Palos Verdes 8/7
Was up this morning at 01:20, dressed, fed and out the door by 02:00 driving my pre-loaded Jeep to Palos Verdes' Christmas Tree Cove area to cast a five-inch Storm WildEye Sardine from all the rocks from which I caught several two-to-five pound calico bass this spring and summer.
The swell chart predicted one-to-two feet and from the blufftop curbside parking at three thirty, I could barely hear the waves washing up against the shore; a good sign. As I descended the trail I detected through the early morning darkness all my favorite rocks will be available to fish, as the water was more calm than the last three visits to the area.
I hustled up and arrived to the first ledge in 45 minutes, making casts by four 04:45. Crap. I kept hitting kelp no mater where I tossed the lure. Last time I was here there were no obstacles and fishing was fun. I tried here and there and everywhere in this previously clear cove but today the zone was too choked with weeds.
I packed up and walked back to the other ledge where I caught the five poiunder in May. A little before six I made the first cast here but encountered the same disappointing situation. I kept hitting kelp as I reeled in. As morning light was upon us, I saw the weed growth in six week increased at least four-fold.
This was the earliest I had quit in I don't know how many years. As I walked along the shoreline back to the trail up to the street I saw every rock was unfishable and also nobody else was here on a Saturday, as if they discovered two weeks ago what I did today.
As I ascended the bluff I reflected on the previous two months' calico bass successes; a five pound, three-and-three-quarter pound, four two pound and several other twelve- to fourteen-inchers.
Next trip to Palos Verdes will be for opaleye either October 2 or 16 depending if the algae bait starts growing by then. All we need is a little rain to get it going. I know that's a tough pull around here.
FIELD TEST:
I bought a Frogg Toggs RealTree rain suit this year. The first time I used it at PV, the pants barely touched a rock and ripped. The first wave that hit me, the water soaked through the fabric in five minutes. I thought, what the heck was that? Too expensive for these two things to happen.
While I was at Bass Pro Shops in June, I shopped for another rain suit. I chose the Columbia Sportswear brand with Omni-Tech. The top is very light gray so you won't cook in the sunlight and the pants are darker gray. Today a rogue wave clobbered me but I stayed nice and dry the whole time. The construction seems to be heavy duty but only time will determine how long before the pants rip. I highly recommend the Omni-Tech.