Well, I didn't want to deal with 'little mexico' this morning, so instead of heading to the inlet, I decided to go to the canal, at my favorite spot by the 88 bridge. I figured with my luck, the bunker would stay out of casting range anyways, and I wasn''t going to spot them in the dark.
Hit the canal at 4:15 looking for a striper. Water was crystal clear(as I discovered after it got light), weed and cabbage minimal, and boat traffic surprisingly light for a friday morning, although thunderstorms are forcast for this afternoon, perhaps thats the reason.
Could not get a hit casting into the canal jigging the Fin_s along the bottom. As the tide slackened a bit, I made a cast right along the wall, and caught a 25 inch striper(measured). So quick pic and back he went.
caught 2 more, about 22 inches and 18 inches and lost 3 more in the same manner. The bass were in the riprap structure of the supporting rock wall along the edge, ambushing baitfish as they swam along the sides. Every fish and every hit came casting parallel to the wall, about 3-4 feet off of it. I actually saw one bass grab the Fin-s, and it so surprised me I missed setting the hook. Also caught a blue about 6 pounds, which didn't thrill me, but in the dim light, I thought I might have had a decent weakie, till I netted the damn thing, LOL.
Fish hit through slack water into the outgoing tide, but the bite stopped about an hour and a half after light.
Then tried at the mouth of the canal with a bucktail and gulp for fluke, and couldn't get a hit. So I tried a Fin-S there, figuring maybe I could nail a bass, first cast, bluefish bit it off, that was enough for me.
Talked with a few friends, one told me the bunker were in the wash at Ocean Beach yesterday afternoon, and surf fisherman and a few kayakers were there snagging them and getting blues and a few bass to boot.
Stopped at Pells on the way home to pick up a pack of Fin-S fish, and Jim told me he had just weighed in a 30 pound bass, caught off the beach by a kayaker, but the guy didn't exactly say where, or on what, bunker is prolly a pretty safe assumption.
Garry
