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Forum nameSaltwater Fishing in California
Topic subjectTopanga, 6-27
Topic URLhttp://www.calfishing.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=4&topic_id=6658
6658, Topanga, 6-27
Posted by Tom Cod, Thu Jun-27-02 01:50 PM
Fished Topanga again today for another decent pick on calicos and halibut. I started off at the boiler rocks, FIRST CAST I hook the only legal of the day, 22.5" on a 4" mackeral FT. I fished around those rocks and out deeper for one grass rockfish on a Green Sardine FT, I couldn't really get into the good areas because the tide was down and places where it is usually about 15 ft. deep were only about 6 ft deep! So we headed toward the rockpile inbetween the point and the boiler rocks where I hooked into a nice fish but never saw him on Sunday. I had better luck there and caught 5 nice calicos (2-3#)and 3 short 'buts to 17" there with most of them hitting the 5" Mackeral FT, one halibut ate a 4" Green sardine FT and one calico hit a 5" Rainbow Trout Big Hammer. The calicos around here fight like none I have ever fought before, a lot of them head strait for the surface after being hooked! I finished the day fishing in front of the launch and hooked a 21" 'but and a short sandy. The solid and prizm color swimbaits outfished the clear bellied swimbaits due to the murky water. I got all kinds of funky hooksets on the flatties, one was hooked through the tounge, one was hooked from the outside of the mouth inward, and the 21" fish was foul hooked and made me think I had a big flatty. When I was measuring him he somehow grabbed onto my right thumb and my left index finger and bit the sh!t out of me LOL. Can't really blame him as he thought he was fighting for his life. My dad got into an area as big as a car that had 4 legal flatties and a couple of shorts while diving and he speared a 10#er for dinner tonight. It was a little rough today so I think we're just going to sit it out this weekend.
Final count:
5 flatties to 22.5",
5 calicos to 3#,
1 sandy,
1 grass rockfish,
All fish released except my dad's 10# flatty.

6659, RE: Topanga, 6-27
Posted by swimbait, Thu Jun-27-02 02:38 PM
What your dad saw was no coincidence. I can't tell you how many times I have caught several halibut making the exact same cast repeatedly after catching one fish. If you get a halibut, especially a good one, keep casting there at least 5 more times. The halibut move around a lot in schools certain times and you can really take advantage of that. Other times when they are less active, it seems like the bigger halibut will be solitary and sitting right next to kelp or eel grass. But when they decide to school up and move around, take advantage of it.

6660, RE: Topanga, 6-27
Posted by Tom Cod, Thu Jun-27-02 03:51 PM
I just wish I would I have known where he was diving on that last dive! I took some photos but I don't know if they will come out very well or at all on my disposible camera, if they do I'll post them when I get them back on Sunday. I had an 8 inch flattie get hooked on a 5 inch swimbait today so I don't think the stinger hook is necessary :)
6661, RE: Topanga, 6-27
Posted by TBrumfield, Fri Jun-28-02 01:31 PM
Good going on the fish! Too much kelp to surffish down south, so I started spearfishing with the hawaiian sling pole spear. Saw no flatties (which I was targeting...neighbor got a legal last weekend), but water was murky after 10 feet. Lots of smaller corbina in closer to shore which were easy to spear(a few bigger ones but most were smaller). Got one 15 incher...felt guilty about it and couldn't bring myself to spear more. Luckily a fisherman took it...I didn't feel like cleaning it.
6662, RE: Topanga, 6-27
Posted by Tom Cod, Fri Jun-28-02 02:10 PM
Yeah, I know how you feel about the guilt. Earlier this year I speared a small black perch while freediving Laguna (thought it was about 3lbs underwater) :) He was so small I had to cook him whole. I think I stick to targeting halibut as well.