WHATLIESBENEATH

from California Sportsman Magazine - January 2023

by Media Index Publishing Group

Correcting your hunting dog’s bad habits

STRUCTURED SEARCH

FOCUS YOUR SOUTHLAND SALTWATER BASS FISHING AROUND ARTIFICIAL REEFS, SUNKEN VESSELS AND OTHER DEEPWATER HABITAT.

By Capt. Bill Schaefer

Here we are in January and fishing for a lot of saltwater species – from bass to tuna – is still going strong.

However, the tuna are drifting out of small-boat range, storms are starting to hit Southern California, and it’s not always the best fishing weather this time of year. Yet fishermen should not throw in the towel yet, because the inshore bass fishing can still be great this time of year if you follow the fish.

Calico bass slide out onto deep structure and sand bass join them in their search for winter nourishment. Last January, a lot of my fishing buddies and I spent much of our time on the artificial reefs, dropoffs and even sunken boats off the Southland coast, chasing and catching bass.

THE STRUCTURE SPECTER

Up and down the coast there are structure targets you need to learn for deepwater fishing. You may even discover a new one nobody knows about. It could be artificial reefs made of old pier pilings, concrete, boulders the size of Volkswagen Bugs, and outlet pipes, sunken ships, as well as natural contours on the bottom. All of these will hold bass through the rest of the winter months. I just want to remind you that on some of the artificial reefs made from old bridges or concrete, there can be rebar sticking out of the various materials. You may want to go with a form of

Author Bill Schaefer’s son Bricen holds a nice deepwater calico caught off Point Loma in San Diego. As bass head to deep water offshore in winter, finding underwater structure could help you catch more

The Active Target feature of Schaefer’s Lowrance HDS 12 shows bass hovering over rocks on the ocean floor. (BILL SCHAEFER)

weedless jighead or bait to help keep yourself from tying on one new bait after another. Weedless swimbaits can be used in deeper water if weighted with lead nails, along with the normal weight on the hook.

BE A WEBMASTER

Also, let your fingers do the walking online. Many reefs can be found on various websites that promote this type of fishing. A lot of them publish the exact coordinates of the reefs off Southern California. You can add them to your GPS/sonar and store them to try once you’re on the water.

Old maps can be a great source for spots as well. Look for fish symbols on old maps or even on the mapping unit on your fish finder. They can be old, but if they’re on the map or unit, it had to have been a hot spot at one time in the past. Collect all you can to try fishing.

If you have enough of these targets/reefs stored in your mapping unit, then you will have the targets you need to fish all winter and be successful. You will, of course, need a fish finder with mapping capabilities to mark the spots, but if you don’t have mapping on your unit, a small handheld unit will work too.

If you only have the fish finder you’re still in business, as long as you can read the contours of the bottom or the targets.

And if necessary, line up two fixed points on land to find and return to the spots you like. You can also carry a notebook to make notes on your favorite spots. Even some less expensive fish finders have GPS/ mapping and higher resolution than older models, which will really help you out.

I.D. THE FISH

Can you tell the bass from the schools of rockfish on the structure? Yes, if your unit has high resolution, such as my Lowrance HDS 12 Live Sonar. On structure, the rockfish tend to look more like a school of bait, except a little larger in makeup. The bass tend to look more like streaks or the classic hooks you have come to recognize.

Even though they slide out to deeper water or are on, say, a pile of old bridge pilings, they can be up off the bottom chasing baitfish and feeding. If this is the case, then you will usually see a ball of some type of bait above them and the streaks on your meter running through that bait are the bass. They can also be up prowling in wolf packs or schools and not actually feeding; then, they will look like just slightly elongated hooks. No matter where you find them, it’s always worth a few casts.

BAIT BASICS

At these depths there is a lot of food for fish to feed on, so it won’t always be a classic ball of some type of baitfish. Marks on the bottom can mean that they are feeding on crabs, including red crab, or lobster, shrimp, octopus and even squid. Some of these can look like a ball of something on your meter, but it will be hazy and almost clear because of their makeup.

You will learn to identify baits over time. Watch what the bass spit up when they hit the deck, throw them in the live well or bait tank, or when you throw them back. Many times what they are eating has helped me in a tournament by matching the hatch. If you come close – shape or color-wise – then you should tempt them into eating your lure. Even the fall of the lure can make a difference.

FALLING FOR YOUR LURE

Speaking of that, the fall of the lure can be a game changer. Think about how a red crab just drifts with the current. During one tournament we couldn’t get bit until we went to a lighter jighead so the bait would just drift down slowly. Usually, you will need a heavier head than when fishing the kelp, but it can still be anywhere from ½ ounce to 2 ounces.

You don’t want any more weight than you need. Wind and current can play a part in your choice more than you think. If you see that the fish are up off the bottom on your sonar, then don’t go too heavy, as your bait will fly right past them. Most of the fish may not even see your lure go by. A lighter living rubber jighead – think a Reebs or Warbaits – trailed with a swimbait, creature bait or giant grub will work well when the fish are keying in on red crab.

While the size of your jighead can be key to the fall of the bait, so can the

swimbait you choose. Have you ever been fishing with a buddy and he keeps catching fish and you aren’t? Different swimbait manufacturers all believe in the design of their bait, especially the tail and the vibration it puts out.

Everything from larger thumping tails to quicker vibrating tails can make a difference. If you are not catching fish, then don’t hesitate to change baits – and not just color, but the shape of the tail too. It’s good to carry different companies’ swimbaits, but also in the same colors. That way you can still emulate the baitfish, but also adjust the vibration of the tail. Big Hammer, MC Swimbaits, LK Lures, Reyes Swimbaits, Reebs Lures and Western Plastics are just a few of the companies whose products you should try out. For colors, match the hatch with something similar to what the fish are spitting up.

Schaefer landed this calico off La Jolla last year. “You don’t need to change much to follow bass around during the year,” he writes. “Minor adjustments can help you catch fish in deeper water and thinking through what mode the bass are in will also make you a better bass

ALSO TRY THESE OPTIONS

As bass can be out in deep water but feeding up off the bottom, other lures like spinnerbaits, various jigs, iron, spoons, crankbaits, jerkbaits and umbrella rigs can attract the bite. Crankbaits can dive down to the bass as the iron is heavy enough to fall to them. The jigs are weighted as well and spinnerbaits in the 1- to 2-ounce size will reach bass.

Umbrella rigs do well on feeding bass, since they emulate a school of baitfish. It’s fun to use different lures at times to enhance the experience and the fun of catching. Experimenting can be great, especially when you hook up.

BREAK OUT KELP GEAR

This brings us to the tackle you’ll need. Don’t panic, because the equipment you use in the kelp will work on the deep areas as well. My favorite rod-and-reel combination is the Daiwa DXSB Swimbait rod with a Lexa 300 WN reel and 15-pound Maxima Ultragreen line. Because you are out in deep water, once you get the fish coming there’s really nothing they can break you off on.

You’ll have to wind and set the hook to take the stretch out of the line. If you have braid loaded on your reel, go with that line, which I will use on some of the deeper spots over 100 feet deep.

As you can see, you don’t need to change much to follow saltwater bass around during the year. Minor adjustments can help you catch fish in deeper water and thinking through what mode the bass are in will also make you a better bass angler.

Your tackle is pretty much the same year-round, and fishing in January and through the winter will not change anything, save for the weight and fall of your lures. It may be a little cold in the morning, but once you get hooked on following the bass this time of year, you can then fish for them throughout the rest of the year – from shallow to deep and back again. CS

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