Baby's First Legal 11/9/24

[jrodda]

Planned on doing more state beach scouting this weekend. Arrived around 1315, very slight breeze so unusually nice afternoon weather. Swell was down below 2' as well. Water pretty clean and clear. Wanted to work a couple miles of shoreline but got slowed down significantly by willing biters all over.

On the board pretty quick with the perchy.



Couple friggand small ones.



No sandcrabs, but decent, consistent holes all over.

This one had a pretty solid scar on its butt. Looking at the photo now I wonder if its super dilated pupils are to say that it was attacked while on my line. And, perhaps, sheds some light on how little stress they undergo when I otherwise catch them.



Wonder if it was a leopard or halibut...

Hit 9 perch and started my way back toward the car around 1530. Picked up two more. Every bite was pretty aggressive but felt like I had rubber hooks. Seemed like I was going 1/4 on aggressive bites all day.

Hooked a decent feeling perch waaaaay out and lost him on the way in. Couldn't have been more than 10" but seemed like the missed trophy of the day. A couple casts later I hook something a little better in close. Wasn't shaking its head much which got me curious and I started playing it. Got it on the hard pack at my feet and still didn't ID it before it made a blistering run right back 40' out. Very curious now, very engaged. Kept playing it, remembering my last good bean was snagged, and I really wanna at least ID this thing. Then I get it back close and a halibut back flips in the wash. Oh! Another minute of playing it before I claimed victory.

After measuring my rod at home, I'm calling this my first legal halibut, RIGHT at 22".



Stoked!

Sunset was pretty nice.



Topped off with the third major family of local fish, the croaker. Let some little kids gawk at it before releasing.



First surf fishing trip in the books with this Technium rod, and it launches 1oz, handles the bigger fish well, and the hardest thing of all, makes smaller perch still feel engaging.

Probably gonna take another crack at it tomorrow. I was gonna do a totally different stretch but, if ain't broke, don't fix it?

[Latimeria]

Congrats on the legal, Jeremy!  Bravo on a great surf session.

My plan was to get down this morning, but my shoulder kept me up most of the night. I know they say it's the neck, but my shoulder is killing me. 

That perch looks like a leopard to me, but who knows.  That thing looks freaked as it was getting it at both ends.  LOL

I hope you catch again today!  I might try the puddles due to convenience.

[Tim524]

Fun surf  session, It's been a while for me   Them perch can be fun when you get into them.

Congrats on the legal Halibut, it makes up for other not so productive days

Keep up the good work !