WSB Hitting in Montery Bay (MBK)

Decided to paddle out on the way back from Big Sur. Guys were hauling in some pretty big toads fly lining squid. I watched a guy by the name of Dan Wood from Monterey land a whopper, saying it was the biggest fish he had ever caught. I would estimate it at around 50# @ 47". He was nice enough to give me one of the squid they are catching and I had been drifting it for about 10 minutes when I decided to paddle over to where another guy was repeating the same thing I had just witnessed Dan do, when all of sudden this freaking monster hit my squid about 6' from my kayak on the retrieval. I unfortunately had my drag to tight or was so shocked to see this thing break water twice that I neglected to flip it into free spool and let him run with it for a while. Long story short he came unbuttoned and I watched my first WSB swim away-freaking beautiful though. Here is a picture of Dan and if I didn't have to work the next couple of days I know where I would be.

What's the setup if you're going for WSB? Of course, I will take into consideration the lesson on the drag setting.
Thanks.
Danny

Sorry for your lost WSB!  Maybe this is the great year for WSB    Thanks for the report and picture Mike.

hey mike, i wish i had stopped at mbk!

Damn Mike! You are on a roll brother. Too bad it got away, but that's what fuels the desire to get back out there!

thassa big ass croaker!  You gotta figure they were going to go off, after reading calbear's squid report

Beautiful! 

Sorry to hear yours was off the hook . . . literally . . .    but it's a lot closer than a lot of us have ever gotten . . . 

That's exciting!
How deep was where you were fishing?

That's exciting!
How deep was where you were fishing?

These guys are hitting right on the surface or just below. This fish that hit mine came in like a torpedo and slammed it on the surface breaking the water and taking it downtown. I think it was a surprised to see me as I was to see it! I am going back again on Friday to give it another shot. Does anyone know what kind of rig to use to jig for squid, I only have the old fashioned kind we used in SoCal for the bigger Humbolt squid and has a couple rows of non-barbed hooks around it, I know it is too big for these squids. Will a normal Sabikki rig work?   Mike

That's real nice! Sorry to hear you missed yours I wonder how long there going to stick around?

I think i need a Montereywhiteseabass I'm going fishing!

That's exciting!
How deep was where you were fishing?


These guys are hitting right on the surface or just below. This fish that hit mine came in like a torpedo and slammed it on the surface breaking the water and taking it downtown. I think it was a surprised to see me as I was to see it! I am going back again on Friday to give it another shot.

Does anyone know what kind of rig to use to jig for squid, I only have the old fashioned kind we used in SoCal for the bigger Humbolt squid and has a couple rows of non-barbed hooks around it, I know it is too big for these squids. Will a normal Sabikki rig work?   Mike

Sabikki will work. But if you know how to tie a series of small gold treble hooks (4 or more) works really well...if i had a camera i would post a picture.

Alex

That's real nice! Sorry to hear you missed yours I wonder how long there going to stick around?

I think i need a Montereywhiteseabass I'm going fishing!

Alex,

That is right in your backyard.  Me, Danny(superd270) and Darius will be there Saturday.  You are welcome to join us.  Do you know where we can get live bait, if we can't sabiki some squids?

Rey

That is right in your backyard.  Me, Danny(superd270) and Darius will be there Saturday.  You are welcome to join us.  Do you know where we can get live bait, if we can't sabiki some squids?

Rey

Id say launch in the dark with big flashlight like the big cannons used when u dive for lobster at night... Shine into the water and get the squid to come up to u and then.
Try small squid jigs would probly work wonders due to the 20 to 30 hooks around those thing. Or if u can paddle out to the squid boats.
Then fly line a squid as you would for a mack or other bait fish for thresher and then a seond rod with a sliding sinker style and slowly troll/drift the kelp beds in and out along the edge look for drop offs on the ff and BIG BIG BIG Marks like you have never seen before.

Jai Boi tats wat it is At least you saw the fish and got to fight it still sucks you couldn't land it but now you have another story to tell haha Jai Boi

Keo

I would love to join you guys on Saturday, but I'm also trying for an earlier day. like Wenday, Thursday or Friday. If we can't jig no squid up I don't know if the WSB would even stick around the Bay. No place in monterey that i know of that sale live bait. You could get the 3lbs box of squid (Seawave) at the local Safeway on Freemont and Del Rey Canyon Rd. I always bring some dead-fresh-squid along anytime i fish the ocean. Hope to see you out there.

Alex