Where the sun shines

[Scott V]

For the last couple of years I have headed down to Southern California for some fun in the sun, this time it was a nice 75 degrees the whole time. This year I got in a little extra fishing than normal. Kathy and I stay at her girl friends house in Newport Beach so it makes the fishing real close. We got to Newport Beach at 32nd street and got a parking spot right up to the boardwalk. I grabbed my gear and headed for the surf looking at those nice waves crashing on the beach with Catalina in the background. Oh yeah and bikinis everywhere. This will be the first time I have touched this surf in alot of years, I grew up surfing this area and for the first time I will be fishing it, it brought back alot of great memories as a kid. So after a few casts I hook into my first fish of the afternoon, a cute little leopard shark. They feel really cool and are tough fighters, even as small as he was I knew there was a good fish at the end. I went on to hook into some really small perch and eventually they kept growing a little at a time, caught about a dozen or so and lost even more. As the sun was setting I hooked into something I guess was at least 5 or so pounds but it came off as I was backing up to shore trying to outrun it. What a great way to end my birthday with the sun setting in the ocean with Catalina lit up, it was beautiful. Headed to Kathy's girlfriends house for a little partying and then bed before the next day.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y85/PsychoZ/San%20Diego/IMGP3242.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y85/PsychoZ/San%20Diego/IMGP3243.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y85/PsychoZ/San%20Diego/IMGP3244.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y85/PsychoZ/San%20Diego/IMGP3245.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y85/PsychoZ/San%20Diego/IMGP3246.jpg

Woke up the next morning at 4 to head down to fish San Diego Bay with fliflickers.com, a great fishing forum for down south. It was there annual picnic and I decided to join them for the day. I meet up with one of the members and got to spend the day on the water in a nice center console boat looking for spotted bass and without any luck bonefish. The weather was beautiful but the tide wasn't moving enough to get us into some great action, but I did get a nice little spotty and spent the rest of the day trying not to catch smelt and lizard fish. Even though the fish bite was not there, the beautiful weather made up for it all and I can not wait for next year. It is really hard to head back home when I know once I get over the grapevine it will be fog the whole way, and it was.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y85/PsychoZ/San%20Diego/IMGP3253.jpg


http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y85/PsychoZ/San%20Diego/IMGP3254.jpg

Ken Hanley look, it's a mayan warrior in the mouth of a lizard fish, I bet you never tough it would catch one of those.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y85/PsychoZ/San%20Diego/IMGP3256.jpg

[john]

Nice post Scott. Happy Birthday.

[jbird]

Nice report Scott. That thars my home town. Born at Hoag hospital and graduated from newport harbor high in 86. Lived on 42st and surfed competitive thru high school. Man those pics bring back some memmories!

[tacocat]

It would have been cool if you hooked into a bonefish. They dont' appear to be common in the bay.

[David Lee]

Happy Birthday ..... a Leopard is the perfect gift !!

D.~

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Very cool Scott........

[gene goss]

Happy late birthday....nice fish pictures...that spotted bass looks like a saltwater smallmouth with the colored eyes.

[k.hanley]

Glad you had a fun & successful trip bud.

We wouldn't want to lead folks down the wrong path so let me clear up a small point....that isn't a Mayan Warrior in the pic. DOH! It is however an articulated worm pattern I gave you. And no I didn't know it could catch a lizardfish eeeeyow! Made me smile.
Cheers, Ken

[Steve R]

Nice report, sorry no Bones. We will have to get you to Tarpon Cay with a real Mayan Warrior.
Steve