Today was the first day of the year coinciding with one of my off-days that I could access the platform rock at Opaleye Point during low tide.  Also within the last month I have seen two sportfisher catch reports from a local landing which listed incidental tallies of ten‑or‑so opaleye each time, a very good sign.

    With my bucket of Colorado Lagoon enteromorpha I was on the rock by 05:30.  Actually the first casts I made were with the five‑inch Fish Trap seeking bass.  In a half‑hour of fan casting it became apparent there weren’t any of those guys around.  The problem with March is, there’s too much light too early.  To be effective one must start the lure-casting while it’s still dark.

    When I finally did toss out the opaleye bobber enteromorpha rig it only took ten minutes before I hooked up.  The toad opaleye actually pulled with the force of a two‑pounder, which, after it was gaffed, ended up being that big.  I thought, yeah baby, we’re going to enjoy a long, productive day.

    The bite went downhill from there.  At least one full hour passed before the next bobber‑gone‑under, the result of which was your basic pound‑and‑a‑half three‑taco opaleye.

    Then another half‑hour later I hooked up again, only this one felt really big.  It pulled twice as hard as the two‑pounder mentioned above, before becoming unbuttoned.  I thought it might have been a nice sized calico bass but I didn’t see any checkerboard pattern in the clear water as I was bringing it in.  The drab color of the opaleye matches the environs more chameleonically.  That’s the specie I figured it was.

    Another hour of watching the bobber saw maybe two other lighthearted bites before I was up the trail heading to Long Point.

    At Long Point, the waves as usual were a little more active but the area was still very fishable.  I gave it the ol’ college hour, fishing both sides of the point but no bites were had.  Results of the day:  six tacos.

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