I joined Joe Kockrak along with Joe’s friend Merl aboard the "Triggerman" for some Santa Cruz bass fishing. We found a good morning bite fishing the boilers with 5"-7" Big Hammers. Most the bass were 14"–18" beautiful calico’s with lots of spunk. Around 7:Am the current really started ripping, pulling us off our spots very fast. While out in the deeper water we noticed a school of anchovies with suspended bass underneath them that were really biting. It wasn’t long before I was hooked up solid on the 5" Golden Brown Bait/Orange Belly to what turned out to be a 30" WSB:

http://www.momentoffame.com/snapshot.html?id=47185

Joe pulled out some frozen squid (the only bait on the boat) & pinned one to a white Iron which was bit as soon as it hit bottom 60’ down. This was obviously a better fish weighing in @ 18 lbs:

http://www.momentoffame.com/snapshot.html?id=47186

Merl & I followed suit with the squid & Iron but it didn’t happen the same for us. After a while I pitched the same swimbait out on a Calcutta 400 spooled with 15 pound Max. As soon as the bait hit bottom it was ripped but this fish didn’t stop until 80% of the line was gone. Merl’s Iron rod loaded up next, another big fish. My SeaBass weighed 26 lbs but Merl’s fish threw the hook after a nice fight:

http://www.momentoffame.com/snapshot.html?id=47187

We worked the area for some more calico’s & a few slime sticks & some bottom fish including the biggest sculpin I’ve ever seen.

Thanks for the info & especially the ice Larry (Calico Hunter)!
On the way home the trailer burned up a wheel bearing. I didn't get home until 8:pm so having an extra 50 lbs of ice on the fish was 1 less thing we had to worry about.

Josh

Good job on the WSB. Cool pics and report.

Henry Ortega