La Jolla Friday 2-20-09

[Foamer]

I decided to fish on Friday morning because of favorable winds, weather, and surf. Launched from at 5:30. Headed to the pier for bait. I found only small Spanish macs at the pier, so I headed out to 80 feet water where I found plenty of candy bar sized greenback macs. The sea lions were very aggressive today; I had one pulling on my bait tube. I had to throw an iron jig to chase them away. Once I got past the corner buoy, I only saw two sea lions the rest of the morning. Once I got to the hunting grounds, the wind died off and the surface was like glass. I drifted with live bait, while doing the yo-yo with an iron jig. It looked like a total bust morning, as there was no bird or surface activity and nothing seemed interested in the live bait. I slowly moved out to deeper water and while fishing in 120 feet, the iron got slammed about half way up. Twenty minutes later the yellowtail was gaffed and in the boat. My fishing session was completed at 9:30. I asked a guy fishing an outrigger canoe nearby to take a picture, but my batteries were low. Back at the beach I saw Matt Moyer, who said that he had planned on fishing today, but had overslept. Bummer! The fish measured 47 inches and weighed 33 pounds after being bled. This is my largest yellowtail and the first of the year and first caught on a jig. Yo-yo fishing is a lot of work, but the hookup is so worth it.
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