FFing in the surf...............

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

http://surf-perch.net/Fishing/Reports08/Reports08.html

http://surf-perch.net/Fishing/index.html#SlideFrame_1

David Lee found this first.

[Mr. Noodle Rod]

Hey Bill - thanks for posting the link.

The white seabass was fought on a 12-ft, 5-wt Sage 5120 & Ross Rhythm 1 reel outfitted with a 26-ft T8 head, 17 lb Sufix mono running line & 30-/40-lb triple fly tippet. It was truly an epic evening for fly fishing at the beach.

Here's another look at the WSB just before it was revived & released:

http://www.surf-perch.net/Fishing/Reports08/Jul14-08/071408im-22.jpg


- Mark

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Wow Mark.............you caught that 4 foot White Sea Bass wading???

[Mr. Noodle Rod]

I was fishing high up in the swash, maybe ankle deep, when the WSB decided to take one of the perch flies for a ride in the surf. Amazingly, the fish struck not more than 2 rod lengths away before all hell broke loose. It got really mad once I set the hook! I'll never forget the moment.

Mark

[David Lee]

Hey Bill !!

The guy who posted it was DAVE Lee , not me (I never , ever go by Dave ....) :) .

Mark -

That is a once in a lifetime fish !!!!! You sure did everything right with that one !!!!!! Just about every year or two ..... I hear of someone hooking/landing a WSB off Duxbury Reef , but never out of the surf , and NEVER on a fly !! For you to not only get the bite , but to actually land that beauty on light gear ..... just unbelieveably WELL DONE !!!!!

Green with envy here !!

David =D> =D> =D> =D> =D>

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Great Mark,

I just want to catch one of any size on a fly.

I would guess that is the largest WSB caught in the surf with a fly rod?

I was at the Monterey Aquarium about 5 years or more ago and they had two over 10 pound WSB in a tank and the guy working there said they were the smartest fish they had.

[k.hanley]

:eek:

Well done Skywalker! :thumbsup: It's a real benchmark catch. That's the largest WSB I've ever heard of caught wade fishing the swash zone. Your hard work paid off BIG time.
Cheers, Ken

[Mr. Noodle Rod]

Thanks again for the kind words, guys! That fish certainly caught me by surprise.

Assuming the WSB was 47" long, the fish's calculated weight works out to be 33 lbs (based on the length-weight formula given in http://repositories.cdlib.org/sio/lib/fb/142/). That's a lot of bass! :D :D

- Mark

[Scott V]

Thats a beauty Mark, congrads and I hope to see you do it again.