One angler fishing 2 rocks caught nothing.

    Now that we have had a couple good rain storms in and around Southern California, the green bait should now start to grow.  A quick stop at Colorado Lagoon in Long Beach proved me right, there was plenty of new, dark green long strands of gooey algae, of which I raked in a half-scoop.

    At Palos Verdes, while the swell was only one foot (last week it was 10+ ft.), I wanted to fish my newest opaleye hotspot where I caught many last year.  Now that the Terranea project on the old Marineland property is under full construction, easy access to the spot north of Long Point has been closed.  You either have to park at Opaleye point to the south and traverse the dreaded hump or hike in from the north from the Pt. Vicente Fishing Access lot.  I already knew coming from the south is impossible due to a steep cliff with no footholds near the cave where the old pier used to be.

    Today I tried from Pt. Vicente.  Also known as Cardiac Hill, the steep trail switches back once halfway down to the rocky beach.  From there it’s a half-mile to the left to reach the outer point of the cove.  Once I rounded the point I could see there would be no way of getting over yet another steep cliff with no foothold.  This means no one who used to fish the shoreline of the old Marineland property will be able to get to it at least until construction has completed.  From what I saw of the progress, it will be near the end of 2008.  I’d like to be the first angler down there after two years of nobody.

    Near the point of no passing, I cast the Power Bait Jerk Shad here and there for a while and with no hits on that I switched over to the opaleye algae bobber rig.  In an hour the only thing that happened is I lost two bubbles due to shallowness.

    Next I walked back over to the exposed pillow lava rocks that look like a basalt postpile.  Back in the early 90s we caught lots of opaleye from there.  Today I had several bites but nothing stuck to the hook.  It appeared most were little guys, but I did have one that took the bobber all the way down.  Other than that all I got was this pretty picture while sitting atop the rock.

*****

Inyo Register story about the snowstorm that hit during our backpack trip this past Sept.

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