The Colorado Lagoon slime pit in Long Beach is fully stocked with light and dark green colored long gooey strands of enteromorpha algae, perfect for use as fish fodder into today’s 6.6 high tide at 08:00.  Remember, only harvest and use the dark green.

    Rappelling down the Opaleye Point Trail along the south shore of Palos Verdes, I chummed a few handfuls of bait into the usual small rip current caused by the occasional two-foot swell just to the right of the point.  With those hopes of attracting endless opaleye to my feet, I began the flinging of the five-inch Storm WildEye Sardine out to various boiler rocks and kelp stringers.  Since I arrived well before light, angling for opaleye would have to wait a half hour due to the low-hanging yet non-blinding fog, which prevents sight of the fluorescent red bubble bobber.

    Well, that’s about as long as it took for me to snag and loose the lure.  I picked up my opaleye enteromorpha bobber stick and flipped the wad out there into waters just riled up enough by a surge from the west to look perfect.  With full rain suit donned, I stood on a rock at the high water mark without danger; just a few splashes repelled by the plastic.

    The usual plan for this spot is to give it 30 minutes.  If no nibbles are detected in that time, move on.  No action today within the allotment given, I marched over the pebbly beach at the back of the cove westward to the Marineland Ledge.

    Standing on the ledge I chummed the standard two handfuls of bait, then aimed my Storm WildEye Anchovy into gaps between kelp strands.  I had bites on the lure every cast but nothing was sticking.  I kept with the lure, even though I knew I should be soaking the opaleye bait during this 06:30 prime time for those guys.

    Distraction number one was a solid hook-up from the big gap at eleven o’clock from the plank.  Oh yeah, nice!  A three pound calico put in the bag.  A high-high tide day like today? One desires not to store fish in tide pools, as the waves wash into each and every one of them, allowing your catch an easy escape back to their lairs.

    I kept at it with the lure, had a few more bites but nothing sticking to the hook.  I looked over to my left, witnessing various gulls and brown pelicans diving head first into the water, mere feet from the surf line.  I grabbed my net and headed over.

    Perched upon on a rock exactly at high water level, it didn’t take long to see what the birds were after; a huge meatball of three-inch anchovies seeking refuge in rocks all around me.  I wish I had a fine mesh net to scoop up a few.

    Again I had lots of hits with no hook-ups.  In the lime green water I could see twelve-inch silvery-looking predators taking whacks at my plastic.  As they turned on their sides I saw no dark stripes above the lateral line, which made me think they were not bones but a school of baby white seabass chasing the glob of ’chovies up into the surf.  Very exciting to watch was about it.  I fan cast all over for another twenty minutes in case there was a big something lurking but no go.

    Returning to the ledge, I tossed a few more handfuls of chum into whitewater along the pebbly cove.  Next it was to put the bait bubble out to where traditionally this spot produces beaucoup opaloup.  As soon as the two number four split shot sank the hook full of bait six feet below the bobber I had a bite.  A pull back of the rod hooked nothing.

    It went like this for fifteen minutes, these bites of bait stealers.  Then I had a solid hook-set of a fish feeling like three tacos.  I played it easy as if were lip hooked, thinking the light bites before could’ve been big ones educatedly picking threads of algae just past the hook’s point and barb.  Turned out I had myself a solid two-pound opaleye netted and slid into the bag.  As predicted, the hook snagged only the finest of lines of fish lip tissue.  Any pressure to reel it in quickly, the hook would have torn free.

    Here we go, if I have action on the green bait so quickly upon first cast, a day like the old days will ensue.  Good thought, wrong answer.  In the next ninety minutes I had no bites while using the green bait along the whole seventy-five foot length of The Ledge.

    Around eight I packed up for the hike ’n’ drive over to Long Point even though this morning’s Swell Chart indicated a five foot but declining wave height since yesterday.  To the left of the pillar rock the water was relatively calm, out went some chum.  I saw a swell set approaching, back towards the bluff I retreated.  Only  three of the larger waves rolled in per set.  Most of the time the water was easily fished.  All the conditions were ripe; the high tide, new moon rising, the color of the water and no wind.  However, I had no bites on neither the plastic nor the bait in the time wasted until eleven.

*****

From the editor:

At last!  Fresh pictures from a roll I've had in the camera since July.

*****

A couple weeks ago our Mom died at age 84.  Here's her eulogy.

Top