In Search of the Golden Lady

Wednesday I got a call from a friend, Brandon Hayward, and he wanted to fish the beach looking for a large Calico bass, hopefully getting a bruiser for a photo. We met up at 5:00 am at my house, hooking up the skiff and getting down to the launch ramp around 5:30 am with coffee in hand.
We were greeted with flat calm seas, over cast skies and an air temp around 50 degrees.
Once launched we set our course up the beach to a few stones I have fished over the years which in the hay day would produce the fat ones. We fished diligently through the first hour without a bite then Brandon caught our first keeper around 2.5 pounds on a swimbait. As the tide started its way down from a 7 + foot high(highest of the year) with a 61 degree water tempature, we were in position to get a big bite.
Brandon started off getting smoked without getting a solid hookset with the fish coming unbuttoned. I had the same happen after one them doubled my heavy Lamiglass rod and took line off a REVO 50 with new AccuBraid line on it. I was starting to wonder if we had our chances when I got bit again, this time getting a solid hook set and the fish dogging deep. At first with the head shakes I thought we were going to see a nice sea bass until I saw a brown shadow below the boat. It dogged me for a minute or so until I was able to get it close to the boat. It was a solid fish that felt pretty hefty. It had been awhile since I had caught a fish as nice as this one so I really enjoyed it. We took a round of pictures and I released her back into her stones. I was really happy to have the deep teeth marks in the palm of my hand, knowing she was the biggest fish I had caught in a couple years for sure. It was nice to see that with all the pounding our local stuff takes there are still a few goods one to catch.
I had a nice morning until about noon when the wind started blowing out of the south and I knew I had to go straight into it on the way home.
I love fishing the Calicos and really appreciate the chance to test our new products(AccuBraid) to see what they are made of. I appreciate the time on the water with friends, sharing stories and creating new ones of the fish either lost or the ones caught. However I look at it, I am definitely blessed and couldn't ask for a better life. I hope your Holidays are good ones and you spend some time on the water. Until our next outing, I hope all your fish are big ones.

Ben