VOL . 41 • ISS . 11

July 8 , 2022

17

We were all geared up and ready to go the next morning but we had to make one more call . That call was to Edward Tomiloso . Amy and I wanted him to join us since he is a friend and avid angler who knows the waters well . He also has a very popular FaceBook page and YouTube Channel called Hooked2Cook . Our plan was to meet in the parking lot before sunrise and get an early start . This was important because we believed the best bite would occur first thing in the morning because the tide was scheduled to be dead low an hour after sunrise . Low tide seems to be the best time to target halibut from the surf . Once we arrived at the beach and parked it wasn ’ t long before we put on the waders , threw on the backpack , grabbed our rods and made a short walk to the surf . The fishing conditions looked very favorable . The wind was not blowing , the tide was still going out , and there was a significant amount of bait fish in the water . It wasn ’ t long before I made my first cast and my bait of choice was a Calissa in the Chrome Sardine colorway . The lure looks like the bait in the local waters and is a great bait to catch an array of fish including perch , striped bass , and halibut . Amy started with the same lure but the results were not the same as mine . I think within 30 minutes of starting to fish she got her first bite and was hooked up with her first halibut from the surf . She had a nice battle with the fish and we all gathered around her as she measured it to see if the fish measured 22 inches or greater . It ended up being just a little short so we took a couple of pictures and released it . We all felt that this was a huge victory for us because we didn ’ t know what to expect and we wouldn ’ t end of the day skunked . Plus , it gave it all a little more confidence that the fish were around . We all began casting again and it wasn ’ t long before Amy was hooked up on her second fish . She got a better fight out of this one and it ended up being a little bigger . It measured nearly 24 inches which meant she had her first keeper halibut from the surf .

Amy Wellenkamp shows that fishing from the surf takes a lot of preparation and the having the right gear often leads to more bites .

Photo Courtesy of Ernie Marlan

The official score , yes Amy keeps track , was Amy - 2 , Edward - 0 and me - 0 . Edward and I started to feel the pressure at this point so we quickly made it back to the surf and started casting again . We were all using the same lure , fishing the same water but Amy ’ s fishing rod was bent again and she was now hooked up to her third fish . I wondered if I should even help or take pictures . I wonder if Edward thought the same thing ? Maybe we should just keep casting . Hahahahahaha . Just kidding . Official Score : Amy - 3 halibut , Edward – 0 , Me – 0 . I have found over the years that when an angler is fishing next to another and using the same bait that the one catching fish is doing something a little different . For some reason , I was fishing a little closer to Amy . Not because I wanted my bait next to where she was casting but to observe on how she was retrieving her lure . I was making a long cast and reeling it in moderately fast and jerking

#

Fishing • Hunting • Destinations Conservation • History Dedicated to the Northern California Outdoorsman

4005

CALIFORNIA ’ S LONGEST RUNNING OUTDOOR TALK SHOW !

Edward Tomiloso was using the drop shot technique with a 1oz sinker and a fluke when he landed this halibut .

Photo Courtesy of Ernie Marlan

the rod at times to give the lure a little more action . While observing Amy , she would make a cast and retrieve it fairly slowly . Her presentation of the bait was completely different than mine and I quickly concluded that this is why the score was 3-0-0 . I made the change in my lure presentation and it didn ’ t take long to get a bite . The halibut just slammed the Calissa and I set the hook ! Fish On ! Wow . Pretty amazing even though the fish was 21 ½ inches long and just shy of the keeper length . I was on the score board but more importantly I thought I figured something out . A slow and steady presentation was what the fish wanted . Amy quickly had an answer to my fish and hooked her fourth of the day . However , it didn ’ t take me long to confirm that slow and steady was the answer and I had my second fish on the scoreboard . The tide was now an incoming tide and the and the bite was very consistent or the first hour of the change . However , the bite died and it felt like we were casting into an ocean with no fish around . There was some kelp to the left of where we were landing the halibut so I made my way over there and was trying to make a long cast so my bait landed right next to the kelp . I made a cast into a pocket of water that had kelp on both sides of it . I started to retrieve my lure but barely turned the handle of the reel when my bait just got absolutely slammed . Fish On ! The fish started pulling drag and my immediate concern was it getting into the kelp . We all know the result if that were to happen . Once I thought I got it out of the danger zone it began pulling drag again . I can ’ t tell you how many times this happened . Amy and Edward were able to make it over next to me and we all quickly wondered what this fish could be . Edward was confident that it wasn ’ t a halibut and thought it might be a sea bass . At about this time I got a quick glimpse of the fish since it looked like it was riding a wave . It happened so quick

Ernie Marlan was targeting halibut and was surprised when this sea bass slammed his Calissa Jerkbait .

Photo Courtesy of Amy Wellenkamp

that I couldn ’ t identify it but it was definitely not a halibut . I started to get the fish close and I know that this is where most fish are lost . I knew I had to continue to be patient and let the fish do whatever it wanted . I couldn ’ t rush it . I kept thinking take your time . My luck paid off and I was able to land the fish . A white seabass ! The first for me off the surf . Very fun ! We had a lot of laughs and high five ’ s but we all knew we had to get our baits back in the water . The tide had come in significantly since we first started fishing so Edward made a bait change to a drop shot technique . He used a white fluke about 6-12 inches above the 1oz ounce sinker . Edward ’ s adjustment quickly paid off and he was on the scoreboard with a nice halibut that measured just shy of the keeper size mark . Amy and I kept casting the same lures we started with but the fish didn ’ t seem interested . Well , were they not interested or was our bait getting out far enough to reach where they were ? Edward answered this question because he was able to cast further with the 1oz sinker and was hooked up on his second fish for the day . The final Score : Amy – 5 halibut ( 1 legal , 4 short and released ) Edward – 2 halibut ( 2 short and released ) Ernie – 3 halibut ( 3 short and released ), 1 seabass ( 1 short and released ) What an amazing and memorable day ! We had a lot of action for the four or so hours we fished . If you haven ’ t tried surf fishing give it a shot . It is important to remember you are on the surf so pay attention to the waves and tide . Be careful . Most importantly , remember catching fish is just icing on the cake and there is so much more to enjoy while standing in the ocean . One final thought . At the end of the day Amy mentioned she was using 10 lb flurorcarbon leader while Edward and I were using a 20lb fluorocarbon leader . Could that of been the difference of her success compared to ours ? Something to consider ….