Bradley Leopold

Thanks Bradley from all of us at Edge Products for the great story!

Summer time fishing is in full swing with a mix bag of fish.  Snook are on the beaches and passes.   Look for them cruising the shoreline early in the morning.  You can use a live pilchard or a small Buck Tail Jig.  Redfish can be found under the bushes at high tide and out on the grass flats at low tide early in the morning.  Use a Hybrid Flurry on a ¼ ounce jig head or cut bait.

Tarpon are still along the beaches and in the passes.  You can drift the passes using live threads or live pass crabs.  Out on the beaches look for rolling fish and then set up in front of them and let the fish come to you.  Use live threads free lined or pass crabs.

The trout can still be found on the grass flats early in the morning.  Use top water plugs like Skitter Walk’s or Chug bugs.  You can also use a Clacker Cork with a Hybrid Flurry. 

Remember the sun is very strong.  Make sure to cover up with UV protected clothing and lots of sun block lotion.  

Capt. Steve Nagy

www.bonitaspringsfishing.com

239-398-1528

This was a big event for us. For some reason over the past 3 years our average finish in Marina Del Ray is lower than any other event location on the circuit. Makes no sense, good Sand bass and Calico fishing very close.  Looking at the standings going into it, we had a nice lead in the AOTY race but we really did not want to give up points in an event we should be doing well in. We limited the pre-fish, wanted to go in without a plan and just go fishing but focus on Calico’s in the Palos Verdes area. Ran on up in the morning and noticed the water temp had dropped 5 degree’s and knew fishing was going to be tougher than it should be. Settled in and had 3 small bass around 8:30am and were really waiting for the tide to fill in. Around 9:30am I hung a 5lber, from there we began to pattern the bigger fish on rocks in 8-10’ fish extremely slow make multiple casts. We alternated the 1oz. Blade Runner Spinner Bait, with the 5”  Swim baits both covered in Hot Sauce. We ended up going through 25 keepers, for just under 22lbs. Wasn’t enough to win  but it was enough to hold our lead for AOTY. We are headed to Santa Barbara where we just missed a win last year and are looking forward to some good Calico fishing.

 Thank you again,

 Matt Kobzeff and Scott Pethtel

Team KillSwitch

Check out thier ProStaff Page on EdgeFishing.com http://edgefishing.com/html/matt_scott.html

Matt Kobzeff & Scott Pethtel

Captains meeting was set for the Wednesday prior to the tournament. Food was catered by Chilis “Thanks Benny” after some grub and paying entry fees they raffled a few prizes and announced the starting boat. Boat 75 will start it off which means I am in the last flight. Plan was to fish PV, I was not able to get out and pre-fish and rumors of a red tide had us thinking about fishing deep for the spawning sandbass.

Alarm went off quick at 2:15 am, hooked the boat up, grabbed some tea and off to pick up Brandon in Newport. Next stop Marina Del Rey we arrive early “No Nerves Just Amped”. Check in with the SWBA team, and pay the Big Fish Side Pot. Back at the boat for a few last minute tweaks and we dump the boat in the Water. 50+ boats line up and wait for the National Anthem which followed some shouts and whistles and at 5:30am the starting boat was called out. As SWBA Director,James Shamblin called out the numbers Boat 65 was radioed and we were off to PV, about a 30 minute run in sheet glass and a minimal swell.

First spot wasn’t promising as the kelp was thick and in tight. I lube up on the Sauce and start firing away, and hook up with a 13 inch fish right off the bat. We drift down to a high spot with a boiler exposed and my partner Brandon Cotton hooks up with a bigger fish, NICE second fish in the boat and its a toad. PSYCHED!!!!!!!! We bounce around put a 2.5 in the well and we are in good shape with 3 in the well and its only 7am.

SWBA Tournament Director, Eric Bent rolls up on us and asks if JT from Inside Sport Fishing can join us. He did some quick on the water interviews checked out the fish in the livewell and kept invisible on the Whaler. Put a few fish on camera, hooked a big Halibut had a blast and he was picked up after a couple hours. JT is one of the coolest guys I have met and he is welcome on my boat anytime….

PV was a little stagnate so we bounced back into the deeper kelp lanes as the conditions looked really good. Got the rest of our limit but really needed to get rid of 2 of our smaller fish. The Bracket on my transducer cracked so deep spots were out of the question. We gave it our all and we left with 55 minutes as we new the ride up the line would take longer. We arrive at the MDR wall with 20 minutes to spare, see the check in boat and decide to fish the wall.

I start flipping a 3\4 oz warhead matched with a 5″ Condor lubed with Hot Sauce and start working the wall. I get bit set the hook and cull out the smallest fish with a 2 pound calico 15 minutes to go. Brandon hooks up next and culls out a 15″ calico with a 2.25 sand bass. We are going crazy rack the rods life vests on and jam in with minutes to spare……

We weighed in our 5 fish for 14 pounds and our big fish weighed in a 5.6 which was good enough for 16th place. Tough day on the water but we made the most of it worked well as a team, and we have a little momentum going into Round 5.

We threw Swimbaits, Iron and Condors all day lubed in Hot Sauce………..

Scott Pohle
Fishtrax_65

Super amped the night before a tournament. Woke up at 2:50 AM (not sure if I even slept) made Black tea, wolfed down a muffin, hitched up the boat, next stop South Shores Long Beach. My Partner Brandon Cotton met me there and got us checked in early.  I on the other-hand got there in the nick of time and was sitting in line with a fleet of boats all ready to dump there boats in the -1 low tide water. The event started on time with about 60 boats. The SWBA has a 3 Flight staggered start and a 3 flight weigh in which makes for a much more enjoyable tournament. Fishtrax was in the first flight after they called boat 65 we ran north through the channel and hopped out in the open water. Plan was to throw big swimbaits around the nasty in PV. We had some residual swell and a little mixed up sea but the ride up the line was not bad. First spot we stopped on had good looking water, we watched the swell and crept in tight to the boilers and kelp lanes. Figured it out quick that if you didn’t stun em’ and high stick after you got bit they would rock you. Stuck to it had a limit by 9am and started culling fish.  We spot hopped through out the day upgraded a few, I stuck a 5.25 in a foot of water just off a boiler PSYCHED!!!!  As the tide started to fill in so did the eal grass, staying away from that and the silty water was key! 

As far as the day went we only caught 20 calicos all day, Brandon culled out our last fish as he stuck a solid 4 in 30′ feet of water. We worked together well as a team left the big motor running all day burned 6 gallons of gas and got our buts kicked on the way in. We estimated a 15 pound bag but were stoked when the scale hit 19.67 for 5 fish with our big fish weighing 5.26. This is the SWBA though, everybody is a good stick and you never no who uncorked em. All that said and done we took a 5th place spot, made it to the podium and made a little cash.

Hot Sauce was key and most of the fish caught came fresh after a good lathering. Don’ t be shy I even Sauce up the weedgards and lead of the 1oz War Baits we were throwing, Heck I might even start using it as my new shower gel, Cody lets mix some SPF in there and make some HOT SAUCE SUNSCREEN

I oz WAR heads got it done matched with 6″ Swimbait all lubed with Hot Sauce.
This is my new motto from FDBU “SAUCE IT & TOSS IT”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Thanks Scott for letting us in on your oustanding finish at the SWBA Cabin Fever Reliever.

Cody Buhler

Edge Products

Team Kill Switch – Matt Kobzeff and Scott Pethtel http://edgefishing.com/html/matt_scott.html

Team Fishtrax – Scott Pohle http://edgefishing.com/html/scott_pohle.html

Cody Buhler

EdgeProducts