Nelz and Brad, good seeing you out there. I was running a little late this morning, as I had to swing by my shop and get my truck and gear. I had lost my sabiki last time out trying to cast it with a bandaid on my thumb. Looking around, could not find a torpedo sinker, so I put a 5" MC Swimbait and 1 1/2 oz leadhead. Plenty of bait in the reserve, but not a whole lot north of the pier. My first 2 in the tank were a spanish and a lizard. I figured that bait was everwhere on Tuesday, so I would not have a problem getting a tank full. Just north of the Shroom house I hit the jackpot on greenbacks. Brad and I circled the north reef, I managed a heart pumping sandbass on the lizardfish.
Brad headed to the south reef and I lagged behind. as I started to the other reef, I saw terns diving once in awhile 1/2 mile outside and decided to loop out that way. Came across a couple balls of feeding microbaits and then a jag of sardines passed right under me in 155 feet. I had not got any dines this morning and decided to try and get one on the sabiki. Just as I pulled back to cast the sardines bolted right toward me. As they passed under me the shortline greenback I had under me, went off. As I reached for the rod the clicker stopped. I later pulled it up, with a crushed head. I hear splashing in front of me and yellowtail are blowing up on the glassy surface. I grabbed the long rod and tossed the iron, a little short and nothing. Cast it again, trying for more distance and rat it up. @#$% Should I blame my bum thumb or buck fever, These were big yellars! Trying to clear it, the action looked to be ending. I grabbed my swimbait/sabiki (I don't use an ultra light trout rod) and toss it. Winding in I get a bump, bump, BENDO!. Fish takes off, down and away a good 30 yards and feels like it makes a turn and pop, came off. Reeled in and cast again, bump, bump, bump BENDO! Same thing, fish is running hard and pop. As I was relaying this to Brad the fish came up again 100 yards in front of me, with birds all over them. By the time I got there the birds were all sitting on the water. Way late for work I paddled after Brad and hit the beach around 11:30. Mystified at how I botched such an opportunity, got me thinking, on the drive to work, that I should check my sabiki hooks.
The one thing that I did not count on was the fish
not eating the swimbait. I use the Eagleclaw barbless Sea Circle sabikis. Wish I had fished a lighter drag :roll:
Nothing like being lulled into a slow morning's stupor, only to be smacked in the face with 10 minutes of total pandemonium. Ahhhh fishing.
