YOU’RE NOT a true spearfisherman in California till you’ve speared a white seabass. And after you’ve completed that, you’re nonetheless not legit till you’ve killed a fish that suggestions 70 kilos.
These are the accepted, if unofficial, guidelines of SoCal’s spearfishing bums, a comparatively small however hardcore group of sportsmen and -women who hunt the elusive fish year-round. WSB present up within the strongest numbers from March to June, once they begin slipping into the kelp beds alongside the coast to spawn. Spawning peaks throughout the brand new moon, once you hunt the fish by listening for them.
“Bass” is a misnomer, as this species truly belongs to the croaker household. Some WSB calls sound like a frog and a cat making an attempt to mate, however the croaking of a spawning male is akin to a ship misfire — you’re feeling it in your chest. Croaks normally imply you’re closing in, however a lot of the reverberations my buddies and I heard throughout this 12 months’s spawn led to nothing. This was the slowest season within the 11 years I’ve been going, and we fought arduous for the 2 bass pictured on these pages.
Learn Subsequent: The Ultimate Guide to Spearfishing
White seabass hunters are free divers, which implies we depend on our lung capability. It is because scuba gear is loud. It scares fish and turns you into an alien within the underwater setting. However free diving allows you to develop into part of the ocean. You’re capable of observe, hiding in silence or interacting with animals naturally. And that’s vital, as a result of these chrome-colored fish are known as grey ghosts for a cause. They stands out as the largest prey within the kelp, however they’re additionally probably the most difficult to seek out. So there’s a sure frustration — to not point out hazard — in free diving for them. However that’s half the enjoyable.
This cove in Baja appears to be like like a washer on the floor, however beneath, the ocean is calm. Even so, solely skilled divers ought to fish right here.
![underwater spearfisherman](https://www.outdoorlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/03/01_spearfisherman.jpg?strip=all&quality=95)
The most effective place to hunt white seabass is within the kelp beds, like this one.
![spearfisherman hides beside underwater plants](https://www.outdoorlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/03/03_camo.jpg?strip=all&quality=95)
Visible concealment — normally achieved with a camouflage sample and by sticking to shadowy kelp for canopy — is only one factor spearfishermen have to bear in mind when chasing white seabass. As a result of the fish can each hear noise and really feel vibrations, divers should take care to not, say, bump their speargun on the underside whereas listening for croaks. Even bubble management when exhaling is essential — and don’t even take into consideration farting in your wetsuit.
![school of fish](https://www.outdoorlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/03/04_school.jpg?strip=all&quality=95)
Salema fish are a very good indicator that WSB are within the neighborhood. It’s smart to swim rigorously once they’re close to so that you don’t spook them or the seabass.
![speearfisherman holding white seabass](https://www.outdoorlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/03/05_seabass.jpg?strip=all&quality=95)
After practically two months of arduous searching the brand new moons and chasing disembodied croaks, I watched diver Chris Okamoto shoot this 55-pound white seabass from simply 10 ft away.
![spearfisherman bleeds white seabass](https://www.outdoorlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/03/06_bleed.jpg?strip=all&quality=95)
One fast incision close to the gills to bleed the fish will preserve the meat contemporary and untainted. One other thrust to the mind will dispatch it shortly.
![spearfisherman and shark](https://www.outdoorlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/03/07_sevengill.jpg?strip=all&quality=95)
Extra sevengill sharks appear to seem in our searching grounds annually. I don’t fear about them, as they’re detached to us — however to not the fish we spear.
![spearfisherman stands on deck of boat](https://www.outdoorlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/03/08_boating.jpg?strip=all&quality=95)
Boating permits us to hit a number of spots in in the future, though anchoring offshore in turbulent waters can generally get dicey.
![spearfisherman carries gear down to water, followed by dog](https://www.outdoorlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/03/09_coast-scaled.jpg?strip=all&quality=95)
Diver Ryan Moore — adopted by the household canine, Luna, who will sit on the rocks with Moore’s spouse whereas he fishes — rigorously descends to the coast by the use of a steep strip of public land. Some residents of the close by multimillion-dollar houses try to close down entry to forestall spearfishermen like us from frequenting the spot.
![spearfisherman surfacing with fish, as sun glints off face mask](https://www.outdoorlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/03/10_mask-scaled.jpg?strip=all&quality=95)
White seabass could be discovered from 5 to 70 ft deep. Right here, the solar displays off Okamoto’s masks as he makes one final lung-busting push to the floor along with his WSB.
![view of spearfisherman from below](https://www.outdoorlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/03/11_below_view.jpg?strip=all&quality=95)
Looking WSB can require as much as 100 dives in a single day. Most spearfishermen max out at two minutes when swimming, or as many as 5 minutes when nonetheless.
![spearfisherman holds fish mostly eaten by sharks](https://www.outdoorlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/03/13_eaten_fish.jpg?strip=all&quality=95)
Sharks could not trouble us, however they’ll make fast work of unclaimed fish. Scott Blumer recovered his WSB minutes after capturing it, however sevengills obtained there first.
![spearfisherman hauls fish uphill](https://www.outdoorlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/03/14_pack_out.jpg?strip=all&quality=95)
Packing fish could require fewer journeys than an elk, however it may be simply as grueling. Right here, Moore takes a shift hauling Blumer’s 56-pounder up a cliff.
![numbered otoliths from white seabass](https://www.outdoorlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/03/15_otolith_stones.jpg?strip=all&quality=95)
Simply as hunters save elk ivories, spearfishermen pry the 2 otolith stones from the interior ears of WSB. This assortment is annotated with the burden of every fish.
This story,’Looking the Grey Ghost,’ first ran within the Summer time 2019 concern of Out of doors Life.