Fished Carlsbad area from 4:45-6:15pm. When we arrived I commented to my girlfriend that it was interesting to see a small kelp paddie floating so close to shore(approx. 50 yards) and I hoped that the seaweed wasn't too bad for fishing. Well there was a lot of seaweed everywhere, so we worked up the shore looking for a clear spot. We fished with grubs, cured shrimp and clams on a 1/2oz sliding sinker rig. We started to notice croaker and corbina leaping out of the water feeding about 3'-7' from the sand. All were good sized, from 16" to 22"+. We also noticed some darker fish leaping too, same 3'-7' from the sand. Some seemed shaped like perch and some were shaped more like croaker but dark colored. These fish were 13"-16" long. Couldn't figure out what the dark fish were.

Later as I was reeling in to check the bait, a fish hit HARD less than 10' from shore and takes off. With cured shrimp meat on the hook I'm thinking extremely large perch or maybe a corbina if I'm lucky. This fish fights really hard and it's getting exciting! Finally get the fish to shore and I can't believe my eyes, a legal calico bass. I release him and try to figure out what the heck he's doing less than ten feet from the shore on a sandy beach! Looking around, I notice the tuna crabs on shore and decide to bait up with a tuna crab. No kahle hooks, so #4 bait holder will have to do. In less than 10 minutes the crab gets hit, but I farmed it. Probably didn't have a chance with the small bait holder hook, but found out what the fish were probably feeding on. After watching the feeding fish more closely I realize that all the dark fish leaping are calico bass. Just couldn't believe it my eyes. Has anyone else ever observed this behavior by kelp bass?

Surfan,

That is very unusual for Calicos to be concentrated in a shallow sandy enviornnment! I'm no Marine Bioligist (wish I was!) but I can't help but help think that this may be one of the pleasant results of the coming El Nino conditions.

At any rate, How Exciting! I catch Calicos at Oceanside Harbor but they are usually just Pups. They hit strip Mackerel really hard and never hesitate tearing up my 3" swimbaits. But again, they are usually taken where the jetty rock meets the sand aroung the open channel area.

It might be a real blast to take some swimbaits down there with the chance of hooking up with them and possibly a Flattie or two.

Thanks for the report and good luck!

Aztecwin

Aztecwin

That's what I was thinking, to try some swimbaits if they're there next time. Yesterday there was just enough seaweed to make fishing with swimbaits a tough, that's why I went primarily with a drifting bait. I'm planning on checking the spot out at low tide to see if there might be rocks close by. Hope this is a sign of El Nino to come! I still can't believe what I saw.

In my LIMITED experience with the Plaid Bass I found that sometimes larger clumps(+3'Dia.) of loose kelp would attract and loosely hold them where they shouldn't be, especially if there was forage in the same area. Most of the bass I caught in this situation were closer to 9" than legal, but they were still there within casting distance of the beach. You did say there was too much Kelp for effective swimbaiting. Just my $.02. Anyways congrats on releasing a legal Calico.

Tight lines,
Wade

Tight lines,
Wade

That is great! I have never caught a calico from shore, since I usually surffish open sandy beaches without structure (rocks) around. However, they can be caught if there are some rocks, kelp paddies, and so forth since that provides refuge for them. Wouldn't it be cool to get a yellowtail from a paddie next to shore?...if this projected el-nino materializes...who knows!