SD Bay10/23 and a brain fart
 

I've got a freezer full of YT, Tuna and Dorado from this awesome year we've been having and i haven't been on the yak for a long time, so I figured i'd go hit the bay and try to fool some halibut and see if the spotties want to play.

Got a $10 scoop of mixed dines and chovie and headed out for the last bouys and the area inside the kelp at the end of the point (outside the closed area, of course). no wind early and rode the outgoing tide for the first time ever (I always seem to go against that tide both ways!)

reverse dropper loop and sliding halibut rig were working with both chovie and dines...about 50 raked dines and tons of chovies going missing 30 seconds after hitting the bottom. Lots of bass bites, annoying macs and then I found something big enough to pull drag. Felt right, looked right..flatie! Got it up and measured it...23 1/2" [Brain Fart!] so I tossed it back wishing it had been 24". Within the next two hours, 3 more came up! one was || short of that 24" number that was stuck in my head... another 23" 3/4, and 23" 1/2. I seriously was bent that the halibut gods were messing with me, but I figured its good fish Karma and I like to stay legal.

On the way back in I got two SLUG sandbass by the coast guard base.

Was recounting this to my fishing buddy today...when he said "aren't halibut supposed to be 22?" :facepalm: :iamwithstupid: four legal butts...and i put them back...on purpose. :banghead:

Well, there are fish out there...

On the way back it got really snotty and i was taking a wave over the bow ever 20 seconds. Ended up with a lot of water in my boat that I need to figure out.

Tight lines!

Funny story :P

It's 22", dagnabit!
(however, a 22" halibut is only about 4.5 pounds, so you are doing us all a favor by releasing these small halibut close to the legal limit.)

I was out past Zuniga jetty looking for halibut where the main channel starts to form. Began getting lots of raked bait along the submerged jetty on the way back in. I was drifting/slow peddling different depths from the more shallow shoulder down to the middle of the channel, then back up to the shoulder. Not "50" but it was pretty steady chew marks with each drop. I don't think I get that many sardines with a $10 kayak size scoop to begin with.

Wouldn't the annoying macs you encountered be superior bait on your halibut rigs than sardines from the bait barge?

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On the subject of lots of water in your boat, are you perchance using a Hobie Outback?

I upgraded to one that is almost new and had terrible amounts of water coming in the front hatch from waves over my bow. The fix was simple --- the two nylon straps that hold the lid of the front hatch in place were too short, preventing the hatch from seating down properly on the rubber gasket. I unfolded the double wrap (puts the nylon over the screw head) and that extra 1" or so of nylon strap was all that was necessary to relieve the tension that was making my new front hatch leak. Problem solved.

This guy sanded his, but if the straps are turned flat rather than folded over, I don't think sanding is necessary. In any case, it addresses this problem on some later model Outbacks. Mine is a 2014. My earlier year Outback did not have this issue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkkfHUeUi_g

I also carry an NRS bilge pump that I picked up from Aqua Adventures for about $20. A large cottage cheese container and a Shamwa works well too. It's a pain in the butt peddling around in rough water with extra water sloshing around in the hull.

those macs were FRIGGIN HUGE! Forearm size. "50 raked baits" is an exaggeration..but it was plenty. The chovies were getting bit just fine, but I'll probably rig up a floating rapala in chovie pattern on a reverse dropper to see if I can save some time with bait. the hard part is that i needed a #2 light wire hook for the chovie, and that doesn't seem like enough hook for the butts I was after. I think all 4 that came in were on dines. I think the chovie hook was just too small to get them.

38-45' was the right depth by the channel. Out at the end of the point by the kelp it was more like 70.

As for those butts, they were at least 8-10# range... Now I know, if they just barely fit in the landing net...use the gaff! no question on the sand bass, those things were slobs.

There was so much bait in the water Friday that it was just crazy bird action all day long.