Opaleye Point 3/3
I have seen more and more opaleye in the local sportfishing dock totals the past month or so but every time Breakwall Darryl and I planned a trip to fish early high tide along the Palos Verdes coast from his boat the SS Chaparral on my day off (Wed.), I saw the Internet indicators showing the whole coastline being pummeled by major rainstorms and giant waves. Having six months off from work after his quadruple bypass last year, the Wednesday voyage deal is now off now that he’s back on the job. Maybe I’ll get lucky and he’ll have another coronary and a few months off this spring.
After Tuesday morning’s soaker and a dumping of pea-sized hail at the house in the afternoon, this morning’s indicators portended a day of swell-less dry heat. That’s all fine and Dandy. Too bad the slime pit at Colorado Lagoon was completely devoid of enteromorpha algae. If I would have known that in advance I would have stayed home and worked on the patio. Perhaps I can request the city install a green shit webcam in the park next to the lagoon.
Next stop was Paul’s Bait in Pedro for a couple dozen ghost shrimp but, I found, he doesn’t open ‘til seven. What kind of fishermen’s hours are those? At the Vons at 25th and Western I purchased up a pound of peas for a buck-fifty. I took those to the Marineland Ledge to fish the back of the cove – where I had all the hits the last two times I visited the area – bypassing casts at the right of Opaleye Point.
Last night I set up my rig with the 2/0 Owner Flyliner hook, the standard for twisting up a wad of the green bait. For peas, a smaller hook is required. Rifling through my crap I discovered I freakin’ forgot my damn size fours. I always carry’em. I don’t know what happened. The 2/0 is the smallest with me.
For chum I tossed out two handfuls of peas to the spot and manned up to the challenge ahead. I had to skewer seven or eight peas on the hook as opposed to two or three on a size four, the latter easier for the fish to fit in their mouths.
For sure I had lots of bites, the bobber was going under regularly, but as I figured nothing was close to becoming hooked. And to make more busy work, every instance the rod was lifted, at least four peas came off, requiring re-bait after re-bait. Not my kind of rebate.
I tried a few spots up and down the thirty-yard ledge but all the bites were happening right at the back of the cove just behind the white water of the occasional two-foot wave, which is where I caught the only fish of the day, a small opaleye worth only 1.5 tacos and tossed back. By 8:30 the bite died along with my enthusiasm.
Alright already, opaleye season has ended with a whimper. Now on to better fish. After a three-week layoff, March 25 marks the opening of bass season at Laguna Beach, as early morning high tides will allow breakwall anglers to access giant, mussel encrusted rocks surrounded by calico and sand bass, saliently jutting out to casting spots inaccessible since last June, except from boats. Any interested parties should check my calendar by clicking the button at the top. Basically I’ll be at Crescent Bay every other Wednesday morning at 3am starting the 25th. Bring Fish Traps, a rig for mussels and a few frozen anchovies.