Dana Point and South Report Sunday

[quietman]

The KFM met bright and early at 0900 at Baby Beach, rigged and launched eventually and headed South.


Ready to roll...

No sooner had we cleared the harbor mouth when we saw the Mello Boy Heading in. Since the bait barge was closed, Yanni and Vye elected to wait for the MB to load up the receiver and get bait. I had not planned on bait so I headed on out. They were rewarded with nice fresh perfect-sized sardines.

I caught a couple of Halibut on a crankbait, while waiting for them, and then we all started down the coast, slow trolling. We were spread out from the surf line to about thirty feet deep. I fished as shallow as 4', tossing cranks and swimbaits right onto the sand, then working them back while trolling a crank and a swimbait.


We caught some here...

After a couple of miles of this all I had caught was giant Smelt, so I moved out to about 15 feet and started catching Calicos to about 4 pounds. Yanni caught a nice one as well on a trolled sardine. Vye didn't score much, he stayed a little furthur out, where normal people fish

We continued down to a little ways past the DMV, and then turned and trolled all the way back. On the way back I found the pattern, weaving in and out of kelp stringers just outside the muddy water trolling a gold frenzy and a firetiger fastrac.

This was one day when the swimbaits and the live baits were out-fished by the crankbaits. I was fishing with very light line as well, 8 pound test.


First 2004 Fish Tacos!

I had a very steady pic all the way back, ending up with a dozen or so Calicos and four Sand Bass, plus assorted mackeral. I kept three after one cut a gill. I don't usually keep any bass, and three is about right for a good meal.

Vye, who is a very skilled fisherman was freight-trained by something that ate his fly-lined dino and just smoked him on 15 pound test. It made a long run right to the kelp and wrapped and snapped off.

We met AllenP back near the harbor, he was slow trolling for halibut in the usual place and catching shorts, I took a swing by for two more short halibut myself then continued into the harbor as it was now getting close to 1600.


What was this guy thinking?

In the harbor there was an absolutley WFO bite on 24"-26" Barracuda. I couldn't move a foot without getting double and triple hook-ups on them. You fly-fishers that like to target the 'cudas in the harbor take note!

Anyway back to the launch, two more short halibut in the channel on the crank, and out...Oh and AllenP called on the Radio, he scored a 25" halibut right after we left, and a few more shorts as well.


One last picture...
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quietman

www.kayakfishingpro.com

[fishinHB]

Another wonderful report Qman. You and the others really cover a lot of ground with your powered kayaks and you guys definitely know how to catch fish. Nice to have such a great fishery in DOHO, wish it we had a little more diversity in the North OC area. Will be working the Newport area a little more and hopefully find some honey holes too! Will post when I do.
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TL,
Ron Pascual
fishinHB

[quietman]

Thanks HB-

I was doing my log and realized that I caught over thirty fish and six different species, kinda neat in January...
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quietman

www.kayakfishingpro.com

[bigsotch1]

Hey Qman, I was wondering where did u catch all of those buts? Thank You.

[Barney]

Hi quietman

Really enjoyed the report, so much fun with all the pictures. I started yak fishing off Santa Cruz in NoCal, very different to SoCal. Very keen to get down that way after seeing all your reports.

Big thanks from a rookie up North

Barney