Catalina Mole 1/28/2017. Loong with pic.

[Mahigeer]

After having a big case of cabin fever due to the many rainy days, I had to make a trip to my favorite pier, which is the Cabrillo Mole on the beautiful island of Santa Catalina.

Below is the account of that outing. Hope you enjoy it. I did not take pictures of the catch, so the fish could go back in the water ASAP. I will setup a tripod next time to be self-sufficient and expeditious.


I was originally planning to go on Friday, but the high wind prediction for that day forced me to change it to Saturday and Sunday.
It was not too crowded at Mole for the weekend.




Saturday, January 28



1-The sun was up as we got close to the island, usually it is up in midway of channel crossing, but changes by season.




Got to the Mole via Catalina Express at around 7:30 AM after a smooth crossing of the channel.

I setup several rods for bonito, which included a cast-a-bubble rig, a torpedo and feather and a lure rig.
I also set up a float rig for use with frozen peas as bait.



2-The tide was going toward high and with the recent rain there was a lot of trash in the bay and even on the ocean side of the Mole.
However, the rain raised the level of the water in the local reservoir about 7’. Good news for islanders.



3-The kelp is starting to grow and it won’t be long before it will cover the area around the pier.





I started casting with different rigs, but did not get one hit or even a chase on the bonito rig. It was frustrating since there were about (20) or so bonito landed by about (6) anglers during the day.



Later I took a break to go to town for supplies and saw the improvement finished with regards to the playground.

4-There is a new basketball court…..



5-…as well as a sand volleyball court with rental balls.



6-a very nice playground for kids and even some grownups!





After return from the town, I alternated between casting for bonito and fishing with peas. Many bass, some blacksmith, halfmoon were landed.


7-The local Osprey was back and even caught a fish while I was there. Looks like an opaleye.



As it got dark, I setup one net for lobster and moved away from the Mole. The first pull of the net felt really heavy.
The thought of basket full of lobsters was exciting.
However, it was a huge moray eel and two short lobsters. Several lobsters came into the net later, but they were all shorts.


8-At night I saw a UFO.

I could not identify the flying object. It must have a night vision camera to fly and record at night.


It got cold at night sitting and waiting, so I layered up. I had visits by deputy sheriff twice and some locals who fished for a short period. Other than that I was alone all night. I had my IPod with me, but somehow the waves gently splashing against the rocks made a soothing sound that I did not want to cover up with music.


9-I call this shot a selfie.

I was wearing—an undershirt, shirt, mock tee, hoodie sweater, windbreaker jacket and the ice fishing bib over long pants and ice fishing jacket. Hoodie over beanie hat and the face mask made the outfit complete.



I fished for a while and even caught a small scorpion fish.




Sunday, January 29



10-Sun was rising over the point of the lover’s Cove. It is always a welcome sight for me.

The area was called Lover’s Cove because before expansion of the city of Avalon, it was possible for Lovers to have privacy in that area!
They could NOT be seen from the city.


11-In the morning the conditions were perfect for catching bonito. Even wind was in favor of casting toward the mainland.


It made the hardship of the overnight stay at the Mole less, when my first cast of cast-a-bubble rig got taken by a bonito. It seemed a great start as far as bonito fishing goes, yet that was the only bonito of the day.


12-I found these sleeves at Bob Marriott’s flyfishing store. They protect the fingers from getting cut by the braid line using spinning reels. These are used by fly fisherman while stripping fly line. There are also individual sleeves available, but they come off of the finger and are not as durable as this one.



13-This is a homemade fly with barbless hook that the bonito fell for it.



I said hello to an angler fishing alone at the north corner. He asked me if I have tried these Berkley Gulp eggs. I said no.
They are floating baits, but eventually would sink. I gave him a small split egg sinker to facilitate sinking a little faster. He used only a single egg.
When I saw him catch several fish, I traded some real peas with him in exchange of the artificial ones.

Boy did it work. The proper name is Berkley Powerbait Floating Power Salmon Eggs.

14-I used two eggs on the hook as an attractant and one real pea on the business end of the hook to allow penetration in the fish’s mouth.




I caught a slew of fish using the new bait combination.


15-He caught two opaleye and you can see the egg in the picture.





I took the 7:30 PM boat back. It was as smooth as the ride there. I had my new gadget on to avoid seasickness. So far during the two trips the sea was not too rough, so the jury is still out on it.


Next trip to the Mole, March 8th.




The End.