Nick, my dad, and I finally had the opportunity to take the Great Escape (dad's boat) out on the water to do a little fishing this summer. The morning came early. I'm talking 3:30 in the holiest of mornings to be on the road by 4:15. I'm sad to say we were actually early for our departure. Now you would think no one on God's green (and blue) earth would be up at that hour. Ya, not so much! The launch ramp at Dana Point Harbor was lined with other fisherman, waiting for the opportunity to get out on the water and beat their counterparts to "the best spot." After we were loaded up with anchovies and sardines for bait, we hit it and were cruising down to south San Clemente and San Mateo to try our hand (and our luck) at our big goal...White Sea Bass.
Now here's a little explanation of how I fish. I bnever been seasick. That's not to say I always feel hunky-dory on the rolling ocean either. So I've found my best way to counteract any queasiness is to eat. I'm talking carbo-loading, full belly at all times, eating of protein bars, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, chips, ham and turkey sandwich, and pretzels...covered in chocolate, of course. So while Nick and Dad rigged rods and got lines into the water to entice the White Sea Bass, I munched away.
Nick was officially the one to catch first fish. It wasn't your typical fish and certainly not a keeper. He caught a Sea Urchin. It was a first for him so he can check it off his "To Be Caught" list. My dad then noticed one of his rods taking off so he grabbed it, realized he hooked a fish, set the hook, and as I yelled "Dibbs!", he handed the rod to me. The sucker was big and fighting hard. I started reeling and then felt a pop as the fish completely bit through the line and got away. When I brought the line all the way up, my dad said that based on the frayed line, it was likely a White Sea Bass or a shark. My dad said Sea Bass are extremely difficult to set the hook on and are very finicky fish so I was happy to at least try to reel it in.
So I went back to sitting and waiting. Soon, my rod started taking off and I grabbed it, set the hook myself, and started reeling. When I felt a dull pull, I told my dad that I thought my stupid bait got my line stuck in the thick kelp and handed my rod to my dad so he could untangle the line. He took one feel of the rod and said, "Lindsay, you have a fish!" So I took over again and started reeling. It wasn't too much of a fight but it was just heavy. It took less than a minute to get it to the surface but I couldn't tell what I caught. My dad took one look and yelled, "Lindsay, you caught a Black Sea Bass!!!" And the sucker was 20 lbs!
Here's your quick lesson on Black Sea Bass. They were highly over fished and are now illegal to keep in US waters. My little 20 lb guy was on the smaller side of how big they can get - 600 lbs. Apparently you can catch and keep them in Mexican waters but charter boats going out of San Diego have size restrictions on Black Sea Bass to ensure their posterity.
I knew some of this when I found out exactly what I caught so I kept saying, "Be careful with him" as my dad took the hook out and Nick snapped a few pictures. After posing with my prize, we released him back into his home to be a great game fish for someone else to catch and bring a smile to their face. High fives all around. It was a great feeling.
Unfortunately, we weren't able to catch any other big fish. We found ourselves getting into a Calico Bass fish-off. Nick and my dad both got 3 while I got 2. Nick also caught a spiny Sculpin. The day was beautiful with bright blue skies and warm weather. It was great spending the day on the water with my two favorite men. And after we cleaned the boat at home, a cold beer never tasted so good...
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