Posts by ladvr

skeg recovered from the reef. Its amazing how many skegs I find where the screw was not attached to the back plate correctly. Bummer dude. Anyhow, I pulled a bonehead maneuver and threw my surf suit in the car instead of my dive suit. To much mercury I guess. The water looked nice so I reduced weight and dove for a few hours in my 3/2 Body Glove. Just like the good old days. Still some long period swell with some set waves about every 20 minutes pushing through. I thought conditions were nice. 10-12 feet vis. Not much bait in the water and no real game fish. I passed on a few of 22-24 inch halibut hoping for something bigger. Saw a 7lb opaleye but I let it go. Was not sure what the pay out was on it or if I was even in the money. Lots of dead pelicans and cormorants on the beach. Maybe from the weather? Very nice dive but uneventful. Maybe things will liven up a bit in a month or so. The kelp beds look real nice from the top of the cliff.

Send a PM to John Hanson. He just moved out there from California (don't hold that against him). Good guy to dive with.

Mike

I like the weather but I can't wait to get the gills wet.

Funny stuff.

Thanks for sharing! I am a sucker for nostalgia. You the Man Don!

Mike

Quote from sdeisen

congrats, well done... are halibut easy to clean and filet?

Like Fuzz said, very easy to fillet. They have a line running down the spine on both sides. That is your cut. You end up with two fillets per side. Very good eats as well.

Quote from Dan

Congratz on a beautiful hali. So how big was it?

Not big enough to dig around for a scale. It was about as long as the MT0.

Mike

Conditions were pretty decent but spotty. The last couple of swells really thinned out the kelp and moved a lot of sand around. It took me several hours to find the fish. They were pretty much all bunched up in a relatively small zone. Several sand patches had halibut stacked up on one another. Must be spawning out? Probably passed on 15-20 legal halibut while looking for something bigger. As the sun was getting low I plugged my Biggest Fish of the Decade!

Quote from Don Paul

I have never dove with Mike as I'm just returning to my shore diving roots this year. The word on the street
is, Mike has been very helpful in our MPLA battles, he also is someone who goes out of his way to collect trash from the rocky points and coves he dives. We all need to take care of our Mother Ocean.
Thanks Mike

Cheers, Don

Thanks Don. I never feel like I can do enough to pay my tab when it comes to the ocean. Its impossible to put a value on the hours of enjoyment she gives us.

Mike

Happy New Years everyone!
Mike

Happy Halidays Don!

Mike

Happy holidays Dave!

Quote from Dan

How did filling them with epoxy work out?

I filled up the first two feet or so. It definitely adds some punch. I guess it boils down to personal preference. Most of the fish I target with a pole spear are 2-6lbs with an occasional larger halibut.

Quote from Dan

That's the biggest pole spear collection I've seen. What's the really short one for? I'm assuming that your JBLs are the hollow aluminum ones? I found them to be very fast. I always wondered how they'd fare with a really big fish that would put some pressure on the pole, I imagined it will bend easily and become useless.

The short one is for cabazon and kelp rockfish (dumb bass). The JBL's are hollow. I have had a few that I loaded with epoxy to increase mass and strengthen the business end.

Quote from Dan

What kind of pole spear do you use Mike?

Primarily JBL's but I have a bunch of fiberglass that I have accumulated over the years. I made one from carbon fiber tube but it still needs some finishing.

Mike

Quote from fuzz

I like the 30-36" babies... MUCH better quality eating, IMO.

I agree. Better texture, less bio accumulation of toxins and fewer parasites. The big ones make for better photos though. IMO.

Quote from Dan

Ahh I see. How about it Mike, got a pic of yourself with a nice hali or WSB?

I do. I say we leave Fuzz's pic up until someone best it this spring. I hear that Don Paul has some mad skills! I have my money on Don.

Mike

Quote from Don Paul

Great story Mike ! I was hoping you would post some thing in the Cali section, nice job.
Those seas are as flat as it gets, I really like the image of the perch.
I'll see ya up there in Feb/April when the White sea persh come back.
In the mean time I need to saw 4' off my tuna gun and come out and play.
Cheers, Don

Thanks. I am going to keep diving with the short gun or polespear for another month or two.

Quote from papaa

Nice way to break in your new MT,very nice pictures.(thats a two wrap)?

Thanks. Its one wrap from the shaft over the muzzle and one from the line release around the line anchor. I am not sure if you consider that one or two wraps. I call it one.

Mike

Quote from hau

ladvr---great story, great pictures, nice new gun and nice fish.
If you don't mind, :
1. Do you have the Riffe enclosed track on your new MT?
2. I am a kayak spearo and was wondering; Would a yak be good for your type of spearing?
Thanks

No enclosed track. That gun is for very low visibility, point blank shooting. An enclosed track might keep the shaft from exiting the muzzle completely.

I have kayaks and freedive paddleboards that I sometimes use. The problem is access to launch sites. Sometimes its easier to hoof it.