Spent Saturday at the south end of Crystal Cove in Laguna at a beach house (trailer). Got the host's boy hooked up to a 6 inch barred surf perch on a small grub. Set up my friend Jim with a 3" olive BHammer on a 1/4 head and he tail hooked a 17" or so corbina. That was it for about 1 hour of fishing. Saw someone fishing Sunday morning about 7:30 am with a spinner, looked like he was picking mussels for bait. Any of you guys?

Isn't the taking of mussels illegal in Orange County? Here in O'side gathering mussels has never been a problem. Just comply with the DFG's legal limit.

Anyway, nice job on the Corb on the grub.

Aztecwin

I don't think there is a rule against taking the mussels from OC unless it is a reserve, CC should be okay as divers get bugs from there a lot and the Warden makes his presence known fairly often. I know you shouldn't eat them during red tides and periods of toxic plankton blooms but as far as I know you can fish them. Let me know if I'm wrong, I don't want to get popped!

Side note- saw a little garibaldi in a fish store yesterday, cool little guy who still had lots of blue on him- the guy told me twice a year they are able to get them legally from Mex, I didn't know that. He was aclimated to 80 degree water, the guy also told me that was cause he was from Mex but the part of Mex he is from is frickin' cold, so maybe this guy didn't know as much as he should. I just chuckled when he suggested I catch my own for my temperate water tank. No thanks!!

Last summer I was hoping to bag some nice Spotfin Croakers out of O'side Harbor so I gathered some fresh mussel and rigged up and fished the North Jetty on an early morning incoming tide.

No Spotties but caught so many Garries that I lost count! Of coarse they are protected so I released them all but great fight. All were in the 2-3# range. They fight like hell! Later I bought some green peas and absolutely slaghtered the Opeleye that were in the area.

I was really enjoying myself until a guy fishing about 30 yards from me brought in an 18# Flattie on a 3" key Lime Big Hammer Swim Bait!

Thats when I started my swimbait campaign for Flatties and Spottie Bay Bass. Right now, I'm enjoying the surf.

Tight Lines!

Aztecwin

Not me That day. I have only tried CC a few times and have had limited success--need to figure it out better. The south end by the beach trailers looks the best to me. North of there (most of the park), there is usually too much loose eel grass and scattered rocks to snag on. I have done well on bass from my boat along the entire length of CC though.


Big Hammer Swimbaits/Fishco Leadheads
www.swimbait.com
Pro-Cure Scents
www.pro-cure.com

We were about 10 trailers from the south end. It hasn't been too productive the three times I fished there, though it looks fishy especially if you can get a bait or lure out towards the rocky point.