FishwithJD

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Southern Cal beach fishing options?

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JD, I just moved to southern California and I looking for fishing suggestions at the beaches. I got no problem with getting wet, was even thinking about a kayak. What do you think?

–Damon

Well, there’s some pretty darned good perch, corbina and croaker fishing to be had on the beach right around the Santa Monica Pier if you can believe that. It’s more of a summer thing, but you can get halibut there too. Just north of Malibu are some nice beaches and Leo Carillo is always good. If y ou get a kayak, head for Newport Harbor/Balboa Island for some sweet sand bass action on plastics. Good luck!

How do I become a guide in CA?

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JD,

I would like to start a guide service for folks with limitations on Shasta Lake…can you tell me where to start with permits or what is needed to start such a service?

Thank you, Cat

Cat,

Start with a boat, then get a guide license through the Department of Fish & Game, a $10,000 surety bond, insurance and you’re good to go. I don’t think you need a Coast Guard License for Shasta, but I’d check to be sure. Good luck!

Should I wear rubber gloves while fishing?

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JD, What’s your take on touching bait and tackle with bare hands when fishing for steelhead ? People wearing rubber gloves to wipes and sprays. Where really is the fine line at before being wasteful of the enjoyment and the time out fishing ?

–Wade

Wade,

I tried wearing rubber gloves one season…both in Alaska and back home in the Lower 48. All I can say is it was a miserable experience…my hands were a mess! They’d sweat like crazy on hot days and then I would get water in the gloves at some point. Between the sweat and H2O, my hands would end up super white and clammy at the end of the day…and smelling worse to the fish than had I just gone “el natural.”

Plus, tying knots and feathering a baitcaster with Latex on is a royal pain. Nope, not a big rubber glove fan here!

Instead, I will wash my hands in lemon dish soap prior to fishing and then, if the bite is really tough, I may wipe a little shrimp gel between my palms (the wife’s really happy about that one!) to get a little masking scent going. Just in case, you can carry some Hand Sanitizer with you too, if you really want to get clean between fish or if you get a cut or scratch. The shrimp gel overtop will mask the smell enough for the fish to keep biting, and it may sting a little, but it beats wearing the gloves that’s for sure. In conclusion,

I agree, if you get too caught up it it all, you start to miss the point…

Where & How do I Catch Crappie?

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Hey JD,

Spring hopefully is on the way and I’ve got a question for you. One of my friends is really hot on crappie fishing, so much in fact that we have a little wager going now. He doesn’t fish much in the ocean for lincgod and I have never fished for big crappie before. We are going to go head to head on either of these specie. My question is , where in hell can I find some big crappie and how do I catch them? I have started looking on the internet but then I thought about you. You answered a question I had awhile back about rainbows over 16 inches in the sac system. Can you help me out buddy?

–Craig D.

Craig, well normally I’d say you can catch some huge ‘slabs at Clear Lake in February and March, but the fish are in a down cycle there now. Black Butte Reservoir has always been a hot crappie producer, though I haven’t heard much out of there this season. Camp Far West is another good bet.

Find some submerged cover near deep water and drop small live minnows or white crappie jigs (1/34-ounce size). Good luck!

Cured salmon eggs toxic to baby salmon?

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A recent study by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife says that some commercially-available cured salmon eggs are harmful to juvenile salmon and steelhead. ODFW and Oregon State University scientists tested a random sample of commercially-available cured eggs and found that some juvenile fish died after ingesting some brands. Specific mortality levels varied among products and ranged from 0 to 30 percent.
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