Went on a 3-day camping/fishing trip to Two Harbors for my spring break.
3/25
I took the 9:30 am boat out of San Pedro to Two Harbors. I arrived at around 11 am and dropped my things off at the gear haul. I would check into my campsite at 2 pm, so I decided to do some fishing. I went to the backside of the island and set up on the dinghy dock on the north side of Cat Harbor. I fished a light setup with a dropper loop and some squid, while I tossed a Lucky Craft with my other setup. Fishing was overall pretty slow, and I only managed a short calico and two round rays on the squid. However, about an hour in, something pulled my light setup into the water. Although I managed to retrieve it with my other rod, I lost that fish. I then moved to the south side of the harbor, over by the Del Rey Yacht club, and began fishing chunks of mackerel on fishfinder rigs. I caught a 25" shovelnose and a ~40" leopard shark, which were both released. I then checked into my campsite, and after setting up my camping gear, I went back to the harbor and fished a lure for no luck. I then fished the rocks by the campsite for little luck, catching only a 16" mackerel, which was also released.
3/26
I woke up at 4:30 am and went to the rocks around the campsite once again, this time with a heavy setup and wire leaders, hoping to catch one of the soupfin sharks that I have seen fairly often in that area. I fished chunks of mackerel for a couple hours with no love, and returned to my campsite by 8 am. I then went to the harbor, and tossed lures on the north side of the harbor, and caught three short halibut. Once the bites dried up, I fished the same spot on the south side, and was rewarded with a 31" guitarfish, and two leopards, one ~36" male, which pulled the hook as soon as it was landed and made it back into the water before I could get any pictures, and a 42" female, which wrapped itself severely in a mass of seaweed, which took 10 minutes to untangle, which was only complicated by it also having wrapped itself up in the wire leader and my line. I then walked over to Ballast point, by the abandoned yacht club, and fished bits of shrimp on a dropper loop, catching a whitefish, three short calico, and a sand bass. I then hiked back to the campsite, and fished the cliffs again, with no luck. After dinner, I stayed up and fished chunks of mackerel and squid off the beach, hoping for bat rays. No luck.
3/27
I woke up late at 7 am, and packed up my gear quickly before heading to the harbor once again. I caught one 27" shovelnose, lost what I suspect was a very large shovelnose right at shore due to a mass of drifting seaweed, lost 2 leopards to pulled hooks, nearly landed a ~45" leopard, only for it to wear through my mainline at the very last second, and finally landed a 42" leopard, which I harvested. After putting the shark into my cooler, which had been deposited, along with the rest of my gear, back at the town, I rested for a while, before fishing the rocks in the Isthmus cove. I caught three keeper sheephead, the largest being 17". At around 3:20, I headed back to the town and, after putting the fish in the cooler, waited around for the 4:30 pm departure.
Although the fishing was not amazing, I thoroughly enjoyed the trip.
Notes:
- There were still mullet in the harbor, but they were not within casting range
- With wire leader in the harbor, I got lots of taps, but fewer committed strikes, while switching to 100lb mono led to more committed bites
- Much fewer round stingrays than my last visit
- Very cool water temperatures
- There are still plenty of leopard sharks in the harbor, even when the spawn is several months away in the summer
- Isthmus pier still closed to fishing
3/25
I took the 9:30 am boat out of San Pedro to Two Harbors. I arrived at around 11 am and dropped my things off at the gear haul. I would check into my campsite at 2 pm, so I decided to do some fishing. I went to the backside of the island and set up on the dinghy dock on the north side of Cat Harbor. I fished a light setup with a dropper loop and some squid, while I tossed a Lucky Craft with my other setup. Fishing was overall pretty slow, and I only managed a short calico and two round rays on the squid. However, about an hour in, something pulled my light setup into the water. Although I managed to retrieve it with my other rod, I lost that fish. I then moved to the south side of the harbor, over by the Del Rey Yacht club, and began fishing chunks of mackerel on fishfinder rigs. I caught a 25" shovelnose and a ~40" leopard shark, which were both released. I then checked into my campsite, and after setting up my camping gear, I went back to the harbor and fished a lure for no luck. I then fished the rocks by the campsite for little luck, catching only a 16" mackerel, which was also released.
3/26
I woke up at 4:30 am and went to the rocks around the campsite once again, this time with a heavy setup and wire leaders, hoping to catch one of the soupfin sharks that I have seen fairly often in that area. I fished chunks of mackerel for a couple hours with no love, and returned to my campsite by 8 am. I then went to the harbor, and tossed lures on the north side of the harbor, and caught three short halibut. Once the bites dried up, I fished the same spot on the south side, and was rewarded with a 31" guitarfish, and two leopards, one ~36" male, which pulled the hook as soon as it was landed and made it back into the water before I could get any pictures, and a 42" female, which wrapped itself severely in a mass of seaweed, which took 10 minutes to untangle, which was only complicated by it also having wrapped itself up in the wire leader and my line. I then walked over to Ballast point, by the abandoned yacht club, and fished bits of shrimp on a dropper loop, catching a whitefish, three short calico, and a sand bass. I then hiked back to the campsite, and fished the cliffs again, with no luck. After dinner, I stayed up and fished chunks of mackerel and squid off the beach, hoping for bat rays. No luck.
3/27
I woke up late at 7 am, and packed up my gear quickly before heading to the harbor once again. I caught one 27" shovelnose, lost what I suspect was a very large shovelnose right at shore due to a mass of drifting seaweed, lost 2 leopards to pulled hooks, nearly landed a ~45" leopard, only for it to wear through my mainline at the very last second, and finally landed a 42" leopard, which I harvested. After putting the shark into my cooler, which had been deposited, along with the rest of my gear, back at the town, I rested for a while, before fishing the rocks in the Isthmus cove. I caught three keeper sheephead, the largest being 17". At around 3:20, I headed back to the town and, after putting the fish in the cooler, waited around for the 4:30 pm departure.
Although the fishing was not amazing, I thoroughly enjoyed the trip.
Notes:
- There were still mullet in the harbor, but they were not within casting range
- With wire leader in the harbor, I got lots of taps, but fewer committed strikes, while switching to 100lb mono led to more committed bites
- Much fewer round stingrays than my last visit
- Very cool water temperatures
- There are still plenty of leopard sharks in the harbor, even when the spawn is several months away in the summer
- Isthmus pier still closed to fishing
