It was a flat calm morning on the Sacramento Reef and just about two weeks since it had been flat calm anywhere along the coast of the Californias, which meant the water was a frigid 53 degrees. Yet there was no way chartermaster Barry Brightenburg of Fish Trap lures and Capt. Joe Crisci of the Qualifier 105 were going to pass up the rare opportunity to launch skiffs at this most sacred of big bass lairs.

After all, the fish had been living in cold water for months now and had to eat. The three skiff set off and the big boat turned to drifting for rockfish as a breeze started to pick up. A combo of small swells from south and west cause the high spots of the kelp-shrouded reef to curl up into peeling breakers.

"Barry found some bass and reds in about 50 feet off the corner of the reef," was the first report Crisci offered to those left behind. Later we would find out that the same radio report sent Capt. Alan Fay and his anglers, father/son team Dave and Josh Valerio and Steve Suveg in that direction. Except the line took them across open water in front of one of the boilers. With Fay using the outboard to stay in position, they cast to eel grass beds covered by just two feet of water along the reef. That's where the big calicos were living.

"Josh had a 6 (pound) and a 7 on his first two casts," recounted Suveg when back on the Q. "His dad had a good one right away, too, and then I got one about 7. Then I dumped what might have been the biggest calico I ever caught -- it just smoked me. I think Alan had the biggest fish, easily 8 pounds. We had a few more big ones before it shut off."

Fay's group was the success story of the stop at Sacto Reef, while the Pucker Factor award went to Capt. Travis Johnson (all skiff drivers have their captain's license) and his team of Steve Weiss, Eric Parsons and Tom Hampton. They were also in a good boiler bite when a set group of waves from one of the multidirectional swells approached. Travis was right on top of it and quickly turned the boat straight into the waves and ran for it, but the biggest wave crested over the bow and left behind a foot of water. It's all part of the skiff fishing game.

The breeze picked up, the tide dropped, the current quit and the second skiff run was a bust. That's also part of the game. On south to Cedros.

Rich Holland's Roundup