natetreat
6/16/2010 2:33:00 AMknotabassturd
7/2/2010 8:26:00 PMAny sea bass with any size out there? I have never been successful fishing the jetty and have lost gear but don't know what I'm doing.
Available Fishing Guide:
Website: Darrell & Dads Family Guide Service
My dad, brother, and I went to the jetty this Saturday to fish our favorite ling cod spot. The fishing was rather slow, but I had what was easily a 20#+ ling on. My dad caught a 10# ling and I caught another 5# 4oz ling and released, it was just barely 22". My brother didn't get anything but a few medium sized bait fish. The weather was decent except for the winf blowing at about 25mph.
For those of you who are interested in ling cod, but not loosing $20 of tackle in less than an hour, I have a few tips for you. The best way to fish Westport is with sand shrimp about 2-3 feet off the bottom less than 20 feet out from the rocks in 10-20 feet of water. This is acchieved by simply tying two swivels at 1 foot apart with a leader of at least 2lbs lighter than your main line hanging down from the last swivel (2 feet of leader). Over the years we have gone from losing every single weight we bought to just using rocks as weight. Just tie on a rock about the size of your fist to the leader using a simple clinch knot and you're set. The reason this works so well is that you WILL get hung up, but with lighter leader and a rock, it doesn't matter. You loose the rock, tie on another leader and attach a new rock, no loss, and it takes 20 seconds and you're fishing again. NOTE: this is how you will be catching bait.
Once you catch a decent baitfish, anything will do really, but greenling seem to work best, tie on a nice foot long steel leader with a huge hook, 14-16/o, and hook the bait in the back just in front of the dorsal fin. (ling cod have huge teeth, and they're sharp. It took us loosing more than 100 fish over 2 years to switch to steel leaders!) Drop the bait in the same water you were fishing for bait and just keep it out of the rocks. Within an hour or so you should have something which feels like a giant rock pulling at your line. Wait it out till the fish finally runs, if you try to bring it up early chances are the ling will just hold on to the bait then spit it out once it sees the surface. Set your drag tight, but not too tight and the fish will essentially hook itself, or become too attatched to its meal to let go. Be ready with a net in an ideal possition, and you got yourself at least three meals of delicious ling cod for dinner.
NOTE: Westport does not sell sandshrip, the best way is to get them yourself with a clam gun, or you can buy them inland at any bait store which carries steelhead gear. Also, i'm not sure what experience there is on the west coast with live bait fishing, but circle hooks are the way to go. The reason they work so well is that the fish, when it makes that run, will hook itself... if your drag is not too loose. Once the fish is turned, it is hooked and be prepared for a NICE fight!
Available Fishing Guide:
Website: Darrell & Dads Family Guide Service