Each spring the Breakwall crew looks forward to morning minus tides from the end of March to mid-August.  They are special because during the daily early-hour bite we can access rocks normally submerged, depending on conditions of course.  I picked today back in December when the 2003 tide charts first came out.

    Poor ol’ Breakwall Dan, he so anticipated this kickoff date to another wonderful low tide summer.  He wouldn’t be able to hike over the dreaded hump to Sargo Point (south of Emerald Bay) in Laguna Beach today, though, thanks to an old nagging sports injury to his heel.  He did say however he would fish the rocks just before the hump and I ought to leave him a clump of bait in sight somewhere around there.

    At the crack of dawn I was down the stairway at Crescent Bay heading right, up and over the hump, onto acre upon acre of flat rocks with clear water surrounding them, it was heaven, especially because the waves were somewhat mellow compared to last week.

    First thing, of course, is to start flinging the five-inch Fish Trap in Channel Islands ‘Chovy pattern.  I cast as far out as I could from Sargo Point and before lure could hit bottom I was on.  I could tell it was a little guy, and sure enough a twelve-inch calico popped out.  Too small to keep, I stuck it in a large tide pool so I could look at it later.

    Next cast and I’ll be darn, another pretty good hit.  It felt bigger but didn’t stick to the hook.  Next cast and wham a solid hook-set on a keeper three-taco barred sand bass of two pounds.  A few casts later another sandie going three tacos.

    Dang, not even six thirty and I’m already happy.  The hot spot momentarily went cold so I went fan casting the Fish Trap to some other rocks around.  With no bites in the next half-hour I set up for green bait.

    I chummed some enteromorpha into the water in the area where last year we saw nuestros amigos catch lots of sargo, croaker and opaleye.  It’s the spot between a bunch of rocks where the water is constantly being churned by the swell action.  After an hour of trying with no bites, a wave jumped up and stole my bucket and most of my bait.

    I guess that was the indication to switch to mussel.  There are plenty around, but at this stretch of shoreline you’re not supposed to take them on account this stretch is some sort of preserve.  Too bad, I’ll use’em anyway.  I set up my 12-pound outfit with a one-ounce torpedo sinker on the bottom and a number one baitholder hook tied on a leader about two and a half feet above.  I dropped a wad of the orange goo into the spot where I caught all the sand bass and in short time I had another keeper sandie.  In the next hour fishing mussel in the bass hole I caught and released four other shorts and had lots of other nibbles.

    I was hoping for more variety here, like a bag load of sargo, a few croaker, maybe one opaleye, but no, nothing but sand bass.  I’m not sure if the sandies chase the others away or what.  It didn’t seem like that was the case last year.  Maybe we’ll give it a month, see what happens.  I can’t complain, though.  The three I’m bringing home are about the best tasting fish around these parts.

    I worked my Fish Trap here and there on the way back to the hump to meet Dan.  Many casts here and there I landed one more ten-inch sandie.  Dan had been there for about a half hour with no bites.  We both tried his spot for a while, but it was boring so we bailed.

    Next stop was the rocks to the left of the stairs where we saw the beach police carting out a dead sea lion.  We both tried Fish Traps, peas and enteromorpha with nothing caught but one yucky zebraperch by me.

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