Having heard that nothing has been biting really well outside SB Harbor recently, I decided to try some "potluck" fishing. Not much success, but maybe its informative to report the bad days too.

Places: In and about the One Mile. SB Cemetary. Anchored Blue Oil Spill Cleanup Ship. SB Breakwater.

Depths: Twenty to 80 feet.

Water temps: About 66.

Method: 2 rods; one with rat-trap rigged frozen anchovie fished on or near bottom; one with clear w/ red flake Blam on 1/2 oz. yellow leadhead.

Time: 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM.

Conditions: little wind and chop until about 1:00 PM. Very slow drift until about noon. Water clarity seemed about average. Only a few brief episodes of bait breaking water.

Results: Trying for halibut with the anchovie, caught nothing but mackerel after mackerel on this rig. Learned too late that the trick to avoid the mackerel seems to be to go down to the bottom too fast for the mackerel, but not so fast as to foul the rig.

The Blam got a few light taps, mostly on the fall, and one big missed strike on the fall near the bottom.

Because I am fairly new to the South and to this site I do not know if such a "nonreport" is worthwhile or a waste of time for viewers. Let me know.

IMO It isn't a waist of time if you try to figure out what didn't work and why. I.E. You mentioned the drop rate affecting mackerel hook-ups. When I don't want mackerel, they seem to be Easy to catch, when I want them(for sharking, etc.) they're scarce. This might be because when I'm after them for bait, I'm rushing so I can get to "real fishing".

Tight lines,
Wade

I fished one day this past weekend outside SB harbor and it pretty much sucked. I caught 5 fish...all 2'-2.5' smoothhound sharks on the big dines that they had for bait.

I'm headin down to Redondo this weekend to either fish in, or alongside the kayak tourneyment. Maybe my bud and I can pick up some more big butts. We should have the pics from 3 weeks ago back soon.