New Option for This weekend

The option is that the giant squid are in and the boats out of Newport and other landing are hitting them very hard. These are very easy to catch, you can use a 8oz or 10 oz Magic Metal jig and and a few extra treble hooks to the top of the jig. make sure you bring along some med-heavy outfits because sometimes these squid can get up to 30-50 pounds, in Mexico I have handed them over 60 pounds. If your looking for something to do this evening this just might be a great option for you. One tip, before you get them cleaned on the boat, find out what they are charging, last year some of the boats where charging a lot to clean a squid, just ask first so you won't be surprised.

I'm still planning on getting in a little lobster and surf fishing this weekend!

Perfect Weather

With the weather we have for this weekend the questions isn't should I go fishing, it's what should i go fishing for. I have plans to go lobster fishing one day and I hope to go surf fishing another day. If all goes good I'll be back in Santa Monica Bay tomorrow night lobster fishing. Last time I went, which was a few weeks ago we did really good. The plan is to hit the same area again and also hit some small stones off of Santa Monica too. I'll make sure to let you all know how we do. Tonight I'll start baiting all my bait cages so I'll be ready to drop my hoops as soon as I'm in the area that I plan to fish.

besides lobster fishing, I'm also hoping to get out for some surf fishing on Sunday or Monday. Don't worry I plan to post pictures from both of these local fishing trips. Don't sit inside all weekend, get out and do some fishing!

Dan's Fish Batter Mix

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50% of sales of all Dan Hernandez food items go to help fund the Daniel Hernandez Youth Foundation. Please help support us and buy some today at your local market or at www.cabelas.com or www.sport-fishing.com.

Surf Fishing Now!

now that the storms are gone, right now and before the next storm hits us would be a great time to go surf fishing. Just go find a nice sandy beach and start fishing. remember you want to fish in the white water and you don't want to cast beyond the breaking waves. The fish are there year around and the perch really bite great in the winter so go out there this week and try some surf fishing.

I've had a few of you e-mail me ideas for a mobile fishing app, if anyone else has an idea please send them my way. Thanks!

Fishing App for your phone

Yesterday and today I was at TV convention in Vegas and it looks like my TV program will soon be airing on a new TV network on Direct TV, I'll make sure to fill you all in when it happen. While it the convention I ran into several companies that make apps for mobile phones. They both suggested I make an app for fishing and my TV program. What i'd like to know from all of you is what you'd like to see in a fishing app? I'd like to have your input. Thanks!

hooks for surf fishing

I've had a few people ask me what hooks I use for surf fishing. I really only use two styles of hooks for this type of fishing. A bait holder hook for fishing with grubs and with Gulp and a Kayle style or wide gap hook for fishing with ghost shrimp. these two hook styles is all you'll really need. as far as hook size, stay small. I like a size #6 or #4 for the bait holder hooks and a 1/0 for the wide gap hook. of course if all i'm hooking are larger fish them i'll move up to larger size hooks. If you're not sure what I'm talking about to visit your local tackle shop and ask for help. they all want to help you catch more fish.

Last if you're really lost go to my website at www.sport-fishing and order my surf fishing hook kit, it has all the hooks you'll need and a DVD that covers knots and rigs for surf fishing.

more about surf fishing

when you're fishing in the surf for surf perch, take a little time and check out the surf before you start fishing. You want to find areas where the water is not flate, you want to find those deep pockets and little high spots where surf perch will be waiting for bait to come to them. Even though you always what to keep you bait moving, you want tomove it very slow. The goal is to keep your bait in the strike zone for as long as you can. if you're not sure what size hooks you need you can always order one of my surf fishing hook kits from my website and the DVD in it will help you become a good surf angler.

Surf Fishing

I know it's winter and everyone is thinking there is nothing to go fishing for, but that's just not true. There still is a lot of local fishing to be had. One of my favorite types of fishing is surf fishing. Winter months is a prime time for this type of fishing and what's really nice about it is that you don't need to pay expensive fishing tackle to do it. If you already own a 7 foot light- medium action outfit then you are ready to start.

I'd suggest you fish with 6-10 pound test line. Sometimes if I'm just doing it for fun I use four pound test line, but if you happen to hook a halibut you're done and you can just say goodbye to that fish.

The biggest tip i can give you is not to cast to far and don't give up thinking there is fish there until you see your bait. I can't tell you how many times I've hooked fish right by my feet. As for as bait you have many choices, ghost shrimp, sand crab and blood worms are all great baits, but I like to fish with grubs. I've had my best luck using the Gulp sand worms, but there are many baits that will wok o you.

Another tip is to just have fun and spend some time fishing different areas, what I'll do is make a cast of two and if I don't get a bite and walk down the beach and little and then cast again, if I do hook a fish I'll stay in that area until the fish move away. If you still have no clue what i'm talking about go to You Tube and check out some of my fishing clips there on surf fishing or go to my website and order my surf fishing DVD.

Shot Show Drive Home

it's hard to believe how big this show is, I wish we had a fishing show that was as big. In upcoming blogs will be telling you more about all the great products I saw at the show, but today I just wanted to share with you my drive home.

My plan was to stay in Vegas until the end of the show around 5 PM yesterday and then drive home, but because of the weather I thought it would be wiser to head home early and that's what I did. After my last meeting at 1PM i was headed to my car and driving toward LA. Just getting out of Vegas was a challenge, the rain was coming down so hard it was just hard to see. The first little mountains that you pass leaving state line were covered with snow! it even snowed on me a little. The rest of the drive was wet too.

Coming over the pass it was already dark and everyone was driving very slow, I think we were all doing around 45-50 until the bottom of the pass.

The funny part was I didn't hit the very strong rain until I got off the freeway and headed to my house. usually I fly to Vegas, this trip was a tue adventure.

Shot Show

today i'm in Las Vegas for the Shot Show. it's a huge hunting and camping trade show and i'm here looking over new gear that we might be able to use in my TV program. one of the very cool things i've seen so far is a brand new product from Gamesaver. it looks like a great unit and it's priced to sell. I really like the new size and color. Something else I saw were the Xtra Tuff rubber boots that many of use use when we're out fishing. There are so many new flash lights coming out I wish I could share them all with you. I'm sure some of my blogs next week will be about the many things i'm seeing here in Vegas. The weather here has been as ugly and wet as I hear it's in LA. I'll talk to you all very soon.

Fancy Food Show

Yesterday I was in San Fransisco for the Fancy Food Show. I saw a bunch of new items that we might just use for up coming cooking segments. One of our sponsors, Bradly Smokers had a very nice and large booth at the event. They have a sweeps stakes going on right now where you can win a Indian motorcycle. You should go to their website and check it out.

In my program you have seen me use my Bradly Smoker many times, but if you need more ideas of why you need a Bradly Smoker or if you'd like to see how you can turn your smoked fish into awesome dinners, you can see all of that on their website too.

I'm getting ready to come out with another fish batter very soon, if you have an idea for a new fish batter i'd like to hear it.

I'll be back her tomorrow.

Lobster Fishing!

Here's my update on our lobster hooping trip last night.

Lobster Fishing

Tomorrow night we are planning on filming a new show on lobster fishing, today has been all about getting ready. first it was pulling my skiff out of the water and loading her on the trailer, then it was getting the hoop nets ready and then picking up fresh bait. Tonight I have to load in my new GPS numbers into my Raymarine E-120 unit and fill my bait cages with the fresh bait I picked up today. It's been a very long and busy day, but I'm really looking forward to going lobster fishing tomorrow night.

The reason I picked tomorrow is that, I've always been told that the bugs like to walk a lot after a storm. we had a little storm yesterday and a much larger one coming on Sunday. The area I plan to fish is where we got them last season, so I'm hoping they will still be there.

The biggest difference about tomorrows trip is that it will just be one of my fishing buddies and me on the boat, it the past I've always had an expert with me to find them and to do all the work. Tomorrow night will be my test and I'll make sure to let you all know how I do.

Dan Hernandez Blog for 01/13/10

Dan talks about trolling for billfish. what to use and what lures he likes to use and why.

Dan Hernandez Blog for 01/12/10

Here's a little info on what we have coming up for you over the next few weeks on my TV program.

Be Safe On The Water

Winter Time Sand Bass Fishing

Fishing for sand bass in the winter is a bit different than fishing then in the summer months, With the water so much cooler you really need to slow your fishing down and you need to fish closer to where the fish live, The perfect bait of this type of fishing is a B-52 bucktail jig with a strip or whole squid pinned on.

James, Hector and I fished this way yesterday and landed a few nice size sand bass. the key was to just drift my boat right over the rock piles and at the same time we slowly moved our baits up and down. If it would of been summer I would have fished a lot fast, but fishing our baits very slow worked great yesterday for us. remember in the winter when you have cold water you have to just about hit the fish on the head with your bait to get them to bite.

James did what I told him and he's fished enough to know what to do when he got a bite, he did a great job and was rewarded with that monster sand bass, Also in winter months I'd suggest you fish a white or red and white color bucktail. if you can't find B-52 buctails in your local tackle show you can order them from www.Cabelas.com or from my on-line store at www.sport-fishing.com.

Fishing today with James McDonald of the LA Dodgers

Today I took James McDonald of the LA Dodgers and my fishing buddy Hector out for a day of fishing. We fished aboard my 24' Skeeter bay boat. We started out at Izors Reef where James landed his first ever sand bass. It was a huge fish! He hooked it on a B-52 2oz. bucktail with a whole live squid pinned on. James has done a lot of fishing, but he really hasn't done much saltwater fishing. The skills he's learned freshwater fishing help him today. I had him work his bucktail tight along the bottom as we drifted around different rock piles. He did a great job, not only landing the first fish of the day, but also the largest.

We ended the day fishing the break wall, another type of fishing he had never tried before. James hooked a large calico about five pounds and had it up toward the boat before it wrapped him in the kelp. James sand bass was in the 6-7 pound class. It's very often I get to go fishing with a LA Dodger, but it was great. James grew up in Long Beach, he went to school there too. He told me as a kid he used to watch my TV show with his family.

Tomorrow i'll share a little more about today's awesome day on the water.

Getting ready to go fishing tomorrow

Tomorrow I'll be going fishing with a special guest. No there will be no cameras tomorrow this is just for fun! This guy grew up here in Southern Cal and loves to fish. he called me on Monday while he was fishing for trout at Santa Anna River lakes and asked if I had time to go fishing this week. With the perfect weather we've been having I had to say yes!

Because we can't fish for rock fish until March my plan is to start off fishing for sculpin and then move over to the break wall for some calico bass fishing. If we get lucky and buy live squid I might just fish some rocks at Horseshoe kelp?

Because these are all very different styles of fishing I'm going to have to bring a lot of fishing tackle with me. If we get live squid for bait, I'll be fishing mainly with B-52 bucktails. if we don't then all bets are off. I'll be tossing crack baits and anchovies along the wall or dropping the live baits to the bottom in about 100 feet of water for the scuplin? I'll let you know tomorrow how we do. I always enjoy this part of fishing, getting my tackle box ready for the next day of fishing.
You have to love it here in Southern Cal. it's Jan 7th and it's going to be 70 today! perfect fishing weather......

Dan's blog on fishing sinkers

Dan Hernandez Blog for 01/05/10

An idea for winter time fishing here in So. Cal.

Why I like to fish with B-52 Bucktails

Here's a short tip about fishing with B-52 Bucktails and why I like to use them so much. I hope you enjoy it.
Dan

Happy New Year!

Hi everyone, I hope you all had a great New Years. I plan to blog a lot more this year. I'll keep you up dated on my TV show and youth foundation and i'll be sharing a lot of fishing information with you too. Take care and hold on, 2010 is going to be an exciting year.

Dan