Well after a long night of cinco de mayo festivities, mexican beers and tequila
shots.... I awoke to find the bouys down, the wind non-existant, and had 2 hours
before my girl returned from her 2 week vacation with her sister in Seattle.

Hmmmmm, I thought, what a great way to welcome here, but with a nice halibut,
ready to throw on the grill.

So began my mission. Find water, find halibut, kill halibut, get girl..... pretty sunset...
you know how that one ends..........(wink)

I ventured to a spot just north of Santa Barbara, one that I knew would probably
hold some flatfish. The water seemed pretty clear, just clear enough, but there was a
little windswell pushing at the point.

I still felt pretty good, well, lets say, I didn't feel too bad, yet!

After struggling with all my gear, putting on a suit that had 6 months to shrink, with
the hot sun beating down, WOW, my head is starting to throb! ow!

I lumber the 1/3 mile to the point and put in. The cool water feels good, but I am
sweating, and my head is really pounding. The tide was a little low for the spot I
liked to work, where I generally find a hali or two, and the surge from the swell was
making for less than favorable conditions. If I were in top form, I would have used
the surge to hunt the sand channels, holding on to the eelgrass as it pushed me too
and fro, but alas, my throbbing head. ouch!

I work out a little deeper, on out to about 8 feet deep. I can bearly see the bottom,
and the long green strands of eelgrass are making me feel a little queasy. Oh, yeah,
and I am pretty congested, so every time I drop down past three feet, my sinuses
start squealing like a stuck pig, and my head THROBS even more, even my jaw and
a tooth with a filling in it hurt.

I am not that happy of a camper, but the water is normally so healing, I will feel
better in a little bit. I decide to go and work the kelp, hoping for a White Sea Bass.

As I kick out the 150 yards to the reef outside, the visibility only about 6 feet, a hazy
green, I am feeling green in the gills. I float slowly amoung the kelp stringers, dipping
down to peer into the kelp rooms, seeing if anyone is home. But for a few perch,
and a short calico bass, this is starting to look pretty bleak.

I decide to make my way in to the inside reef, in shallower where I can see the
bottom, hoping for a halibut. I am not really thinking about seabass anymore, as I
am sure that my sinuses have scared them all away. about half-way down the reef, I
notice a bright orange dive float, in the middle of the kelp! Now, anyone who has
dove with a big float in the kelp, knows that it is about as easy as pushing an anchor
chain!

I slowly make my way in his direction, wondering who it might be. when I am about
100 feet away, I notice that he has the "dive store $29.99 special, yellow" polespear,
and has duckfeet fins on, happily splashing his way through the kelp. I think to
myself, any hopes for a seabass are now long gone, as all this comotion will for
surely have spooked any fish within a mile radius.......... I wave hi to him and decide
that my throbbing head, the squeaking, squealing sinuses and now, two other
snorkelers pounding this kelp is deciding my decision of who is gonna win, the
heavely favored hangover, or the fish.

Now not three seconds pass after thinking that, floating still on the surface, when like
a strange apparition, materializes before me, WOW, I darnd big seabass! Hurry, no
don't rush the shot, hurry, wait, you don't want to get a bad shot, a second longer,
and BLAMO!

I dive , trying to follow the mono, aw, hell, I can see the kelp moving, I just bomb
down and start grabbing, nope, almost, wait, there is the shaft, I can't see anything
but kelp, I feel a thump, I miss, air starting to run out, grab the shaft, the fish,
bearhug, hand in the gills, must have air, I put my feet on the reef, hang on to the fish
and rip my way through the kelp, two feet from the surface, the fish rips from the
spear and I have it under control.

YYYYYEEEEEAAAAAHHHHHOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

The guy looks over, and I hold the fish up! I get a thumbs up from him.

OOOUUUCCCHHH, my head hurts.


YYEEAAHHH!!!, first fish of the year, on the first dive!

Thump thump, the fish is losing strenght. I take my rope stringer, damn, there is only
a loop on one end, I forgot to tie it on the other. I get it throught the gills, into the
mouth and after a minute or two, tie a loop with one hand. Harder than you think,
with a struggling fish, a death grip on his gills. I am not going to lose this one!

Throbb THROBB, OUCH, man why did I have that darned last beer last night, it is
always that last one (yeah right!) that hurts so bad the next day.. : )

I retrieve my gun, line everywhere and a overhand knot has magically appeared in
the mono.

Just focus on getting in. I feel like I am sweating in my suit, even though the water is
cool.

Yeah! got one, and looks like a nice one. Forget stringing the gun, I just look the
line up and make my way in.

Long story short, it was a long walk back to the car, juggling my gear and fish, and I
was not sure who would win, the hangover or the fish, but as I drove away, the
throbbing started to fade, and my grin was shining through the sick feelings.

The seabass won!

PS, it was 36 inches, about 14 lbs. Not too shabby for 6 feet of water, 5 feet of viz
and a kick a$$ hangover.


Marco Farrell
Santa Barbara, CA

Oh, and yes, the I also won over the girl..... roll pretty sunset and credits.... " CUT,
it's a wrap!"