I met up with my fossil buddy from the museum to do a little crab hunting.  Looks like this plot of land may be off limits here in the future so we got in while the getting was good.

Ironically having him here we actually figured out what was happening and where they were coming from.  I had an idea, but having my buddy who works as a full-time paleontologist at the museum really confirmed that I had the same hypothesis.

Basically, we tracked the erosional movements of the crab fossils from the source to where the erosion brought them over the years and decades.

Pretty cool stuff and found some really great specimens.  I'll post them later also.

Water was warm and turgid...  I didn't put a lot of time in since there was a lot of floating stuff in the water and the wind started to kick up a little earlier than I was hoping (along with the jet ski/boat traffic).

The rocks were tough, so I moved to some beach.  I thought I snagged a lump of weeds until I felt it shake and realized I was on.  One 18" flatty slid up on shore and I was pretty stoked. 

I have a pic but have to post it later.  It was kicking up the good old MB mud on me and shimmied back into the bay before I could get some better pics.

Oh well, but better than a skunking and I wish I saw more flatties around the bay like that.

Looks like a great trip Tim! Nothing like taking a break from the Sierras to go stack up some taco meat. 

That story about the guy with the Squidtrex in his thigh had me a little bit laughing and a little bit cringing. Everyone thinks a hook will just slide right out until they find out skin is a lot tougher than people think. Once that barb is buried, it's pretty much a choice between creative surgery or a trip to see someone with better tools and pain meds.

It's great to see Cheez! Sounds like he came ready to fish while Max came ready to enjoy some boat napping. At least he was conserving energy for the fish tacos.

Question... did you guys troll Rapalas for yellows at all, or was it frozen squid and bottom fishing all day?

Nice day fellas!

 Had to take a break from The Sierras and get The Cyclops wet, called Cheez in Arizona and he made the trek to my house Thursday afternoon so we could fish Friday   Max and Myles decided to join in so we got up early and headed to Dana Landing. The fog had rolled in and it was necessary to fire up the Radar to make sure we didn't collide with anyone, Mr. One Eye was being cautious





We couldn't find any bait, even looked by the pier so we resorted to frozen squid and on our way to our first spot we were flagged down by a guy that needed help He landed a nice White Sea Bass and ended up with a Squidtrex hook in his thigh     Tried to help with Dikes to cut the barb but he was in too much pain and said screw it !



Our first drop and Cheez is on fire
 


The Twins and I had to get in on the action too




Meanwhile, Max took a nap and Myles and Cheez kept picking off some Taco Meat
 


I had to keep up so I contributed to the mix




Super flat conditions so we didn't leave La Jolla till 4:45 pm      Cheez got the biggest Red of the day but we all got a nice variety




Did I mention Max took a long nap ??   


A great day on the water and we filled the Kill Bag with plenty of fish



Saturday was "Wash The Boat Day" and Fish Tacos for Dinner and Sunday was time to put the cover back on the boat and Cheez headed back to Arizona


Looking forward to another trip to LJ soon, might have to squeeze in one last trip of the year back to The Sierras as well in a couple weeks

Quote from: jrodda on August 25, 2026, 08:15:04 PMValiant effort! Hope it was a least a nice time with friends. The yellowtail zone in Long Beach is pretty ridiculous right now. And the bait situation has been poor all summer, cattle boats get what few sardine are available and small boats get scraps.

What charter company was that? I have talked shop with one of the few charter captains in there a number of times at Charkbait.

Bowline Sport Fishing, he's a buddy of mine 

First a Cow Hoof and now a Banana Peel, you need a better security 

I assume you kept them for Bat Bait  ??

Yeah, I can't really post the photos as they would definitely be attacked online.  As for the yellows, I'm sure they are still there but where is the question.  The bait is the toughest thing.  All of my fish have been on the artificials which is quite amazing in its own right, but I would have tripled my Yellow count with real live bait.

Tim, you may be out there when they start to snap again, so don't go by recent reports.  Day by day bites are totally the norm this year.  I'd definitely try to troll some big Rapalas if you can't find any good bait.  5 mph about 50 yards behind the boat will give you a good shot.  If you meter bait then fish that area since there is not much bait out there.  The gamefish will be close by.

Ouch.... that's a tough one. Sounds like you guys did everything right and just ended up on the wrong side of the fish gods that day (did you pour out some beer in homage to the fish gods that morning?). Between the bait shortage, the armada sitting on the yellows, and running 75 miles south only to find lockjaw fish, that's about as expensive a boat ride as they come.  Bait has been really hard to come by the past month or two.

Honestly, I'd rather burn a lot less fuel and take my chances with The Cyclops out of La Jolla too. With your track record, I wouldn't be surprised if you put together a better report locally than the entire fleet did offshore.

Good luck with Cheez on Friday. Hopefully the next report includes bent rods, bloody decks, and a fish story worth every penny this trip wasn't! Looking forward to hearing how it goes.

Interesting trip! Must be a nice break from the donkey yellows wearing out your shoulders.

Valiant effort! Hope it was a least a nice time with friends. The yellowtail zone in Long Beach is pretty ridiculous right now. And the bait situation has been poor all summer, cattle boats get what few sardine are available and small boats get scraps.

What charter company was that? I have talked shop with one of the few charter captains in there a number of times at Charkbait.