BY TONY ROBINSON
MORRO BAY – Last time I fished Morro Bay, it was on a first-time solo trip for some elusive long finned northern tuna species. It’s a beautiful, quiet town that seemed to be upgraded from the way it looked so long ago. For this little excursion, I went as a fill-in host for Landon Thomas of Western Outdoor News on a quest for a much slower prey, but every-bit-as-tasty bottom-dwelling variety.
Captain Brian was at the helm with Weston and Chauncey on deck and Lacey working double duty – deck princess and iron chef. I was also joined by Madame Lures owners, Matt Strang and Adam Christiansen, who generously brought an assortment of their plastics to share as a bonus for all charter guests.
After a busy check-in orchestrated by veteran crew member, Gambit, (who stayed behind to tend to a knee injury) we went off into the darkness to make our way to the bite zone. Passengers were treated with a goodie bag that included a spool of Izorline, an assortment of live bait hooks and a face gaiter from Gamakatsu, a Costa lens cloth, a Laser Minnow and spool of copolymer line from P-Line.
We concentrated our efforts in two general areas – a deep spot that required 1-pound sinkers and a much heavier presentation, and a much shallower zone that allowed for use of lighter gear and a little more flexibility for lure options for fun.
Weather, at times, was reminiscent of the Grizzly River Run, with plenty swell, moderate winds and a pretty-constant drippage of rainfall, especially heading out first thing in the morning. But after some less than coordinated dancing on deck, we got our feet and steps right and were rewarded with full limits of big reds, three legal lings and a smattering of deep-water fishies that included salmon grouper and a mix of rockfish to fill our sacks.
Top honors went to Robert Fairbanks of Long Beach who scored a nice lingcod he caught using a large Hook-Up Bait. He was rewarded with jackpot cash along with a WON prize bag that included a pair of Costa Sunglasses, P-Line pliers and a $50 AFTCO gift card. A bonus “jackpot bag” from Madame Lures included a fine assortment of their plastics, jig heads, a t-shirt and stickers to round off a nice haul of winnings for his big fish efforts. Happy Birthday to passengers, Robert (jackpot winner) and Erin Lunn of Porterville!
