2007/12/15 seabright perch

wanted to surf, looks great out there today, but a little leery of getting sick again. took it easy, walked down from rental house to beach (last weekend 'till I got it again this summer for a couple months) for a few casts while my boys did some exploring on the beach.

big swell, a lot of seaweed. not much of a tide swing, mid afternoon, not really worth fishing, but it's hard to beat standing on the beach hurling lead into the ocean with retro-gear when you have nothing else to do.

fished the whole beach from jetty to finger, cleaning seaweed off almost every cast, but got one medium-small fish, kamikaze hit, released. always nice to beat the skunk on a tough day.

yeah, it's not kayaking either, but it's human-powered fishing,  .

J

You're a perching machine!   

wanted to surf, looks great out there today, but a little leery of getting sick again.

You know J I got there sick a lot  just before I moved. It was like a total sinus infection. I was thinking it might be because of the land fill they started up the way there. I got sick of getting sick and I'd surf more in town and never got sick after that. Something in the water down there for
sure.

Good on ya for sticking it out to beat the skunk!

Z

Hello jmairey,
Just wanted to say, really appreciate your reports! You kinda remind me of me.........Are you a thief or not?.....
Anyways, the hawaiian sling is still bloody, wusup? Let's do this.

John:

Perch fever, right?

I got out  yesterday afternoon in Aptos, three hits, only one stuck.  He was not that big but fat and fiesty.  I thought I had a small striper on at first.


Allen

Nice one Scallen. That is one healthy lookin' BSP!! Gotta love 'em.

Z

He was not that big but fat and fiesty.  I thought I had a small striper on at first.

I love perch fishing. They tug remarkably well for their size. Let's get out later this week Allen.

FF

oh yeah...looks like rain from tuesday to thursday, but I am game.

Allen

nice pic allen! A striper is always a possibility.

it's just nice to be 'bent' here and there between rockfish seasons,  .

well, that's probably it for me for a bit, I had a rental in Santa Cruz for a month, short toddle to the beach, so I fished a few times and reported each one for kicks, tried out some unusual setups. they all work! as long as you have a 1.5" kalin 'perch power' grub on the end, anyway. no fish on the berkley 2" pumpkinseed although it did get teethmarks in it.

My kids and wife really enjoyed the lighted boat parade. not something you see in mountain view.

I might try and do some trout trolling soon. I think they are planting the local 'lakes' (ponds) even with the low water. and maybe I'll catch a bass by accident,  .

John

John:

Let me know when and if you go for trout.  there are "percs" for living on that side of the hill!

I want to try some of those ponds but, as usual, ned some tutoring.  I can get free just about any day during the week?

Allen

John -

Way to stick the perch. Ounce fo ounce, second only to the roosterfish in the surf. May have to add them to the AOTY BTW, have you tried any of the new Gulp plastics for perch? I tried the Gulp sandcrab for perch a few weeks ago with no luck.

Scott

I have tried the sandcrabs and the pileworms.  I have caught fish on both, but unsure if that was due to the lure itself, or just the fish being there and hungry at the time. 

At least I know they work.

I the perch tourney, we offered a special prize one year for anyone using those baits (they helped sponsor the tourney, and we gave baits to everyone)

We saw a few nice fish caught on both sandcrabs and worms.  Best luck with the worms was to use 1/3 of the worm only.  Again was it the bait, or just a hungry fish in the right spot? 

I carry a pack of each just in case I am not catching anything, I can switch out.

Allen

I'm a fan of the Gulp pile worms - red and camo seem to work.

My usual spots are from Gazos Creek up to Half Moon Bay.

I went out Saturday AM at HMB and was skunked for the first time ever fishing for perch from the beach.  Lots of seweed - but otherwise gorgeous morning.

Great to live in Cali!

Gordo

Searching for "oral winnowing" (which is basically sucking a bunch of stuff into the mouth and spitting out what isn't edible) I found this site:

http://www.danblanton.com/hanart.html

I have tried the sandcrabs and the pileworms.  I have caught fish on both, but unsure if that was due to the lure itself, or just the fish being there and hungry at the time.

I really don't think it matters much what you use. I think they'll bite on pretty much anything that is presented in the right area. All you really have to do is find the fish.

FF