PB Spotty

[kastmaster]

Glorietta Bay on a green spinnerbait. Ironic, cuz it was the first time I have used a spinnerbait, and I was feeling self-conscious tying one on my rod. They don't look like something that should catch fish.

[Gotfish?]

The only lures that I have tried and never caught a spotty on are topwaters like poppers and spooks. But I did catch a halibut in shallow water on a popper once. Anything that is near the bottom and moves looks like food to a spotty. Some lures are better than others, they don't work equally well.

A trick to make any jig weedless is to add a jig spinner. So your favorite exposed hook grub, jig, swimbait, underspin, etc. now becomes a spinnerbait of sorts.

[kastmaster]

Fished hard for another 2.5 hours without a bite. Switched between spinnerbait, paddle tail, and jerkbait during that time. Lost spinnerbait to the oyster and rock reefs. Are spinnerbaits effective after sunset?

[Midnightpass]

Congrats on the PB.... Nice SBB...
Butch

[Bendo]

The key to Spotted Bay Bass is simplicity. A simple 1/8 to 1/2 ounce Jighead and bait shaped Swimbait, fished near the bottom or just over the Eelgrass will get them as well as anything. On hard bottoms, I think I get more hits if I let the jig fall to the bottom several times. No real need for a $7 Spinnerbait or $9 Spinner equipped Jighead is necessary. I like to fish a 5 inch bait to keep the Baby population unharmed. I also fish barbless, which really helps get them off without destroying the integrity of the Swimbait. I think the Hook also sets easier. Generally the deeper they are the bigger they are, except for really good shallow ambush spots. My 2 cents, garnered from a lifetime of putting people on them. You really just have to put it in front of their mouths and wiggle….

[kastmaster]

That's a massive spottie @Bendo ! Thanks for the advice.

[Midnightpass]

He’s correct, that thing is huge…
Butch

[DarkShadow]

My 2 cents, garnered from a lifetime of putting people on them. You really just have to put it in front of their mouths and wiggle….

Love the dudes that make spottie fishing complicated.

I have fallen in love with Spottie fishing because they are seemingly the vacuum cleaner of the bay. I literally will grab the bag of plastics that I never use in the freshwater and feed it to them and they are happy to eat. They are cleaning up my fishing closet 1 cast at a time.

[Carpkiller]

"...put it in front of their mouths and wiggle" is good overall life-coaching advice. I know several people who paid their way through college that way...but it's neither here nor there.

If they're hungry, they'll eat anything. If they're not....and you hit 'em on the head with it, they'll eat it. Spotties don't care about brand names. That doesn't stop me from grabbing bargains out of the sale bin...

Terminator Titanium marked $3...but I got it for a buck. But the absolute very best spinnerbaits are...free, because you know a guy who makes 'em....

[Bendo]

I started fishing for them with a 3/8 Johnson Silver Spoon with a green pork Rind Strip. The weedless wire would eventually break off but they still skimmed over the Eelgrass pretty good. Halibut, Scooters, Sea Trout, Spotties and Sandies in the fairly new Oceanside Harbor. Later, Herters Round Jigheads in 1/4 oz and Chartreuse or Black 4 inch Mr. Twisters. Then Worm Kings, and now ZMan Streakz, ChatterShads, Razorshads. I can get over a Hundred Fish on one ZMan Bait, glued to the Jighead with 1/2 a drop of Gel Crazy Glue, rigged barbless.

[Gotfish?]

I started fishing for them with a 3/8 Johnson Silver Spoon with a green pork Rind Strip. The weedless wire would eventually break off but they still skimmed over the Eelgrass pretty good. Halibut, Scooters, Sea Trout, Spotties and Sandies in the fairly new Oceanside Harbor. Later, Herters Round Jigheads in 1/4 oz and Chartreuse or Black 4 inch Mr. Twisters. Then Worm Kings, and now ZMan Streakz, ChatterShads, Razorshads. I can get over a Hundred Fish on one ZMan Bait, glued to the Jighead with 1/2 a drop of Gel Crazy Glue, rigged barbless.

Sea trout in Oceanside Harbor? Got any pics? I didn't think those were on the West Coast.

[Bendo]

That’s what we called small White Seabass in the 70s….Scooters were Barracuda. Halibut were Sand Groupers, Big Spotties were Bay Groupers and Big Sandies were Grumpies, Bat Rays were Mud Tuna

[monstahfish]

Congrats on the PB. I have real regret on mine as I was new to the west coast and didn't know it was a monster so I didn't even take a photo and haven't caught any remotely close to that size since and it's been 13 years with thousands probably caught since then.