Day 3 unemployment:
It's been a while since I've fished 3 days in a row. I forgot how sore I could get from being on the boat after such a long absence also.
Well, I told Andrew we would go out looking for yellows or some other gamefish and do some bass fishing. Not like the "bay bass" but real sized bass hopefully.
The morning started great and I read they were only allowing you to buy a ½ scoop of giant horse sardines. I guess they are low on stock but the limit was a ½ scoop. When I saw them, they looked more like round herring than sardines, but $40 for a ½ scoop seems a bit excessive. Andrew was having fun with this experience since he usually doesn't live bait fish unless he catches it in his own cast net. Otherwise he took a bunch of videos and pics for his kids of the birds and sea lions at the receivers.
(https://i.imgur.com/8AlKiN3.jpeg)
We headed out to LJ and saw the pack but decided to try and stay away from the biomass of Salt Life apparel people.
There were a bunch of boats out there (and many definite "summer tourist" types with new boats and no sense. I started metering a bunch of fish and some deep bait-balls so I stopped and we started dropping small irons to see what it could be.
Well, it was waves of bass of all sizes and types.
(https://i.imgur.com/fSLTiMK.jpeg)
My first drop and I was sure I had a big halibut on. It was heavy and all I could feel was thumping. I finally get it to the surface and see a 5 pound calico and a 3 pound sand bass! Each had one of my two assist hooks! Not my halibut, but still pretty cool to see!
(https://i.imgur.com/h07memB.jpeg)
It was a bass every drop. Andrew was having a killer time. He kept saying you had to go out 20 miles before you ever reached 80 feet back home. Lol
The flylined sardines would eventually go off here and there, but it was never what we were hoping for.
(https://i.imgur.com/KWfKe6X.jpeg)
We burned through most of our sardines on bass...
(https://i.imgur.com/YtD90es.jpeg)
And.... Cuda. Lots of cuda out there, or a lot that loved our boat over the rest of the fleet.
(https://i.imgur.com/DmgeMEb.jpeg)
I caught some bruiser bass this day and quite fun on the bass rod for sure!
(https://i.imgur.com/Kd6fLqD.jpeg)
Then Andrew goes, I think I'm stuck on the bottom, but I don't think I reached the bottom. Then ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(https://i.imgur.com/tW6puPH.jpeg)
I have video, and he did a wonderful job fighting that 20 pound yellow on that little rod, but the kelp was way too thick and after 5 minutes of fighting him, he was gone. He actually turned him a few times which was crazy, but there was huge bull kelp in the area and like cutting down a redwood with a pocketknife.
We caught dozens and dozens of bass, but also had a bunch of other critters hitting the deep drop irons.
(https://i.imgur.com/WCuQk5L.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/yHw08av.jpeg)
Tons of tiny tilefish also... like WAVES of them.
(https://i.imgur.com/izkVCZc.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/AIbnlQF.jpeg)
And more cuda...
(https://i.imgur.com/BxlvjmE.jpeg)
Quite a few legals ones in the mix, but I opted to just let them go.
(https://i.imgur.com/9k7h8G4.jpeg)
We didn't see any yellows caught, but definitely seen a few hooked up. There was just enough kelp around to ruin people's day from what we could see. I started telling Andrew that we could probably yoyo jig, but he's already lost 4 of my irons and probably not a good idea on bass gear. He asked what yoyo jigging was so I pulled out a colt sniper. Not exactly a yoyo jig but decided its sleep profile might get it through the kelp a little better and maybe match the smaller bait we've been seeing out there.
(https://i.imgur.com/ew7rLF0.jpeg)
Second cast and the line stops.... And then goes screaming out the opposite direction! WTF!?!?
I can feel it wrapping in kelp strands, but I have 65# braid and hoping it might cut through some of the stalks. We had to chase it a little and I heard a few nearby boats say "He's only got kelp... that's definitely not a fish". Well, their responses changed really fast when Andrew sunk the gaff in this 25# yellow! Then they were right on us trying to throw jigs and I realized they had no friggin idea what they were doing, probably like Koga. Lol
(https://i.imgur.com/G4ly1YP.jpeg)
Well, we tried really hard for some more, but the activity on the screen died out a bit. I think I hooked another, but the hook pulled and I never got a real run to positively ID it.
We caught some more bass, cuda and other critters before deciding to head over to the clumps and see if there were any big halibut around.
We caught a bunch of typical stuff her and a lot of this was new to Andrew like the Brownie.
(https://i.imgur.com/POwcIv3.jpeg)
And he just loved using his little rod.
(https://i.imgur.com/4ZpWAIJ.jpeg)
His first treefish. I told him they called it a treefish because they smell like wood. Of course, he went to smell it and it slapped him in the mouth. Lol
(https://i.imgur.com/ROLvXAx.jpeg)
After his flea cod, I told him to drop live baits down until he got a big ling or halibut.
(https://i.imgur.com/RC2BLCc.jpeg)
I told him once he feels the bite to just start reeling up until the line loads up and then just let that hook sink in on it's own. Being a shore fisherman, he always swang to the sky and came back with a sardine head all the time. After 3 sardines, I think the halibut was full since the last 2 baits didn't get touched.
I caught a few more quality bottom stuff like this brownie..
(https://i.imgur.com/epPfYAp.jpeg)
And this really big turd roller. It was a lot bigger than the picture makes it look. Even Andrew said "Wow, that's a big bass".
(https://i.imgur.com/inyOH5w.jpeg)
After about 70 fish, we called it quits. I only kept 2 big calicos and the yellow, but the boat was a mess.
Got back after a successful day and cleaned the boat up. Fish is on ice for me to clean this morning since I don't have work today. I actually have to go in tomorrow, but it's to drop off my computer and badge as the last of the things I need to drop off before I'm totally done.
Anyway, a great day on the water with my east coast friend.
(https://i.imgur.com/MU4wSft.jpeg)
Thanks for reading and until next tide!
Great day on the water, nice variety and a YT Jackpot 8)
I need to get The Cyclops back in the water, every day is Saturday but these damn Doctor Visits are jacking my fishing schedule >:(
Congrats on showing your buddy a good time 8)
This is the time to get your big yellowtail!
Absolutely slayed! Yellow was icing on the cake to an already stellar day.
Hell of a day!
Mind haze is good!
: jrodda August 19, 2025, 04:28:32 pAbsolutely slayed! Yellow was icing on the cake to an already stellar day.
I felt like this day was an "Exploratory mission" since I've literally stayed away from LJ for a long time now. It's either been dead, too many sea lions, or too many boaters. I'm glad it all turned out the way it did.