Gone Fishing

Beginner Level:  Learn how to tie the following knots commonly used in fishing: clinch, Palomar, turle, barrel knot, and double surgeons loop.

While I had the Ashley Book of Knots tome triggering the passenger seat airbag deployment logic, I cobbled this together mostly with some paracord, a paperclip, and some online tutorials... 

Clinch:  Securing fish hooks.  

Palomar: Really securing fish hooks, particularly with braided line, but wastes more line with doubling and if you are bottom fishing and want the snagged hook to break at the hook, this knot is too secure.  

Turle: Not particularly well illustrated with a paperclip, but this would pull from the hook's shank, not its eye.  Fly fisherman like this because the fly tracks straight and looks more natural in the water.  

Barrel:  So I am a climber and ended up putting the "stopper" type of barrel knot that keeps the end of the line from accidently feeding all the way through your rapeling device.  Fishermen are more likely to use this to splice two lines together.  It can also be used in crafts where you want to be able to slide your knot around (i.e. adjust a necklace length)

Double Surgeon's: Another way to splice line together!  

Extra Credit:  My fishing book and captain both suggest 

1.  the Grinner/Universal Knot is GOAT for securing most hooks to the line... 

2.  the FG knot is GOAT for securely attaching a leader to the line.  Mine doesn't have the suggested number of revolutions, but I got the gist that this would be a very unlikely failure point.  

Intermediate Level 

• Obtain a copy of the fishing regulations near you. Check out your state’s Department of Fish & Game website.   

Check.  It is 87 pages long, so it was helpful to go fishing with a much more knowledgeable mentor to help you ID and know what the rules are quickly so the fish spends the least time stressed out on the surface as possible... 

• Familiarize yourself with the types of fish in your area, and how each are caught. 

Halibut- It was Father's day and Father's bucket list included catching a "legal" size of these (22" if California halibut, no minimum size if Pacific halibut which looks more angular like a triangle truck).  We asked ChatGPT where and how to fish for them.  We ended up targeting sandy bottoms with depth around 20' since these flounder predators hide in the sand to attack their prey.  We were expecting them to be closer to the shoreline because we had just had a grunion run and evidently they chase these baitfish all the way in.  We drifted at 0.5-1mpg with a sinker line along the bottom and a paddle tail lure.  No takers.  Maybe they were in a food coma from the grunions?  Maybe AI doesn't actually know much about fish?    

Sand bass - 14" minimum, maximum of 4 taken.  Like sandy bottoms near structure.  

Calico bass - bag limit of 5 bass.  Like structure and kelp.  

Sculpin- bag limit of 5.  They hang out on hard rocky bottoms with depths of 40-150'.  Their dorsal spines are venomous so this is a 2 person project if they are hooked.  

Sand dab - daughter says she often catches these on sabiki with squid

Lizard fish - daughter says she often catches these on sabiki with squid

Tree fish  - daughter says she often catches these on sabiki with squid

• Research the different types of bait used to catch fish in your area
The marine gas station go-to is squid.  You can also use a multi-hook sabiki to catch bait fish.  

Expert Level 

• Buy a fishing license and gear up. 

$71.84 later, I am the proud holder of a CDFW 365 day sport fishing with ocean enhancement.  Just in time for a family father's day fishing trip!    

• Catch a fish! Or two! 

Two!  I caught two lizard fish on a sinking sabiki rig in 150' in the Newport flats using squid.  They would have worked as bait to catch bigger fish, but the waves were 4', the boat seemed intent to drift broadside into the swell and I hadn't taken enough bonine to continue.  So we shook them off the line and headed back to port.  My 7 year old daughter, when she wasn't driving the boat, managed to catch the first, most species, most total, and biggest fish, with her sabiki so she walked away with an extra $5 from the captain in her pocket.    

• If your area’s regulations permit you to keep it, clean and cook it.
Maybe next time!