Sat, Aug 1 Bay Bridge

Got to SPSP at 11 -- on the water by 11:30. Tarpon 100, no fishfinder (yet)

Started south of the bridge and made multiple drifts back to the bridge fishing w/ fishbites for spot. Fishbites just don't seem to be working for me this year. I think they changed their recipe because they seem to be a different texture than years past. I don't think the change was for the better.

Had a couple of other anchored up boats watching me w/ a fair amount of interest and one even offered me some bloodworms -- awesome. They hooked me up w/ 2 bloods which I cut into small pieces and from then on, I was getting into spot.

kept the spot in a minnow bucket and went back over to the north span making a few drifts to liveline the spot in by the pilings. 3 spot livelined for multiple drifts and not a single bump...not sure what's wrong w/ my technique, I just can't seem to get any action on livelining.

Switched back to bloods for more spot and got a few. Still no action on the liveline.

Changed over to 1/2 oz jig w/ a BA and paddled over to the north span pilings. For the heck of it, I took the majority of my one remaining bloodworm and tipped the jig with it. Flipped it into the piling and about a second or two after it hit the water, I was getting a slow steady pull -- crap hooked the piling. No, wait...the piling is moving east. Went on a sleigh ride up to the next set of pilings whereupon the unknown creature attempted to wrap me. Worked free from that along w/ a push off the piling w/ the tip of my paddle -- now into the open water between the spans. Finally, she surfaces -- about a 2.5-3 foot wide cow-nose ray -- got her to the boat a couple of times until finally, I broke her off. Pulled like a beast. That was a first for me -- never had one hit a jigged BA. Must have been the bloodworm that pulled her in.

Re-rigged and continued jigging BAs all the way back to SPSP -- one bluefish bite off (no more tail) and that was it.

All in all, a good day for spot but I got skunked on the linesiders.

Can anyone give me some pointers on what I might be doing wrong w/ the livelining bit ?

Ex

[jaik68]

No expert by far but have had a fair bit of luck with Livelining.
Where are you hooking your spot: best place barely thru in front of the fin just in and thru
When casting the spot in Feed him line let him swim down along the piling. keep bail open when you feel the thump count slowly to 5 close bail line come tight Cross his eyes (set the hook) then fight the rock in.
Use the friskiest spot you have more active the better
when dealing with the bridge try to keep in close to the pillings 3-4 ft in front or between.
Sounded like a good fight with the ray. Was on a boat snagging them on bottom rigs last week I don't think they eat the baits just snag on them.

IMHO

[Excalibur]

Hooking spot

I was using a 5/0 circle hook and running it inside his mouth then out through the nostril.

I wasn't necessarily that I was missing hookups, I just wasn't getting any hits at all. All my spot wound up being released unharmed.

[jaik68]

Try hooking them infront of the dorsal fin the rocks then can get the spot that little bit more deeper. The rocks seem smaller this year and the spots bigger??

[Excalibur]

bigger spots

tell me about it...I had to throw back nearly 3 to 1 to try and get some small enough that I thought a rock would pound 'em -

Lots of big spot out there

[surfdog]

sometimes no matter how many spot you send down if the rock aren't there you. can't catch them. time of day could be a factor also. got in to some spot by the triple towers sat. morning mixed in with fat croakers. largest spot this year, haven't caught any in the livelinging range, might start to chunk for rock.

[Grilled]

that was my co-worker that hooked you up with the bloodworms....lol

i talked to him yesterday and he said he gave some kayaker some bloodworms.

[jet]

nice report! i bet the was a great ride from that ray. since you didnt get any hits, i doubt it was the way you hook the spot. I also hook them in through the mouth out the nose and have plenty of hook ups. far more then from the back. the placement of the spot on the piling is critical as well, as you want to put him up current so when he swims down, he'll swim right into where the rocks are holding. sometime a weight is needed bc the rocks may be deeper then the spot is willing to go. sometimes you have to try a variety of techniques to find what is working that day. things change based off of weather, temperature, current, etc.

the spots really have been rather large this year, but dont think you cant get a rock with one. big rockfish eat big spot...