California Angler Catches 2-foot Calico Bass First Time Fishing

By Nick Heid August 21, 2022 Articles, Lures, Reports, swimbaits 1 Comment

record calico bass — 24-inch Calico Bass – Ryan Khalil

Sixteen year-old, Ryan Khalil had read up about surf fishing with swimbaits on this website just a little while back and decided to give it a shot. After having reached out to me with a few questions before buying the necessary rod and reel and other terminal tackle, he was ready to go.

My Lure Throwing Set-Up (featuring the bottom 2 lure choices)

Rod: Okuma SST-S-902HA – 1/2-2oz | 10-30lb | 9ft | H | MF
Reel: Penn Spinfisher VI (3500 or 4500)
Main Line: 30-pound braid
Leader Line: 30-pound mono
Lure Options:
- Lucky Craft FM 110 (jerkbait)
- Keitech Fat Swing Impact (4.8″) | Warbaits 0.5-ounce Weedless Jighead
- BioSpawn ExoSwim (4.75″) | Mustad KVD Grip Pin Swimbait Hook (5/0 | 1/8oz)

The Story of Ryan’s Trophy Calico

My father and I were looking forward to trying a new technique in the surf, particularly using swimbaits on a Texas rig, something we had never done before. After trying our luck for over 4 hours (2 hours before and after low tide) we had caught nothing and almost accepted the skunk.

As we packed up our things and began to walk back to the car, I noticed what seemed to be a nice trough submerged in the water. I convinced my dad to let me make a couple of casts around the area and it didn’t take long to get a bite. A couple cranks in and I felt a thump! I swung my rod upwards and connected. Fish on!

I knew right from the start that this fish was massive – the tip of my rod was bent over and the drag on my spinning reel was getting absolutely shredded.

I couldn’t gain any line initially so I tightened up my drag and got to work. “Reel, lift, reel, lift, reel, lift”. As it splashed around, I caught a glimpse of its color. At first, I didn’t believe what my eyes were seeing. It looked like a calico… but it was too big to be a calico… right?

In the end, my eyes were right. It was an absolute tank of a calico bass or kelp bass the kelp bass. The measurement came in at 24 inches in length! Easily a personal best for me. After snapping several pictures and thanking God for this opportunity, my father and I safely released the fish and kissed it goodbye. What a rush!

Best Swimbaits for Surf Fishing

Ryan’s experience is definitely a unique one, but if you looking to start having some success using swimbaits in the surf, take a look at my top rated swimbaits and the ones I use when I go out.