Multiple Techniques, Multiple Species, Maximum Fun

A Unique Diverse San Clemente Island Adventure with Team Big Bass Dreams

A Pictorial by Derrek Stewart 7/14/24

I've learned a few things to expect when fishing with Captain Oliver Ngy of Big Bass Dreams. Regardless of the destination, the tactics are always quite different. I'm always going to learn something. And it's always going to be a good time.

Crew list: Captain Oliver Ngy, Deck Boss Joshua Mogo, and Deck Hand Parker Wright.

Charter list: D the Machine, the author.

Preparing to leave port, Los Alamitos Bay, Long Beach and the fun has already started. Check out Captain Ngy on his tiptoe’s, height competition.

The destination is San Clemente Island, approximately 60 miles from Long Beach Harbor.

Cruising with hands-free Autopilot.

A smooth run on a cloudy morning takes us to Pyramid Point on the Southeast end of San Clemente Island.

From Pyramid Point to our starting location off China Point on the southern tip of San Clemente Island.

Parker starts the 'Fish Click Counter' with a beautiful California Sheephead. A dropper loop rig baited with shrimp scores the moment.

Joshua is on the bow; he's always ready for action.

All he needed to do was remove his wet-weather gear, and another excellent Sheephead scored.

It's an official pattern: the third Sheephead on the Dropper-Loop Shrimp rig. Dressing to coordinate with Sheephead colors is a proven fact that you will catch one.

Technique #2: The captain goes horizontal while the rest of us are vertical. Oliver scores a nice Kelp Bass with a surface iron jig in a classic color pattern.

Multiple techniques, multiple rigs. Horizontal on the surface, top-middle-bottom vertical in the water column. Left to right: Cast x BBD OG Floater Topwater Lure, Surface Iron, Strike King Rag Tail Swimbait rigged on an Underspin keel weighted swimbait hook, another Surface Iron, a Yoyo Iron, and two Nomad Squid Trex Vibe.

Technique #3, the Nomad Squid Trex Vibe. Vertical jigging with the Squid Trex scores two hefty Vermillion Rockfish and a nice Salmon Grouper Rockfish. The Squid Trex is one of the author's favorite Rockfish lures.

The Salmon Grouper, also known as a Bacoccio Rockfish, attacked the Squid Trex halfway up on the accent as I was reeling up from a 200-foot depth. Until your lure is out of the water, be prepared; the unexpected has a way of occurring.

The Vermilion were deceived while jigging the Squid Trex at the bottom of the water column.

The sun burns through the cloud cover, and the tide starts to push; it's time to move into Pyramid Cove and target Kelp Beds.

Pyramid Cove is a massive section of San Clemente Island on the southeast end between China Point and Pyramid Point.

Within Pyramid Cove are a few prominent boiler rocks that are always worthy of a few casts. This rocky outcropping feature adjacent kelp beds. The cover element, kelp, directly next to the structural feature, the boiler rock, enhances its value as a predator's ambush location.  

We often caught multiple Kelp Bass with the A-Rig, technique #4. The Kelp bass were staging on the leading current edges, sides, and channels of kelp beds and isolated stringers, a standard mannerism of Kelp Bass. Regardless, keep searching until you find them. Once you do make contact, take note of their traits during those conditions.

Fish methodically through prime water. Fish fast, spending minimal time on the non-pattern/transitional water.

Many Kelp Bass hunters presenting A-Rigs will slow down, even jigging the set-up, if a smaller bass initially hooks up. Kelp bass are known to feed in groups. More significant and multiple bass will often attack the same A-Rig, resulting in several catches on the same presentation. If you slowly bring the smaller fish in, the window for multiple strikes increases.

The captain is anticipating a bite.

The team went on to catch over forty Kelp Bass. The A-Rig was the prime component of the bait school technique and accounted for most of the bass catches. Multiple bass, doubles, and triples occurred on the same retrieve numerous times.

We continued to target the kelp as we moved through Pyramid Cove. We spotted schooling Yellowtail a few times. Joshua had the right stuff: a long cast with a 120-gram Coltsniper Jig, boating one.

A school of Yellowtail swam by the boat's port side, moving behind the stern. Joshua hooks up with one of them on the starboard side of the stern.

Fishing through Pyramid Cove, we find ourselves back at Pyramid Point. Our time is almost over, so we will make a few stops around the point on the southern end of the Island's front side.

Motoring towards Fish Hook, Window Pane, and Little Flower.

Fishing reefs.

Extended points.

Favorable conditions are nonexistent on these front side stretches. Notably, the Coltsniper scores a mixed bag jigged on the bottom at these later stops.

Parker (foreground) and Joshua, with their exceptional angling skills and infectious enthusiasm, made the trip even more enjoyable. They are not just excellent anglers but also great companions on the water.

Big Bass Dreams A-Team. Thank you for another fantastic fishing adventure: good times and tight Lines.

Our use of seven different techniques led to a diverse catch, including Sheephead, Vermillion Rockfish, Salmon Grouper, White Fish, Barracuda, Yellowtail, Sculpin, and Kelp Bass. Of the seventy-six fish we caught, an impressive forty-three were Kelp Bass—truly a wow-worthy achievement!

That's it for now; it's time to head back to Alamitos Bay, Long Beach.

You can find several educational Big Bass Dreams angling quests here on the pages of DStewartFishing.com.

Experience the thrill of using multiple techniques to catch multiple species, ensuring maximum fun on your fishing trip.

Contact Captain Oliver Ngy at Oliver@BigBassDreams.com to schedule a custom charter for you and your fishing friends. Let him know D the Machine sent you.