goofing off in tidepools instead of catching bait

[BenCantrell]

Went to OB this morning to stock up on bait.  The end of the pier was completely dead.  Plenty of people trying for bonito/macks, but I didn't see any caught.  I dropped my bait to the bottom and caught one small scorpionfish.



Switched to the middle of the pier around high tide and saw people catching a few mackerel.  It took me longer than I'd like to admit before I got one.



I lost a few macks to my sabiki hooks being bit off.  The hooks were too small for mackerel, but they did succeed in hooking 3 or 4 anchovies, which is a new lifer for me.  (#477) 



I also caught 3 or 4 small topsmelt.  Everything went in the cooler to be used as bait for something in the future.  The macks disappeared, and I had to go move my car, so I took a break.



When I came back I decided to poke around the rocks and tidepools near the base of the pier.  I fished along a concrete retaining wall and loaded up on about 10 opaleye. I really do hope they work as shark bait, haha.  I also caught 3 largemouth blennies, the species that just recently showed up in CA waters.  It's native in Mexico.



The tidepools were really cool.  I ended up catching over a dozen sculpin and a few blennies and juvenile opaleye.



Here's a rockpool blenny, a species I caught last year.



And an underwater shot showing the cirri on his head standing up.



Here's what the average sculpin looked like.  I think the species is woolly sculpin. (#478)





A few of them were bigger and darker though.  I'm guessing they were breeding males of the same species.











I also did a few underwater shots.  Here's my favorite.



Some fresh bait came home in the cooler (even though it wasn't much), and I added two new lifers.  That's a successful trip in my book.

[BackBayMan]

Great report. What are you taking your pics with?

[xjchad]

Cool report Ben!
What gear do you use for the little guys?

[BenCantrell]

Olympus TG-5 and Mustad #14 caddis fly hook with a little piece of shrimp.

http://www.basspro.com/shop/en/mustad-signature-caddis-fly-hook-model-c49s

[xjchad]

 
Thanks Ben!

[1morecast]

Glad to see you made the most of your trip to the pier. Maybe the opaleye will turn out to be the exotic bait to catch next big shark. 

[Pinoyfisher]

That's cool Ben! Those blennies are great bass and hali bait.

[BenCantrell]

That's cool Ben! Those blennies are great bass and hali bait.

It would be pretty easy to load up a bucket/cooler with live ones and then take them to your fishing spot.

[Latimeria]

Great report Ben.  You are going to fillin all the gaps for the Southern California list.  I wonder how many SoCal species as a group (P-Soul) we could get if we grouped them all together?