61 replies to this topic

[64ssking]

so how did you do?

[BullsEye]

I did ok I guess. first spot I dove I had about 3 to 4 feet of visibility. I couldn't see the tip of my gun so after running into rocks and only seeing one fish I decided to go back to shore. I moved to another place and the visibility was 6 to 12 feet behind the breakers on the sand but I had brought my pole spear for this area, I was assuming similar visibility as before. I managed a butter lip perch and missed a few others. I am going again this Sunday and I'm planning on diving a little farther out for some sheephead, maybe I will get lucky.

[Bisley]

Good luck, them sheephead (neapolitan fish according to the nephew) are delicious If you ever fish fish for them instead of spearing, shrimp are like a magnet for them.

[BullsEye]

Good to know Bisley thanks

[BullsEye]

Went for a dive this Sunday and had decent vis about 6-15 feet. Saw a bunch of smelt, 3 inch calicos and some small perch. I took a larger perch that came to check me out. On my exit a pod of dolphins came running through. There was also a dive class going on must have been maybe 12 people just floating in the kelp for about 30 minutes. I also saw a soccer ball sized spider crab. I managed to get a headache after 2 hours of diving. It only happened when I dove to or past 15 feet. I guess my sinus's are clogged up or maybe I had a bad dive? Not sure what it was attributed to but it made me decide to swim back in. Looking forward to the next dive.

[64ssking]

Do you use a wet suit?

[KNOCKED UP]

OUCH nice shot

Welcome to the club Mikina. You don"t have to hide, we woun't bite.Tom

[BullsEye]

Do you use a wet suit?

Yeah I use my 4.3 but after about 2 hours I started getting cold and that was with 59 degree water.

[BullsEye]

Being new to spearfishing in California I am really jazzed to be in the water. Today work ended early and I decided my sinuses needed some cleaning in the ocean. I dropped in to the water at around 4:30pm and got out at about 10 to 7pm. My wetsuit only works about 2 hours for me before I get cold so I will need to upgrade soon. Anyway I managed a 20 inch Cabezon as my first fish of the day then a 16 inch sheephead, my first ever and then I took a brown rock fish, another sheephead and a rubberlip perch. I just fried up the cabezon in panko, yum, and the sheephead are in some lemon cooking for ceviche tomorrow. I'm pretty stoked as today was a successful day with great vis.Ceviche

[ShooterJohn]

You had a great day. Seems like you're getting better very quickly.

[KNOCKED UP]

The Real South Bay is Redondo bch, Hermosa bch, Manhattan bch, Torrance

Dave, What is it like down there now? I was born in Hawthorne, a little house at 138th and Shoupe. I left there when I was 10, that was in 1957. I know, that's old)Tom

[BullsEye]

Somewhere between Newport and Laguna I managed to get some dive time in my new Omer suit. I saw a group of some large opaleye and went to see if I could poke one but they all bolted to the right. I decided I will come back later for them and went left through a wall of kelp. The surge started to pull the kelp off to the left and I saw the yellow tail of the seabass. I followed it up to center mass and pulled the trigger. It wrapped up in the kelp pretty quick and I went in and grabbed my first ever WSB. It measured out at 30 inches. Not a beast but I just ate sashimi and baked collar and I also have some ceviche waiting for me in the fridge. I am definitely happy. I kept diving after that and came across a 15 pound sheephead that had half of its head missing from a previous speardiver, I imagine due to the nature of the cut. If I had one more second that sheephead would have been on my stringer but he learned the hard way about sticking around divers so he was gone. All in all it was a nice dive. Lots of small fish and decent visibility.

[screwwork]

Good job on sticking the seebass, they are great to eat.

[BullsEye]

Thanks. Yeah they are very tasty. The meat is firm and great sashimi. My first WSB ever and with a spear, I am really happy. I'm hoping to get more eventually as fresh meat disapears quickly at my house.

[ShooterJohn]

Nice fish, you're really getting into this.

[mackeralboy]

Dave,Good job on the WSB and the Sheepshead. Good call on going down to the OC too. I scuba dove the southbay last week and visability sucked at both spots we hit. One was 85ft, the other was at 30ft. Visibility was only 2-5 ft at best. Mc

[NaCladdict]

Good job on the seabass, that area holds lots of good game fish, I worked there for 5 years. If you still have the head you can cut into the skull and get the otoliths or ear stones. They're kind of the prize from those fish. Easiest way is to tear the gills out and cut into the skull with a pair of dykes. WSB are also considered the hardest to hunt of our gamefish, your skills must be progressing quickly!

[BullsEye]

Hey guys thanks for the kind words. I'm looking forward to many more dives and hopefully seabass too. I took the ear stones out for my trophy but my girl wasn't impressed she was expecting Tahitian pearls to come out of its head. :DAlex

[mackeralboy]

Dave,Did you try to explain to your gal that it much more physically demanding to swim around and spear a WSB than it is to pick an oyster off a rock? 

[jawbreaker]

And they will probably look better on her than a pearl necklace.

[BullsEye]

Dave,Did you try to explain to your gal that it much more physically demanding to swim around and spear a WSB than it is to pick an oyster off a rock? 

She knows but I guess girls like shiny things. lol maybe I will get lucky next month and be graced with some abalone pearls. Its Alex by the way not Dave.

[NaCladdict]

I just keep all my stones in a beer mug. At the end of the year I bag them up. I can pretty much remember each fish from the stones, it's crazy how much the otoliths resemble the fish. I.e. short stumpy fish, short stumpy stones. Great memories. I even shot a fish that was swimming around at an angle, ended up having a deformed stone. Don't know if they were related or just a retarded fish.When I asked my now wife if she would wear them if I had them put into jewelry she just laughed.Season is ramping up. Lots of halibut and WSB around the next couple of months.

[BullsEye]

I had no idea that the stones resemble the fish they come out of. But I guess that makes sense since they grow in the fish. I'm going to go diving this Sunday again so hopefully the WSB and Halibuts will be around to play.

[BullsEye]

Went out the other day looking for some more tasty critters and managed my first legal California Halibut. He weighted 23 pounds and measured 36 inches.

[screwwork]

Dude you rock!! you have a big fat butt. Great eats too :yahoo:I have a caught 20 lber on a rod and reel and that was a good fight, but not the other end of a stick. OMG.

[screwwork]

I forgot to ask if you dont mind, how deep where you when you got the butt.I have caught them in as shallow as 5ft deep in SFO bay.

[BullsEye]

I was in under 20 feet of water. Not too deep for diving.

[ShooterJohn]

Nice fish Alex! Those are the ones you want.

[mackeralboy]

36" Great Fish Alex! I recognize the spot your at in the picture. My neighbor float tubes that area and always does well with the flatties.

[BullsEye]

The fish have been around fortunately for me I was able to find this tasty little treat.