We launched a little after dawn, from the launch the open ocean looked flat but when we got out, we were greeted by swells that were on average 4ft at a very close interval and a south easterly wind, not fun. My dad made his first dive off of the middle section of the wall, I went between the wall and Hermosa pier in 55ft. of water other fishermen had some luck a year ago (stayed up all night reading old reports from last year) Once there I found there was too much swell to even feel a strike and too much wind/current to reach the bottom with a swimbait, so I went back to where my dad had been diving. When he came up he reported many just short/just legal halibut but he didn't spear anything. I hung around there then went inside and had a few bonito explode of my buzzbait! That has to be the funnest way to catch those things. Nothing for the next hour so I put away my rods and looked around the rocks to see all the stuff around there. I saw octopus, calicos and misc. perch, then I took out my 12# rod with a 5" rainbow trout Big Hammer on it and threw it around right in front of the handlaunch while waiting for my dad to finish his dive. No more than 25 yards off of the handlaunch I stuck a 2.5# sandy, I paddled out a little further and threw the same swimbait and hooked something but the hook pulled out, a second later it bit again and it was on! After a short 5 min battle, a nice flatty comes up. The first and second gaff attempts dont even touch the fish, then I try again and make contact with him this time but I dont penetrate and he dives down about 25 ft before coming up and offering me a perfect gaff shot right in the belly. Once I brought the fish up I let out a yell that could be heard around the bay and everyone on the pier applauded when they saw the fish. After the fluid loss it weighed 12.7# and 32". Sorry my report is probably longer than my fish :) but it's my personal best and I haven't been out in a while so that made it even sweeter.
Tommy