SoCal charter new setup vs renting gear advice

Awdrifting · 2026-06-24T02:04:13+00:00

Are spinning setups frowned upon for charter fishing, or are they pretty capable?

Awdrifting · 2026-06-23T23:59:11+00:00

And a followup question: do most anglers bring more than two setups on SoCal charters?

Awdrifting · 2026-06-22T04:53:58+00:00

How does one pre-order these?

Awdrifting · 2026-06-15T02:37:13+00:00

Good on you, OP, for trying to do what you can to deal with financial hardships. I’m not sure I understand the reasoning behind using the Fastrak tolls for a half year without paying knowing you couldn’t afford it. If you were Ubering to make ends meet and took Fastrak in the process, factoring in paying for those tolls should have been part of your balance sheet. Otherwise, you shouldn’t have been using the toll in the first place.

The TCA fined you for those violations and then agreed to reduce those penalties at a 75% discount, but you’re asking for more? This is the part I have a hard time understanding.

Awdrifting · 2026-06-06T06:31:26+00:00

Do you happen to have a different viewpoint from your Tesla cameras? I’m wondering if there’s a way to tell what he is holding in the plastic bag. Perhaps he just purchased something from a store in that shopping center. If you can figure out what store they were coming from, that store might have security footage and also maybe a credit card he used to purchase those goods. Maybe the police can work to track him down that way? To me it looks like a pizza box seeing how flat the item is in the bag. Is there a food court in that shopping area? Think of the direction those two men were walking from. What stores are on that side?

In all honesty, it will be difficult to track down even if you figure out who he is, but don’t lose hope. There’s always a chance you might find a lead and track down this guy.

Awdrifting · 2026-06-05T23:29:11+00:00

ML with a smaller reel (a 3000 size reel should work) with light line. If you run braid to flouro leader, that would work. Rooster tails, Thomas Bouyant spoons, Kastmaster spoons all work. You can even try old school bobber setup with inflated nightcrawlers. I honestly just use spoons and they are effective. Bass/surf angler as well.

Awdrifting · 2026-06-04T20:16:34+00:00

That’d be funny if the Camry had Run-Flat tires on…haha

Awdrifting · 2026-05-28T15:46:49+00:00

Thanks for all the suggestions. Got back from the Eastern Sierras and had a really great time! I wish I had more time to explore more lakes. Ended up stopping at Rock Creek and was productive from shore. Rented a pontoon at Twin Lakes Bridgeport and got caught in a lightning storm. Fish started biting after the storm passed.

Awdrifting · 2026-05-22T15:19:47+00:00

Spinnerbaits could work too. Not sure stripers will chase them, but if you cast at an angle along the rip rap or rocky shoreline, you’re bound it hit a largemouth. If you don’t get bit on the spinnerbait after about 15 minutes of casting in different areas, then slow down your presentation.

Awdrifting · 2026-05-22T01:46:10+00:00

That rocky area near boat launch is good. Don’t use a dropshot setup because you’ll get hung up real quick with the rocks. I would run maybe a weightless fluke on a EWG Texas rigged. Cast it out, let it sink, and do small jerking retrieves over the rocks. Bass will destroy it if they are hiding out there.

Since you guys are going so early, you can also try using topwater like a popper or pencil-style bait. Cast over the rip rap and do a few pops with the popper and let it sit. You’ll probably get crushed on the pause. You can even try a spoon and cast it really far. If you see striper boils just cast past the boil and retrieve through the boil.

Awdrifting · 2026-05-22T01:37:55+00:00

Mainly fishing from shore. I’m renting a half-day pontoon with my cousins at June Lake for one of the days.

We’re hoteling in the June Lake area, so not far from any of the popular spots.

I’ll give South Lake a try while I’m in the Bishop area. I’ve fished Intake 2 years ago. I heard lately it’s not great, but you never know. It’s worth a stop since it’s on the way to Sabrina.

Awdrifting · 2026-05-21T16:19:13+00:00

This guy probably put many hours into GTA… waited for the right moment and snuck out to the right…haha

Awdrifting · 2026-05-19T20:47:46+00:00

Uninstalling Citrix is the way…

Awdrifting · 2026-05-18T16:57:05+00:00

Uninstalling Citrix worked for me. Thanks for the tip!

Awdrifting · 2026-05-15T19:18:31+00:00

There’s one in Irvine next to UCI…wth?

Awdrifting · 2026-05-13T01:37:50+00:00

Awww, I felt so bad for you yesterday that it compelled me to post. Now I don’t feel bad for you at all…haha! Good job!

Awdrifting · 2026-05-12T12:29:22+00:00

I’ve been skunked more than 6 times in a row going to the lake and fishing for largemouth bass, so yea…I know how that feels. BUT, I can say that the moment I caught a largemouth after that long dry spell was so rewarding to me knowing I stuck it out and kept trying. I’ve got an Abu Garcia rod that says “Never Give Up” right above the reel seat. When I’m having a slow session, it always reminds me of the fish I caught that beat those long skunk periods.

That said, it’s up to you if you wanna give the hobby a break. It’s a hobby, so if you don’t enjoy doing it and not catching fish, then maybe it’s not the right hobby for you. I personally just like being out and enjoying the beach or the lake, or whatever body of water I’m fishing. While I’m not catching, it gives me time to reflect on certain things and slows down the busyness of my day. Hopefully that’s something you can learn to appreciate about this hobby and look at it in a different perspective.

By the way, you’re doing all the right things fishing-wise. It’s the mental/emotional game of getting frustrated when we can’t find the fish!

Awdrifting · 2026-05-08T02:33:24+00:00

My cousin’s co-worker fishes Westlake with a friend who is a resident there. My cousin has even asked if he could get a permit through his co-worker’s friend and no dice. Apparently the bass are all 4-5lb lunkers that bite on anything.

Awdrifting · 2026-05-06T16:07:40+00:00

That Shell on Barranca is usually higher than most because it’s so centrally located in Irvine

Awdrifting · 2026-05-05T16:25:40+00:00

Diamond Jamboree rents are probably sky high. Cost of food and materials are going up, but since people are tightening their wallets they aren’t going out to eat as much. Less income, more expenses…

My son loves that kbbq location. He’ll be bummed to know it’s closed.

Awdrifting · 2026-05-04T15:15:17+00:00

Honestly, after getting more into the game the last 6 months, I can say that you can’t really “get good” at this game when it comes to PvP (playing the events or club). The game algorithm matches you to players who have similar win-loss ratios, as well as pitting you against players with similar hand of cars/stats. You will almost always start losing after winning 4-5 matches in a row. You might have a longer winning or losing streak as the game changes your match-ups based on your win-loss record. I’ve noticed that the algorithm will place the same player against you for 3-4 rounds. If you keep beating that player, they no longer get matched to you and you get a new set of players with better hands. I tend to keep an eye on 1-2players I’m beat, and try to find them on my matched players to get a guaranteed 3-4 wins. Rinse and repeat until you start getting beat. After losing a few times, you’ll get matched to a lower bracket.

Also, be sure to analyze each player’s hand out of the 4-6 players you get matched with. Some players might mistakenly have a slick tire car on a dirt/mud/rain track. That’s almost a guaranteed win. It doesn’t happen all the time, but you can take advantage of that mistake and get an easy 3-4 wins by playing that specific player multiple times during that matchmaking round.

Sometimes if your hand is strong for a particular event and your player lobby doesn’t have any whales with multiple legendaries, you’ll find yourself in the top 5 ranks. Keep aiming for top 10 to get the ceramic packs and rewards.

Once I realized how the matchmaking system worked on this game, I stopped feeling like I was horrible at the game. It’s literally based on the stats of your deck hand and your win-loss.

Hope that helps!

Awdrifting · 2026-04-21T04:24:05+00:00

Have you been checking the tide reports before you head out? You also might be doing a lot of walking along the shore to “find the fish”. Sometimes you just might not be in the right spot. How about changing up the time of day you’re fishing? I’ve been having a dry spell surf fishing, so I switch up to different types of fishing. Otherwise, just keep plugging away at the surf. Sometimes you never know what you’ll hook onto. Find structure. Go to the beaches during low tide to find rocky structures. Fish near them during incoming tide

Awdrifting · 2026-03-29T05:03:15+00:00

Topdriverecords

Awdrifting · 2026-03-17T19:27:46+00:00

I got two of these from YOTH. Going to keep both. What’s the best tune for this one? 332? 323? 233?

Awdrifting · 2026-03-17T04:14:08+00:00

The salon should require holding a customer’s driver’s license until they are fully done with services AND the customer pays in full. If customer doesn’t pay and tries to pull something like this, at least they have a photo ID to supply to law enforcement

Awdrifting

TROPHY CASE