Report: My first Corvina

Me and my buddy Tony decided to have a change of pace and soak some ghost shrimp on the Coronado Ferry Landing pier in Coronado, CA. I heard of anglers catching big Sargo and yellowfin croaker at the pier, so we gave it a shot. The tide was very low when we got there and it was still dropping, but we still made the best out of it. We didn't catch any of our target species (Sargo), but we did manage a nice little variety of fish. I also scored my first Corvina which made be pretty happy. My technique of casting the ghost shrimp out and slowly reeling it back worked out for me.

Bait of choice: Ghost Shrimp, drop shot rig, 1/2 ounce torpedo sinker, #1 size baitholder style hook

Fish Count: 4 Spotted Bay bass, 1 Calico bass, 2 Sculpin, 1 Lizard fish, 1 Sand bass, 1 Corvina

My first Corvina. Not too big but I scratched one off the list

 The View

Increase your chances : Bait Scent

Using scent is a great way to increase your chances when fishing in salt or freshwater. In my opinion, bait scent makes a world of a difference when fishing artificial baits. There are plenty of different scents on the market from krill to squid. So, if your not using bait scent you should start. You won't regret it.

My current scents. UniButter and Gulp Alive shrimp flavor

Why use bait scent?

• It eliminates human scents such as lotions, sunscreen, cigarettes and cigars
• It leaves a scent trail that will attract a fish from a distance 
• When fish bite they stay on the bait longer because it tastes like the real thing, which means better chances of landing the fish
• Leaves a nice slimy coat on your bait
• Keeps your bait from drying up, leaving a more life like action

Some popular scents

• Uni Butter - Most powerful scent in my opinion
• Hot Sauce - Another effective scent
• Berkley Gulp! Alive - Powerful scent that comes in easy spray bottle
• Eagle Claw - Many different flavors from squid to anchovy with glitter
• Pro Cure - I have never tried them but have heard good things. Tons of different flavors

Personally, my favorite go to scent right now is Uni Butter because of it's powerful smell and it's ability to increase my fish count. However, other bait scents like the ones listed above can be just as effective. It' s really up to you. The thing I like about the Berkley Gulp spray bottle is that it is easier to apply and less messy. Just be careful to not touch your face after handling bait scents unless you want to smell it all day long =p. That's the only thing you'll regret about using scents. 

Fish Report: 5/4/2011

Today I was able to head out into San Diego bay with my friend Tony and his dad on their boat. Overall, it was a great day on the water. We each caught a number of quality spotted bay bass and sand bass. Heres the report. Enjoy!

Location: San Diego Bay 
Time: 8:15 am  - 12:00 pm
Conditions: Perfect. Beautiful Southern California weather. About    80 degrees
Tide: Nice incoming tide 1.83 ft to 3.36 ft
Baits: 3" big hammer swimbaits in clear red flake matched up with red 3/8 ounce lead heads, T&C Lures swimgrubs in aquamarine and ghost shrimp colors. 
Fish Caught: Spotted Bay Bass, Sand Bass, Mackerel, Lizard Fish

Team Basstic - Tackle Trend #1 - War Bait Switchblade

Going to try this next time I'm on the boat. Looks killer

New Bait: Fish Arrow Flash-J

I just picked up another new bait that I wanted to try, which is the Fish Arrow Flash-J from Japan. This bait is a 4" soft plastic shad/minnow that has a special reflective foil inside the body. The foil is used to attract fish from a distance which can be great when the sun is out. I look forward to using these on the drop shot presenting the bait as an injured baitfish. The Flash-J has impressed me just by the way they look. Hopefully I do well with them. We shall see...

New Bait - Panic Minnow

I was recently browsing the internet looking for new baits to try on the drop shot in saltwater. I was looking on tacklewarehouse.com and came across the "pannic minnow", so I decided to go ahead and give them a shot. I ordered the 3.5 inch pannic minnow in the smelt pattern for about 6 dollars for a pack of 7.

After receiving the baits my first impressions were good. Right away I could tell they would produce fish. They are really soft so it can give some nice action when in the water. They have slits in the body to provide natural fish action. I like how they have eyes on that adds a little touch to them.

The Report:
I used these baits for the first time at night and during bad tides. On my first cast it took about 2 minutes for me to get my first bite, but I miss the hookset. Second cast, I get a fish on but comes off as I got it closer to the rocks. Third cast, I catch a nice little bass. We moved on to another spot and I land a nice legal spotted bay bass.

Summary

Overall, I really like these baits. They look, feel and swim very nice and I can tell they will produce a lot of fish. My first time using these baits I did fairly well. I know these baits will do much better during the day when the fish can really see the action they provide. They remind me of little mini swimbaits. These are a great drop shot bait that really lives up to the "pannic minnow" name. 

Using Braided Line

So recently I did the switch from my usual flourocarbon line to braided line. I decided to go with 8lb Shimano Power Pro braid, but eventually I will step it up to 20lb because the diameter is about the same as 8lb monofilament line. 


My first impressions of braid is that it reminded me of sewing thread and felt really strong. After my first cast, I was amazed with the casting ability I had from the braid. I was using a 1/4 ounce lead head with a swimgrub and I blasted it out there. Here are some of the reasons why I love braided fishing line:

• Casting ability - each cast is smoother and longer than other fishing lines
• Stronger 
• Lasts longer - You won't have to buy new line for a long time because of the use of a leader
• Abrasion resistant - Little to no abrasion so you can fish deep cover (pilings, branches, rocks) without damaging line
• Sensitivity - Much more sensitive. I can feel everything from the smallest nibble to my sinker hitting rocks on the bottom
• Less memory - There is little to no memory which eliminates line twists

To sum things up, I am a big fan now of using braided fishing line. I will probably be using braid from here on out. 


When using braid be sure to tie a flourocarbon leader because braid is not invisible underwater, which can affect your chances of getting bit. Tie about 5 feet of flourocarbon line to the braid using the Uni to Uni knot.