first two days with new boat

My boat came in Wednesday and I didn't get a chance to fish till Friday after work. The conditions weren't great for open ocean, so I decided to try the backbay (Morro Bay). The launch is 5 minutes from my house in Los Osos and I've never fished the backbay!? There's been some scratchy flatty fishing there this year, so I figured that or bat rays and leopard sharks. Didn't try the sabiki, but there was tons of nice sized chovies. I heard that guys haven't been able to sabiki them up so I just dragged a small swimbait. I was just slow trolling the swimbait near the bottom and letting it back down to bump the mud every once in awhile and after about fifteen minutes I felt a little weight and some life on the end of it. I gave it a big hook set and  ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ........ZZZZZ....ZZZzzzzzz... Good thing I had my drag light, because it ran the oposite direction my tip was pointed. Behind me and to the right. I turned my boat to it and went for a good ten minute ride back and forth across the harbor and by the time I got it to the boat I was in the middle of the oyster farm! It was a solid sized bat ray (15lbs?) foul hooked in the shoulder. It was pissed! Took me five minutes to get my jig back.  I'd never handled a ray before and wasn't sure what kind of defense mechanisms they have. Pretty much just hard to grab.  No photos for that though.
     Then Saturday morning a friend and I launched at Spooners in Los Osos at about 8, because the fog's been pretty thick. By the time we got lines in the conditions were sweet. A lite south wind with a good south drift.  Fishing was pretty slow most of the morning. Got one small red and gophers on the iron and nothing on the 7" swimbait. Then some local kids showed up and fished the same area and started banging the reds on dead squid. I don't usually use dead bait for rockfish, but it was money that day. So I just kept fishing my trusty swimbait hard and WHAMMO!  Nice long fight in about 100 FOW. Ended up with a ling that was 33.5" when I measured it at home. I measured it on the boat and it was looking like about 32" so it's nice to get the extra inch or two in. It was plugged with two nice sized octopus'. Greedy bastard. So the new boat's been great all around.
       Oh ya... we got a great show from some breaching humpbacks and they gave us a nice swimby. I'm going to try to post some pics below.
                                    peace    CoS
 

Nice gut

My dog weighs 135lbs. and has a huge head. Puts it in perspective

my buddy's dad was getting  pretty close.

Awesome report!
Congrats on the fatty ling. Way to stick with your swimbait!

Thanks,
PK

another hobie guy tees 'em up!

great pics and report.  that dog is a fisherman's dog for sure, love at first sight

good looking water.

solid ling! great pics too. love the dog.

J

Nice job on the yak and the ling! Great report. Keep 'em coming w/ the pics.
Now don't resist, just let the madness take over...
Z

Good catch on the Ling !

I used to live off of Lilac in LO. My ex and I would usually put in at Baywood, or over by the golf course near MdO.  Never launched at Spooners, my ex was too intimidated by the shore break.

Who knows, maybe I'll be able to fish what's still open, next time I'm in SLO county with a yak.

Scott

I used to live off of Lilac in LO. My ex and I would usually put in at Baywood, or over by the golf course near MdO.  Never launched at Spooners, my ex was too intimidated by the shore break.

Who knows, maybe I'll be able to fish what's still open, next time I'm in SLO county with a yak.

Scott

Drop me an email if you're around. The launch is extra easy this year with a little line of bull kelp to absorb some of the swell. MMMMM like a lake.
                                    CoS

Way to hammer it first time out.  And a big WTG for the report and pics.   

nicely done!   FYI  those octo in the lings stomach are the best ling bait.  IMHO   I think the ones you get from a lings stomach will outfish a frozen octopus anyday of the week.  Cut it in half, put it on a lead head jig and use some dental floss to tie it on.  Drop it down and hold on!