Palos Verdes 7/2
Two weeks ago, I checked the CDIP Swell Chart after I awoke Saturday morning and saw a prediction of one to two feet. Perfect! I drove the hour-and-a-half al the way to Palos Verdes and hiked down the trail just to hear waves breaking all around me in the early morning darkness.
45 minutes along the beach to the south, all the good bass rocks were wiped out by three- and four-foot crashers. I realized I had just wasted $50 in gas before I even made the first cast. Although I was wearing my rainsuit so that I wouldn’t get soaked, I constantly got knocked off the mussel encrusted casting platforms. The other thing is, the fish don’t come close to the rocks when the waves are so rough.
After only 30 minutes I hiked back to the car and drove home. I have been checking The Swell Chart before I turn on the coffee pot for over 20 years. In my experience this was the first time the predictions were flat-out wrong.
Reset to today. I awoke at 01:30 and checked the chart. It said one to two feet and decreasing. Perfect! Coffee brewed while I dressed.
I drove all the way to Palos Verdes and heard in the early morning darkness the swell prediction thankfully was accurate. 45 minutes south at the bass zone the water was slightly riled but very fishable. Last year in July the kelp was so thick everywhere, casting was impossible. This year all the normally weed-free spots remained so today.
Problem was, even though conditions were correct, there weren’t many fish around. I started casting at 04:45 but didn’t feel the first hit until six. Usually 04:45 until 05:30 is the prime time when I catch the most and biggest calico bass.
From 06:00 until 07:30 I had six bites that felt pretty small, with the last bump on the Storm WildEye 5-inch Live Sardine resulting in the day’s only hookup of a 13-inch calico, a full inch short of the legally required 14 inches. I cast from many rocks until 08:30 but never felt another bite.
I have three weeks of summer vacation time scheduled for High Sierra backpacking in the next month-and-a-half. The trip planned in two weeks I am most excited about, a 4x4 / backpack adventure to a new place I scouted last year. It is unique in the world where you have the opportunity to motor on a dirt path to 11,700 feet, make camp, and then the next day hike less than a mile to a good-size deep blue lake with rainbow trout which hardly anyone visits. The plan is to spend four nights at the lake.
Next trip to Palos Verdes will be the end of August.