Pics Of White Sea Bass

[Blackfoot]

39lb White Sea Bass taken in La Jolla California just off of Boomers Beach near the inside of the kelp beds.

[Blackfoot]

one more pic

[Marcus]

NICE fish, Sask!

[Steel Shootin']

Excellent. http://www.designoutpost.com/forums/html/emoticons/thumbup.gif

I take it that was a beach dive, and you guys just swim out to the kelp beds.

[fernandezh]

That is so awesome you can get fish like that just offshore. I have always heard that kelp bed diving is a totally different experience. like floating through a rainforest. How is the Visability in there?

Hector

[Rick Dawg]

Nice fish willy:D Couldn't have done better myself. If it wasn't for that damn jellyfish LOL. Next time I'll get closer for the picture.

On good days the vis is about 15 or so. 2 days ago it was about 6-7ft. Still water is the best time to go because it doesn't flush the dust off the kelp fronds.

[Prodigal Son]

Strong work Sask! That is one nice fish. I've never even seen a WSB while spearfishing; just kelp bass. I wish I can meet up with you and Rick Dawg some time. Unfortunately, work has been such a bear.

[Prodigal Son]

Hmm...on second thought, I don't think that my Riffe Comp 1S would even make a dent in that thing. :(

[fishkilla]

looks like a giant silver trout. they have something similar to that in austrailia. my roomate got back from there two months ago and was showing me some of the fishing mags from over there. these ausies where holding up 80lb silver trout!

[Steel Shootin']

How common is it for a free diver to die from entanglement in a kelp bed? What precautions do you take to prevent that from happening, other than staying out of the kelp?

[Prodigal Son]

I'm interested in Sask's and Rick Dawg's responses to your question Scott. I've only dove deep within the middle of a kelp bed while scuba diving, coming up in small clearings within the kelp beds. You'd be surprised at the size of some of the fish that sometimes sit just several feet underwater in these clearings. Admittedly, I never had the guts to do this when I freedove; I always just hung around the periphery. I'm interested to see if Sask took that WSB in a clearing in middle of the kelp.

[Kyle]

Hell Ya SASK.
I should just quit my job so I can go hunting with you guys. Great work!

[Rick Dawg]

Freediving in the kelp can be a pain in the ass but also pretty fun. If the kelp is too thick to go under, we just crawl right over the top. When swimming thought the kelp, you just have to relax. If you get caught, it's usually pretty easy to untangle. SCUBA is different. There's more things to get caught on.
We usually trail about 100ft. of rope on the breakaway of our guns. We don't use buoys because they bunch up in the kelp. When you shoot the fish you just have to remember to grab the rope before the fish takes it all or you're screwed. Most fish entangle themseles in the kelp stalks below but sask's didnt. it stayed up near the surface. The more line you give the fish the deeper you'll probably have to dive to cut it out. Out in La Jolla the water is close to 100ft. so I try to let out 40-60 ft. of line. Any deeper and thats pushing it. Hope this answers some of your questions. If you have any others feel free to ask. Good luck out there!

Rick

[Blackfoot]

sorry to reply so late. my first time spearing the kelp i was very nervous...almost claustorphobic (spelling?).. but just like rick said, just relax. the key is to be silent when hunting, correct? so just move nice and slow through the kelp, keep your gun in front of you so it doesn't get tangled and use your free arm to push the kelp away or to pull yourself along.....suprisingly you'll just glide right through and if you do catch on something just give a couple small kicks and you'll be fine.

i was very fortunate with my WSB because it didn't take too much line (mostly because it got caught on my weight belt and i went for a tow) and stayed near the surface. we carry a knife with us, i use a Riffe knife and i have it strapped on my forearm, and use that to cut the kelp. I never use a "float" in the kelp because it always tangles up. I use 100' of polypropelene rope from Home Depot...its $5.00, it floats and has a workload of 120lbs....so its perfect for kelp fishing.

if you guys have more questions, let us know!! hopefully we'll have more pics soon...as long as rick doesn't pick the spots to fish!! lol

[Prodigal Son]

Sask or Rick Dawg: How do you connect your tow line to the line from your Riffe gun? Also, why not use a reel instead rather than letting 100' of line trail you?

[Rick Dawg]

I use a piece of cord just like the kind on the bands of the riffes. I tie it to the mono line next to the breakaway. I found that this doesn't clank around like the clip that riffe sells for the breakaway. I have never used a reel before but to me it seems like a bigger hassle. With floatline its easier to manuever the thicker rope when cutting out a fish. I wouldnt want to cut out a bunch of small line. Its also easier to let out the amount of line you want, so retrieving the fish from depth can still be feasible. With a reel, it sounds easy to let out 100ft. of line,and if the fish tangles that deep? I cant dive that deep. There would have to be a lot of pulling to rip the fish out of the kelp. This is my opinion. Sask has a gun w/reel he could tell you more.

Rick

[Prodigal Son]

Thanks for the info!

[Rick Dawg]

any time. Good luck out there:D

[Steel Shootin']

Good info. I'd be doing SCUBA out there. As such, I think I'd try to shoot a WSB above the kelp and use a regular line gun with a double wrap and no reel or extra line beyond the 25 ft or so. With a short line, I guess it would be a tug of war, with me trying to keep him from the kelp. If he got in there, the idea of going into a kelp bed with all the entanglement hazards of my gear is not appealing.

How far above the kelp bed do you shoot these things. If I am understanding, it sounds as though you're shooting them fairly close to the surface, but they dive for the kelp when hit (kind of like our AJ's, who will head for the bottom when shot).

[Blackfoot]

scott, the kelp will run straight to the surface (from 100feet down). its really not that bad (with scuba) because the kelp is spaced out...the stalks (which are just vines) are anywhere from 3 feet to 100 feet spaced apart. if you watch "Blue: Spearfishing the Californias" that will give you an excellent view of diving kelp beds. The whites have been staying near the surface (surfcae to 20feet down) because after 15/20 feet there is a wicked thermocline and it gets extremely cloudy. the bait runs above the thermocline which in returns attracts the other fish. i just lost a white yesterday that was sitting 5 feet below the surface under a kelp "umbrella.

sask