long as I'm otw its all good - going back to work will not be fun tomorrow.... looking forward to next weekend already