shoot-straight
08-07-2007, 07:52 AM
ok, now that im going offshore occationally, id like to lean how to fish those inshore wrecks....
i figure you drift across/around them with standard fl rigs for them?
anchor for cbass? single hook bottom rig with clam? do you see them on the meter?
thanks
brett
27 sailfish
08-07-2007, 01:58 PM
Best bet would be to go out on the OC Princess with Capt. Monty for one trip and see how they do it.
I scuba dive the wrecks-cool way to learn them.We retrieve alot of anchors from debri away from the wreck-so be careful dropping an anchor.
The flounder seem to lay a few feet away from the wreck-in the sand.
The sea bass/tog are right on/in the wreck but sometimes only on one side/one end.
Most guys will drop a marker line/milk jug to mark the wreck first.
Only let out about 5' more line then the depth-too much marker line out and the jug won't be over the wreck.Make a drift or two to see if any fish are there.You can bump the motors in/out of gear to hold over the wreck.Most times-the biggest bass will bite first-so if the first bass are tiny-most likely no big ones are there.
The Tog are tough-we see them inside the wrecks where no fishing line could ever get them.They seem to cruise around and mix with the sea bass. Skip
Dead Eye
08-07-2007, 07:51 PM
what rigs and hook size? How much weight. What is the most productive baits? I Hope this tread gets some good info so us novices can get off to a good start.
john
baadbobby
08-07-2007, 11:56 PM
I just re-posted this on the offshore board, originally a post of mine.
Sea Bass
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This is a repeat of a post I made a while back. Sea Bass are still very spread out this time of year, I would suggest Croaker/Trout fishing for the next month or so.
"Sea Bass are few and far between this time of year, it is entirely possible to find some however. The OC Reef Foundation has a chart with a list of numbers that come with membership ($25.00) a great resource for wreck fishing. The memberships are mail order or I believe available at some tackle shops. Ocean City, Maryland Reef Foundation - Artificial Reefs (http://www.ocreeffoundation.com/)
It's not that the fish aren't around, they generally spread out for spawning, they will not be as concentrated on the wrecks during the summer, more so on open bottom, try drifting the Bass Grounds, make sure you have plenty of weight on and line out depending on the drift. As far as reeling in fish from 100' deep, you can successfully do this without killing the fish if you take your time reeling them in. Also, it's a bit controversial, but if the air bladder is filled up and extenting out of the mouth, you can pierce the bladder with a sharp hook before letting the fish go (it beats having a floater for the gulls or sharks to eat), also let them go as close to the water as possible, and do it head first. Sea Bass can show up as light blue "fuzz" on some color sounders. They have huge mouths and tiny ones can take farly large hooks/bait, they are not picky at all about bait and will bite on uncleaned squid/heads, clams, sand fleas, almost any cut bait (including sea robin), if you manage to get on 'em, the bite shouldn't be too much of an issue."
As far as rigs; don't use anything fancy. Tie 3 surgeons' loops about 6-8" apart. A 6-8oz sinker on the bottom (more if you can't stay on the bottom), wide gap 2/0 or 3/0 hooks on the remaining loops. Line is preferably 20-30lb mono, anything more reduces sensitivity and is harder to break off at the bottom, anything less can cause more tangles and is more susceptible to breaking due to chafing on the structure. Squid and about any kind of cut bait; sea bass are not finicky eaters, they are however, hard to find in decent numbers and sizes this time of year.
I second the call to go out with Monty Hawkins, he is on The Morning Star out of West OC nowadays. You'll see how hard those guys work to get everyone a few Sea Bass in August. Best bet for head boat or private boat Sea Bassin' is late September through November and again in May/early June. Monty usually posts a fairly honest report on his web site (keep in mind he is a professional, has a boat with plenty of range/can handle weather, and works really hard at Sea Bassin'). The Morning Star (http://www.morningstarfishing.com/)