Same Sh Different Day 5/15

[jrodda]

Tide looked mediocre, but wanted to try c-rigging a fluke on a neap tide for halibut. Conditions were okay. Water was as sh!t stained as when I last saw it on Saturday inside. Wind in my face. Swell was little. Some kelp in the wash but bearable.

Started with a c-rig grub. New hooks arrived. Matzuo sickle baitholders in #6. Heavier gauge than I'm used to but sticky sharp and seem good quality. Isolating the one I used today in my tackle box to see if/when the finish corrodes from one trip. The sickle shape did seem to hold the grub in place a lot better.



Got a bite early. Slight nibble on the grub. Set the hook and whole rig gone, continuing from last week. Didn't get too worked up about it, but it's the nail in the coffin for at least my 10# spool of red label.

Kept it moving and wasn't getting bit on the grub. Tide was getting near peak so switched to the fluke. Within a few casts, I got a tentative bite as if I was fishing a perch grub. Gave it room, it took the room, missed the hook set. Brought it in and there was a little bite mark on the plastic inside the hook shank. Well, they like it. Don't know how I missed that fish though.

Every cast it felt like I was either catching onto kelp or dragging my hook through the sand. Maybe 15 casts in I felt like I hooked kelp and brought it in at a moderate pace. Got to the wash and a pancake lit up in the shallows and hopped off the fluke for a long distance release. Not the quality I was looking for but good sign!

Another 200 yards down the beach I walked by an older asian man with a Team Daiwa hat on. I was wearing my new Team Shimano vest. We made eye contact and wrestled each other to the ground. No no, I told him about the halibut, I wanted to ensure good diplomacy.

Checked my fluke hook after so many casts and found it had dulled out, presumably burying itself in the sand. It was a bass plastic worm hook, straight shank maybe 3/0. Switched to a 1/0 baitholder and the dragging feeling on the retrieve instantly went away.

No more bites. No more break offs! Retiring all the red label and using some 15 and 12 laying around, probably order some Shimano Mastiff 8# from work soon.

[vdisney]

Glad you're getting out Jeremy, the doc said it will be several weeks before I should attempt walking on the sand.  Thank God for our boat and piers

[Latimeria]

Red Label is Southeastern redneck line.  lol

I totally get it, but it's good seeing someone else use the sickle hooks.  I was using 5/0 heavy bait hooks and they were quite heavy and thick gauge.  Mackerel didn't seem to care when I pinned them on, but the smaller baits didn't do well with them.

[jrodda]

Glad you're getting out Jeremy, the doc said it will be several weeks before I should attempt walking on the sand.  Thank God for our boat and piers

Glad you're well enough now to fish at all! You will be on the sand in time for summer.

I think I have two other sickle hooks. Yes the 5/0s are heavy, but 1/0s were much thinner wire but siwash so different specs altogether I suppose. I will probably be glad to be using these when I hook a big striper or something.

At it again tonight, Jared in tow. Seeing Craig Ferguson at the OC Improv on Friday. Good tide but I think Craig is better.

[KogaHead]

get abrazx of however it is spelled great line

[jrodda]

get abrazx of however it is spelled great line

Got a spool of 12 per your suggestion a while back. I was a bit perturbed when it couldn't hold a uni-uni leader connection for sh!t, popped 100% of the time while cinching the knot. Although I tie a different leader connection knot now I amn't so sure of it. I think I still have like 170 yards of it laying around though if I ever sum up the balls to try again.

[Tim524]

 You had some bad luck with that line. Bad batch or just poor quality product ? Redemption will be SWEET !