Making bait

All,

I plan on fishing right out from the harbor and drifting for halibut in Sundays tourney.  I am curious as to opportunities to make bait in this area.

I am used to sabiki-ing up macs at the edge of the la jolla kelp.  What can I expect/not expect in the harbor area of santa cruz.

I may just fish for smelt off of the SC pier on saturday and drift dead bait, but most likely I will drop shot plastic (like a real man...   ) but figure bait would be a useful backup.

See.....I can post stuff that isn't about rules and such.....

MolBasser

chovies, dinos, king fish and maybe macks if you're really lucky. Macs are my favorite big fish bait (  ie threshers ), but since we talking tourny here I don't want to stir up anything  


-Brian

Are there specific area, or do I just cruise and watch for a baitball with the sabiki at the ready?

Any place that the bait likes to hang out?

Lets all hope the wind lays down for the tourney.

MolBasser

Finding bait is the #1 job of a fish finder.  I just paddle around trolling a artificial or frozen bait until I see a bait ball on my FF, then break out the sabiki.  You probably want the smalleset sized sabiki, the ones for mackeral are way too big for some anchovies.

Dear Mol:

              Follow the Birds. Last Sat. the bait was beening pressured by Seals
hearding them in close to "Jaws" at, the Mouth of SC Harbor. Watch out for Swells at the West side (LightHouse) of the entrence to SC Harbor.
              Allen B. had a problem making bait because of the Seals. It might be better to buy some live bait from Shamrock. I have seen large Bait balls West of the SC harbor close to the Warf. There're some Kelp beds West of the Warf by Steamers, if you like fishing in the Paddies.
              P.S. Make some extra scrill at La Jolla skin diving for Gold rings and such lost by Oil Brats at,  the Cove's Alligator Head rock out cropping.
                                                                              Good Luck
                                                                               Ernie

Thanks guys.

My El Norte inexperience is silencing my usuall large smack talking mouth.

Its tough to talk a big game when you haven't even put your yak in the Santa Cruz saltwater once.....

However, my mad drop shotting skills will make bait moot...

MolBasser

sometimes if you mark a school about 15" down, it might be a school of blue rock cod and they will shred your sabiki rigs.

-Brian

Just an fyi,   if you drift to slow you'll catch starfish instead of flatties.

-Brian  

Not drop shotting.

MolBasser

We plan to spend a wee bit of time trying to jig up some bait first thing in the morning.  If we're not catching and we don't see good sign we'll move on.  I don't have a FF yet, so if anyone wants to lead us to the "bait fish promised land", that would be appreciated.

If I get a chance, I may try to jig some bait the evening before.  I'd be targeting smelt and shiner perch as these are hardy enough to last the night in a cooler with a bubbler.  I think chovies and deans wouldn't make it.

I'll also troll the sabikis on the way out.  I usually will get a couple pieces of smelt doing this, but they are usually the big mamas.  However, big bait = big fish.

Trolling Sabiki....

Interesting.  How much weight do you use?

I should have my bait tank and FF up and running for the tourney.

I will team up with a local without sonar and trade local knowledge for sonar data.

MolBasser

My sabiki has a 3oz kastmaster on the end, when I troll it I seem to have good luck picking up jack smelt. Jack smelt seem to be very social, I often see them follow my hooked jacks smelt when I am reeling in, the kastmaster attracts them to the sabiki, at least that is what I keep telling myself.

Yup, I use 2-3 ounces when trolling the sabiki.  I'll have to try the kastmaster weight (sans hooks)!!!  The jackies really are attracted to the flashy flash.

-Allen

Yes no hooks, the last thing you want is a big striper destroying your sabiki.

LOL!!!!

I NEVER want that to happen.

PS, I saw a 30# WSB caught on a sabiki rig in La Jolla.

MolBasser