Posts by spearstuff

I'm liking this lobster season so far XD

For this lobster opener I went out to Catalina Island with Josh on his dad's "yacht". It was my first time spearfishing in Catalina Island and first time diving from a "yacht". Even if the conditions weren't good I knew this was going to be a fun trip.

We left early Friday afternoon to stake out our spot and hit the midnight opening of lobster season. Josh's dad wanted to park his boat on the spot before anyone else. Of course plenty other people had the same idea. There were at least 3 other boats parked near our lobster spot by mid afternoon and by sunset I saw 6 boats parked within eyesight. It was pretty crowded considering how small a spot it was.

But looking down on the water just made my day. It was a clear 40-50 feet of visibility. I could see everything out there. I've dove the California coastline all year round and it's never been this clear. I was just so stoked to be in the water. Calicos swimming all over the place, not too many sheephead, sargos, a lot of non game reef fish, and a whole lot of bait fish. It was like swimming in an aquarium.

After a short afternoon dive I shot a nice sized calico for dinner. After cooking it we wrapped the meat in a tortilla and melted cheese all over it. Perfect meal to hold us over till midnight.

Midnight hit and we rushed out to jump in the water. But before we could reach our spot the hoopnetters started dumping their traps in the exact spot we were aiming for. I couldn't believe how close they were moving their boats to the rocks at night. One mistake and they'd have a huge hole in their boats. They seriously wanted those bugs.

By the time I got to the spot the vast majority of bugs seemed to be gone, either on the crawl from the smell of bait, scooped up by the hoopnetters, or scared away by Josh since he got a head start on me. And to make things worse the swell had picked up and the vis on the inside was only a murky 10ft. This was going to be a tougher night than I though.

Halfway through the dive I grabbed a couple bugs just sitting on the ground between two flat rocks. 15 minutes later I looked in a hole and saw the tail of one bug pointing towards me. I just reached in and pulled it without the bugger ever spotting me That was a real delicate grab and I was pretty stoked I nabbed him.

Maybe 1.5-2 hours had passed. So I went over to checking up on Josh and his dad. Josh had grabbed a monster 4.5lb bug in a spot he'd staked out in the daytime, as well as 4 other bugs. Josh's dad had only grabbed one.

We all agreed this spot was spent and we needed to try somewhere else.

Once we jumped in at the next spot we all started kicking ourselves in the mental butt. The bugs were everywhere and the vis was top to bottom! You could see bugs crawling on the sand, the bare rocks, the eel grass, and within grabbing distance inside holes. And bugs weren't the only thing to be had at this spot. In one hole Josh must have found a monster fish, because he kept repeating he'd seen a "world record sized calico". Which made me really want to see this sucker! He pointed down and I dove straight for a hole, but looking inside all I saw was a couple short lobsters. But this reef wasn't too big so I knew that fish was still somewhere in the area. In addition to the calico Josh said he'd also seen a pair of monster rockfish almost the same size in another hole. This spot was getting better and better in my mind.

Less than an hour in to the dive and Josh max's out his limit, says see yah, and swam back to the boat to get some shut eye. I get my limit less than an hour later, but stuck it out with Josh's dad so he'd have company in the water. He finally hit his limit by 6:20am and we all called it a night. Or more like morning since you could see the sunrise peaking over the ocean.

Here's a pic of our 3 lobster limits.

By 10:45am we wake up and Josh's dad says this spot has even better vis in the daytime. I would have slept in, but he was so amped to get in the water it made me want to jump out of bed and suit up.... which I did <img src= " height="23" srcset="https://spearfishing.world/forum/images/smilies/emojione/1f606@2x.png 2x">

We all jumped in the water and said big fish wins the prize (the prize being bragging rights). So I grab my 100cm rob allen and wish that I brought along a shorter gun for those monster fish Josh had found in those holes. But before that I searched the sand from the surface in 30ft of water. Spotted one baby halibut and a baby guitarfish, but that's it. So I headed off to the reef.

Shone my light in a dozen holes looking for a fish. Most holes had a few lobsters in them, but not a single rockfish to be seen. After a while I popped my head in one hole and I see this monster face staring back at me. It almost looked like a grouper! But I knew instinctively that this had to be the calico Josh was going crazy over last night. With the angle of my gun not even close to the shooting position I quietly went back to the surface for air. Stretching my arms out I was able to hold the gun in a firing position while holding the tip close to my body. Back down I go and just like a grouper that big old bass is sitting in the same position looking at me in the hole. Point, shoot, and pull! And there I had it my personal best California Calico. It wasn't a world record like Josh had said, but it was a monster. Got him less than 15 minutes from the end of the dive. On the way back Josh and his dad were pretty stoked on my catch. Would have been Josh's personal best if he had found it first. But finder's keepers

Two days later on October 3rd. Josh sends me a text at 10pm that says he's got a Laguna Lobster Limit! I had all my gear in the car, while driving back from class, but reading a text like that was just something I couldn't ignore. Josh added in the spot location, so I said to myself that's where I'm going!

Jumped in the water and the bugs were sure crawling. Took me 2.5 hours to suit up, grab some bugs, and get back to my car. My favorite grabs were the couple of lobsters that hid under the sea weed. You'd be swaying your light back and forth and then you'd see that glimmer of orange shine under a bundle of seaweed. Looking down I could see there was a definite legal bug sitting right below me. But the kelp was in the way. As the swell moved back and forth there would be that one short moment were the bug would be completely exposed. You had to time it just right or you could get your hand stuck in the kelp and spook the bug. Once he flicks his tail it's all over. But I timed it right and got a solid grab on its back. Wrapped him around and squeezed him against my body.

Well 6 more grabs and I got my Laguna Lobster Limit.

Great way to start the season off. Two days of diving and two lobster limits

I want to do this!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrTpPUAYE48

Quote from Dan

So the part you're not holding is the piston? I'd like to see a closeup of the head of the piston. Does it fit loosely inside the tube?

Yah the second pipe fits loosely inside the tube, but there's an o-ring that sticks out a little bit which makes the two tubes fit snugly together. The o-ring keeps the water from escaping.

Oh and if anyone was curious that PVC tube I found was a home made squirt gun. The hole in the tube sucks up the water and shoots it out 15+ feet. Pretty cool find.

Quote from Don Paul

Daniel is that Puma and rattle snake country ?

Cheers, Don

I didn't see either on the trip, but I wouldn't doubt it if someone told me I was in their territory.

Quote from Dan

Was the PVC used for this? http://spearfishing.world/foru…5-the-wonders-of-pvc.html

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/5387/pvc.jpg

That's some creepy stuff :@

Don that's impressive! Awesome job on the tuna quicky kill.

Also I found this in the river. Anyone want to guess what it is?

Quote from Dan

Excellent report Daniel. Loved the little bonus details like finding the beer I imagine those carp would make great dog food. Isn't that anchor too big for a yak? That looks about the size I use for my 18ft rib. I too have a collection of those smaller anchors, I keep them hanging over my fence for decoration more than anything. I just can't pass them up when I find them in good condition. Still waiting to find a stainless steel one.

Your mention of a chicken looking thing made me think of a road runner.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wi…px-Roadrunner_running.jpg

haha no it wasn't a road runner. It was a thicker bird. I've seen road runners before.

You're right. The anchor is way too big for the yak I'm using. Dan told me the same thing when he saw it. I was thinking I could go smaller, but then I'd have to buy a new one . I'll just keep this one untill I can find one a smaller one.

And I know what you mean by not being able to pass up on those anchors. Anything in the water that's more valuable than a couple bucks I'm grabbing it. I don't care if I have no need for it. It's just feels great to find something for free. It's my kind of underwater treasure hunting.
,

Quote from LunkerBuster

thanks Daniel....love the write ups of a good overnight trip.
I'd suggest you buy a decent harmonica...best camping toy ever. you can get really decent at the harmonica in a very short time and it takes up a lot less space than a guitar

Hmm I've got a harmonica. I should bring it along on the next trip and figure out how to play it.

Quote from Don Paul

What a cool report, nice images.

Cheers, Don

Glad you liked it

Back from another trip. Unfortunately we didn't get any pictures of our carp kills. This spot was further north so the water was flowing faster and colder than down river. Those two factors motivated me to leave the dozen or so carp I shot where they lay. But I saw at least a hundred carp on the trip, sadly none were over 12lbs. Maybe another spearo got to them before me.

The kayaking was great on the river. Calm, flat, and great scenery all around. The hills that surrounded looked to be a great environment for birds. On our way up river we saw a bald eagle, a hawk, a lot of vultures, ducks, something that looked a little like a chicken, and a heron. And after the sun set bats swooped all around our campsite.

The striper report.... Dan saw an 8inch striper and a 5-6lb striper in the river, but couldn't get close enough for a shot. I snuck up behind a 1lb striper, but missed the shot. Saw over a hundred carp in the river, but no monsters among them, none were over 12lbs.

Here's a few of the shots I took from our campsite.

These guys were drinking in the river near our camp earlier. By the time I pulled out my camera they were on the move again.

At least a dozen vultures showed up to munch on Dan's carp I chucked on the shoreline.
Although only one vulture did the eating, the rest just sat around waited for some scraps.

View from camp

Just another fun weekend trip to the river

Killing a bunch of carp has been on my to do list for a while now. And when I found some spare time over the weekend I decided to go for it.

The campsite I had in mind required a little off-roading to get to, but I couldn't tell from home whether my car would be able to make it or not. And I was fairly certain I couldn't get any of my close friends tag along with me on a moments notice. So I decided to make it a solo scouting trip just for the heck of it.

Luckily my worries were flattened as I breezed through the dirt trail like it was nothing. The worst it had to offer was a long stretch of very thick sand which my 4x4 slid right through without stopping.


Made it to the campsite just after sunset



You know you're really camping when technology stops working



My kind of dinner (crackers out of frame)



Morning at the campsite and the weather feels great. Not too hot and plenty of sun. The river was almost too warm for my SoCal wetsuit, but I drank a ton of water and made it happen.

Set my sights on hunting carp within swimming distance from camp.



A dive flag is mandatory out here, but with all the boaters on the water I was glad to have it. I grabbed my yellow Sturgill Spearfishing floatline this time instead of my old back polypro floatline. I bet that yellow would be more visible to the boaters.



First haul from shore. Dragged the yellow Sturgill floatline along rocks, cliffs, tree branches, with the carp in tow and it worked out great. Kept floating and no boaters came in close enough to bother me.



Sad puppy

Biggest one from the dive at 12-13lbs

Pulled out my kayak to hit some spots further out.



I let most of the carp sink, but I brought back the two biggest to weigh in. You know I'm always gunning for that personal best fish.



Also found a brand new anchor underwater. I've found 6 anchors this year, but this one is my favorite by far. Came with a coated metal chain and floatline attached.

It's gunna stick to my kayak like glue from now on.



Also found this container with free beer and soda. Only a month old according to the label. Drank it that night.



Got around to weighing those two carp and one was a clear personal best for the trip. I had a feeling this guy was big as he crested over a rockpile. With one glance I knew I couldn't let him swim by. Weighed 18 lbs

Later I cut open his head looking for the oteliths. And even though I ripped his head to shreds I couldn't find a single stone or even a fragment. Chucked it all back in the water which I'm sure made at least one catfish very happy.



Built a nice campfire to end the day with and roasted some marshmallows


After nightfall I started wishing I had brought a book or something to pass the time with, because it was absolutely boring once the sun set. Luckily I brought my dive light along with me. Sitting there in the dark I thought why not and slipped back into my suit for some night time carp hunting.

I was hoping to see a monster carp as I circled the inlet, but nada. But there were plenty of decent sized carp to cull and after messing with a few of them I called it a night.

Day 3

No pictures from today, but I still got some nice diving in.

I opted for a 5 1/2 round trip paddle to a new spot I'd seen on the map. It ended up having a dozen man made underwater structures placed 100-150ft from shore with countless carp swimming around them.

Holding my breath on the bottom I'd watch those fat faced suckers swarm around me like curious dogs. I kept waiting for a big one to show up, but I didn't spot anything that looked substantially bigger than yesterday's take.

Then one beefy looking carp came in that I thought could have been the biggest from the trip. Almost too late I decided... Fire! The fish zipped away pulling my shooting line immediately. I could feel the tug yank harder than any fish I'd shot on the trip. As I pulled it in close I saw my aim was way too high. The shooting line was only holding on by an inch of flesh under the dorsal fin. I tried playing the line as delicately as possible, but that fish was full of fight and tore off right away. Watching him swim away madly wasn't the best sight in the world, but it was only a carp so I didn't feel too bad.

Finished up the dive and yacked back to the car.

I could have stayed an extra day, but I felt like I had enough carp blood on my hands for one weekend and I was out of ice. So I hit the gas and headed home.

---------------------------------------------

Only thing I regret from this trip is not having an underwater camera to bring along with me.

But with the 4 month fishing license I bought I know I'll be back soon. Hopefully with someone else. I've already got a different spot in mind for the next visit, one which I have a better feeling for when it comes to finding stripers :up:

Well I never got around to doing much of a redo for this video, but I re-uploaded it to youtube recently. So I thought I'd post it up again since the old link is dead.

I'd watch in 720p for the best quality.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOHSOfH3Z7A

Quote from Don Paul

What a great story Danial, I think that is the best WSB post I've ever read here.
I even read it with out stopping for coffee..

Thanks so much for the great read mate.

Cheers, Don

Quote from ddonnell

Very good read Daniel. Well done!

Glad you guys liked that story <img src= " height="23" srcset="https://spearfishing.world/forum/images/smilies/emojione/1f606@2x.png 2x">

Quote from ladvr

Update: Bag lasted less then a year. It was good for carrying very heavy loads up the hills but ultimately fell apart......

Bummer I was thinking of upgrading to that bag when the army duffel bag you gave me finally wears out. Guess I'll just buy another army bag when mine wears out.

Quote from Dan

Nicel vid. Are the humboldt as good to eat as the small squid we get in south Florida?

Remove the top and bottom layers of skin (soak in buttermilk for hours), pound the meat until it's half as thick, dip the meat in eggs, bread crumbs, and jalapenos slices. Then fry them to perfection and dip in cocktail sauce. Sometimes I add a little melted cheese to the top. If you cook them this way they make for one excellent appetizer

Unfortunately those squid have a natural salty/lemony flavor to them. So it limits the cooking potential of Humboldts. But I really do love the recipe above. If you cook it just right everyone will dig in to these things at a party.

Quote from onkelhedde

How about getting into the water with those guys?
I have heard that they are quite fierce...

I'd need body armor for that! Those squid eat anything in the water. If you reel up a Humboldt too slow, the other squid would chow down on the one you hooked. One guy on the boat consistently reeled up munched on squid. I wouldn't want that to be me :@

Darren mentioned or asked me, I forget which, about a write up for this fish. I had a rough draft saved on my computer for a while, which I edited a couple times. Mostly I put it off and just forgot about this document. But I gave it another try today and I think now it's good enough... maybe. Anyways I thought I'd throw it up on this thread before I forget about it again.

If I can attribute this wsb to anyone I’d have to give my thanks to Bill Mac. He posted a couple of reports of Dam’s recent hauls and repeatedly mentioned other wsb being caught, some even over 60lbs. Now I already knew fish were being speared or at least had the feeling, but seeing those two fish and reading Bills comments just pushed me over the edge. I had to get in the water and see those silver monsters for myself. I couldn’t wait any longer. Tomorrow I was going to look for my very first wsb of the year!

Packed my gear and almost couldn’t go to sleep I was so anxious. I hadn’t hunted for wsb in a while and thoughts of those fish just kept darting back and forth inside my brain. But soon I found sleep amidst the wsb.

Woke up the next day and zipped out to my favorite wsb spot.

Last year I had thoroughly scouted this area so I knew exactly where the wsb liked to hang out. Like a bee to its nectar I headed straight for it. Swimming through the kelp I avoided all temptations to explore until I reached that one spot which I knew held those fat monsters. Minutes later I’m there and one, two, three… countless dives later I can’t believe what I’m seeing? No wsb. Not a fin, a boom, not even a flicker of a white scaly hide to keep my hopes up. Sure the water was murky, it was no top to bottom day, but there was still plenty of vis to work with. If they were here I would have at least seen a shadow or something. But after each dive the kelp felt more and more vacant. Something had changed. As I continued to dive down through the thick canopy I refused to give up hope. There might be a c-bass just around the next kelp strand.

But as the minutes turned to hours and the hours dragged on and on, my body was slowly succumbing to the silent enemy of the sea. The frigid cold water was sucking out the last bits of fire from my core. I was no longer warm. I was shivering.

With a long sigh on the surface I made the decision to head back. I hadn’t covered the entire bed, but I’d checked out enough of it to know that there was nothing here worth sticking around for. So I turned around and started swimming back to shore, stopping at a few spots I thought could hold seabass, but mostly making a b-line to where I’d come from.

By the time I arrived at the main beachfront I still felt the cold run its discouraging chills down my body, but with the sun still in the sky I began toying with the thought of continuing on ahead to check out the next kelp bed. But before I could make up my mind a large shiny body slithered its way underneath me and I almost couldn’t believe what I saw as I watched a 30lb wsb magically appear and disappear before my eyes. The whole time I had been pointing my gun behind me. Of course by the time I swung it around that massive ghost had long since disappeared, but the memory of it gliding below me replayed itself over and over in my skull.

Like lightning to a tree my indecision had been destroyed. Thoughts and feelings of cold were instantly replaced with an electrifying excitement over what lay ahead. I was back to wsb mode!

Moving further into the thick murky kelp I almost immediately started seeing a fair bit of movement below. Barely able to make out the shapes, I watched below as the backs of ghosts glided in an out of being on the edge of visibility. They did not leave, instead mockingly they continued appearing and disappearing a second here a second there. I could not accurately take a single shot even though they were less than 6ft away from me. All were legal, but impossibly beyond reach.

I decided to change tactics. It was time to dive down into their element and meet these huge fish at their level. Kicking below I entered into their domain. If you hadn’t realized it yet, this area was just completely murked out. I had to strain to barely see the silhouette of a kelp strand 5ft away. Even so I leveled off inside that muddy visual prison, ready for anything. Five seconds later, slightly frustrated with my limited view, I thought about kicking forward and almost before I move I hear a boom, and another boom, and then a succession of booms and then far away I here even fainter booms. Shit I scared a ton without even seeing a single one underwater! Going back up for air I give up on diving for a moment and just wait at the surface. Nothing happens. The fish that were swimming below me are clearly gone. With hope eternal I slowly move on, through the kelp from the surface.

Not even 20ft away I see something. It’s barely clear enough to make out the fish from the surface. But I know without question that it's a perfect opportunity at a very legal wsb. Its back is in sight and moving slow enough below me for an easy shot. I quickly line my gun up for the kill shot and I have him. Just a trigger pull away and he’s mine! I watch and wait and the moment passes. I let him go. Why would I do that? It was at least a 20-30 pound fish, there for the taking and everything!? Well I felt a little trepidation as I watched that log of a fish swim off into the murk, but I’d made a promise to myself. And that promise was to only shoot a wsb I could be proud of. My goal, my desire, wasn’t to shoot any old wsb I was going to shoot a big wsb, End of story.

The water looked slightly clearer further into kelp bed, but I continued to stay on the surface. The utter failure of my attempted underwater dive just minutes ago was still fresh in my brain. Quietly I weaved through the kelp, lifting bands of kelp up and over my snorkel silently as I made my way through the canopy of kelp. I soon had a bead on another wsb, but it was even smaller than the last, so I let it go as well.

I swam past another kelp strand and something ridiculous perfect meets my eyes. Right in front of my face less than 5ft away I see the face of a monster 35-40lb wsb floating horizontally in front of me. Then something tells me to look left and as I do I grab hold of another surprise as I realize there’s another wsb floating right there with this one! But wait what’s that? I look even further to my left and there’s a face of one that just dwarfs the other two fish. All I could see is its face and still I know that’s the biggest damn thing I’d seen all day!

All my reserves are lost at the sight of this one fish and without hesitation I pull the trigger on the beast. Steal blasts out of my hybrid like an explosion! The jolt blinds my sight, reel line flies, and I head to the surface. To my surprise the reel line stops dead quiet as I reach the surface. Sweet! I must have stoned him. But then I look down at my reel again and like Frankenstein it’s come back to life! Line peels out at an alarming rate! Then stops and I feel a little relief…but wait no! It’s zipping out some more! Oh wait it's stopped again. Is that it… oh crap there goes more line! The cycle continued and my line slowly disappeared in spurts as the fish continued desperately to gain more ground. I grabbed my Riffe float on the end of my gun and began inflating it all while keeping pressure on my reel line. Better to worry about that now before I run out of all my line. Then like all my wsb from the past this one stopped at roughly a quarter of line left in my reel.

Trying to calm myself I slowly take a few more breaths at the surface, glad that the fight is over. There is always that worry in the back of my mind that this is the one, the one that will pull all my line and take everything from me. But this one was through; tired and entangled at the bottom of the kelp. Like a treasure to be found, I knew somewhere deep under this murky film of water was a prize worth searching for. A few more breaths and my inflatable is fully inflated. Letting go of the gun I look down the line and decide it’s time to follow it. Dimly illuminated underwater I swim past kelp strand after kelp strand gliding over the light grey trail that is my shooting line. There was a fish somewhere up ahead, but my breath hold could not carry me that far. Looking up I made my way back to the surface, but in the same instant I grabbed hold of the shooting line. I could feel by its tug that it was impossible to pull the line all the way to the surface, but I knew the closer it was to the surface the easier it would be for me to find on my next dive. So I pulled the line up and in response it snapped!

Looking down I watched as the line separated itself in my hand. All I could think of was,”Oh shit!” But I desperately needed to breath. So I continued pushing to the surface. I could do nothing but watch as the green muddy water absorbed those two pieces of line, changing them from grey, to green, to nothing at all.

Gulping a fresh breath of air, I'm back at the surface. You’d think I’d freak out, but for some reason I was not worried in the slightest. The line was below me so all I needed to do was dive down and pick up where I left off. Calm and collected I gathered the air I needed and dove back down. Within seconds I caught sight of that same grey line and I’m back on path to my ghostly treasure.

A few more kicks down the line and once again I feel the need for air. So I return to the surface. This time the line reaches the surface without a single tug, of course that's because there’s no longer any gun to tug on. Barely waiting at the surface I quickly dive back down to the trail knowing the fish can’t be far now. Nearing the bottom I see a shiny flicker of white behind a kelp strand. Gliding in closer I see it. She’s there. A monster of a fish silently floating upside down in the kelp, all the fight is out of her. Quickly I swoop in and wrap my hands around her massive body. And with that I have her!

Up to the surface I kick with my prize. A few feet up and I start to feel tension, a few more and my ascent slows considerable, a couple more and I’m at a dead stop. The line’s stuck and I’m out of time! Worried at the thought I realized I had to let go. Releasing my prize I bolt for the surface and a jolt of fear hits into me as I breach for air. The thought of losing the fish rushes through me as I looked around desperately wondering which kelp strand held the sea bass. Looking back to my float it helped calm my nerves as it served as a landmark in this endless sea of kelp. Convincing myself that the fish could not be far I dove back down to find her. It’s not long and I find that same log of a fish. This time as I grab hold of her massive head and managed what I could not just seconds ago. I made it to the surface, seabass in hand! Looking at her now I cursed my judgmental eye as I had to admit she was no personal best. But still I could not take away the fact that she was one hell of a fish! She was short, but fat and above all she was mine.

Now all I had to do was to bring this beast back to my gun and I could grab everything and make that long trek back to shore. Thankfully the fish’s air bladder was still pumped full of air and in no time at all I was right back where I started. A couple minutes of fiddling with my slip tip and soon it popped free! And… “Oh shit!” I forgot about my broken line! If I dropped the slip tip now… I looked around, and it’s clear my shaft along with my slip tip had sunk straight to the bottom. Man this seabass just got a lot more expensive.

Grabbing the fish I was determined to get my shaft and tip back! Pulling that lunker of a fish down with me I kicked hard until I reached the seafloor. Scanning in all directions I couldn’t see anything that looked familiar. I look back at the fish sitting next to me and felt the squeeze in my lungs. What was I thinking? I couldn’t stay down here long enough to search while dragging this fish anchor along. Resolutely I bolted back to the surface, found my float, grabbed my gun, and shoved the muzzle into the fish’s mouth and out it’s gills. That aughta hold her, now I just need to find my shaft. Looking up I marked my location with my float and down I go. Nearly all fear and worry had left my mind by now. The water was calm, the visibility was at least 10ft in this spot, and I had hours to search for my gear. It was only a matter of time till I found it again. And within 3 dives my prediction came true. I found my shaft and tip.

Now I had everything. I had my day in the water, I had my gear, and most importantly I had my fish.

Well I was searching through my video files today and ran across this short clip I made last year when a few friends and I chartered Captain Leo's boat (ariessportfishing.com) out of Oceanside,CA to catch some Humboldt squid. We headed out at night, hit a sweet spot a mile from the harbor, and just loaded up on tons of huge squid. It was some of the best fishing I've ever had.

Thought I'd throw it up on youtube today and share it with you guys. I know next time an invasion of giant squid comes to California I'll be the first one to jump on a boat to catch those suckers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwC-244kSEk

Quote from Ryddragyn

Now you have to eat them raw with lime while floating on your dive board.

Alex I knew you were crazy about scallops , but not that crazy

Made myself a goal yesterday to eat some scallops on the beach. Today I made it happen. Went out with Dustan Baker looking for fish and scallops. Scallops weren't as plentiful as last time I was out, but I found some nice ones. Vis was 15-20ft which was really good for the area we were diving.

Around the middle of the dive I dropped down on one spot, not expecting much, but once I reached the bottom I was just covered by the most nice sized sand bass, calicos, and other reef fish I'd ever seen in one spot. Sitting at the bottom aspetto style the fish just circled around me like I was a plain old rock. I wouldn't be surprised if someone told me there were 25 game fish and 20 reef fish within shooting distance of me. Each bass was at least 2lbs and I thought to myself if I decided to shoot one I'm going to have to aim twice as careful, because the fish kept moving in front of each other as they crowded around me.

And in the distance I saw the hazy shadowed outline of one massive sized calico. It felt like 8lbs while I was staring as it slowly circled in the distance. Unfortunately I had a hole gun on me and no way to land that sucker. I just watched it through the wall of fish in front of me as that wise old fish kept his distance from me. Soon my lungs started to ache and I decided on heading back to the surface without taking a shot.

We ended the dive by eating some scallops on the beach with a little lime squeezed on top. I'd pulled the trigger once on the dive at a nice 2-3lb calico that felt content to just stare at me as I sat on a rock wall. But unfortunately my aim was too high and the spear went right over it's head. Dustan nabbed a nice 2.9lb sandy, but told me he saw some even bigger fish that eluded his spear.

That's it from the dive. But here's a pic of a scallop I brought back to pan fry for lunch.

This really makes me want to go down to Baja!

Neat~