Surf Fishing Malibu 01-29-2014

Having not fished in five days, I had the itch. So I checked the tides (and it was after a new moon) which were a low of -1.47' @ 2:32 PM and a high of +4.12' @ 8:47 PM. So headed for my favorite city Malibu, CA and arrived at 2:06 PM, about a half hour before the low. I love this particular spot at minus tides as I can walk out to where I am often fishing and scope out the terrain for future trips and I can cast way further out than I usually can.

Thinking the fishing would be hot because of the new moon, I was disappointed for the first three hours of not getting anything. But the whole day was changed at 5:02 PM when I miscast over a rock. When this happens I typically reel in fast as to not get snagged, which I did this time as well except I waited a second and my bait got HAMMERED. I knew right away it was a nice fish, either a big calico of medium sized shark, but I also knew I had to get whatever it was over that rock I cast over so I started reeling in like a mad man (like I usually do really, lol). This sucker fought me the whole way in trying to rock me and not coming to the surface, so I knew it was a Calico. After the battle was over and I climbed carefully to shore from the rock perch I was casting from I was able to celebrate and soak in the beauty I had just caught. A 20+" Calico Bass that weighed 4 pound 2.2 ounces after bleeding when I weighed it at home. What a fish! Biggest Calico I have caught to date for sure!

No more fish after that, but that one fish was enough for the day for sure. I was also treated to another gorgeous sunset and took a lot of "terrain" pictures while out knee deep in the trenches, lol. I headed home from one of my little paradises in Malibu, CA / sunny Southern California at 6:47 PM a very satisfied and happy fisherman. Bait was squid as usual.

Surf Fishing Malibu 01-17-2014

Wanting to take advantage of the near full moon conditions and the incoming tide (low was a -0.36' @ 5:15 PM and high was a 3.73' @ 11:36 PM and sunset was around 6:15 PM), Brian and I headed to Malibu to do some fishing. We arrived around 4:00 PM and started fishing. Bait was squid, as always.

Brian started out the catching with a beautiful and fat 19"+ calico bass at 4:54 PM. I got in on the action with a nice fat 15-16" grass rockfish at 5:11 PM. We then had our first double hook up (we both hooked up and reeled in at the same time) at 5:22 PM, which was a 9" or so grass rockfish for me and a nice 12" or so grass rockfish for Brian. I then caught a 9"+ grass rockfish at 5:30 PM and Brian caught a nice 13" grassy at 5:38 PM. Double hook up #2 came at 5:45 PM in the form of a small grassy for Brian and a little baby lobster for me (which was of course released). I then caught a 12" or so cabazon at 6:00 PM and a 7" grass rockfish at 6:21 PM and a 12"+ grass rockfish at 6:34 PM and Brian closed out the catching with an 11" or so grass rockfish at 6:36 PM. We came intending to fish the full moon more, but we were tired by 7:00 and packed up and left.

What a great day of fishing! Final tally was: one calico bass and five grass rockfish for Brian and five grass rockfish, one sub-legal cabazon and one baby lobster for me. We kept the calico bass, and the three largest grass rockfish (12"+ is our own personal size restriction on rockfish unless it is gut hooked or otherwise injured) which you can see processed and packaged in the last picture. We enjoyed doing it, hopefully you enjoyed reading about it and the pics the go along with it.