tip o' the week

[madscientist]

Originally Posted by nmbrinkman

You mean I'm wasting my time looking for your long, beautiful goldie locks.

Not if you're bringing some TP.

Seriously, one morning my morning coffee set off a second round of internal distress once I had gotten out off the point and I was painfully paddling out to sea trying to get away from everyone, but this one guy kept shadowing me. I tried doubling back, changing course, but I couldn't shake him. Once it became a matter of "when" not "if", I just had to hope he was up wind, for his sake. lol

Good point about the pier, Adi. One more comment about that. As we go into summer, the best places to make bait are often not under the lights, but wherever the sardines and macs are splashing around. Tip the sabiki with squid (I buy the frozen calamari rings at Trader Joe's and take one or two rings per trip...a single bag has lasted me 3 months and counting) and you can get macs all over the area around the pier without having to crowd under the lights. I can't tell you the number of days last summer that I saw 20-30 people under the lights barely catching bait while Tyler, Patrick, and I were get full sabikis every drop a little bit off. Even now, there are often groups of macs anywhere from 15-35ft in the pier area, particularly once there is gray light.

[chefstefano]

what great Infromation...something that I know and practice a lot while fishing Big Sur and something I diffidently will remember once I am able to start fishing down off the coast here

[tylerdurden]

Excellent writeup. I remember all summer people would paddle to the pier, and right over shoals of dines and macs puddling only to find no bait among the lights and pilings. As for getting bait in the dark, if you get there early enough you don't have to share the light , and you can report the first fish on board while some people are still on the beach .

[bigderel]

Great tips. MadSci, I've never met you personally, but whenever I see anyone one out on the water that I recognize from numerous fishing posts, I obviously take note as to what they are doing & where. Don't follow, take mental notes instead. I'm pretty nondescript myself, but I've even been shadowed (? beats me, why ?) and it's pretty annoying when they aren't tactful. That's all it takes really, just a little common sense, and everyone's happy pretty much. The info you posted about sliding in well upcurrent, etc. is really good.

It's kind of like surfing. I used to surf with a guy who was one of those guys who would draw a crowd because he could make two foot windchop look spectacular. He'd just laugh, paddle down the beach/ reef one peak or two, allow the crowd to follow, then head back. He learned that it was bound to happen to him (the shadowing) and he learned to deal with it...posting this kind of info helps you regulars at (insert whatever spot here) alleviate some pressure and deal with it too. Hopefully at least...