I joined an annual pilgrimage of Mahigeer at Green Pleasure Pier for spiny lobster season opener over this weekend. Weather was pretty nice without strong winds though a bit cloudy most of the days. Moon was up phase quarter. For me it was a long 24 hours of straight fishing without much sleep. A bit taxing on my body but Mahigeer does even longer than that so no complaints here and I could land 10 species including some nice lobsters.
I started my day later than usual arriving at the mole around 11am. I fished for bonito at the mole hoping to make some fresh baits. Threw in a variety of metal jigs but no hits. My neighbor fishing with three hook sabiki rigs were attracting some bonitos at top. He gave me one and I found a biter on my pink gold jigpara surf soon after. I landed a small Spanish Mac on a small blue pink jig while the neighbor added a few more in his sack. I left the mole at 3pm to join Mahigeer at green pleasure where he has been fishing since the morning.
After I arrived there and set up myself, I received a lesson on basics of lobster hoopnetting. I have done crab netting quit a bit in Nor Cal with my trusty flat net. So I thought I knew how. I was deadly wrong. But I write about that later. He let me use his bait cage better than my flat cage.
I started to fish there before we start hoopnetting after dusk. It was my first time trying at green pleasure pier. I made my high low gear with 8lb mono leaders and size 6 hooks. Lots of small calicos were there. After I landed some and a wrasse, I started to target sheepheads with shrimps. Mahigeer showed me the corner of the pier a
certain expert angler there prefers. He said to cast it away and see. This
short but nice female sheephead greeted me after a few casts.
When fish hit the pier, local opener regulars showed up and swapped the news with us. They all were nice and welcoming. It was a night of hard work setting and checking baits, throwing the nets and pulling them up. We landed three keeper sized ones among what we think of 40 shorts we landed. My flat net got none. Well, probably one came in as Mahigeer heard flapping sound when I was pulling it up but it escaped through a small hole developed over the night. Mahigeer’s pair of conical nets were the way to go. All regulars used the same and used a pair. I brought only one net and hoped to fish alongside. Next time, I will get the conical nets and focus only on hoop netting. A lesson learned.
Some entertainment came as a couple of bycatches in the nets. We landed three horn sharks, two moray eels and two round stingrays.
My night fishing was sporadic as my sleep deprivation and sore handed from net pullings got me away from it. But I managed a half dozen calico basses as well as Salema that was biting well at the side of the pier.
Next morning, we moved to the mole to fish. My return ferry was booked to depart in afternoon but I changed it to a morning departure at 10:15. I fished for bonito with Mahigeer and a large crew of other bonito anglers who showed up on the first boat. I landed a calico bass and a Spanish Mac.
Mahigeer and I checked out his new casting rod and I saw him receiving the first bonito hook up of the morning among a dozen anglers. I left the island with tired body but with a great memory and experience that taught me much.
I started my day later than usual arriving at the mole around 11am. I fished for bonito at the mole hoping to make some fresh baits. Threw in a variety of metal jigs but no hits. My neighbor fishing with three hook sabiki rigs were attracting some bonitos at top. He gave me one and I found a biter on my pink gold jigpara surf soon after. I landed a small Spanish Mac on a small blue pink jig while the neighbor added a few more in his sack. I left the mole at 3pm to join Mahigeer at green pleasure where he has been fishing since the morning.
After I arrived there and set up myself, I received a lesson on basics of lobster hoopnetting. I have done crab netting quit a bit in Nor Cal with my trusty flat net. So I thought I knew how. I was deadly wrong. But I write about that later. He let me use his bait cage better than my flat cage.
I started to fish there before we start hoopnetting after dusk. It was my first time trying at green pleasure pier. I made my high low gear with 8lb mono leaders and size 6 hooks. Lots of small calicos were there. After I landed some and a wrasse, I started to target sheepheads with shrimps. Mahigeer showed me the corner of the pier a
certain expert angler there prefers. He said to cast it away and see. This
short but nice female sheephead greeted me after a few casts.
When fish hit the pier, local opener regulars showed up and swapped the news with us. They all were nice and welcoming. It was a night of hard work setting and checking baits, throwing the nets and pulling them up. We landed three keeper sized ones among what we think of 40 shorts we landed. My flat net got none. Well, probably one came in as Mahigeer heard flapping sound when I was pulling it up but it escaped through a small hole developed over the night. Mahigeer’s pair of conical nets were the way to go. All regulars used the same and used a pair. I brought only one net and hoped to fish alongside. Next time, I will get the conical nets and focus only on hoop netting. A lesson learned.
Some entertainment came as a couple of bycatches in the nets. We landed three horn sharks, two moray eels and two round stingrays.
My night fishing was sporadic as my sleep deprivation and sore handed from net pullings got me away from it. But I managed a half dozen calico basses as well as Salema that was biting well at the side of the pier.
Next morning, we moved to the mole to fish. My return ferry was booked to depart in afternoon but I changed it to a morning departure at 10:15. I fished for bonito with Mahigeer and a large crew of other bonito anglers who showed up on the first boat. I landed a calico bass and a Spanish Mac.
Mahigeer and I checked out his new casting rod and I saw him receiving the first bonito hook up of the morning among a dozen anglers. I left the island with tired body but with a great memory and experience that taught me much.
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