Got there around 4:15AM. This Pier opens at 4AM and parking at the adjoining lot is free until 10AM.
I used a sabiki to catch a queen fish and fish it on a carolina rig with a 1 oz sinker. No bites. I caught a couple smelt on the sabiki and switched the bait out to a medium sized smelt. Still the no bites.
I was also fishing a hi, low rig with a live ghost shrimp on one hook and a piece of cut shrimp on the other hook. Getting small bites. Bait stealers. Nothing strong enough to set the hook. I was using size 6 bait holder hooks. This rig was producing well on my previous visits but today the fish that it was attracting were too small to hook. I was intermittingly pulling up red kelp which was affecting the bite on this rig.
As the sun was rising there were lots of bait boils. Something was going after the tiny smelt on the surface. The predator fish looked small. Like maybe mackerel but it was difficult for me to see clearly because it was still dark.
I retied my other pole with a 2 oz. sliding sinker on a fish finder rig with a 3/0 circle hook and a very short (less than 1 foot leader). I casted this as far as I could with a full head on shrimp.
After a couple casts I finally found the spot with the fish. I hooked a good size fish and then it ran into the rocks. I let my line out and waiting for it to make a run for it. When it did, I reeled it in and it was a 14" Sheephead. This was my second ever Sheephead and this was the fish that I came here for!
I rebaited and 30 minutes later hooked up on a bigger fish that rubbed my line against the rocks and broke me off!
I retied and rebaited and left that line in the water all the up into all my stuff was cleaned up and I was ready to leave. No more detectable bites.
Happy to have caught this fish but of course it is the one that got away that is on my mind. Going back tomorrow to try and catch it or a bigger one!
I had the end of the pier to myself from when I got there until I left at 9:30AM.
I used a sabiki to catch a queen fish and fish it on a carolina rig with a 1 oz sinker. No bites. I caught a couple smelt on the sabiki and switched the bait out to a medium sized smelt. Still the no bites.
I was also fishing a hi, low rig with a live ghost shrimp on one hook and a piece of cut shrimp on the other hook. Getting small bites. Bait stealers. Nothing strong enough to set the hook. I was using size 6 bait holder hooks. This rig was producing well on my previous visits but today the fish that it was attracting were too small to hook. I was intermittingly pulling up red kelp which was affecting the bite on this rig.
As the sun was rising there were lots of bait boils. Something was going after the tiny smelt on the surface. The predator fish looked small. Like maybe mackerel but it was difficult for me to see clearly because it was still dark.
I retied my other pole with a 2 oz. sliding sinker on a fish finder rig with a 3/0 circle hook and a very short (less than 1 foot leader). I casted this as far as I could with a full head on shrimp.
After a couple casts I finally found the spot with the fish. I hooked a good size fish and then it ran into the rocks. I let my line out and waiting for it to make a run for it. When it did, I reeled it in and it was a 14" Sheephead. This was my second ever Sheephead and this was the fish that I came here for!
I rebaited and 30 minutes later hooked up on a bigger fish that rubbed my line against the rocks and broke me off!
I retied and rebaited and left that line in the water all the up into all my stuff was cleaned up and I was ready to leave. No more detectable bites.
Happy to have caught this fish but of course it is the one that got away that is on my mind. Going back tomorrow to try and catch it or a bigger one!
I had the end of the pier to myself from when I got there until I left at 9:30AM.
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