BY John Sawers
Special to Western Outdoor News
NEWPORT BEACH – I’ve been fishing in and around Newport Harbor for 20 years on kayaks for bass, halibut, barracuda, sheepshead, whitefish, etc. I’ve been hearing all the craze about El Niño and that there are lots of bonito around. So, I bought a little heavier rod, put my Shimano Saragosa 5000 reel on it and tied some 20-pound fluoro on, and I wanted to be able to get solid casting distance with some 40- to 80g metal lures.
The gameplan was to go outside the harbor, head northwest and look for clean water, current and bait. I was seeing that within 50 yards, so I made three casts with an 80g ColtSniper. On the third cast, my lure got slammed.
I immediately felt weight, and the line was peeling off. I let the lure sink to about 30 or 40 feet which is where I was marking bait balls. I immediately thought massive bonito or maybe a lucky yellowtail. But once I saw the color, I was like “holy s—t!”
The fight lasted about 35 minutes, and I have to shout out Jon Anderson (Instagram@jonnyfishhb) for the clutch gaff. I had a big net, but the fish wouldn’t come closer than 3 or 4 feet of the surface. Everything just worked out perfectly, and it was a fish of a lifetime for me. Right timing, right day, right year, right gear, good knots, so stoked! Now I am sick, and I need to fish more to get better!
