You're sitting at home, just got done with all the chores and you wish you were out fishing. What to do? The tuna haven't come close enough yet for small boaters to make it out for reel screaming action, but there is a way to tune up ahead of time. If you need to have your drag pulled, then head on down to the bay. The bay?

Southern California, has in most of it's bays and estuaries, a whole assortment of fish that will pull drag. Most of them are close to home and easy to get to. For example, in San Diego, the bays are not more than a half_hour away from almost anywhere in the county. No big costs, maybe sodas or beer and bait. No three or four hour boat ride to "the grounds" or "hot area." And, best of all, it can be done 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

The bays are filled with giant batrays, guitar fish, and assorted sharks, such as leopard and dog sharks. All these examples will pull some serious drag on light to medium_heavy ocean gear. The same gear you might take when you head out to the tuna grounds. Going lighter can be fun too, but sometimes it ends in a spooled reel, for these fish do get big!.

I like to target batrays in San Diego's Mission Bay let's use there as an example. The bay is shallow and has a sandy bottom that the rays really favor. The assorted rays and sharks can really put up a fierce battle on light tackle, but you have to remember there are giants that live there as well. Batrays with wingspans up to 6 feet and weighing in at well over 100 pounds roam these waters too, and when you hook one, you're in for a long fight! It WILL get you in shape for that next big tuna fight.

In Mission Bay, any of the points that face the two main larger bodies of the bay are best from shore. Or, from a boat, any of the main channels followed by the tide. I find a medium tide of about 3.5 to 4 feet of total movement seems best, but as long as the tide is moving, the rays are actively feeding. You can catch them in some of the smaller back bays, but the most activity is going on in the main body of the bay and that's where the big boys live. You can fish for the rays and sharks any hour of the day, but it seems that at night they're a little more active.

I usually use a medium_heavy 7 foot casting rod with a medium size ocean conventional reel, such as a Daiwa 50H or Penn Jigmaster, loaded with twenty to thirty pound test. The main line is passed thru an egg sinker of 3/4 to 1 ½ ounces, depending on the size of the tide, and tied to a 3/0 to 5/0 Mustad circle hook.

For bait, I like to use a whole mackerel if it's less than a pound and a half of one if it's larger. This larger chunk of bait will let the little fish pick at it and still leave a large enough piece to attract the larger rays or sharks. It is better for the bait to stay in one place, rather than drift with the tide. The fish will find it. Make some slices in the bait to let out some juices and lob it out as far as you can. I usually set the rod in a sand spike from shore, or if on a boat, in a rod holder. But, in either situation, with the reel in free_spool with the clicker on. When the clicker starts to sound, switch it off, keeping the reel in free_spool. Let the ray swim off a bit with it...then throw the reel in gear and set the hook. It's important that your drag is in good working order and set correctly as the rays will pull off 50 to 100 yards of line quickly!

Many times the larger rays will take to the air. This aerobatic display is just one more reason this fishing is so popular and exciting. The battle will be a real test of the gear's and your own strength. When the battle ends, just cut the line as close as you can to the hook and let them go. Be aware that the rays do have stingers, but not at the tip of their tails so don't panic if the ray is whipping it around. The stinger is up towards where the tail starts and on the top side...so just be careful. Again, just cut the line and let them swim off. The hook will fall out in a few days or so.

There are some fishermen that also chase the sharks and batrays on light tackle. Anything from trout gear and ghost shrimp to bass gear and a whole squid will work. But, it just may take a while to get them in on 6 to 15 pound test line. You'll get more bites on light tackle, some great battles, but you won't get that giant in. You will get satisfaction from landing a hard fighting fish on light line.

This fishing has been popular for years with a small crowd of fishermen, but is catching on rapidly with others as they discover this untapped fishery. Some call them Mud Marlin or Flying Tuna, because of their great strength, fighting ability, and their occasional leaps into the air. Whatever you call them, it's one way on getting rid of your tuna fishing blues!