Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Fishing and Hipocrisy

Quite a title eh? One form of hypocrisy of which I am guilty of is as follows: I swear by what I call the "under one's nose" rule. In other words, a great fishing spot might be right under everyone's noses. Some of my largest trout in So. Cal's trickles have come from such waters. Well, my soapabox is laughing at me. I live very near the ocean but I almost never fish it. I appreciate it immensely as a surfer. Sometimes in summer, I ride my last wave in and playfully chase corbina as I run through the shallows. What am I thinking? These are fascinating game fish! Recently, upon the urgings of some friends, I started to dabble with some local beaches and I am so glad I did. A quick casting fix with a possible fight is now a daily staple.

My first session in years and on my 3rd or 4th cast I tangled with a gargantuan leopard shark. He eventually broke off but what a kick. Thanks Arvin for the picture and the encouragement. Thanks Dave Wratchford for the secure knots!

That and other sessions have been sprinkled with these hard fighting and fun fish (Barred Surf Perch).