THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE INFO ON HOW TO FISH THE SEABASS IN THE HARBOR. I STARTED ABOUT 6 P.M. WITH THE FISH TRAPS. SANTA MARIA SUCKS FOR ANY TACKLE. NO ONE HAD THE FAST TRACS OR SARDINE FISH TRAPS. I TOOK ANYTHING GREEN I HAD. I FISHED FOR ABOUT TWO HOURS WITHOUT ANY ACTION. THERE WERE TWO GENTELMAN IN TUBES ALSO, BUT THEY HAD NO ACTION EITHER. JUST LIKE YOU SAID, AT SUNDOWN I GOT A BITE. I WAS USING THE DARK BLUE FISH TRAPS THAT HAVE BEEN POPULAR FOR THE ALBIES THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. THE BITES WERE JUST TAPS, I THOUGHT IT WAS A THOMAS COD. ON MY NEXT CAST IT STARTED AGAIN, SO I SET THE HOOK. I GOT A NICE SEABASS. PULLED ME AROUND, IN CIRCLES, IT WAS A KICK. THIS FISH WAS CLEARLY LEGAL. I GOT IT TO THE TUBE AND IT WAS PRETTY TIRED. I GOT A GILL, AND IT JUMPED, I JUMPED, IT ROLLED OVER THE 12LB LINE, AND IT WAS GONE. FOR THE NEXT HOUR, WELL INTO TOTAL DARKNESS THEY CONTINUED TO BITE. I ENDED UP WITH FIVE. THE NEXT TWO WERE BOTH 27 INCHERS, AND THE LAST TWO WERE SMALL. THE LAST ONE WOULD HAVE BEEN A NICE WALLEYE SIZE ON THE IN-FISHERMAN. THERE WAS A SEAL ROLLING ON THE CORNER OF THE DOCK. EVERY CAST ON THAT SEAL WAS A SEABASS FOR SEVERAL MINUTES. THE OTHER TWO GENTELMAN ENDED UP WITH FOUR I THINK. I WAS OUT OF THE WATER AT 9:30. I HAD A BALL.

THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE ADVICE. SORRY YOU WERE NOT THERE TO SHOW ME HOW TO USE THE FAST TRAC. KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED I LEAVE ON A TWO DAY FOR ALBIES THIS SUNDAY. SANDIEGO HAD OVER A THOUSAND TODAY, AND THE WEATHER SOUNDS LIKE IT IS GETTING BETTER. I JUST MAY WHACK UM.

Nice job.

Just curious. What size fishtraps were you using. The colors that have been producing best for me down there have been Channel Island Chovy (lighter conditions), and the Big Hammer Rainbow Trout (darker conditions).

You can't catch tomorrow what you kill today - please practice catch and release.

Howard,
Man, I wanted to join you, but I fished Carneros in the afternoon and had my seat just about rip out, so I had to repair that, and by the time I got that dealt with it was too late. It's been slow for a while, I'm glad you got em. I was afraid you'd come all this way and get skunked, as I have for the past few days. How many seals were around? There have been lots for the last few days. Good job dude, let me know the next time you go out.
-Brian

I WAS USING THE 5 INCH WITH THE ONE OUNCE HEAD LIKE YOU HAVE BEEN SUGGESTING. I JUST DIDNT HAVE ANY SARDINE PATTERNS. THE CHOVY PATTERN I WAS USING IS PRETTY DARK. THERE WERE TWO SEALS THAT JUST SAT NEAR THE DOCK FOR THE FIRST COUPLE HOURS. ABOUT FIVE MINUTES BEFORE THE BITE STARTED THEY BEGAN TO MOVE AROUND. MATTER OF FACT I HAD CASTED INTO THE CHANNEL BORED, AND GOT RIPPED. LINE PULLING. I LOOK AND I HAVE A SEAL THAT EITHER ROLLED ON THE FISHTRAP WHICH SEEMS UNLIKLEY, OR MABE I SNAGGED IT. ANYWAY IT CAME OFF QUICK. ABOUT FIVE MINUTES LATER I HAD THE FIRST SEABASS. THE HARDEST PART WAS NOT HAVING ANY IDEA WHAT I WAS DOING. I DIDN'T KNOW IF THEY HIT IT ON THE SINK, OR ON THE RETRIEVE. I GOT ALL THE HITS ON THE SLOW WIND, ONLY LETTING IT SINK A FEW FEET. I HOOKED ONE RIGHT UNDER MY FIN, THAT WAS COOL. NEXT TRIP ON THE STARDUST FOR ME IS JULY 21. I WILL STOP BY HOOK LINE AND SINKER AND BUY THE PROPER TACKLE FOR THE JOB. ALL IN ALL, THEY BIT REAL GOOD, FOR LONGER THAN I EXPECTED.

I've nailed quite a few recently right under the boat. It seems as if they are following it quite a distance and then nailing it at the last minute. Shocks the hell out of you if you're not prepared.

I've tried all kinds of different retrieves and if the seabass are turned on they all work, if they're not they all don't work.

My cousin got a small sea lion one time on a white 4 in. Kalin's swimbait.

You can't catch tomorrow what you kill today - please practice catch and release.

Howard,
Yeah, sorry I forgot to mention the retrieve. What usually will work is letting it sink to the bottom and then just a straight wind at slow to medium speed. With the fastrac minnow it's a straight wind, no twitching or pausing or anything. I think Hook Line & Sinker has the 5" fastrac sometimes, but Harbor tackle usually has the 4 and 5 inch ones. The color I use is silver/black instead of silver/blue or gold. 21st should be open for me. I'll try to join you on the boat.
-Brian