Surf Fishing

There are a lot of people out there who are very much interested in surf fishing and if you are one of them, then you will be very happy to hear that there are a lot of things that you will be able to benefit from when you will be engaged in such an activity.
So, I guess that you already know, if you are internet savvy, that you will be able to find a lot of tips surfing the internet and use them in your hobby. But if you are an inexperienced fisherman and you want to try out and see if this will be your next big thing and the next hobby that will make you wake up smiling every morning, then you should give it a shot and see if surf fishing can be that hobby.
Yes, I know that when you are just a newbie, you will have a hard time when it comes to anything. You will mostly hear the fact that you will need to have a state of the art collection of equipment in order to have chances of getting a good catch.
You know very well that the biggest problems that fishermen have are related to their Surf Fishing Equipment. So yes, this will be something that will utterly confuse you and hearing different opinions from all of those people, will certainly make your head spin.
Again, you will feel very confused and all of this info that will come straight at you will make you feel a little discouraged. Many of these people will recommend you all sorts of surf fishing rigs and they will also offer you Surf Fishing Tips that they have used, so that you will be able to have a good catch from your first cast.
But you dont have to feel that way anymore as there is a guide out there that will be able to make all of these worries just poof away. Surf Fishing, The Quick Start Guide To This Exciting Sport is just one of the best guides when it comes to such fishing and reading it, you will be able to find out a lot of tips and tricks that will help you out with your hobby. You will also be taught how to make special Surf Fishing Knots that will never untie and thus provide you with that solid catch that you've planned to have by the end of the day.

One Cool Tuna -
www.onecooltuna.com
Fishing Line Weight Labels - "Always Know your Line weight on your reels"

Fishing Tips & Tricks

Well people are always asking me how to do things when I am out fishing. Well here are a few of the most asked questions from my last trip.

1. What is the best knot to tie? Well that is easy, use the one you know how to tie the best, it is the fastest and if it hasn't failed on you before, use it. If you want to learn a new one, don't do it when your fishing. Always practice a new knot at home after a trip or before a trip, they will fail the first few times you tie them and you don't want to lose a fish due to a bad knot. Most of the major fishing line manufacturers as well as the hook maker all have a cheat sheet on how to tie knots that you can pick up at your favorite tackle store. Try a few out and find new that is easy for you to tie and doesn't break when you put pressure on it.

2. What is the best bait to use? Well that all depends on the fish you are targeting at the time. I was on a Off-Shore trip and we where after tuna, in that case my suggestion was live bait. With live bait you always want the liveliest and best looking bait. The bait should be the slimy and not red spots, as well as the hardest one to catch in the bait station. You can also use trolling lures, these can be a feather or Cedar plug are my favorite ones. But check with the crew if it is a charter and they will tell you what has been working the last few trips.

3. What is the best line? Line that doesn't break... The best line is one that fits your fishing style, I mean it depends on the fish and the conditions.  Mono is the basic and most common used, but with the new spectra lines and braided lines it can be one of those or a combination of those lines. I use a Spectra line with a short top shot of mono or fluorocarbon of the same weight or one size smaller. If you are in an area with a lot of plant material or rocks you should go with the straight braid or spectra line. This line will give a better chance if you get caught on something.

4. What is the best time to fish? When the fish are Biting.. The best time to fish depends on the a few things and what you are fishing for. But a few things hold true for all fishing, Moon phase, weather and water temperature. Moon Phase cycles have an impact on the tides and a few days before a full or new moon and a few days after are always a good time to fish. Weather fronts moving into an area with a change from high pressure to low pressure is a good time as well, the day a storm is moving in is a great time to fish a lake. Temperature of the water is something to watch, in ocean fishing you want to find the breaks in the water and fish those warm to cold changes.

5. Who makes the best reels? The reels that fit your price and work the longest without repair. I know that it is not a clear answer but to name one or two brands would not help you pick the one best for you. I use different reels for different types of fishing and I have my own favorites. You can check with some of the fishing forum and websites on reel reviews and they can give you a good starting point. Check to see which ones are asked most about getting fixed and cross them off your list. Check to see who has the most positive feed back or the best pricing in the style you are looking for. Always remember price is not always the important point, you can pay a little more now and save you a lot later.

The best tip I can give you is talk with other fisherman and people in the sport, the more time on the water the more you will learn or  find out. As long as you are fishing and having fun you are doing it right.

One Cool Tuna - Jeff

IMPORTANT COW COD CONSERVATION UPDATE - Send a letter

ACTION BY YOU IMPORTANT COW COD CONSERVATION UPDATE  On October 21, 2010, the California Fish and Game Commission will vote on the proposal.  There is a request out for public comment.  SAC has already submitted a letter of support to the Fish and Game Commission and will be at this meeting to testify.  It is important we get more letters before the Commission in order to move this modification to the regulations forward.   PLEASE help us form a UNITED FRONT from a UNITED FLEET and send letters of support for the initiative on your letter head to the Fish and Game Commission.  A sample letter is as follows as well as an E-mail address you can send it to.  Many people have worked quite hard to get this topic to the table.  WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!

Click here

To send a letter now, takes 30 seconds.

New Proposed Regulations - Ca. Fish and Game

New and Proposed Regulations

The California Fish and Game Commission is considering the following changes to Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations. A business or a person submitting a comment to a proposed regulation or proposed amendment or repeal of a regulation has the right to request a copy of the final statement of reasons. Copies of the final statements of reasons will be available on this web page as they are prepared. Requests may also be submitted to the California Fish and Game Commission, 1416 Ninth Street, Room 1320, Sacramento, CA 95814. 

Click here for info

Fishing Picks of the Week - San Diego - Southern Calif.

JIM MATTHEWS’ PICKS OF THE WEEK

     1. The San Diego tuna fishing is still our number one pick this week. The tuna bite has been good to excellent for the overnight to 2 ½-day boats fishing just 40 to 60 miles out of port, and the fish are all quality tuna. Most catches being mixed bags of bluefin, yellowfin, and albacore tuna, they are all averaging 25 to 35 pounds. Five-fish limits, sometimes of more than one species, aren’t uncommon on overnight and longer trips. Loads are light. Now is the time to go. For an update or to check on boat availability and costs, call Fisherman’s Landing at 619-221-8500, H&M Landing at 619-222-1144, Seaforth Landing at 619-224-3383 or Point Loma Sportfishing at 619-223-1627.
     2. Diamond Valley Lake’s topwater striped bass action has continued excellent again this past week. Lots of fish up into the 20-pound class have been landed on surface baits, cranks, spoons, or swim baits hurled into boiling fish, and scads of smaller fish are whacking the same baits. This bite is getting a lot of attention and even during the week rental boats are going fast. For an update on the action, call the marina at 951-926-7201 or Last Chance Bait and Tackle at 951-658-7410.
     3. All the picks are staying the same this week. The striped bass bite at Willow Beach on the Colorado River has been excellent for the past three weeks now, but getting relatively light fishing pressure. Lots of fish from 12 to 30 pounds have been reported, most on large trout-like plugs and swim baits in the mile marker 52 to 53 stretch of river. For an update on this bite, you can call the Willow Beach Resort at 928-767-4747.

FRESHWATER HOT SPOTS

     TROUT: Top trout bets in Sierra continue to include Bridgeport Reservoir, Lake Crowley, Silver Lake, South Lake, Lake Sabrina, and most of the Bishop Creek and Rock Creek drainage streams, Virgina Lakes, and West Walker River. No plants in Sierra this week, however. For fly guys, the East Walker River improved this week, but Bridgeport Reservoir and Crowley remain hot spots. At Crowley, the big browns on working perch minnows in the backs of bays with water inflows. In Southern California, there continues to be good action at just a handful of waters. Top bet is Big Bear Lake, but Green Valley Lake, Lake Hemet, and Lake Gregory are all fair at best.
     BLACK BASS: The largemouth bass action is fair to good just about everyone this past week with very good surface action a lot of places. Diamond Valley Lake has been wide open on topwater. Other good bets include Casitas, Castaic, Skinner, Sutherland, Otay, Irvine, Perris, Silverwood, Pyramid and Puddingstone. The smallmouth action on the Colorado River has been very good in the lower river stretches and Topoc Gorge, but slowish in Lake Havasu with only a few fish showing on the points. Further up on the Central Coast, Santa Margarita continues to improve, and Lopez is fair to good, too. The spotted bass are pretty fair in Nacimiento.
     STRIPED BASS: Top bets this week are Diamond Valley Lake and Willow Beach on the Colorado River for quality fish, but there are good bites in most of the region’s striper waters. Silverwood, Pyramid, Castaic, and Skinner all decent bets. San Antonio Lake is still good for six to 10-pound fish with a few into the mid-20s each week, but there were darn few reports from there this week. The California Aqueduct near Taft remains pretty good, too, with a lot of three to five pounders, but weed growth is a problem.
     PANFISH: Redear and bluegill bites are hot just about everywhere -- with Perris, Diamond Valley, Casitas, Lower Otay, Sutherland, and Puddingstone some of the top picks. Crappie are off most places, with only Cachuma producing any crappie of note.
     CATFISH: Good action just about everywhere. Corona Lake and Hesperia Lake both continued to crank out a few bigger fish and have very good action for pan-sized fish. Other top bets include Elsinore, Santa Ana River Lakes, Irvine Lake, Diamond Valley, and Henshaw. Silverwood, Skinner, and Casitas are also good with a lot of cats to eight pounds. Isabella has been fair to good for cats from 1-8 to three pounds. The channel and flathead action is pretty much wide open along the whole lower Colorado River, especially in the backwaters and irrigation ditches. This is the top bet for a quality fish over 20 pounds and big stringers of channels.

Contact Information:  Jim Matthews, Editor and General Manager

P.O. Box 9007, San Bernardino, CA 92427-0007

Office: 909-887-3444   Fax: 909-887-8180   E-mail:odwriter@verizon.net

Yellowtail vs Yellow Fin

Difference between a Yellowtail and a Yellowfin Tuna

Yellowtail off San Diego and Baja often get confused with Tuna. The main difference between the two fish is the California Yellowtail is a Jack and a cousin to the Amber Jack on the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico and the Yellowfin Tuna is a Tuna. The Yellowfin Tuna is just one of many tuna's targeted from San Diego based sport boats. Bluefin, Big Eye, Albacore and Skipjack are all species of tuna in the same family as the Yellowfin (locally called "Ahi" in Hawaii) targeted from late Spring to Fall with best action usually from July to Sept. Large Yellowfin Tuna 200+lbs are referred to as "Cows" by the long range community and are usually caught as far north as Magdelena "Mag" Bay off the Baja Coast between Fall and Spring. The explosive fighting Yellowtail peak season is summer months just offshore San Diego for 1/2 day and 3/4 day sportfishing party boats and at the Coronado Islands but it's not uncommon for them to be within 3/4 day trip range until about mid January. Both Yellowfin Tuna and Yellowtail are excellent eating both as Sashimi as Wasabi or Hamachi. For more info on catching Yellowtail I wrote a article about them here- Rob -

14 Dec 2004 by rmailly