FishSniffer Magazine Issue 4007 | Page 25

VOL . 40 • ISS . 7

FRESHWATER SALTWATER

April 9 , 2021
25

WHAT ’ S HOT continued from page 2

experience possible , so they can keep fishing and not be in as many tangles and present their tackle in the right zone to catch the most fish possible . The ride was smooth and gorgeous , the perfect conditions for first time anglers with a 1-to-3-foot swell at 10 seconds and barely 5 knots of wind . Once we arrived at the fishing grounds , we started fishing deeper at 250 feet . Captain Brad Cano said there was a little bit of bait fish in the mix . The fishing was slower , but we saw some high quality Red Vermillion come over the rail and I landed a larger Redbanded Rockfish , also known as a Barber Pole , or Flag Rockfish . Then , I heard lots of excited voices coming from one of the families who were fishing on the port side rail . Their youngest daughter , 7-year-old Elyse , had just landed a huge red , her first fish of the day . This was extremely exciting as she had never fished on the ocean , what an incredible start ! Around 9 o ’ clock the deep-water fishing slowed way down with the tide change . Captain Brad decided to move us to more shallow water in search of pockets of fish that wanted to bite . We were catching Gopher Cod , Blue Bass and still some Reds mixed in . There were several types of lures being used on the boat . The most productive were smaller jigs , small swimbaits and the shrimp flies with a piece of squid . Joe Torres , of Arroyo Grande had a very successful day , he continued trying different lures , to hone in on what these fish were willing to bite . He makes his own jigs and lead heads , pretty amazing . He finds the 6oz jigs are his favorite , and his go-to color was red , and it paid off . Time and again I looked over to his corner spot and Joe was reeling in yet another beautiful fish , including two short lings . The only lings I saw all day . I tried several different artificial baits as well . My most productive baits were my Madame Lure swimbaits . Both the 3.5 ” and the 5.5 ” size , especially the 3.5 ” swimmies . The colors that worked the best were 3.5 ” Reefer Madness , and for the 5.5 ” Root Beer Orange Tail . If there are baitfish in the water , I find those small swimbaits produce higher quality fish more often . However , the issue can be getting those smaller baits to the right water column for the fish if we are fishing deep , or the current is ripping . So , in the deep water I have started using the 3.5 ” swimbait as a teaser with a ½ oz lead head and my “ sinker ” weight is a jig . I love this setup because I get to fish both a swimbait and a jig to see what works the best . Once we were in the shallow water , I switched my setup to use my light gear , my favorite setup for rock cod fishing . I tied on a swimbait , cast it out and let it slowly flutter through the water columns to the bottom . The fishing continued to be very slow the rest of the day , with Gophers , Blue Bass , a couple of Bocaccio , and some Chucks coming over the rail . Meghan and Bailey made sure everyone kept fishing , getting them out of tangles and making suggestions for what baits to try if an angler wasn ’ t catching . Captain Brad encouraged us to keep moving our
Sisters Avery and Elyse on their first ocean fishing trip , caught some nice reds aboard the Avenger with Captain Brad Cano early in the morning .
Photo Courtesy Amy Wellenkamp gear through different parts of the water and coaching us where the fish were at different spots . We wrapped up the half day fishing trip around noon and started heading back in . Captain Brad called for any big fish to be brought to the back for the jackpot weigh off . There were several large reds put on the balance scale , a big Bocaccio , but none could beat the big Vermillion caught by 7-year-old Elyse . When that scale tipped in favor of her fish her eyes got so big , it was so fun to watch her excitement grow as she started to realize she won . She said it was easy reeling in that fish , and she would definitely go ocean fishing again . She fishes freshwater with her dad often , but this was her first ocean trip and I have a feeling she will be hooked for life . She was visiting the central coast for spring break with her dad James , and 9-yearold sister Avery . What a joy it was to watch their experience aboard the Avenger . To book a trip with Patriot Sportfishing in Morro Bay call ( 805 ) 771-5500 or visit www . morrobaylanding . com .
Local angler Joe Torres of Arroyo Grande caught lots of quality fish on his handmade jigs . His 6oz red jig was the hot ticket for the day .
Photo Courtesy Amy Wellenkamp