In search of white sea bass comes salmon. 8/27/11
You know, bycatch is a weird thing in fishing. It can be a hard pulling batray when your fishing for halibut. It can be
a huge bass when your fishing for trout. Just the word itself is a bit odd to me but if you selectively target certain
species of fish, bycatch can be a relatively distracting thing. The feeling of excitement is there until you realize the
fish attached to your line isnt what you were fishing for. But sometimes, sometimes that excitement continues and
is elevated to a point past where your pursuits might have taken you. Much was the case on the 27th of August
2011. My friend along with the brother in law and I were fishing for white sea bass and rockfish in the Monterey
Bay. While fishing for rockfish I had a flylined squid drifting 40 yards from the boat. Not intending to catch a 23Lb
salmon, that is exactly what happened as a result. During the drift I noticed my line was running a direction the
drift couldnt have possibly taken it. I slowly lift the rod out of the holster, put it in gear, turn off the clicker and
wind. 2 cranks in I'm connected to a sea rocket. Quite the fight and even a couple jumps for good measure. When
the chaos was finally over and the self gaffed beauty was on deck I started to wonder just where this fish came
from. The battle scars on it's tail told a story, one I wish I could know the full extent of. What waters did this fish
cruise prior to biting my squid? Where was it headed before pealing drag off my reel? I wish I had answers, but
even without the background information this fish had all of my respect. A bycatch, but certainly a good one.
a huge bass when your fishing for trout. Just the word itself is a bit odd to me but if you selectively target certain
species of fish, bycatch can be a relatively distracting thing. The feeling of excitement is there until you realize the
fish attached to your line isnt what you were fishing for. But sometimes, sometimes that excitement continues and
is elevated to a point past where your pursuits might have taken you. Much was the case on the 27th of August
2011. My friend along with the brother in law and I were fishing for white sea bass and rockfish in the Monterey
Bay. While fishing for rockfish I had a flylined squid drifting 40 yards from the boat. Not intending to catch a 23Lb
salmon, that is exactly what happened as a result. During the drift I noticed my line was running a direction the
drift couldnt have possibly taken it. I slowly lift the rod out of the holster, put it in gear, turn off the clicker and
wind. 2 cranks in I'm connected to a sea rocket. Quite the fight and even a couple jumps for good measure. When
the chaos was finally over and the self gaffed beauty was on deck I started to wonder just where this fish came
from. The battle scars on it's tail told a story, one I wish I could know the full extent of. What waters did this fish
cruise prior to biting my squid? Where was it headed before pealing drag off my reel? I wish I had answers, but
even without the background information this fish had all of my respect. A bycatch, but certainly a good one.
Anglers Pursuit