Articles

That all-too-familiar Circle K stop

at 3:30 a.m.: customers inside consisting only of cab drivers, cops, and, of course, fishermen. As I went charging through the doors in my deck boots and slickers, the employee behind the counter gave me that look that says “Ah, you just have to be a fisherman.”

With springtime upon us, it’s time to break out the squid lights, crowders and energy drinks for those overnight assaults to the local islands in search of white seabass.

Few 20-foot center consoles are equipped to handle true offshore fishing in anything less than ideal conditions. EdgeWater’s 205CC happens to be one of those rare exceptions. It was specifically engineered to feel, ride, and perform like a much bigger boat, while requiring less horsepower on the transom – and from the vehicle that tows it.

When Bill DePriest contacted me and asked me to write a few articles about my experiences commercial fishing the outside banks and grounds, I was hesitant. My first thoughts were about people like Capt. Tim Houser, the “Commander,” now the Captain on Mark Ellison’s Erin Marie, and other guys way more qualified to be writing this than myself – fisherman who have really been there and done it, literally putting their lives on the line.

As Barry Brightenburg and I raced along at the eye-popping speed of 40 knots in the new Contender 31 Tournament edition, all of my thoughts turned to the fact that Barry drove right past the bait receiver in Mission Bay and did not stop. He did not even pack in a case of frozen squid. We were on our way to fish San Clemente Island for two days, and we did not have one live bait in the tank.

Drifting live bait over the rocks is easily the most challenging fishing experience on San Francisco Bay. It takes skipper moxie to put the boat over the high spot, angler skill to bounce a ball up the ledge and teamwork to get the fish in the net.

For many private boaters and kayakers, finding and catching live mackerel is a huge part of one’s success. Many days this making-bait ritual goes according to plan; mackerel are easy to find, they bite full speed, and we’re off to the fishing grounds. Other days we can’t catch a mackerel to save our life. It’s these tough bait-making days that separate the talent. If we take a close look at some of the finer details and techniques of catching live macks in Southern California, we will see that it is not as easy as it looks. Here’s what I have seen work over my many seasons on the water.

Locating Local Swords
By Steve Lassley
 
Ever since I first began fishing swordfish in the mid to late ’70s, I always heard, “ For every sword you see on top, there are ten more below.” I don’t know how they came up with this figure, but I have to believe it misses the mark. Significantly!
 

I’ve come to expect certain things, working at this magazine. Certain writers (who will remain anonymous) will always have to be hounded for their assignments right up until the last possible moment before press time. With others, if I’ve got a question about the copy they sent me (you want me to print that the yellowtail weighed HOW much?) I’m going to have to leave multiple voicemails, send daily emails, and cross my fingers they’ll get back to me. I’ve come to accept this. With Ed Ries, who writes our Looking Astern column and the occasional feature, this is not the case. Like clockwork, his column arrives in my inbox, on time and ready to go.

A growing number of anglers are discovering that nighttime is prime time when it comes to targeting bay fish. Calico bass, sand bass, spotted bay bass, croaker, halibut, and other species all seem to go spring-break wild when darkness falls. Although some hardcore night anglers are tightlipped about their adventures, others report finding the biggest, meanest, and hungriest fish after sundown.