The PCS Blogosphere
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State Sued Over MLPA Implementation
Jan 27, 2011 Coastside Fishing Club, United Anglers of Southern California, and Mr. Robert Fletcher filed a complaint in the County of San Diego Superior Court asking that the judge toss out the entire Marine Life Protection Act implementation process to date and start over. The reasons are many fold and include a number of technical points in which the public input process was ignored or not allowed because the agenda was predetermined. Arbitrary fishing closures that were not justified were recommended and endorsed behind closed doors, science and the public be damned. So they are suing for us, and anglers everywhere, not because they want to, but because the process was bad, the results of the process are worse, and angler rights to be heard were trampled upon throughout.
Jan 27, 2011 Coastside Fishing Club, United Anglers of Southern California, and Mr. Robert Fletcher filed a complaint in the County of San Diego Superior Court asking that the judge toss out the entire Marine Life Protection Act implementation process to date and start over. The reasons are many fold and include a number of technical points in which the public input process was ignored or not allowed because the agenda was predetermined. Arbitrary fishing closures that were not justified were recommended and endorsed behind closed doors, science and the public be damned. So they are suing for us, and anglers everywhere, not because they want to, but because the process was bad, the results of the process are worse, and angler rights to be heard were trampled upon throughout.
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Tropic Star Lodge December 2010
Scott from the office, Dad and I made our way to Tropic Star Lodge in Panama early December. We were looking forward to great fishing and tropical weather. Let's just say we were met by both!
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Scott from the office, Dad and I made our way to Tropic Star Lodge in Panama early December. We were looking forward to great fishing and tropical weather. Let's just say we were met by both!
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Power or Speed Handle Position
Question: Which reel handle setting do you prefer in your star drags, the one in the power position or the one in the speed position? All my Daiwas have come from the factory in the speed position and I have just left them there. I am going to try them in the power position soon just to see how that position feels. The following photo will show the reel in the speed position and the slot not used on the handle is the power position.
Answer: Most people will be fine with the...
Question: Which reel handle setting do you prefer in your star drags, the one in the power position or the one in the speed position? All my Daiwas have come from the factory in the speed position and I have just left them there. I am going to try them in the power position soon just to see how that position feels. The following photo will show the reel in the speed position and the slot not used on the handle is the power position.
Answer: Most people will be fine with the...
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2010 was a rather interesting year. Attending the MLPA meetings was totally depressing. The ominous reality that well backed special-interest groups can impose unnecessary closures on such a large scale makes my stomach turn. The tuna and yellowtail didn't want to play. It was the least productive halibut year I've experienced since I started bounceballing 20 years ago. But my mother-in-law had a banner year of smack highlighted by asking "Rick, are you ever going to catch another halibut?" smiling all the while. The fish are not gone; it’s just Mother Nature's cycle. I did enjoy many great days on the water with my friends though. It's not all about catching fish.
My last two trips out before the never-ending rain were memorable in different ways. I enjoyed a gorgeous early December day with my friend Greg, who introduced me to saltwater private boat fishing many years ago. I was pretty much his deckhand and loved every minute of it, while learning the ropes. We don't fish much together anymore. So we started pounding sand in the morning, hoping for one good biter, and got it a few hours later. She went 23 lbs, the biggest halibut captured for the year. The day was filled with many smiles and laughs as we recounted our numerous adventures together. I guess the smile says it all!
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My last two trips out before the never-ending rain were memorable in different ways. I enjoyed a gorgeous early December day with my friend Greg, who introduced me to saltwater private boat fishing many years ago. I was pretty much his deckhand and loved every minute of it, while learning the ropes. We don't fish much together anymore. So we started pounding sand in the morning, hoping for one good biter, and got it a few hours later. She went 23 lbs, the biggest halibut captured for the year. The day was filled with many smiles and laughs as we recounted our numerous adventures together. I guess the smile says it all!
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Winter Hamachi Jigging
The winter jigging season got off to a slow start for Japanese yellowtail (hamachi). Typically an AM to 3 pm jigging trip has an average of a dozen hamachi or more, per angler; this season has seen the average closer to half that.
The fishing picked up moderately last week, just as the weather got extremely bad. Just getting to the Sea of Japan jigging grounds was difficult, as there was quite a bit of snow covering the local roads the lead to the ports.
Although there was much snow, the wind was not to bad to prevent the boats from getting out every day.
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The winter jigging season got off to a slow start for Japanese yellowtail (hamachi). Typically an AM to 3 pm jigging trip has an average of a dozen hamachi or more, per angler; this season has seen the average closer to half that.
The fishing picked up moderately last week, just as the weather got extremely bad. Just getting to the Sea of Japan jigging grounds was difficult, as there was quite a bit of snow covering the local roads the lead to the ports.
Although there was much snow, the wind was not to bad to prevent the boats from getting out every day.
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Groundfish Update
While groundfish are off-limits, much of our fishing has been divided between shallow structure spots and patient attempts at halibut and white seabass. The halibut bites require some patience and willingness to fish deeper than usual (80 to 120 feet). Santa Rosa Island has proven to be the favored halibut haunt. White seabass are cruising the islands, but so far this month we are only able to hook up with them when we find an active squid spawn. Both halibut and white seabass are chewing whole squid – live or dead.
While groundfish are off-limits, much of our fishing has been divided between shallow structure spots and patient attempts at halibut and white seabass. The halibut bites require some patience and willingness to fish deeper than usual (80 to 120 feet). Santa Rosa Island has proven to be the favored halibut haunt. White seabass are cruising the islands, but so far this month we are only able to hook up with them when we find an active squid spawn. Both halibut and white seabass are chewing whole squid – live or dead.
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Agriculture Company Selling Delta Water to Developers
Salmon Summit Big Success
Representative Jackie Speier lead the December 4th Salmon Summit to bring attention to the plight of the crashing salmon population and the disastrous condition of the Sacramento River Delta. Both have a common cause: the overdrafting of water to the Central Valley and the south. The Schwarzenegger administration and the feds have been pumping water during the critical outmigration periods of the salmon, pumping the smolts into the Central Valley irrigation ditches to die. And with so much of the river flow going into the irrigation system the river's delta ecosystem is imperiled, threatening drinking water supplies in Northern California, drying up wetlands, and killing off essential forage fish like the delta smelt that are the primary food of the striped bass and other important fish. The problem is so severe that salmon numbers have plummeted from 1.5 million fish in 2002 to just 39,000 in 2009! And farmers are making money selling that water, instead of using it, water that the National Academy of Science say that the salmon and the river ecosystem must have. And they are selling water you are paying for.
Salmon Summit Big Success
Representative Jackie Speier lead the December 4th Salmon Summit to bring attention to the plight of the crashing salmon population and the disastrous condition of the Sacramento River Delta. Both have a common cause: the overdrafting of water to the Central Valley and the south. The Schwarzenegger administration and the feds have been pumping water during the critical outmigration periods of the salmon, pumping the smolts into the Central Valley irrigation ditches to die. And with so much of the river flow going into the irrigation system the river's delta ecosystem is imperiled, threatening drinking water supplies in Northern California, drying up wetlands, and killing off essential forage fish like the delta smelt that are the primary food of the striped bass and other important fish. The problem is so severe that salmon numbers have plummeted from 1.5 million fish in 2002 to just 39,000 in 2009! And farmers are making money selling that water, instead of using it, water that the National Academy of Science say that the salmon and the river ecosystem must have. And they are selling water you are paying for.
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Salmon Summit Set
December 4 at Half Moon Bay
The plight of our plummeting salmon runs has been something that many of our elected officials have ignored for too long. The Schwarzenegger administration has turned a blind eye to the salmon and has contributed greatly to their disappearance. Overseeing Sacramento River Delta pumping while the salmon smolts were outmigrating, pumping the smolts into irrigation ditches where they died. Then the Governator compounded his error by fighting for water in the Westlands for junior water rights farmers who had no rights to the water in the latest dry years. So the salmon summits, the one on December 4th is the second one, are being held to bring attention to this ravaging of one of our most important Northern California natural resources.
December 4 at Half Moon Bay
The plight of our plummeting salmon runs has been something that many of our elected officials have ignored for too long. The Schwarzenegger administration has turned a blind eye to the salmon and has contributed greatly to their disappearance. Overseeing Sacramento River Delta pumping while the salmon smolts were outmigrating, pumping the smolts into irrigation ditches where they died. Then the Governator compounded his error by fighting for water in the Westlands for junior water rights farmers who had no rights to the water in the latest dry years. So the salmon summits, the one on December 4th is the second one, are being held to bring attention to this ravaging of one of our most important Northern California natural resources.
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Halibut and Halloween
In our household, fall evokes differing passions for wifey and I. Being the knuckle-dragger of the lot, it means time to get out and bounce-ball for halibut. The weather is often great, and the flatties like to chew. Wifey has other ideas however. Fall means making the trek to her mom's modest rental cottage on Great Guana Cay in the Abacos, about 180 miles east of Miami, and dressing up for some Halloween fun. Each of the three local bars throws a party on successive nights. Everyone goes all out with costumes and such on this tiny Bahamas Cay. The water is warm, gin clear gorgeous, and big wahoo prowl the drop offs just minutes away through the cuts on the Atlantic side. It's not so bad.
Before our trip, I managed to get out for a few bounce-balling sessions off Carlsbad in early October, with modest success. We enjoyed a few one-fish days, highlighted by 4 nice fish in the box on another. The fish were holding tight to the structure just outside the kelp line in 68 feet of water. The last few years they seemed to aggregate near the rock piles outside a bit in 80 feet or so. Every year is different.
In our household, fall evokes differing passions for wifey and I. Being the knuckle-dragger of the lot, it means time to get out and bounce-ball for halibut. The weather is often great, and the flatties like to chew. Wifey has other ideas however. Fall means making the trek to her mom's modest rental cottage on Great Guana Cay in the Abacos, about 180 miles east of Miami, and dressing up for some Halloween fun. Each of the three local bars throws a party on successive nights. Everyone goes all out with costumes and such on this tiny Bahamas Cay. The water is warm, gin clear gorgeous, and big wahoo prowl the drop offs just minutes away through the cuts on the Atlantic side. It's not so bad.
Before our trip, I managed to get out for a few bounce-balling sessions off Carlsbad in early October, with modest success. We enjoyed a few one-fish days, highlighted by 4 nice fish in the box on another. The fish were holding tight to the structure just outside the kelp line in 68 feet of water. The last few years they seemed to aggregate near the rock piles outside a bit in 80 feet or so. Every year is different.
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Our squid fleet has been active along the coast – between Naples Reef and Point Conception – for the past month. The area of activity shuffles around, the but presence of the squid fleet marks the spot each day. Early morning runs of white seabass are a possibility on any given day and halibut are the bonus glory fish. Meanwhile, calico bass spots such as Naples Ref and Tajiguas are nearby.
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