VOL . 43 • ISS . 9

August 9 , 2024

17

Kevin Johnson fished the popular “ swimbait trip ” aboard the California Dawn II when he landed this big lingcod while tossing a swimbait .

Photo Courtesy of Roland Aspiras

Captain James Smith of California Dawn Sportfishing and Mark Gomez hold up a huge halibut that they boated on the “ swimbait trip ”.

Photo Courtesy of Roland Aspiras

Tossing swimbaits for huge halibut is a lot of fun and often big halibut are caught using this technique . Nick Lam shows off a beauty he caught while fishing with California Dawn II .

Photo Courtesy of Roland Aspiras and Alcatraz Islands to round out nearlimits of halibut . On the last two drifts , Nick Lam and I put in some work . Lam caught the jackpot winning fish that appeared to be close to 20 pounds , and yours truly came in with a 24 ” fish followed by a teener-grade fish . The hype meter was high when our fish hit the deck ! The second trip went down on July 29th . We started out halibut fishing in front of Alcatraz Island pulling a decent amount of larger-grade halibut . I admittingly did not fish clean that morning ; dropping several bites and snagging the net on a cast , blowing up my reel in the process . I ended the day blanked on halibut . Regardless , it was great to see my friends and fellow anglers get in on the action including Nick Lam from Seeker Rods , Anthony Cannuli , Okuma Sales Rep , and Vince Borges from GSM Outdoors / Phenix Rods . Next , we ran outside the Golden Gate Bridge and hung a right towards Point Reyes . We came to rest within plain sight of the Point Reyes Lighthouse where the anglers proceeded to lay the smackdown on good grade lingcod . During the wide open bite , I hooked what I thought was a small rockfish and half way up from 120 feet , the fish decided to grow – or a hitch hiking lingcod decided to get himself a meal . Whatever it was , it proceeded to test

the limits of my Okuma Komodo 300 . The fight seemed to last an eternity . I often wondered if I was wrapped up with another angler on the port side of the boat , but that definitely wasn ’ t the case . Finally I had the fish at deep color . I was half way down the boat from where I originally hooked the fish . I kept grinding away and finally he was under the surface where deckhand and good friend JP Gano stuck what would be my personal best lingcod at 32 pounds and lifted him up the rail . The hype meter from my fellow anglers and the boat crew was off the charts . “ Sometimes I get nervous before I stick big ones with the gaff . That definitely was one of those moments ,” Gano laughed after we shared a fist bump . That was truly a moment to remember . After the hype calmed down , myself along with the rest of the anglers continued to work on rounding out lingcod limits . The rockfishing was fair with only a few limits coming aboard . California Dawn deckhand Ryan Grisso , who took the day off to fish with us , related the slow bite to the string of cooler days that led up to the day ’ s trip . Once limits of lingcod were

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Contact Paul Kneeland at 530-346-8696 or paulkneeland @ fishsniffer . com achieved , we ran back inside the bay and stopped in front of Treasure Island to try and pick off a few ( striped ) bass . Unfortunately , the schools did not want to go and Captain Smith decided to call it a day . At the dock , I was truly humbled by the amount of love everyone showed me for winning the potluck for biggest fish of the day . “ I haven ’ t seen a lingcod that big out here in forever ,” Captain James Smith said . The swimbait trips aboard the California Dawn II are hands down

Los Vaqueros Recreation Co . 9990 Los Vaqueros Rd . Byron , CA , 94514 my two favorite days of the year in terms of fishing fun . The camaraderie is unparalleled . Everyone is willing to lend feedback and input to help others to elevate their craft . If I see you on a future trip , don ’ t be shy to ask as many questions as you ’ d like . We ’ re all there to help everyone rack on fish . The dates for the 2025 sponsored swimbait trips will be available at the International Sportsmen ’ s Exposition in Sacramento which begins on January 16 , 2025 . Be sure to stop by the California Dawn booth to book your trip or go online at californiadawn . com

www . NORCALFISHING . COm A Contra Costa Water District Facility

$ 25 boat rentals every

Monday thru Friday

( non holidays )

4005 2907