Some big and scary set waves with short intervals, made for a tough paddle out. When I got outside I was gassing and had to stop and rest. As soon as I stopped to rest, Bam! Another set wave started filling in the horizon, deep dark green mass coming at you. Paddle more...I did not want to get smashed with all my gear on. With burning shoulders, I made it out.
I paddled out to the kelp beds and started getting bit right away. I fished the stringers and hand-landed six fish today. Three White Seabass, and three Calico bass, the total for the day. I kept one 14 inch Calico, all other fish were checked and released. I caught a really small White Seabass, must have been about 7 inches length, perfect replica of a lager one, but no side bars. I've never caught one this small!
This was a really good sign. It was probably a naturally spawned fish, since most of the farm raised bass are much bigger, about 16 inches, when they are released into the wild. After a fight with possible extinction, I'm glad to see the White Seabass are making a comeback; human intervention worked for this species.
The Ocean got a lot rougher as the morning progressed. After about three hours, I called it a day. Coming in, I met some nice people at the beach and it was great to talk with them and explain some of the more wilder surfboard fishing highlights. People are really interested and are awestruck at the thought of fishing from a surfboard. You can always count on San Diego to produce some really cool people at the beach, laid-back, very interested, intelligent, and kind. With renewed spirit, I was glad to be alive again.
I'm about to break my board. A crease across the middle of my stringer is getting worse, glass is delaminating, she is taking on water. I took it out about three weeks ago, surfed it hard, and it held up in 3-5, 6+ surf. At the end of that days excursion, I caught a nasty bomb and rode it to the beach, spray must have been 12-15 feet.
I remember, a comrade came up to me on the beach and told me he saw me ride the big waves but his shoulder was messed up, didn't know where to launch. I could tell he was a gromet. I pointed him to the worst spot to get hammered and told him "catch the rip out there off the reef." He dissapeared into the mist and I never saw him again.
That day, there was a good looking chic on the beach, so my eyes were getting cross-eyed. I still scanned the line-up for Home-boy for about an hour later; but I swear I never saw him again. For some reason I was greatly bothered about this, and I regretted not going out to guide the way for a good ol' Joe. Last memory I have of him is seeing the guy standing on the edge of the reef, chest deep in water, with a white spray of big storm-surf sets crashing before him. I knew he would get hammered, but I turned my head to look at the chic again, then I looked and I looked, and he just dissapeared, no trace whatsoever. He must have made it.
I've been shopping around but haven't quite got the nerve to get a new board yet, kind of like your favorite blanket; never want to let go...
Peace.
