Hamilton harbor has lots of 30 inch plus pickerel. Very poisonous to eat but so much fun to catch.
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Probably a dumb question, but if you don’t eat them do you throw them all back? Or do you just put the 30+ inch fish back?
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All of them from these waters. I am only holding up 3 at once because it was a triple header.
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I enjoy fishing small bodies of water and rivers in my canoe. If I can get my body to cooperate and heal up I want to knock off a bucket list item and float/fish/camp the AuSable river up in Michigan.
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Has anyone fished Bahia de Los Angeles before?
If so, any tips or stories to share?
I’m looking forward to some great yellowtail fishing 
in about a week
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I have only done yellow tail on the east coast.
Lots of chum. Very very light fluorocarbon leader start with 10lb and move down(lighter) if not hitting. 1/0 hook size. Oh and did I mention chum! Lots of it.
Edit. Also no day fishing on a full moon!
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Thanks for the reply; I’m thinking they may be different yellowtail? Is it a part of the jack family? we normally fish minimum 25-30 lb for west coast yellowtail but big models can rock you even on 40/50lb.
I’m told they have big ones down there and everyone I know who has fished there got their PB down there.
I’m excited! Here are the kind we’re after:
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OK no. The yellowtail I’m speaking of are yellowtail snapper. Max is about 5lbs. Haha sorry for the confusion.
Edit. Reef donkey? Lol. Amber jack!
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No worries bud. If there is one thing I know about fishing, it’s how much I don’t know! It amazes me how many species and different techniques there are depending on area and seasons
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Usually find those around wrecks and reefs. So only suggestion is heavy leader and a stiff backbone rod so they can’t pull you into a hole/structure.
Do you eat them? We smoke them for fish dip, that’s usually about it. when we catch them we are never targeting them, always grouper and snapper. Amberjack are the by catch, tons of fun though since they pull like hell.
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Yeah we eat them; good on the bbq or smoked like you mention.
Sushi restaurants sell it as hamachi around here and if you care for it correctly - bleed it out and ice it down immediately- it is fantastic sushi and ceviche.
I love that name - reef donkey!
The big ones that stick around structure year round are called green backs or home guards. The smaller ones will migrate in winter but big ones like to stake out an area with structure.
In summer in so cal we can catch them close to shore around structure or kelp, but also in open water around kelp paddies. They eat the surface iron or yo yo iron and pull like hell. Really fun fish to target!
Thanks for sharin!
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Good luck on your fishing trip! Any time you can get out with a line is a good time! I was actually reading about the sashimi sounds easy enough(same as bleeding out a tuna). Sorry I couldn’t be of more ASSistance being on the east coast.
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Gorgeous fish
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I agree; a bad day fishing beats a good day working 
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Nice to see rats in the north love to spend time fishing in the river too! We are a river inhabiting species, you know… 
So many incredible fish in this thread, I’m out of likes again. Love love love it, everyone, incredible hooking! About time for me to go splash around. 
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Bahía de Los Ángeles - super panga fishing, we made large mackerel bait in am with sabiki rigs then fished hard hitting many spots with structure.
Main rig we fished was a large (5ft -7ft ) dropper loop with 16 oz or heavier weight. Captain reccomends 60lb minimum line, which I can confirm is correct…
Fishing was slow for the area but when we got bit it was great quality. Fish seemed stronger than similar size fish from the pacific side, and we fished heavy line due to their strength and proximity to rock piles. I got two great fish and lost a couple even on 80# line and with me fighting hard / constant pressure and proper gear and drag settings. Makes me wonder how big those fish were
We also threw yo-yo irons with some success but the biggest yellowtail came on bait, or carnada as they call it. We also had a school of small sharks going crazy for our jigs, it was fun For sure. The second day on the way to the docks we saw bird action and we’re able to get a bunch more yellows on the troll using rápalas / stick baits. The surface explosions as they crashed on bait was exciting to say the least and while we threw irons and stick baits, we still only got hit on the troll.
When we fished for bait we were catching so many species 50 ft from launch ramp that a west coast shore angler would’ve had the best fishing of their life - countless bass, corvina, White Sea bass, trigger fish, ect.
The trip was an adventure of a lifetime and a truly magical place. We saw black tip sharks, sea turtles, dolphins, whales, and countless birds. We even saw a family of wild ass and horses on the drive in. The water was clear and warm and the seafood in town was world class.
It’s a sleepy fishing town, and a hell of a drive not for the faint of heart, but if you have some adventure and a little spanish I’d reccomend it to any hard core fisherman.
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Does it have to be a human that fishes? This is so cool!
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