What a difference a week makes with the weather! Memorial Day weekend was windy and the first weekend in June had record rain. This Sunday was the first day in a while to have nice conditions. We launched in Santa Barbara to lake-like conditions. The water was clear; we could see fish and urchins on the floor at 20 feet. Wind was about 5 knots, slowing to 2 knots by 1pm. Water was in the mid-to-upper 50’s. There was a strong current pushing us uphill, making it tough to stay on our marks.
I was using the 5-inch BH Fall colors with a weed-guarded jig-head. Austin was using a similar swimmy with a bare jig-head. No doubt that the weedless keeps you out of snagville, but you lose more fish. If you can see where you casting, the bare jig-head is the ticket.
We caught assorted RF, lings, cabs and a couple of spider crabs. Austin thought it would be funny to tease some crabs with the swimmy and ended up snagging them. Say goodbye to that lure! He caught and lost an old-school ling, but redeemed himself with a 23-incher.
I tested out my new Briggs & Stratton / Hobie live well, custom made for the Revolution. It kept a ling and several RF alive for hours. This puppy fits perfectly behind the seat and is low-profile so that you can still access stuff on the stern. It has a built-in handle and drain spout. AND you can buy it for $13.49 at the Do-it-Center! I’m not sure why the original Hobie version is so tall, unless maybe you’re holding giant sea-horses.
A rainy fishing day last week:
Austin’s ling:
This cabbie was eating rock crabs:
Dangerous Catch:
Some pics of my Briggs & Stratton / Hobie live well. They also come in red, which has got me thinking…
