Breakwall Long Point Report 10/26/2011

We’re heading into opaleye season. This is when in the fall we have high tides in the morning and the ulva intestinalis algae bait starts to grow. For me opening day is the first high tide on my day off at least a week after the first significant rain of October or November. Over the years I have observed rain stimulates algae growth then seven days later it’s high quality ready for harvest. This year, as a bonus, significant numbers of opaleye have appeared in the daily dock totals from boats stationed at the San Pedro area landings.

Ahead of schedule, our first rain was Oct. 6. A week later on the 12th a good tide was on my day off, which was the official opening day. Instead I opted for an opportunity to work overtime so that I can afford gas for the next few trips.

Today, two weeks later, I’m at the Colorado Lagoon slime pit in Long Beach and before me lies plenty of bait. I was afraid it would grow for a week then shrivel up and die under the hot sun we've had lately but I think what saved it was the overcast marine layer every day for most of that time.

With a two-gallon bucket load I headed to Palos Verdes, where I checked the swell from the Pt. Vicente Fishing Access parking lot. I want to fish Long Point but the swell can be heavy there. From this vantage I can see no whitewater anywhere; it should be safe.

The Terranea Resort extended the lot onto their property and now you can park right at the trailhead that leads to the point. Parking is prohibited from sunset to sunrise but at six in the morning there is enough light so that nobody will care if you’re a little early.

I haven’t hiked this trail since the developer put it in a couple years ago. It follows the bluff to a set of downstairs then cuts through the heart of the resort past the bar then a quick right to the shore. A few wads of bait tossed out for chum, I made my first casts of the opaleye algae bobber rig by 6:15.

The tide will be large today, a big seven feet at nine. While the tide was coming in the swell was fairly mellow but every now and then a two-footer rolled in making the use of a full rain suit mandatory.

There was a breeze blowing from right to left which is always an annoyance for bobber fishermen. To compensate just cast far to the right then in 10 minutes reel it in after it drifts way left.

I’m not fishing right exactly at Long Point but rather on some large rocks seventy-five yards to the west. The whole shore of P.V. is choked with kelp, as the water has been cold for two years. At this spot there’s a sizeable clearing that makes for convenient casting. Also we had a lovely sunrise this morning.

At seven it happened. My bobber went down, I set the hook and the fight was on. I babied it in, as this would be my first opaleye in quite a while. I carefully guided it into the net, a nice three-taco specimen weighing in at two-and-a-half pounds.

It was slow going for sure as it took another hour for the next hook-up but this one felt huge. Good thing there wasn’t any kelp in front of me because I was having enough trouble keeping it from darting into the rocks. By this time the swell picked up a little so that I had to back up to a rock farther away from the water. Ah crap, there goes my bucket. I had it on a high rock but a wave washed it anyway. Experience told me not to keep all the bait in it. My stash pile is up next to the bluff.

Once I had the fish in front of me, net extended, a wave delivered it up to shore behind me, wedging it under a jagged edged boulder, my line wrapped all around. Like lightning I rock-hopped back, stuck the net in the water as the surge receded, the line broke and the four-pounder went right in! WOO HOO, the biggest opaleye I’ve caught in like 20 years! And with such drama. This almost but not quite makes up for the tragic loss of that big fat brown trout this past summer. Last opaleye I saw of this magnitude was the one Breakwall Darryl’s brother Tim caught at Opaleye Point in 1998.

Still slow going, in the next hour I had two bites with one of those landings ending up being the third opaleye, a three-taco unit, and the last one a barely two-pounder caught around 10:30. With four in the bag I said see-ya around 11. We have four more opaleye trips planned through December, check my calendar for dates.

*****

Carpinteria 8/10

     Met my sisters and all the kids at Carpinteria State Beach for a campout. In the morning Breakwall Beau joined me for some surfperch action during incoming tide. I used 4-lb test and a 2-inch Gulp shrimp on a #8 baitholder hook Carolina rigged with a 1/4-ounce egg sinker.

    For the most part all I reeled in was loose seaweed, which was thick along the bottom of miles of the beach. It would instantly wrap around the sinker and snowball into a big wad.

    I did however feel several hits and reeled in 2 surfperch of the barred variety. I walked all over the place trying to find an opening where there was not so much kelp but couldn't find one. Very frustrating and not much fun, I gave up after a couple hours.

    The Gulp shrimp worked well, I had many bites, and and the perch tasted pretty good. I'll probably hit up a local O.C. beach or maybe Carlsbad soon if I can find a spot without all the weeds.

*****

Attempted to summit Mt. Gorgonio 8/24, made it to last mile before legs gave out. We saw a bear. Photos.

Went to the top of Glass Mountain in Mono County 8/3 and took some pics.

Went backpacking in the Sierra 7/14 - 7/20. Read.

*****

Fish News:

Seal Beach crazy guy once was a popular angler locally

Another wet winter predicted for Sierra

Search and Rescue busy in Sierra

Fisherman falls off Redondo Pier

Sand bass numbers declining

Over 100 lobsters poached from Redondo Breakwall by 5 dudes

Sailboat crashes into and disintegrates on Redondo Breakwall

MPAs postponed until Jan 1

MPA postponement, San Diego County perspective

Red tide phytoplankton Del Mar

USC biologist presents findings about Redondo sardine kill