Trip report with new p.b. checherboard

Went out with Hughes on tuesday. Water temps were right around 62. Vis ranged from 5' to over 30' depending on the spot. We spent some time at local spot that usually looks like mud. Anchoring up on the outside of the kelp bed we could see the bottom at 35'...what a treat. Entering the water we were surrounded by schools of barracuda that would swim right next to us. We were on a sightseeing mission..trying to sight a worthy wsb. I began by swimming too fast through the kelp trying to get to the inside. I was stealthy but just a little too fast. I came up on a huge tanker broadside to me. Before my brain would click in the fish had boomed off with two loud booms.:(. This was such a shock as I rarely see any large fish in this spot. Reaching the shallows was like swimming in a murky fish tank with dozens of wsb milling about. Only problem was the size...all small.
The next spot was also beautiful. John went inside and I decided to head in to middle of the bed. After getting my suit cleared of bubbles, I was lying on the surface relaxing when a huge shape glides directly under me. I raise my gun and aim it at the behemoths head and watch as a 200lb black sea bass continues right past me. Man are they beautiful. I calm my racing heart down and start moving through the bed. The very next time that I'm breathing up I look down at the bottom which is 30' down and I see two wsb cruising.
I spit the snorkel out and make a nice quiet dive, point my gun at the largest one and stone it with the shaft coming out it's head.
I am relieved that he was stoned as I had visions of the black sea bass coming in and trying to eat the wsb.;)
I head back to the boat and leave the fish in the water while I have a water. About this time John swims by and just about shoots my fish that He thought was just hanging upside down under the boat:laughing3:
John saw more wsb but wasn't anxious to pull the trigger on a small one.
The next spot we dove was very dirty on the inside. I moved in with my small gun and was doing drops to the bottom and trying to peer through the 5' visibility. On one of the drops I see a blob that was not a kelp leaf. I aim my gun at the blob and watch until I can see fins on the outside of the blob. I fire and skewer this calico from face to out it's tail. It can't move with the stainless steel splint:@
I'm stoked cause I can tell this is my p.b. calico. Weigh it back on land and it goes 10 lbs 2 oz :thumbsup2:
Nothing like spending the day with a good friend making good memories.:thumbsup2: