Mud Marlin 2004

My buddy Kevin and I used to love catch-and-release fishing for Mud Marlin (AKA Bat Ray Myliobatis californica) in at night from a particular spot in Mission Bay, San Diego CA.  We'd generally use a dropper loop setup on 20# mono to toss a couple oz of lead and a couple hooks baited with chunks of frozen squid to entice these bottom dwellers.  Once you cast it out, just lean the pole against a railing and wait for it to bend almost in half.  A medium sized bat ray fights like a truck.  It's a lot of fun. 

In addition to the Mud Marlin, we'd often catch other nocturnal species such as this cute little Leopard Shark. 

This Horn Shark was a surprise.  Such an unusual creature, we were glad to get to see it, and equally glad to see it swim away unhurt.

In addition to the sharks, we used to catch a number of fairly good sized Spotted Bay Bass, such as these shown here with a beer can for scale.