Striped Bass Jerkbait Fishing in San Francisco (CA Surf Fishing Tour) 5 DAYS! ft. @DieHardFishing
- Vincent Alexander
- 7 days ago
- 33 min read
For the video format of this blog, please view this episode on YouTube.
Wait till you see this episode of VINCE GOES FISHING. It is so, awesome!
We go on a five-day adventure in South San Francisco County.
I spend 4 days chasing striped bass.
We fish with Adam from @DieHardFishing.
I catch my first-ever Redtail Surfperch.
I interview Sherry, from Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing & Tackle.
Then we hit the rocks with squid, catch a beautiful cabezon, and my personal best brown rockfish.
Then do my first ever catch and cook on the beach!
I’m dialing in my methods. Having all kinds of fun, and adventure. Get ready. I can’t wait to share it all with you. Stay tuned, we’re hitting the road together. In this installment of the California Surf Fishing Tour. Here on VINCE GOES FISHING.
I drove up the night before.
It was about a 4-hour drive, I got to watch the sunset from the road.
I pulled into town pretty late, found a place to park, and tried to get a few hours of sleep before the big day.
“Adam dropped me a pin yesterday. He said I think they might be biting here tomorrow. Let's go see what the beach looks like.” “Adam wasn't joining me until later in the afternoon. But, I figured I might as well get a full day of fishing in. I tied on a prototype of the new Battlestar 155 and made my first cast.“
“All right, first cast. Get that line wet. Have a look at the water. Oh, you know what? It might not be so bad. It might It's mostly chocolate shake. It looks like, but it's actually pretty clear.”
“The 155 cast really far, guys. I got my drag set nice and tight so I can really set that hook when they grab on. “
So, on my way down, there's this fisherman, really friendly guy. He said, "I hear it's an afternoon bite around here lately."
It is 12:36 p.m. We've got another 30 minutes of incoming tide. So far, no bites. 2 and 1/2 hours. It feels like a lot longer than that. Let's fish hard through this last 30 minutes of the incoming tide. We'll see what Adam says. Adam's got his ear to the ground.”
Vince: Man, you catch a lot of fish, dude. It blows me away. What do you think is like the secret to success?
Adam: Time on the water.
Vince: Putting a time on the water?
Adam: Yeah.
Vince: Any other comments like about like being a YouTuber?
Adam: Some people ask me about starting a YouTube channel. If you're looking to start a YouTube channel, you got to find something that's unique about your channel. But yeah, nowadays there's so many channels. You have to have something unique.
Vince: So like a niche of some kind? Not just surf fishing but striped bass surf fishing or perch fishing. Adam: Something yeah. So, like when I first started my channel, there was hardly any kayak fishing on YouTube or even just, you know, in general. So, that really helped my channel for sure. Vince: Oh I see, cuz you had a niche. You got in early on something where there wasn't a lot of content yet. Adam: Exactly. Yeah.
Vince: So, something interesting that not everybody else is already doing.
Adam: Yeah. I don't even know what the next thing could be. No one really knows, but got to figure it out. Something that's unique. Like, Taku, when he started his channel, Outdoor Chef Life, he was fishing, but also he's a sushi chef at the same time. So, kind of combining those two things. Vince: Okay. Yeah. I guess we all just got to find our niche.
Adam: Yeah, exactly. “Big old sand crabs around here. Let's have a look. Dark gray, man. They really match the the sand color. How interesting, dude. The sand here is dark and so are the sand crabs. How do the sand crabs mimic the color of the sand?” Adam had mentioned that I could try fishing for stripers at night. So, I figured I ought to ask this legendary fisherman what kind of baits he uses to catch them in the dark.Vince: ey, what baits do you use at night time when you're fishing at night?
Adam: Uh, like that kind of stuff.
Vince: Something that rattles?
Adam: Yeah.
Vince: I’ve heard people say use dark colors at night.
Adam: Yeah, but I don't think it matters too much. That color would be fine, I think.
The fish weren't biting and it was time for Adam to head out. I told him about a spot on the map I wanted to try and since he was familiar with the area, he dropped a pin for the best place to park. Vince: Thanks, man.
Adam: Let me know how you do.
Vince: Yeah, it was it was an honor fishing with you, dude.
Adam: Let me know next time you come up.
Vince: Okay. Yeah.
Adam: And if you're up here again, just let me know.
Vince: Okay, man. I I will for sure, dude. I'm just so I feel so lucky. Thank you.
Adam: For sure.
Once I got to the beach, I checked my location on the map and realized I was still way too far north of the spot I had originally seen. Despite that, the beach was beautiful.
“What a totally beautiful beach, man. So incredibly remote. There's like practically nobody out here. It's so beautiful. There are massive bluffs, all sandy beaches, nice waves, deep water right in front of me. This is the kind of experience I was looking forward to having.”
“I’ve got about 20 hours on this bait. So, it is time to replace the hooks. These hooks are officially dull. I'll just tie on a Battlestar 115. And we'll just keep casting and cranking.”
“Here we go. Let's tie on this MimiFishFish (Glow Pink Stardine) up here in the San Francisco area. It's only appropriate that we we fish this. And give a shout out to MimiFishfish on YouTube. It's her signature color to help promote her YouTube channel. And let's see if we can't catch a nice big striper on this bait today in honor of MimiFishFish.“
And just like that, after I tied on the Battlestar 115 jerkbait, I made a few casts and bam.
“Oh, there we go. There we go. There it is. There it is. Turn down my drag. It's too high. Oh my god, it's a massive perch. Woo!"
"Holy moly, what a beauty. I think that’s a Red Tail. That's my first Red Tail right there. Dude. My first Red Tail Perch yo!”
“So, if we were to close the mouth here right on the line, take it all the way back. You can see that it's uh 14 and a half. Yeah, she's a beauty, guys. 14 1/2 in.”
“And she's off.”
“Woo! All that grinding. That perch.. Let's just say it made my day.”
The next day, I drove down the coast and paid a visit to Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing and Tackle to meet the owner, Sherry, and learn more about this historic bait and tackle shop.
Vince: Guys, I'm here with Sherry from Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing and Tackle. I'd love to know like how you came to be in this position. Sherry: I went fishing one day and met my husband. Vince: Oh, that's the story. Sherry: 1981, I went on a charter boat out of the Bay and uh he was a deck hand. I was a customer. He came around to get the jackpot to ask if you want to join the jackpot. And I looked up and went, "Oh, it's kind of neat." And that was it.
Vince: Wow. Guys, watch out. You could fall in love out there! Sherry: Ha ha!
Vince: What do you guys have to offer here? What makes it different? What do you do here?
Sherry: Well, we are located here at the harbor and uh we kind of try to take care of anything that a person could want for the basics to fish our area. We’re a whole whopping 800 square foot shop. So, it's not huge, but uh I've got it pretty packed.
Vince: And you also sell fishing licenses.
Sherry: Yes. Uh huh. Vince: And you also sell tickets to get on the sport boat. Sherry: I do. I do.
Vince: So everything you guys need. Come get your license. Get your ticket to get on the boat. Buy a rod and reel if you want. Everything you need is here.
Sherry: That's it. I got the hooks, the bait. I kind of pride myself on the bait, too, as we take care of it. Good quality bait.
Vince: Yeah, good quality bait. Good quality bait is important. I see a nice selection of hooks here, too. So come on down, check it out, guys.
Sherry: We're not a last chance tackle store. By being a fisher person first, uh all my life, uh it it's we want people to enjoy the sport. We if they can't enjoy the sport, if they can't afford to buy the things that they need to go out fish.
Vince: I appreciate you saying that so much and I relate to it. As a fisherman and a bait producer, I want to make quality products that serve my needs and are also affordable. Sherry: Exactly.
“I enjoyed my visit with Sherry over at Half Moon Bay Sportfishing and tackle. And the deck hand there gave me a great tip for where I might be able to find some black rockfish. So, I spent some time getting geared up and ready to go. And now we're uh walking out there. I've brought swimbaits.”
“Check out that awesome bench. What a cool bench. Ah, the things you see that you don't know you're about to see when you just go out into the world in an adventure.“
"And now I'm trucking my way down the end of this jetty. These guys say they caught a three lb perch. Oh my gosh.”
I fished the jetty for a while and then decided I wanted to get off and head back to the beach to target the striper I was after.
“I think I'll just go get prepared for some nighttime striper fishing cuz that's been my plan all day anyway.”
“Look at that beautiful view. Walking back to the car."
“I would like to fish from 10 till 1:00 a.m. The swell is 1 to 2 ft with 8 to 10 second period. So, it's on the small side. Conditions look pretty fair. Let's see how it goes.”
“All right, guys. Here goes nothing. We're going to do this night-time thing. I'm a little discombobulated cuz I'm not used to doing this at night and I don't really want to get in the habit of doing it, but I do want to catch a striped bass tonight.”
When I arrived, I spotted a fisherman with two stripers. Apparently, the bite was hot in the afternoon, and I was realizing now that I had missed fishing this beach during that window, both on day one and again on day two. I'm preparing to fish the night session, but I'm already thinking, I need to come back tomorrow and fish that afternoon window.
Usually, getting your lines crossed with another angler is a terrible thing, but this time it actually turned into a fun encounter.
John: I knew it. It was you. Vince!
Vince: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. John: Battlestar! Vince: Have you seen the new ones? The new V2?
John: The new V2. I haven't seen.
Vince: Dude, super super durable. It's crazy. I bounced them off the rocks all day. What's your name?
John: John. Caught uh probably like three stripers on the Battlestar. Vince: Good. They like to bite them, man.
John: Blue. The blue sardine. Vince: The blue sardine. Yeah.
Vince: So, that's John. And he heard my voice and he knew it was me.
John: Yep. It's Vince. I can tell it's Vince by the way he talks. I'm excited to get the V2. Vince: Awesome, man. Yeah. All right. Good luck, John.
John: Thank you, Vince. Nice to meet you. “Yeah.
"Well, I didn't get that Striped Bass yesterday. That was last night. I didn't get it the day before with Adam. So, I just got to keep trying, guys. I cannot leave until I catch that damn Striped Bass. I'm gonna have to stay today, tomorrow, the next day, whatever it takes. It brings to mind something I heard from Edward Tomilloso, which he learned from his dad, is the three Ps: placement, presentation, and persistence. We're going to be persistent.
Another tip that Adam gave me was go look for birds. I think I ought to stick to my plan for now at least, and uh see what I learn from it. See how it goes.”
"The breathable sun gaitor is a really nice thing to have when I'm hot. I want to be able to breathe the cool air. Breathe right through it. I don't want all my steamy breath to accumulate on the inside of my gator or on my glasses.
So, I really like the Battlestar Breathable Sun Gaitor. You can get that get 10% off if you use code vincegoesfishing at casurfishing.com. And that'll help to support my channel, guys. Thank you very much.“
“All right, here we go. Let's get that line wet and start casting."
I grinded for hours because I just had to get one on the jerk bait. And I'm glad I stuck with it.
“We've been at it for hours. I still haven't had my lucky bite yet. All I can do is just keep casting and cranking. I feel good. I feel focused. I'm following through with my plan. Fishing this window and just sticking to it with my jerkbait. The observations I'm making is that the guys who are catching fish are casting way further than me. So, I was thinking tomorrow I might come back with a Carolina rig with a 2 oz egg weight. Tonight, I'm going to respool my reel with fresh 28 lb alien braid. Tomorrow I'll hit the tackle shot and get what I need. For the rest of the day, I'm going to be chucking this jerk bait till sunset. Hopefully, we'll get it tonight, guys. Let's get it done. Gosh, I hope I get it done tonight.”
About 4 hours in, I got lost in the zen of wading deep. I fell into the rhythm of the waves, casting over them, moving with the current. I became one with my rod, my line, and my bait, swimming through the water, anticipating the bite. It all melded into one fluid experience. Then bam.
“Oh, there we go. That's one right there. Got one. Oh, came off! Check my hooks... My hooks are good.”
I brought this Daiwa North Coast medium-heavy 9'6" rod because I thought I'd be casting swimbaits off the rocks for rock fish and ling caught on this trip. But it's too heavy for fishing, let alone for trying to land striped bass on a jerkbait.
For throwing a lure like the Battlestar 115 for Striped Bass, I'd prefer the medium-weight 9- ft version.
Or even better, my Okuma SST medium weight 10 foot 6 inch rod, which is much softer. It really bends and dampens those big hard head shakes that stripers have.
Losing that fish because my rod was too stiff really hurt, but it only took a few more casts to get another bite.
"You can see how I cast and work my jerk bait. Just a simple jerk and pause, jerking paws to a striped bass. That looks like an easy meal. There! There's one right there! Stay on!"
For a second, I thought I had lost the fish.
"Still on. Still on. Still on. Still on. Little little one. Little one. Little one. Little spoolie. All right. Got it done. Finally got one. Got one.”
Please be careful when handling fish that still have lures in their mouths. In this instance, I felt confident enough to grab it by the lip with the bait still in there, but I highly recommend you never do that.
“I’m happy to get one finally.”
Keep your hands away from those treble hooks when the lure is still in a fish's mouth.
“I’ll use my pliers just to be on the safe side. No hospital visits on this trip.”
I was happy to finally get one. After days of fishing to catch the first striper of the trip and losing that first bite, it was such a relief to finally land this fish. It was so exciting when my jerkbait got inhaled. My rod suddenly bent and started shaking and I landed that little schoolie. But I wasn't satisfied. I knew I had to keep fishing for a big one.
“Oh, big ass striper in the wave right there. Wow. Just freaking swam right through the wave. Wow, that was so sick!”
This shop has everything a surf or boat angler could need for targeting all the local species. If you know the shop, you know it's a small nugget of California gold. I felt a sense of awe and honor to walk through its aisles and meet the man of good luck himself, Mark Liu.
Vince: All right, there we go. Thanks, brother.
Mark: Thank you, buddy.
“I’m right down the street from Good Luck Live Bait and Tackle. So, I've noticed all the guys who are catching them successfully are casting super far. They have really heavy rods. I don't like fishing with those big heavy rods. I like to fish with my medium-heavy. It's super lightweight combo. It's just so comfortable and it doesn't wear me out. I'm gonna do a drop shot with this fly. It's like chartreuse white. Also, I have respooled my top shot on my Vanford with the 28lb alien braid, which is fantastic for casting really far.”
“So, here it is. It's a really simple rig. It's got the from my main line. I've got my swivel right here going to 50 lb fluo to this nice big streamer fly chartreuse white some flash. My 50 lb leader goes down to a swivel, the snap ring, and the 2 oz cannonball. This is a rig that you can use to catch pretty much any fish anywhere if the conditions allow. I've caught fish like this in Washington State.”
“This thing is going to cast so freaking far. Hopefully, it'll behave itself. No issues with my rig. We'll see. We'll see. Holy moly, that is bombing way far, guys. So, now I'm feeling confident that if we are casting that far, we'll have a better chance at getting in front of a Striper.”
Fishing this 2-oz long cast rig for over 4 hours had me feeling hungry and bored. I had to find ways to entertain myself.
"Look at this guy. He's in full-body metal armor. Like a classic old soldier from like the 14th century or something like that. Who does he think he is?”
Vince: Hark Good sir knight.
Roman Soldier: Hail Caesar. Vince: I approach thee clad in thy gleaming mail
Roman Soldier: For the glory of Rome. Hail Caesar. Vince: With a challenge! That brooks no denial. I see in thine eye the fire of a warrior. In thy stance the readiness for strife. Let us not speak of parley or peace. For my blood boils for conflict. Roman Soldier: Rebellum on foxet boats of hail. Cesar. Vince: Draw steel sir knight and let us settle this matter with the clash of blade on blade. Roman Soldier: If you wish for peace, prepare for war.
Vince: The sand beneath our feet shall be our arena.
Roman Soldier: Let it let it be as you say.
Vince: And the crashing waves are sole witness.
Roman Soldier: After you, sir knight.
Vince: Prepare thyself, for I intend to cleave thee from hell's greaves!
Roman Soldier: For the glory of Rome. Hail Cesar. Hail Caesar. Hail Cesar.
Vince: He got me. Damn it. He got me.
Roman Soldier: Good fight. Good fight. Vince: That's a nice one. How long ago?
Fisherman: Uh, not too long ago.
This heavy, long cast and crank rig is proving to be just as boring as I thought it might be. What can I say? I love finesse fishing with a lightweight lure and an active retrieve. “I’m not really enjoying this very much. This is boring.”
I was so bored that at some point I realized I don't just want to catch a striped bass. I want to catch one on my jerkbait, the way I love to fish.
“Let's see what time it is because I'd like to fish the jerkbait for a little while. Oh my goodness. It is almost 6:00 p.m. You guys, let's put on that jerkbait. Game on. Set the drag just tight enough to get that hook set."
"That's good. This rod is just a little too stiff for this game in my opinion. For this, I honestly prefer my Okuma SST Medium 10 foot 6-inch"
"I love that this bait vibrates, rattles, like "I'm over here. I'm over here". I feel really confident that they'll be able to find it.”
Oh, there's one! There's one! Oh. Oh. Oh, this one feels good. Oh, yeah. There goes the drag. Oh my gosh, you guys. Second cast. Turn down my drag. I think he must be hooked good. I hope he's hooked good. He pulled drag like that. He's got to be hooked good.
Yeah, guys. This is it! This is what we came for. Second cast on the jerkbait. They can find it cuz it vibrates. Don't want to waste my time fishing anything else. Okay. Got to follow that fish through the current. Stay on, baby. Stay on. Oh my goodness. This is so awesome. This is a good one. This is a good one.
Taking a little longer to land. Woo! Yeah! Woo! Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness. My heart is racing. Second freaking cast of the jerk bait, guys, after all day throwing that fly. Here she is. Oh my gosh. Hell yeah.”
Give her a quick rinse for a nice photo. “We did it. I got it. The big one. There she is."
It was so satisfying to hold this fish in my hands.
"Check out that bait in its mouth. That's the Blue Sardine Battlestar 115. On the second cast, I fish for hours and hours, no bites. I tied on my jerkbait. Second cast. Bam, baby."
"And even as I was fishing it, I felt so confident that fish will be able to find it cuz it's rattling and vibrating. There's just something about the rattle on the Battlestar 115 that they love. And I'm so happy to have these new V2s. The V2 version of the jerkbait is so much better. It's super super durable. Super incredibly strong.”
"Closed mouth on the line. Tail comes to 24. About 24 in, guys. And I'm satisfied. That was a nice fish. He fought really hard. Let's get it back in the water... And now for the release."
We did it. We got it done. Oh my god, that feels so great, finally got a nice one, on the jerkbait especially. Just to get a nice one after days and days of chasing them. And I'm so happy I got it on the jerk bait. Man, that felt good. That fish, that was a powerful fish, man. They fight really hard on a medium-heavy rod like this. I see these guys with these heavyweight rods just dragging them up out of the water really fast. For me, it was actually a a pretty serious fight.”
Oh my gosh, that was so freaking awesome. I'm satisfied. I can leave South San Francisco now. Or maybe we'll go hit the rocks with some squid, get some rockfish. I really want some fish.I want to steam some fish and eat some fish." "I would have loved to eat a nice big chunk of of that striper, but there's no way I'm going to risk eating those things. I think they're contaminated and they're not safe to eat. If you look up the health warnings, Striped Bass is the least healthy fish to eat. So, I'm not going to eat them, but I would like to get some nice perch or some rock fish off the rocks.”
“Man, this is so much more fun casting over the waves, just working that bait. It's vibrating and rattling. It's swimming like a fish and I'm just jerking it. Twitch twitch, making it rattle, making it vibrate, swimming it through the waves, watching the waves break, the current, following it, just participating in the whole thing, you know? It's so connected. I'm so connected to it all. It's just so much more fun this way. Lightweight. And dude, he hit that bait like a freaking freight train, bro. It was like, twitch, twitch. Bam. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. And then he just took off. You guys saw him peel drag and stuff. Man, it's so much more fun to catch them like this. But the 155 is going to be fun to fish with, guys. Oh my gosh. Casting way out there and then just jerking, jerking, jerking through the waves and then bam, when they hit it, I can't wait. It's going to be so much fun.”
“Stay tuned for that 155 coming out probably in 6 months because we've got the first batch coming within a couple weeks. The first test batch we're just doing 300 of them just to test them out. And I'm going to put out the offer, if anybody wants to help us test these things, go to the casurfishing.com/155test and fill out the form. So that way you're agreeing to provide feedback and then we're going to reply to your email with a coupon code. You can go to the CA surfishing shop, order it at a discounted price and then go test fish it and then come back and give us your feedback. Just send us an email and let us know what you think. Can't wait to share that with you guys. It's going to be so awesome. I can't wait to fish the dang thing. So, in a number of weeks here, we'll have it. Maybe we should come up here, do another trip.”
“Hello! Oh my gosh. Number three. Or this is the second one of the day right here. Bam, got hit. Peeling a little drag. Oh gosh. I hope he's hooked good. Man, the 115 it just works so good, guys. The Battlestar jerkbait works so good. I'm going to turn down the drag just a smidgen and just hope that he's hooked really good. Oh, come on. Come on. I wish my rod gave a little better. See, this is why I like the the North Coast 9 foot better. Oh, he came off. See? See? That's just it right there. That's just it, guys. I like the 9 ft better.”
“Oh man, he freaking bent that hook. Dang. I should have upgraded these hooks. These are the stock hooks. Oh, see, when you're targeting Striped Bass, it's really worth it to upgrade to the the 3X strength hooks. You can get the Battlestar 3X STRONG Replacement Hooks. That's what they're made for.
Bummer. Bummer. Bummer. I should have turned down my drag some more. What was I doing? Horsing him in. Here I am talking about how my rod's too powerful. It's too powerful. I wish I had the 9 foot cuz it it's less powerful and it lets the rod tip bend more. And meanwhile, he's just going bending it, bending it, bending it. Boom. He's off. Upgrade the hooks. The 3X upgrade hooks. You can get those at casurfishing.com. Use code vincegoesfishing, you'll get 10% off on your whole order and that supports my channel, guys. Thank you very much.”
“And the the real issue here is that my rod is so dang stiff. Think about it like this. If you tied a string or a rope to a tree branch...Two tree branches, one soft branch that bends real easy and one that's really firm and stiff and then you bang bang bang pull pull pull. Okay, the one that's soft, you're not going to get hard resistance. It's going to be soft and dampered.
Whereas that stiff thick branch, you go bam, bam, bam. You feel that stiff, abrupt tightening of the rope. Boom. Boom. Right when it ends. And that's the difference between a stiff rod and a soft rod.
So, I always say like on a sandy beach when you're fishing for perch and striper, use a soft rod. I brought this heavy rod with me on this trip and now I'm regretting it. I wish I had brought my Okuma SST 10 foot 6 medium weight. It's perfect for casting these jerk baits. It's rated for 3/4 ounce and it's super soft. And I just don't have that problem. Just get the hook set, have keep my drag down, let them let them rip around and buzz around and that's it. Just keep your rod bent the whole time. And it's like that soft branch. It just gives and gives and gives, but your line always stays tight. You see? It's not like you come to the end, it goes boom, and then you go back and it's slack and boom, and then slack, boom, slack, boom, boom, boom, boom. So that's why my hooks are bending out and that's why they're popping free. If it was a nice soft tree branch, it would just bend and then absorb the slack. Bend and absorb the slack and it would always be tight and taut. So that's why you want a nice soft rod when you're fighting big fish that shake their head and pull really hard like Striped Bass or big Perch.”
“So, every time a wave washes in, it delivers a bunch of water. So, the water table is higher, and that's when the fish are going to move in and feed. When it all washes out, the water table's lower. The fish are out. They're out a little further, and then the next big set comes in, washes a bunch of water in, and they come in and feed. So, you want to fish those waves. You want to watch for the waves coming in, cast over them, and fish that water table while it's up.”
“You know what? I just realized something, guys. Okay, think about this. All those fishermen down there, they're just watching for the birds, waiting for the birds, casting at the birds because that's where there's going to be a concentration of fish outside skirts of that school of birds or that flock of birds. There's going to be a school of stripers and they're going to be chasing bait in close to shore. There's going to be a concentration of them right there, right? But every time that happens, it's going to send some of that bait and some of those fish on down the beach, chasing that bait. If the birds go to the north, that deposits some stripers on the north side of the beach in the surf zone. If the birds take off and go south, that's depositing fish all along the beach. There's always going to be some stripers up and down the beach eating the loose bait that they were able to break loose from that main school and push into the surf zone. So, what I would prefer to do is just start on one end of the beach and just cast my jerkbait and comb the whole thing all the way to one side."
”So, I spent the rest of the day buzzing the beach, searching for my next bite. At sunset, I was so lucky to be fishing next to this guy, Alex, and watch him catch this trophy striper."
“Way to go, man. That's a nice one. Got him. You got him. Yes. Way to go, bro. Woo! Nice, dude. It's a big one, bro.”
“All right, that's a wrap, guys. It was so much fun targeting striped bass, catching striped bass. They are so much fun to chase and catch. We're going to head down the coast, try to catch a rockfish, do a catch and cook to just top off this whole trip and make it awesome.”
“I was in there at Good Luck Bait and Tackle in Pacifica. Got my squid from Mark. Met a couple of CSF'ers, members of our California Surf Fishing (CSF) group on Facebook. It was really nice to meet these guys, they're kind of excited when they meet me and hear the stories about how I fish different out here on these beaches with lightweight. Instead of casting heavy weight straight towards the birds, I'm fishing lightweight and buzzing the whole beach. Three casts here, three casts there, working the waves, catching the stripers that are scattered in the surf zone, ambushing prey, they pushed into the surf zone. So, they love hearing about it. They love seeing the photos and the video of me setting the hook and the drag peeling.”
"I got squid. We're going to go get ice. We're gonna drive down the coast, go try this spot at high tide, try to catch a rockfish, do some cooking, fill up my stomach full of fresh fish. We'll go home. That'll be a wrap for this whole trip.”
As I drove down Highway 1, I spotted some beautiful beaches and had to pull over to check them out. The San Francisco area has some awesome sandy beaches, but also gorgeous reefs and tide pools.
“Today, I've made my way out all the way to a really special place. We're going to go ahead and have our first experience chucking bait, in this instance, squid, into some deep water up north in the San Francisco County region. We have a chance at catching black rockfish. We have a chance at catching cabon, ling cod. There's really no telling what we're going to pull up. Perhaps even a species I've never caught before.”
“This episode will be dedicated to Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing and Tackle. Hello, Sherry and Connor. We're wishing you well in the Coast Guard up there north. Be safe. And if you guys haven't checked it out yet, get down to Half Moon Bay. Go check out the sport fishing and tackle shop. Get yourself a ticket to jump on the sport boat. Go catch a bunch of rock fish or Striped Bass during the summertime. Give them a call for more info."
"All right, let's rig up and get to it, guys. I'm excited to start fishing.”
“Oh my gosh, that's perfectly exactly where I wanted it to land. Let's hold on tight, guys. I have a good feeling. “
“Oh, there. That was a tug. There's a tug. Come on. Load the rod. Load it up. Load the rod. Load the rod. Come on. That was a good tug, man. Wait to me. There's a good tug. There's a tug. There's fish on!“
“Okay, that's fish on. But he managed to get down inside of a rock, which really bums me out. I really want to land this fish.“
“Cabezon. Man, he must have been wrapped up in some kelp cuz he felt so much heavier than this. I thought it was going to be a really big fish. Check out this fish real quick. Get a nice look here. Let's keep this. This will be a great fish for steaming. So, this is a fish that we'll cook and eat. We're going to do a catch and cook today, guys. Stay tuned for it. It's going to be awesome.”
“This is a knife that was given to me by my buddy Dan Mullhern. Thanks for that beautiful knife, Dan. Already getting good use out of it, bro."
"There's point after point after point with steep drop-offs all along the coast. So, I just looked for the next one up the coast and I'm headed there right now. We got to catch some more fish and get started on our catch-and-cook.”
As I approached this spot, I studied how the waves were breaking on the shore. I could see there was a fast drop off in the reef about 40 ft in front of me, which was a gateway to an even longer, steeper drop off into about 20 ft of water.
“Out as far as I could get it. I have a pretty good feeling, guys. It's always a good idea to stand on some dry ground. If it's dry, then you probably won't get splashed.”
Man, I had such a good feeling that I was going to catch a fish real soon. “There’s a bite! There's a fish on! Fish on!"
"That didn't take but five minutes, guys. Oh my gosh, it feels heavy. Oh my gosh. I mean, they always feel heavy when you're rock fishing. Pulled him over the reef right there. Now he's on the he's on the reef. I'm going to have to give him some slack. Let him swim out of there. Okay, here he comes. Is it a new species? Is it my first black rock fish? Is it my first lingog from shore? Is it another Cabezon? I think it's probably another Cabezon. Oh, it's a nice rockfish, you guys. What an absolute beauty. So happy, guys. This is going to steam up so good for our catch and cook.”
“Once again, thank you very much to Dan Mulhern, guitar player extraordinaire from Union Sea for this beautiful knife that you've given me. I love it, dude. A Best Ketchman. I guess that's what I am. A best ketchman. I must admit, I'm having the time of my life.”
“All right, guys. Our third spot of the day. And it looks like a really good one. Man, I'm doing a lot of hard work. My heart is just pumping like crazy to get from spot to spot. This looks beautiful, guys. Let's just get our bait in the water as soon as possible."
"We got some pretty dang good distance on that cast. And I feel good about the placement. We'll just see how it goes.”
“Didn't catch anything at the third spot. So, it was time to cook these fish."
"Oh my goodness. Whoa. Whoa. Dude, are you kidding me? Yo, loaded with agots. Oh, look at this orange one. Oh my gosh. It's time to cook. But I can't stop picking rocks, you guys. There's just so much agate.”
"Let's steam that fish. I think this is going to work. We're looking good. We're looking good. All right."
“Let's go ahead and take care of our fish. Get the guts out and the heads off, dressed, and ready. Look, there's a crab inside of his belly. Always a crab inside of a Cabezon's belly. And we'll wrap this fish in the tin foil, and we'll be ready to go. Let's give these a good rinse in seawater.”
“Slap them fish down here. I've got the Papa Leroy's. You guys have seen me share this with you in the past. I really like it. It's a Chili Lime Blackening Season. And I'm just going to dress that all over. Put a few slices in these fish to get some of that seasoning inside. Oh man, I have been needing protein like this this whole trip. I've been wanting to eat some fresh fish. Look at that meat, you guys. Doesn't that look so good? Fresh white meat. I just want to take a bite out of it right now. Mmmm. Got lots of that Papa Leroys. And there's the Cabezon. Roll these babies up. Pebbles and all. That'll do. Nice big tootsy roll. That'll do.”
“Ever since I started watching fishing videos on YouTube when I was in Washington back in 2015 to 2020, I was watching Fisherman's Life. The winters were so long up there in Washington. So, I decided to move to California and start my own fishing channel to do what he did. I was so inspired by what Matts was doing. And this is my first time that I've ever actually done this. And I feel like I really nailed it today. Getting it down, how to find a good spot. I'm learning as I go, you know, one day at a time. But I think I'm doing great. Finally doing my first catch and cook. So excited to share this with you guys.”
“See how we're doing. Let's do it, guys. Let's lay this fish on here. This is like a ceremonial moment. The catch and cook, the San Francisco trip. Let's do it. We're going to let that steam.”
“I'm living my dream right now.”
"This trip, it took a lot out of me, but I had fire the whole time. It was just so much fun. Just looking forward to the next session, the next session, and all the things I needed to do in between to prepare for it. You know, where am I going to go? What do I need to do, to get prepared? What time do I need to be there? There's never a dull moment, and it's always fun. It's just all fun, adventure.”
"Starting to smell fish. Man, I am so hungry. And that fish smells so good."
I can't wait to sink my teeth into some juicy rockfish. It's going to be delicious. It's going to fill me up, too. "The reef rock. This little tide pool. I'm looking through the cracks in the reef at the ocean and the waves breaking in the background. Got my fish cooking right here at my side. It's just blissful. The smell of the fish, the sound of the birds and the waves, these green trees and grass and rocks, the water, and the way the light reflects off of it. My body is tired from all the exercise I've got over the last week fishing, camping.”
“I want to give a little shout out to the crew. Talking about Gary and Kasper Kazazian, Jason Hill, Austin, Miro, my homies that help teach me how to catch fish. They help mentor me, how to find spots, the right techniques. But I want to say thank you guys. Thanks guys, for seeing me for who I am and accepting me and loving me. And I just want to give a shout out to you guys and say thank you."
"And while we're at it, I'd like to say thank you to all of you back at home who support me. Vince Goes Fishing, California Surf Fishing (CSF), Battlestar Tackle, and you guys see all my hard work that I do to create products to facilitate a community where people can have fun and learn to connect and enjoy the experience, and all the hard work I do to promote the tackle shops. Thank you, all of you tackle shop owners, customers, group members. Thank you so much for loving me and supporting me along the way. And I really hope that everything that you see me doing inspires you to chase your dreams and do what you love.”
“All right, this fish ought to be done cooking. So, let's open her up and see the big reveal. Oh, it smells so good."
After a week of hard fishing and some good catching, I was so ready to finally sink my teeth into some pure, healthy, wild caught fish protein steamed in its own juices on the beach.
"Yo, so good. I'm going to eat all of this. Check out that white rockfish meat. That's my favorite, man. I'll take rockfish any day. That's my favorite fish to eat.”
“Little chunk of gravel in the mix here and there, but I guess I really like agates that much. I can eat them, too. Nothing is perfect, but you know what? Everything is perfect.”
“I’m going to eat both of these fish. All of it. How about this little tail section right here? Kind of scrape the skin back. This is always really bomb right here. M. Look at that. Don't you just want to take a big old bite out of that?"
"Mmm. Perfect. Was like just a little too hot, but it didn't burn my mouth at all. So, it's just like getting into a hot warm bath. It's just a little too hot. And you say, "Well, that's perfect." This is what we do it for, guys. Dang, this rockfish is so good. I'm going to peel this whole spine out. And we've got this whole other side right here. Look at this big old chunk of white meat. Look at this nice big chunk of white meat right here.”
“Guys, thank you so much for joining me on these adventures. I can't wait to bring you on the next adventure. It's going to be full moon soon. We'll go south. We'll hit Santa Barbara, Ventura, LA. We'll go for halibit. And hopefully I can catch my first legal white sea bass from shore. I've caught quite a few of them. Maybe about 14 so far and they've all been under. Some of them were just under. We're going to get it soon enough and then we'll do a catch and cook like this.”
“I’ll see you then, guys. And be sure to tell your friends to subscribe to Vince Goes Fishing. Please join our group on Facebook, California Surf Fishing (CSF). Do me a favor, leave a comment on this video, share it with your friends, and uh hit up your local tackle shop and ask them to please stock your favorite Battlestar Tackle products. Thanks a lot for your support, guys. I really appreciate it. Good luck. Chase your dreams.”
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