Had the opportunity to spend some time with family on the West Coast – cool air and the Pacific Ocean. My family is constantly talking about how good the fish is out here. So many different places to go, different species and I couldn’t wait to get out and explore.
I hooked up with a friend who makes saltwater baits. His company is called Squid Skirts. He produces 12-18 in. long skirts that are attached to giant jigs (weighted hooks) and used to catch tuna!
I toured the facility and man oh man, did I get the fever. He sells these on Amazon, just look for baits called Cold Tune. You can also check out his website, squidskirts.com.
I sat down with the map and a laptop and planned the ultimate adventure. After several hours of research, I had the perfect spot.
The next day I got up and was off. It was still dark and foggy. I was not only going to get fish but couldn’t imagine how many species I would encounter. I drove for what seemed days to get to this special spot.
Parked the car and grabbed my gear bag. I started by cruising through many long narrow passages and knew I was onto something because I wasn’t alone. I kept passing folks and they all seemed to have fish.
I asked one person, and they said salmon. I asked the next and they said sea bass. The next didn’t have anything, but the last person had catfish.
Catfish? Saltwater catfish? Is there such a thing? I kept moving closer and closer to that secret spot. It was named after what I guess was a fishing legend, Ralph. So, there I was at Ralph’s, and I turned the last corner and was treated to as many different species… it was true, they were there all right, even catfish.
I uttered those now famous words, “I’ll take a pound of each of them.” Pictured is proof of this story and even though I rarely share my locations I will gladly share this – Ralph’s Grocery in Camarillo, Calif., corner of Las Posas and Valley Vista.
Rich Carlsen