Tubin at night

[dh_tubinaaron]

Does anyone out there either fish the oil islands at night in Belmont or fish the Cats at night at irvine? I want to go at night this summer and just wanted some advice on what to do. Also has anyone ever fished Catalina in a Tube?

Big and small kill em all

Aaron
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[TubeDude]

[cool]Hey, Aaron, you sound like a real thrillseeker. I, myself, have always enjoyed night fishing, and especially from a tube. As long as you are properly equipped (with legal lights), and do not take unnecessary chances, you should be safe. The real key is to be sure you know the waters you are fishing well...from fishing them in daylight...and then do not tempt fate by venturing out into boating lanes. Stay close to shore or at least in protected areas.

There are many species that feed well after dark. I used to fish for big bat rays in several of the bays and harbors up and down the coast. Caught a lot of small dogfish and some decent leopards too. Those big bats will tow you around for awhile. If you want to land them, you need to kick into shore and get out onto the sand. Trying to get one too close to your donut can be dangerous. They don't have the long nasty stingers of some of the big southern rays, but they can still do some damage. Sharp spines and teeth do not belong too close to an inflated craft.

Catfish are well-known for their nocturnal feeding habits. For big boys after dark...on any lake...fish shallow flats or near the shoreline on steep banks, where they prowl for moonlight dinners. My favorite catfish bait is a big slab of mackerel or bonito. I fish it without any weight, and keep the bail open on my spinning reel...or freespool my baitcaster. Just like flylining a 'chovy, I let the fish run a ways before setting the hook.

With a float tube you are not limited to the "chuck and chance it" style of fishing from the bank. You can lay out a short cast, and then slowly move around over your targeted area. If you move a few feet and stop for a few minutes, and then continue the same way, you can find areas where the fish seem to congregate. Once you locate the feeding fish, it doesn't take long to collect a few. And, if you move slowly, a feeding fish can intercept the scent trail of your smelly old mackerel and will follow it to your hook.

Small cats, under five pounds, do not have the sharp spines on their dorsals or pectorals that smaller fish do. You do not have to be quite as careful about you or your craft getting punctured. Still, if you want to keep catfish in a live bag or basket...or on a stringer...you will do well to cut or break the strong spines before letting them out of your grasp. Makes it easier to handle them at the fillet board later too.

On the subject of Catalina, YES, it is a good place to plunk a donut...if you pay attention to tide and weather conditions. If you go back through some of the early posts on this forum (click on the other page numbers at the top and bottom of each page), you will find that we have had a couple of discussions here. There was also a bit of chatter about it on the California BFT board. I looked it up and copied the link for you.

[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=22450;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread"]http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=22450;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread[/url]

If you have good sense and don't like great white sharks, you should consider that there are several resident great whites around Catalina that are there for the abundant seals. If you go tubing, don't act like a seal. Here's a pic of Kiyo fighting a great white off Long Beach.


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[TubeDude]

[cool]I live in Phoenix, but would love to be a part of the action. My suggestion is to look up some of the other tubing sites and clubs and keep posting. You might also put some fliers together and stick them up at some of the tackle shops in the area. There are a lot of good candidates out there, but most of them are "lone wolf"...without any website connections or clubs affiliations. You need more publicity than you can get on this forum. You might also want to go post on the California forum of BFT. A lot of our tubing fans visit both sites.

Tournaments are great ways to get a group together that has similar interests. It helps learn new techniques and skills, and to associate with others more experienced than yourself...as well as you helping those who are less experienced than you are. The real prizes are in the enjoyment and good times. Any trophies or money are only secondary.

Good luck.
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[dh_tubinaaron]

Ahh man, Phoneix????

Well ok then. What kind of jigs do you tie??

Aaron
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[TubeDude]

[cool]I have about 25 jig molds and a production melting pot. I can make almost any size and shape of jig head you can imagine. And, I have customized a lot of the molds to allow me to use wire for either making spinners or other creative things.

I also have shelves of different paints and glitters, and several drawer sets full of different kinds of materials. One whole wall of my "Office" is floor to ceiling shelves with stuff for rod building, fly tieing, lure making, etc. In short, If you can dream it, I can do it.

Here are some pics of some of the stuff I use a lot over here. Much of it will work well in the salt too. I have fished salt water a lot both in California and down in the Sea of Cortez. Some of those small "bait bugs" are dynamite for fishing the surf and the bays for croakers and perch, with a piece of bait. Many of the spinners are also made from my jig molds.



Custom baitbugs and jigs, featuring my "Flathead" designs.



"Baitbugs", specially designed to be fished with "sweetener"



"Roadrunner" baitbugs...with swivels cast into the heads, for spinner attachment after painting and dressing.



"Bait spinners". Some made with jigs cast on wire. I prefer single hooks on all my spinners...especially when decorating with bait.
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[dhTubinChris]

[][font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4]whoa! those look so cool! and you say you made them. you can be an artist. you can sell you ideas to different companies!. cool see ya on the flip side!![/size][/font]

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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4]-chris[/size][/font]
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[dh_tubinaaron]

Wow!

Do you make any trout spinners at all? Like Panther Martin look alikes in like a 1/32 oz? with one of those little bug things??

Latr,

Aaron
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[JapanRon]

Hey there TubeDude,

Looks like I'm gonna have to make some 1/4oz to 1/32oz versions of your roadrunners for the shad on my trip to the American river in June. (I will check the water flows first) I'm going to take my float tube to hit some of the primo deep pools in mid-day and spots not accessible by car by doing the float. he he I've seen a number of guides offer these trips and I can do them too! Got some of the put-in and take-out spots already marked.

JapanRon
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[TubeDude]

[cool]I'll be sending a few of those to you and Aaron, along with some glitter heads for plastics...and some assorted plastics I don't use anymore. If you get the hang of using them, the next step is to teach you to make them. I guarantee there is a market for them. I could sell out my lure boxes after most trips. Everybody wants to buy them from me. But, I make them for my own use. I am happy to share with anyone who wants a pattern to learn how to make them for themselves. Or, if I find a couple of money-hungry young guys with the talent to learn to make them, maybe they could set up a business.

I learned to tie flies before I was 10 years old, and have been making jigs for over thirty years. I almost never fish anything "store-bought" anymore. My stuff is less expensive (after I discount the million dollars worth of supplies) and usually works better. Also, it's always more fun to catch fish on something you have designed and made yourself.
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[TubeDude]

If you look at the last picture, most of the far left column and some of the lower middle column are good for trout. They use the same "in-line" spinner blades as the Panther Martins. I can make any kind of spinner available commercially. I like the PM's, Roostertails, Mepps, Blue Fox and all of them. They all have a use. My favorite spinners are usually a combo of several styles and include a single hook with dressing...like a fly. They work well as is, but can be fished effectively with a piece of worm or other bait too. The single hook often hooks better and holds better than a small treble, especially if you get a larger fish on.

I also make a line of spinners that are almost more of a buzzbait than a spinner. Instead of metal weights on the shaft, I use only plastic beads. This makes them very light and they do not sink fast. When reeled with any speed, they come right up on top and ripple the surface. They are great for night fishing trout in streams and lakes...and deadly for bass and big bluegill.

I use a variety of blades on my spinners. For maximum spin at low speed, and for greatest vibration, I use Colorado Blades. They are almost round. Right next to them are the Indiana blades, which are slightly elongated. The ones that rotate the slowest are the willowleaf...used most often on bass spinner baits...often with a second blade, which is frequently a Colorado...and of a different color.

Depending of the lure and the species of fish I am targeting, I have blades from size 00 (for small Roadrunners), all the way up to large size 5 and 7, for bigger bass spinners and salmon lures.

I use mostly hammered nickle or hammered brass, but do have a number of blades in plain nickel and brass...as well as some copper and some painted in a variety of colors. I have been known to add strips of prism tape, in different colors, to add additional attractiveness to my blades.
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[TubeDude]

[cool]Hey, Bro. I used to live in Rancho Cordove, right on the American River. I even made and sold a map of all the fishing holes and access points along the river. That was in the late 70's though, and I am sure the topography and the riverbed have undergone some changes.

What probably has not changed is the shad, and what they will eat. I have dredged thousands of those shiny brawlers out of the American, Sacramento and Feather rivers. I always liked fishing the American best...not only just because it was in my backyard, but because there were always a lot of fish in there and they were not hard to catch...once you got the hang of it.

I have never tried the Roadrunners for shad, but I have caught a lot of them on tiny spinners. I read that an old trick on the east coast is to clean some scales off the side of a shad you are going to keep...for the smoker or for the roe...and toss those scales in the water. The shad will come zipping in and chase those scales, and if you follow it with a small spinner you will get bit instantly. I never tried that, but I have caught shad on spinners.

There are some deep runs and holes all along the American that hold big schools of shad from around the first of May through the 4th of July in some years. June is the magic month, when it is usually a sure thing to find them in a good part of the river. Early in the run, the confluence of the American and the Sacramento are good. The fish come out of the muddy Sacramento and hang in the cleaner water of the American for a while before they go upstream. Small jigs or flies in white or chartreuse will get bit well. Some guys prefer yellow...or a combination of red and yellow or chartreuse or white. Only problem is that when the fish show up, so do the anglers and you can have a lot of company, because boats can access it easily.

Farther up the river there are a series of holes an riffles. The Paradise Beach area,near the college, is a popular spot...not just for the shad, but for the topless coeds too. The Rancho Cordove area has several good pools and runs. Some of these are best fished by wading.

At the top of the shad water is Nimbus Dam. That's all the farther the shad can run. There is a big slack water basin below the dam, that congregates large schools of milling shad...which spawn at night...making a big commotion on the surface. They don't hit well in the basin, but those still hanging in the current or slow moving pools are still good bets for flies, spinners or small lures.

Do you have a jig mold for the Roadrunners? If not, I will make you a deal. You buy the hooks and crane swivels and I will pour your jig heads. I might even be persuaded to paint a few with my chip-resistant epoxy paints too.

If you are interested, I also have several hundred 1/8 oz white heads made by FleFly company, that I first began using for shad jigs a long time ago. I also use them for other jigs, but they are just the right size and balance for the fish in the American. They prefer an all white to any other color, although they sometimes like a hot red thread tieoff at the top.

Shoot me an email or a PM and I can maybe offer some other inside info for you. Wish I could join you. Those "poor man's tarpon" are some kinda fun.
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[JapanRon]

Hi TubeDude,

That's an offer I can't refuse. I'll send you a personal message on the crane swivel/hook/head deal.

Thanks,

JapanRon
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[JapanRon]

Hi there Rodger P,

Good to see ya asking all these questions dh tubinaaron,

I made my own light pole that serves as the running light which is required by the U.S. Coast Guard for any craft in the water from 1/2 hour before sunrise, 1/2 hour before sunset, or whenever visibility is hampered. I also have a Coleman head lamp that is really handy. I've been told it's supposed to be omnidirectional (seen 360 degrees). I made mine for some high intensity LED's and dry cell batteries.

Ya, I'm a nut. I also have port and starbord lights as well as a position flag on my tube. When the man sees those, he pretty much chills and is more curious than being ready to get on my case. ha ha Don't forget the whistle or the air blaster either. ha ha

Haven't been to baytubers in a while, think I'll go
check 'em out.

JapanRon
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[JapanRon]

Hey there roger p,

I live in Lakewood, 18 minutes to Mother's Beach via Studebaker/2nd St. ha ha I'm a genuine made in america mutt but living in Japan over 30 years, my brain is pretty Japanese. Japanese family, friends, relatives you name it. Well almost! ha ha

I like hanging around the marinas and docks and pulling a sneak attack on the little guys with untralite gear as well as chunking croc's for barries or drifting some smelt for flatties. I'm trying to learn the 'inside' of 68th right now but it ain't easy finding a pattern! Ever try to fish El comorrant heaven lakes or cerritos park lake?

Hope to see ya out there sometime.

JapanRon
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[dh_tubinaaron]

Dude!
El comorrant heaven lakes or cerritos park lake are my home lakes!

i used to fish cerritos like everyday with tubin Chris, in fact he still lives right down the street. I moved and Im right on Spring street now, about 2 min from El commorant lakes(El DO)!

When are u going to go to either again?? Ill have to meet u there.

Roger,

Do you ever fish The 2nd street/Apian way bridges in a tube??

Good fishing there.

We could all fish there some time in tubes, There would be like 12 of us including a few of my Non Big fish friends if everybody showed up.

Mayb we could start up a weekend tourney........

Big and small kill em all,

Aaron
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[dhTubinChris]

[][font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4]haahahah heck ya! cerritos!!!!! i live on south and shoemaker. man i gotta see you fishin regional. i tear up the carp on top and little bass on bottom. trout in the cove near the tennis courts... man cerritos is my home and i caught my first fish there... a BASS!!!!! ahah man we gotta fish alimitos as a big family!!! BFT FAMILY.. ahah ok see ya on the flip side!!![/size][/font]

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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4]-chris[/size][/font]
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[JapanRon]

Hey there dh TubinChris and dh Tubinarron,

I think I've seen you guys on the big lake near the choo choo train. Usually three younger guys fishin together?! I'm always flyfishing, am about mid-50ish and am usually at the back lake for El and usually by the three water whatevers at Cerritos regional park. After a plant the fish will hit a dry fly pretty good in that area just after sunset.

Ya Mother's is really popular on the weekend. I'll bet you know littlefish's and Kiyo's groups and probably fish in both!! I'm kind of a loner by choice but I don't bite! ha ha

I'm workin' the 68th for a couple of weeks once the rain lets up a little.

JapanRon
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[dhTubinChris]

[][font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4]maybe i dont knoe i fish it with arron alot. i was there every weekend during the spawn for like 4 weekends in a row. i got non! ahah i wasnt really fishin by sight only once and then i missed it. well we were fishin alimitos near the 68th for a while it think thats where. u gotta fish 2nd street and apian way bridges because thats where aaron and i've been fishing alot every weekend. we've been getting little butt's and flounder. he got a corvina and i've gotten those perch and thats why i made that post.. ok later see ya on the flip side![/size][/font]

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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4]-chris[/size][/font]
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[dh_tubinaaron]

Tube dude,

I got my new tube yesterday, Navigator IV for 60!!!!

Turners special knock down from 100

BiG and smAll kill em all

Aaron
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[JapanRon]

Hi again roger p,

I do nothing but flyfish for whatever is there: El Dorado has bass, crappie, catfish, bluegill, trout and carp. Cerritos Regional has trout, bass, and carp.

El Dorado you have to pay to fish usually but Cerritos is free. Both are stocked with trout and or catfish. I only fish the evening bites.

Ya, we have to get out there and fish once the rain and water gets decent again.

JapanRon
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