Posts by Gobig

  • San Diego

    Quote from Don Paul

    I don't feel any hate here...just love and friendly rhetoric brother John.Happy Easter to you guys.


    All the best, Don


    Hate is definately the wrong word, especially today. Happy Easter everyone, love the avatar Don!

  • San Diego

    Quote from ascendv6

    That is a hell of a calico. What did it weigh in at?


    10.0 Johnsons Rock Catalina:) I especially like the color combo in that photo between the island, the kelp, my suit and the fish. Rad shot and a total blessing!


    After the one guys comment, I'm almost sorry I posted. The way it's been shaping up, the last thing we need is more divers, but there's always more spots, you just gotta be willing to look around a bit.


    I just hate to see people baggin on the California diving when it can be so epic.

  • San Diego

    Here's what you're gonna get in Southern California
    We dive year round. Personally I use a 7mil in the winter as I'm a puss. Water temps range from 55 degrees in the winter (a cold day) to 72 degrees in the summer (a warm day) 20' vis is a decent day on the coast, but makes hunting easier. 20-30'days are not unheard of and we do get 50' at times. 30-80' vis at the islands is not uncommon.


    If you're going to SD, you've got Baja right next door which has world class waves and diving within an hour of your doorstep. Cost of living is expensive here but the weather in SD is the most temperate in the nation with an average of 73 degrees daily. The chicks are hot and slightly stuck up but there's plenty of transplants (also hot) with better attitudes.


    Here's a few pics of our "small fish" and assorted other species

  • Stay-cation

    I'm doing the same thing, with a few exceptions. I took 5 weeks off just to hunt seabass. When everybody asks me if I'm going to Baja, I tell them "only if the swell ruins the diving here." I've had a decent run, but usually I take Sat+Sun off so I can let the masses pound the area and I spend a little quality time with the wife. Once Monday comes around. full speed diving again when the crowds slack off (sometimes).


    I get really frustrated diving some of those beds in PV when I'm running into 4-6 divers in the same bed over the course of a dive. Plus I get alittle scared. Lot of itchy trigger fingers out there in dirty water!


    Good luck on the rest of your vacation, let's see some footage of that first big seabass!

  • Seabass report!

    Ok, that was messed up. Here's my first fish of the season, had to go to the islands to get it as the coastal conditions had been dirty and crowded. I was getting to the point of being afraid of being in the water with all those loaded guns and 8'vis.


    Unfortunately, as soon as we hit the island, the fuel pump went out and the boat broke down. I was sitting on the bow looking back towards the mainland while the guys were working on the engine. I happened to be watching this bird school moving around for about 1/2 hr when I realized that out there in open water was a school of wsb under them right on the surface.


    I threw my top on and swam out there and shot one. Open water seabass what a trip. Fish only went 23lbs or so, but I got on the board and I love eating them that size. Made a day broken down at the island a lot better!

  • Looking for some advise

    A little advice on diving yellowtail at the island on a weekend: watch your ass!!


    Seriously stupid boat driving going on over there on the weekend, I won't even go personally unless it's during the week. The main reason is alot of your best yt spots are off certain points of the island that all the fish/boat traffic has to get around to get to the other side. This is not a joke, be very careful and good luck.

  • Catalina Report 7-24

    Quote from Don Paul

    Thanks Gobig, Dam 63 degrees is chilly for this time of year.When the YT really move in they may stay till
    Thanksgiving as the water won't be to hot to ship them off to the North Chanel Islands.
    Maybe will have albacore just 10 miles offshore later.:D
    Cheers, Don


    The albacore definately like the cooler water! My grandfather owned the original Peirpoint landing as well as a tuna fleet. He used to tell me stories of catching tuna right outside Long Beach. Insane, imagine what that would be like:@


    Definately shaping up to be a different year this year.

  • Catalina Report 7-24

    Dove Cat on Sat., what a madhouse. Reminds me why I NEVER dive the island on a weekend. Private boats, charter boats, hobo boats, skiffs, dingies, jet skis, kayaks, paddleboards, ski boats, yaghts, sailboats and more of all of the above. It's almost like hangin out in Waikiki and watching all the tourists but you're afraid for your life every time you hit the water.


    Anyways, conditions were absolutely incredible. We started on the frontside W end with top to bottom vis and moved east and didn't have less than 50' vis all day. I stayed in the beds most of the day lookin for seabass even though I hate hunting those fish in super clean water. Spent most of the day looking for dirtier water and never found that, or the fish. Let my buddies dive outside for yellows, I was just too scared of getting run over. A few spots looked promising with good current, bait, but no go on the gamefish.


    Water was still a bit chilly for this time of year at a consistent 63 degrees. Saw a few other divers I knew out there and nobody was haviing much luck on either side of the island. A friend did manage a few yellows frontside mid island, but when we headed over to the spot, there were 4 boats on it, and it's a 1 boat spot.


    I ended the day with a nice calico that was almost as long as the halibut I shot. All three of us were just enjoying the beautiful dive conditons and trying to not get run over. Personally, I'm off to Baja for the next 3 weeks, so I'm not feeling too much pressure to shoot anything as I'll be in it thick in a few days Godwilling!


    Hope the report helps.

  • pv conditions 7/18

    Quote from LunkerBuster

    first of all, this makes what you left coasters do, that much more impressive....and i was already impressed


    second, do you think this percentage is because of the cvis in general or because you are primarily targeting halis who chill in the surgey areas where it is all stirred up?


    The vis in general here depends on alot of factors: swell, surge, temp, sunlight etc...


    An average day on the coast is going to be 12-20' vis, but can get as good as 30-50' but that's rare. The areas tend to be a mix of reef and sand and when there's swell, the sand gets a bit stirred up. When the water warms up, the kelp tends to "shed" which puts alot of particulate in the water. Both conditions have an adverse effect on the vis. Obviously, the reefs tend to be a bit cleaner, but then again, depends upon such factors as kelp conditions and red tide which is a phytoplankton we have here and can completely shut down the vis.


    Depending upon what species we are actively hunting, sometimes we're looking for cleaner water (yellowtail and calicos), or dirtier water (halibut and white seabass.)


    The islands here tend to have consistently better vis and it's not uncommon to have 30-80'+ vis.

  • shark eating a seal vid

    that's a sick video right there. You can see it's a Mako when it comes up and takes that first big bite.


    Poor, innocent, friendly seal, they ought to show that down at the Childrens pool for all the FOS idiots.;)

  • WSB croaking question

    I know guys that swear they can follow croaks to the fish.


    The croaking used to drive me crazy as I "knew the fish were there" and could never find them. My experience has been that more often than not, when I hear them, I never end up seeing them.


    Of course, just like everything about these fish, sometimes they prove you wrong. This year I actually followed some croaks in shallow at a spot and ended up finding them.


    That should be the key word for these things: SOMETIMES:D