White Seabass

[captnemo]

White Seabass: Saltwater Ghosts of Winter
By: Capt. David Bacon | 2/26/2009 3:24 PM

Much is written about rockfish in early March -- and for good reason, since it is the first of the regulatory seasons to open up. But a more glorious opportunity exists: white seabass, the saltwater ghosts of winter.

Photo by: Capt. David BaconBringing ‘em Home -- Dave Bacon (son of the author), hefts two winter white seabass, which he reports is enough to feed the family for days.
You never can quite tell what a seabass will eat. Forget about absolutes when fishing for these white and blue-hued brutes. They will eat what they want and when they want it, no matter what we think. The last thing in the world I would ever tell a fishing charter passenger is, “Put that thing back in your tackle box. It will never catch a white seabass.” Those words would beg an embarrassing moment.
We can, however, talk about what they usually eat, and the most consistent techniques for hooking up. White seabass will readily take either live bait or jigs. The first choice of live baits would have to be squid, though it isn’t the only effective bait.



A dropper loop is the first choice among rigging types. The best dropper loop is made by sliding a size 3/0 hook up the line and tying a 6-ounce torpedo sinker to the end of the line. Make a foot-long loop for the hook about 4 feet up the line from the weight. This way, the hook is free swinging in the loop rather than knotted at the eye, so the presentation is a bit more natural.
I prefer a long loop for the hook because when a fish inhales the bait, I want the whole bait, including the hook, to be sucked into its mouth. Pin a lively squid onto the hook and send it down to the bottom. Fish with the weight just inches off the bottom, to reduce hang-ups. Hookups tend to be solid with this rig.


A sliding sinker rig is another favorite technique and a favorite of mine aboard my charter boat. Pin a 3/0 or 4/0 hook through the mantle and use a sliding sinker just heavy enough to sink the bait two thirds of the way down the water column. Usually a small weight such as one-half ounce is sufficient, unless the current is running very strong. No leader is necessary. The sinker can slide right down to the hook.



Live squid isn’t always available, and our fish seem happy to eat sardines. Light line with a 3/8-ounce sliding sinker and a size 1 live bait hook pinned through the nose of a lively medium-size sardine is a very effective setup. Cast upcurrent and let the bait flutter slowly down the water column, letting it soak for a good 10 minutes before reeling in and hooking up a fresh bait.
Baiting seabass with a sliding sinker rig takes a touch of patience. If you feel a slight suspicious tug and shake, just wait. When that fish pulls steady and begins to swim off, sweep the rod up high to set the hook.



That’s when the fish will head for tall timber. Don’t let it! Make it bend the rod and work for every foot of line it takes.

Your drag has to be set soft enough to keep the line from breaking, and if you are using line as light as 12 pounds, that is a very soft drag. Just keep lifting that rod and then reeling down, time and time again, to stand the best chance of turning the fish before it finds something to wrap your line around and breaks off.

Jig fishing for seabass is a very different technique. Select a white, pearlescent or scrambled egg colored jig, or perhaps one that best imitates the forage fish you observe in the water. Drop a jig down to the bottom, come up about 4 feet, and begin gently jigging up and down.

On the downstroke, hesitate a few seconds before jigging it back up a few feet by quickly raising the rod tip. They find it hard to resist attacking during the momentary hesitation.
After 10 minutes or so of that jigging technique, try casting it out and let it flutter slowly down to the bottom -- and then bring it back with a slow retrieve. This cast and retrieve routine works especially well when using a leadhead with a plastic swimbait or twintail instead of a jig.


There are two common boat-handling techniques for hunting seabass. One is to anchor or drift just outside of a kelp line. Calico bass will often keep you enjoyably occupied while waiting for white seabass.


This technique involves waiting for the fish to come to you. They do swim around, and if you are in a high-probability area, this can be a pretty good way to catch other fish while waiting for the seabass to swim by.



The other technique is to cruise and explore an area, looking for huge baitballs, preferably with birds working over the bait. That is a good indication that fish are working the bait from below.
Position the boat at the edge of the baitfish and cast into the school. Right below the leading edge of a moving bait school is where the best action can be expected.




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[DarkSkies]

Those are beautiful fish, nice size, look mighty tasty. thanks for posting, I learned a lot from reading that.