Fish of the Year? Massive White Seabass Caught from Shore!

The 2022 season has been one heck of a year for myself, but for local surf fisherman Jason Hill, it finished on another level. Jason is no stranger to catching big fish from the shore as he’s notched some pretty nice halibut, striped bass, calico bass, and even rockfish and sheephead over the past two years. But, on the evening before Christmas Eve, “big” would be redefined for Jason. Here’s the story from the man himself…

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas… Eve

Well Nick, it did not start off like any other day. It was the day before Christmas Eve. I had read an article you wrote about the upcoming king tides. The tides were no surprise to me, I have an open tab at work every day watching them. While everyone at the company party was excited about free food and booze, I couldn’t get that low tide out of my mind.

So, before making it out for a quick session, I pounded a beer and ate way too much food. Then it was time to head out on an adventure and I knew exactly where I wanted to go.

I got to the spot and quickly recalled that I couldn’t find clean underwear that morning. I wasn’t going to miss the opportunity this low tide had to offer, so I free-balled it in my waders… gotta do what ya gotta do.

Conditions, Gear and Tackle

I have to admit, rigging a Texas rig has always frustrated me. In this instance, I could keep my angler clip on and snap on my Battle Star 3/8 XLS hook (use promo code SFSC) that I was very excited to use paired with a 4.8″ Keitech swimbait. When I arrived to the spot, conditions were less than great. There were large waves breaking far out making the water dirty.

Everything was perfect except those 6-foot waves breaking far out and making the water dirty. I took a gamble and waded out to a rock that was partially submerged. Luckily, due to the low tide, I was able to make it and stand above the rolling surf.

“Just one more cast…”

I casted there for about 20 minutes and was about to walk a bit further down the beach. Instead, I told myself “one last cast”. It was partially an internal gut feeling, but mostly because the rock was very difficult to get to. That one last cast was all it took though.

“I hooked into a beast I never thought I’d meet”

I hooked into a beast I never thought I’d meet. My drag was peeling so fast I thought I might get spooled. So, I tightened my drag a bit and the fight continued. After the initial run, the fish headed south toward a major reef system. That was the last thing I wanted to deal with, so I jumped off the rock and chased after the fish. This was also a risky move as I had to weigh the likelihood of getting wet and possibly falling vs. my braid getting cut by that reef system. It didn’t take long before I fell into a large hole behind the reef that I had been standing on. Water gushed into my waders which woke me up real quick!

I fell one more time and as I gathered myself back up to my feet, my line was slack. I thought to myself “the reef must have cut it… it’s over”. Extremely disappointed, I reeled in what I thought was going to be frayed fishing line. Then my rod bent over again and my reel stared buzzing! The fish was still hooked! I actually shouted “It’s still on!” That got the attention of a family on the sand.

After jumping off a reef, falling into a hole (or two), filling my waders with more water than I’d like, and nearly giving up and accepting the loss, I finally landed this giant.

The Aftermath

Keep in mind that I have been fishing since I was 5 years-old. I’m 36 now, and this fish fought harder than any fish I’ve ever caught. I was in such shock and was shaking as the family that had watched the battle came down to see the fish. One of them took a picture of me with it and they all took pictures of it, and I can honestly say that I wasn’t expecting to catch this fish. I thought I was going to skunk for sure. Persistence pays.