Coronado Shore Outing 6/7

I got up Saturday morning with two goals in mind, avoiding an HOA meeting and catching a few fish. This was a two-birds-one-stone opportunity if ever there was one.

The tide was a good, long incoming, and that bodes well for bay fishing. I was in no hurry to get up at the crack up dawn because the tide didn't swing to incoming until 8:30 am. I just had to get out of the house before the meeting started.

I grabbed Spottie Slaya, my shore-fishing day pack and took off for the Silver Strand State Beach. I was a little dismayed, as I drove over the Coronado Bridge, to see small white caps on the bay, and the palm trees in Coronado waving in the wind.

I got to my usual parking spot, between Navy housing and Crown Cove, to see the American flag at the Navy housing whipping in the wind. I though about packing it in, but I didn't feel like going to another spot, didn't want to go back and walk past the HOA meeting, and the Curado reel I was using today was casting well. I had a half-ounce lead head tied on, so I thought I'd give it a go.

I walked along the nature trail to the cove, looking for jack rabbits or hunting hawks. I only saw cotton tails and mourning doves.

The tide was still negative, revealing much of the shallow mud flats the ring the cove. Even the little spit by the point, and the shoal in the middle of the cove were covered with foraging shore birds. For me this is good, because there is a definite shelf at two spots in the cove, and one of them drops nearly 10 feet. When the tide is so low the shelf is just feet off the water line, making it much easier to fish. The high water line was clearly a good 5 feet higher, and would be again by the afternoon.

The wind has coming hard from the south, into my face. I would imagine it was a little better than 8 knots. The surface of Crown Cove was a miniature version of a rough sea; constant wave action and little white caps. I actually had to tuck my SPF shirt into the from of my shorts because it kept blowing up, exposing my six pack (from Friday night). In fact it was pretty uncomfortable to be in this wind.

If I kept my casts a low side arm, and didn't cast too far across the direction of the wind, I could get some good casts off, without backlash, or the line being picked up by the wind.

As usual, regardless of how far out I cast, or how much water I covered, the two fish I caught were holding close to the shelf. Real close. The first, a small Spotted Sand (Bay) Bass, took my lure as I fished it parallel to the shelf, just a couple feet from shore. I quickly shook the fish off the hook, and watched him tear back to the safety of the shelf.

The second fish came just a few minutes later, in a manner nearly identical to the first, parallel to the shelf, a few feet off the shore. But this was clearly a larger fish, and it put a healthy bend in my 7.5' bass rod. Spotties have a well-deserved reputation as hard fighters. They may not get big, but they put up a tussle. This was a relatively large yellow-chinned female. I should have taken her picture, but I'd taken off my day pack to change lures earlier, and my camera was in the pack.

The wind finally took it's toll, and was really beginning to wear on me. I decided to try a spot I've had luck at before, closer to the trail back to the car. When I walked up there were Jr. Lifeguard tryouts going on in a spot I like, but that had wound down a little. I decided it to take advantage of its more-sheltered position to make a few more casts. Aside from a couple missed hits, it wasn't productive, and a fresh group of young hopefuls has arrived. I called it a day at that point, knowing the HOA meeting would also be winding down by the time I got home.

Plus, Euro '08 was kicking off this morning, and Portugal vs. Turkey was getting ready to kick off. The World's Game is another addiction.