11a-2p - Water stabilized for a few days 64-65. On incoming Loooooog 14 hr single tide shift, sunny with light SSW winds. Heavy smelt mass from surf to end of pier, both sides.
Water looked clear-ish with light bands of red-tide, nothing was corralling the smelt they were spread out away from the pier, started throwing surface feather for no looks, but then BIG boil on smelt about 75yds out off end. Started getting feather strikes but nothing sticking. Then the school started strafing the pier packing all the smelt into the pier. Close full school boils started busting up, not even a pass on surface, very frustrating those fish grrrrrrr. Then a big boil started right under my feathers 40yds out moving in direction of my retrieve so I was right over the exploding bonito looking straight into their eyes LOL still ignoring my smelt looking feathers, then finally a strike with followers trying to grab the 2nd feather, hook, drop, hook, drop, HOOK got the double 13"-14" fish over the rail.
Then nothing! Boils continued so started throwing kroc and stickbait. ZERO looks on the kroc, but 2 or 3 takedowns on the stick bait, none stayed hooked. Full boils stopped but Single blowups continued straight down in the thick smelt, but nothing but a few shallow passes on the feather.
Saw near zero sardines in the water and only 1 mackerel caught. Interesting I talked to Snookie as I was headed home and she asked if I saw any anchovies, in fact I saw 2 spit up by the bonito and when I cleaned the 2 fish later at home they had 3 more anchovies and 1 micro-smelt in their bellies, so each fish had 3 fresh fish in their bellies and still attacked my lure.
I did not see any dolphin on my watch but one gentleman that was there before me (earlier than 11) said there was a pod feed in the bonito boils
Tough bite but a beautiful afternoon fishing.
Water looked clear-ish with light bands of red-tide, nothing was corralling the smelt they were spread out away from the pier, started throwing surface feather for no looks, but then BIG boil on smelt about 75yds out off end. Started getting feather strikes but nothing sticking. Then the school started strafing the pier packing all the smelt into the pier. Close full school boils started busting up, not even a pass on surface, very frustrating those fish grrrrrrr. Then a big boil started right under my feathers 40yds out moving in direction of my retrieve so I was right over the exploding bonito looking straight into their eyes LOL still ignoring my smelt looking feathers, then finally a strike with followers trying to grab the 2nd feather, hook, drop, hook, drop, HOOK got the double 13"-14" fish over the rail.
Then nothing! Boils continued so started throwing kroc and stickbait. ZERO looks on the kroc, but 2 or 3 takedowns on the stick bait, none stayed hooked. Full boils stopped but Single blowups continued straight down in the thick smelt, but nothing but a few shallow passes on the feather.
Saw near zero sardines in the water and only 1 mackerel caught. Interesting I talked to Snookie as I was headed home and she asked if I saw any anchovies, in fact I saw 2 spit up by the bonito and when I cleaned the 2 fish later at home they had 3 more anchovies and 1 micro-smelt in their bellies, so each fish had 3 fresh fish in their bellies and still attacked my lure.
I did not see any dolphin on my watch but one gentleman that was there before me (earlier than 11) said there was a pod feed in the bonito boils
Tough bite but a beautiful afternoon fishing.
