Category: Calico Bass

• The Off Season

  I have not posted anything in a while for one simple reason: I have had nothing to post about. I have fished in the Pacific Ocean off and on for nearly 40 years and to date, this is the worst fishing season I can remember after last season being one of the best. I guess […]

  John Darling – Author

  October 28, 2020

  Bait, Calico Bass, California White Croakers, Cormorant, Dungeness Crab, fishing, fishing pole, fog, Goleta Pier, Mackerel, Pacific Ocean, Pelicans, Perch, Port Hueneme Beach, Port Hueneme Pier, Professional Fisherman, Sand Crab, Santa Barbara, CA, Sea Gulls, Sharks, Skate Ray, smelt, Stearns Wharf, Ventura Pier

  fishing pole, Pacific Ocean, sportfishing

• Pacific Update

  Even during the current pandemic, fishing in the Pacific goes on. With the ocean water warming up over the past few weeks, the fishing has improved as well. The temperature today is a toasty 64 degrees. As you can see in the pictures above, the fish have been plentiful and varied no matter what pier […]

  John Darling – Author

  August 6, 2020

  Calico Bass, Goleta Pier, Mackerel, Pacific Ocean, Santa Barbara, CA, Skate Ray, smelt, sportfishing, Stearns Wharf, Ventura Pier

  Calico Bass, Goleta Pier, Mackerel, Skate, smelt, Stearns Wharf, Ventura Pier

• Drift Lining

  My time to get out to the pier, the wharf, the shore, and a planned boat excursion, is going to be limited for a while due to prior commitments so I thought I’d explain what I mean when I mentioned in many of my posts that I fish with a drift line.  The concept is […]

  John Darling – Author

  September 23, 2019

  Bait, Bat Rays, Calico Bass, Carp, Catfish, fishing, fishing pole, Grandpa Duffy, Mackerel, Pacific Ocean, Sharks, smelt, sportfishing, Stearns Wharf

  Calico Bass, Carp, Catfish, drift line, fishing pole, Grandpa, Mackerel, Perch, Rays, sportfishing, Stearns Wharf, wishing pole

• Stearns Wharf II: Shark, bass, and mackerel, oh my!

  After my last fishing adventure at Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara, CA where I caught 40 fish in 4 hours, I just had to go back to see if that was the norm or if I had just caught the area on a good day.  So, I went back today and though I only caught […]

  John Darling – Author

  September 9, 2019

  Bat Rays, Calico Bass, fishing pole, Grandpa Duffy, Mackerel, Pacific Ocean, Shakespeare Contender, Spider Wire, Uncategorized

  Calico Bass, Mackerel, Shakespeare Contender, Tiger Shark

• Stearn’s Wharf I: What a MORNING!

  When I moved from Phoenix, AZ to Santa Barbara, CA in 1979, Stearn’s Wharf was not open to the public.  It was closed due to a huge fire that roared through it in 1973.  It finally reopened in 1981 but by that time, the Goleta Pier was my fishing spot of choice so I never […]

  John Darling – Author

  September 3, 2019

  Bait, Calico Bass, fishing, Goleta Pier, Mackerel, Pacific Ocean, sportfishing, Stearns Wharf, Ventura Pier

  Calico Bass, fishing, Phoenix, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Ventura Pier