Over the break I took my family to Catalina Island for a quasi-backpacking trip (I hiked in, my wife took the kids on the shuttle the 7 miles to the campground, Little Harbor). Since my eldest son (6 y.o.) had such a great time fishing on his first backpacking trip up into the Sierra I decided to look into fishing from the beach. I did a bit of research put together a cheap kit and had a great time. We caught two nice little Rock Wrasse and big fat Opaleye.
I was surprised to find out that my typical fishing set-up matches pretty well what people fishing in the surf use (6-7' spin rod with 6-8 lb test). I didn't want to get my new rod and reel salty, plus they recommend a medium to heavy rod. I got a cheap 6.5' telescoping spin rod from amazon and matched it with an old reel I had laying around.
I used a Carolina Rig, which looks like a spin fly fishing setup, but replace the bobber with a 1/2-1 oz egg sinker. For a lure I had the best luck with a camo Gulp sandworm with a no 6 Owner mosquito hook. The fishing forum I went to refers to those Gulp sandworms as "crack" and I can see why. I was surprised at how lightweight the setup was. It would make for a pretty darn compact setup for anyone hiking along the beach. I also brought some MORF Grub and swim baits (along some pro-cure). The swimbait were bigger, but the grub were similar to the sandworms.
And here are the results:
The Rock Wrasse were pretty tasty. I am surprised the Opaleye bit on the sandworm. They are vegetarian. Most people suggested trying to catch them by chumming with canned or frozen peas. My son had a blast bringing it in, but was afraid to touch it once he got it on shore.
