Check out this monster lobster I found in Laguna Beach. Biggest bug I've ever seen or grabbed in the water! Weighed in at 12lbs. Almost drowned the first time I saw this bug, couldn't find it the second time, third time was the ticket and I plucked him right out of his hole. I'm just stoked to get him before the MLPA zone. Felt like I caught him just in time since the closures start in less than a month.
the rock i want to hit is in that area. daniel you need to stop correcting people all the time. everyone knows it gives you a boner, and everyone knows you look at the DFG webpage more than beek looks at internet porn. maybe you should just follow in his foot steps. your starting to sound like dockrat from good ole spearboard. if you keep it up, someone is gonna shove a green abalone up your ass and call caltip on you, and i will standing there laughing.
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Haha yah that's a hilarious analogy, but I post up because I don't like the idea of someone unknowingly poaching and thinking they're playing by the rules. It makes me feel like they've got an unfair advantage in the water.
Sorry Mark I made the wrong assumption. I've have had more than one friend tell me that you can take scallops anywhere in Laguna as long as you're deeper than 20ft. When I told those guys they were wrong they acted very skeptical and still believed they could take the scallops. So when I saw your post I thought it was the same kinda deal, since you didn't specify the 20ft mark deal.
But yah in the future I'll try to not come off sounding so douchy. I'll just post the rules and say something along the lines of ... here's the regs for anyone that's interested.
Not that I care but I was told by my laguna lifeguard buddy that taking scallops anywhere in Laguna city limits from shore is illegal. Its a municipal code not a dfg law.
The city of Laguna beach has no authority to ban or limit shore fishing.
As far as DFG laws there is a small window where the 2 smcas (dana & laguna) dont overlap where you can take them from a shore dive.
For DFG laws that's true. There's a section on the north end of Laguna and the south end of Laguna that has no MPA's on it. You can take whatever is allowed for normal fishing. You just have to have a boat or know someone in the private coves to take the scallops there. Thousand Steps and parts of Table Rock are the only beaches in Laguna beach which have public shore access and no MPA's on it. Although Laguna Beach swears the tidepool area is protected in those two beaches I have never found a single reference to that in the DFG rule book.
http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/3545/untit1.jpg
http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/6043/untitl1n.jpg
This MPA covers most of Laguna Beach from North Crescent Bay to Aliso Beach.
And the MPA ends 600ft from shore
This MPA starts at the south section of Aliso Beach and goes to the beginning of Table Rock
This is the only MPA in Laguna that ends at the 20ft depth mark.
let me know, eff laguna and its stupid laws, i can think of a few pinnacles that are WFO for big scallops, rule is no possion inside the 20 foot depth line...so we anchor outside and pillage.
That is not the rule for all of Laguna :nono:
The only place... and I mean only place the 20ft depth mark applies for the Laguna MPA's is from Alsio beach to Table Rock.
I'll copy and paste the rules in a little bit, since I'm sure someone will doubt me.
Just keep in mind guys the ''fish cops'' did not bring this MPLA process upon us, they enforce the Fish and Game laws of the state. I have had a very good relationship with many in DFG over a 25 year long span.
I have never received a F+G citation and don't plan on braking any F+G laws. I also ask my Cali members not to post threads suggesting the breaking of State Fish and Game laws.
There are words and there actions, I intend to play hardball on the MPLA rules, and I'm not giving up one meter of legal sea bed in some spots, even if it means having a GPS locator on my float.
Don
+1
Also I haven't met a single DFG officer who is 100% for the fishing closures. From what I hear they are mostly against the closures. Unfortunately they are powerless to stop the MLPA from happening, just like the general public is, or I am.
hmmm I wonder what species of fish that is. I've never seen a grouper with a red fin before.
Don't forget to let your friends or family know where you'll be diving, just in case you don't return 
Nice fish Josh!
WTG Josh. I kept expecting to see Daniel pop out of one of those cracks with a bug on his head...
<img src= " class="smiley" srcset="https://spearfishing.world/forum/images/smilies/emojione/1f606@2x.png 2x" height="23" width="23" loading="eager" data-tooltip="biggrin" aria-label="biggrin">
Clean kill = stone shot
To me that is the only definition when it comes to spearfishing.
As for other animals I would consider a clean kill a shot that either downs the animal where it was hit or less than 20 yards away.
Yesterdays rain apparently caused the road to collapse.
That's worse than I thought I'd get.
Nice going Chris. It looks so tasty!
Damn Josh I swear you like to pic the worst pictures of me to post on your reports.
Why didn't you post this one instead?
How'd you break your pinky? Smash your finger on a rock when you went to grab the lobster? Or did you actually break it on the lobster?
I'd test it first. You have a pool right? I'd tie a rope to one end of the kayak and flip it in the pool. Shake it around and see how fast it floods.
Doing well, almost closed up now. Still have a big lump of something under the cut, possibly balled up muscle. Still hurts a little bit, but not nearly as bad as it was almost two weeks ago.
BTW how did you bust up your hand Davis?
That sounds hairy. Do you secure a flag to the outside of the kelp or just do your best to stay frosty and alert?
I just stay alert.
A dive flag could not help me stay safe because I spend hours inside the kelp, swimming up to half a mile away from my starting point.
But I should have mentioned earlier that the near shore kelp beds are very safe. Most boaters don't boat through those. It's the kelp beds that are out in the deeper water that you really have to watch out for.
Oh, maybe 15 miles NW of Anclote
Dang! Wish SoCal had that kind of reef system. If you swim out 1000ft from shore from where I live you're guaranteed to be in water deeper than 35ft.
Boats are a big problem in the Miami area. You always have to be listening for motors. If you hear a motor no matter how faint, stop what you're doing and see if you can mark the boat and which direction it's going. When diving from a boat it's a good idea to always have someone driving and playing blocker with approaching boats. This is a big PITA and really cuts into the enjoyment of diving, and sometimes bottom time as it's difficult to relax. I wonder if it's anything like this in CA.
Kelp beds are death traps for spearfishermen in Southern California. I've had more close calls than I can count.
Spearfishermen can't bring dive flags into the kelp beds, because they would instantly tangle in the kelp. So it's very hard for boaters to notice you. Of course even if we could use a flag, most boaters are clueless when it comes to dive flags.
The worst thing is that.... Boaters out here are always on perimeter of the kelp bed fishing. So even if you watched them it wouldn't make a difference. Most of the time they are anchored up. So you just have to ignore them and dive. But while you're underwater, holding your breath, one of those boats may chose to move and decide the best course to the next spot is straight over your head :@
I've come up from a dive with boats zipping past me, just a spear's throw away from my face.
Display MoreOkay this thread is not about which is better or even the things we love about each.
The idea behind this thread is to identify the individual challenges we face in each place and the hings we do inn order to overcome them.
I am only really talking about FL since the north east is a totally different beast.
So some things that occurred to me were the Viz/Clarity of the water, the temperature of the water, the type of structures and the type of fish.
temperature:
In miami the temps are generally in the 70's and will get to the upper sixties for a little while on bad winters. The hottest summer months will bring 80's water temps and you will die in a 3mm suit. as such we use rash guards and a lot less weight. I use 7.5 lbs with my 3mm suit and as little as 5 when wearing a rash guard.
Wetsuit choices for water temperature can be very biased. The problem is that an old wetsuit won't be as warm as a brand new wetsuit. Any rips or tears in the wetsuit will decrease it's warmth. And if the wetsuit doesn't fit skin tight, then it will not be as warm.
For all the reasons mentioned above I wear a 7mm long john top and bottom wetsuit. It's two years old, has plenty of holes, and doesn't fit me perfectly, but that 7mm of thickness in the wetsuit is just enough to keep me warm all year round.
Now if I had the money to buy a new wetsuit every year I'd choose a 5mm wetsuit to wear for half the year and a 7mm wetsuit to use for the winter time.
Check this website for more accurate water temps in my area US NODC Coastal Water Temperature Guide
I know you all deal with cold ass waters and as a result much thicker suits and way more weight. how much are you all wearing and how do you deal with it? anyone wear neckweights or vests or harnesses? I've worn up to 22 pounds of lead on my weight belt. I rarely get any back pain, but when I do I have thought about buying a weight vest. But the costs are just too high for me to justify the purchase.
Carity/viz
we have generally 30 ft of viz with many days a lot better. I'd say that usually you can see the bottom in 30 fsw...pretty rough estimate...i have seen 100+ viz in the keys
I use a 120 cm gun for most of my diving simply because I like the extra range. the viz also requires I have more range for a lot of fish. What is the average length you are using? i guess in or out of kelp? It depends on where you're diving. But 30ft of visibility would be considered a truly epic day of diving for Orange County. I'd say 12ft is probably the average visibility we have out here.
In the kelp you don't need much visibility because the fish are big and you just need to see their shadow'd outline to shoot them.
Rather than continue I'll just ask a few questions I have about west side diving so I hope you all answer and ask back any you might have.
-what is the average bottom like? rock sand mud? Sand... lots and lots of sand
-how fast does it get deep? Depends on where you dive. It can get over 50-60ft deep in Rancho Palos Verdes if you swim out 300ft from shore. Other places it might take 1000ft from shore to get to 50-60ft. There are only a few places in SoCal where you can swim 2000ft from shore and still find a shallow reef to freedive in.
-is it as disorienting as it looks to dive in kelp with a swell on? I've been tangled in the kelp, but never been disoriented.
-how awesome is kelp? Really really awesome
-how does you face not get really cold? I only feel the cold on my face when I'm diving Northern California. It is a painful sting that hits you in the face as soon as you get in the water, but after a few minutes underwater your face gets numb and the pain goes away.
I have lots more but this is a start
mmm
