Was it a lingcod?
A Leopard Shark?
A Black Seabass? NO!!!
As this leviathan rose from the depths of the green water, it was obvious that it was a Calico Bass and a big one... double digit for sure. As soon as it was close enough, I plunged the Boga into the water, into its gaping maw, and pulled this gigantic fish over the side of the boat.
Ya know how you do the obligatory “Oh my God that's a toad”, high five, and scream when you get a good one? Well, we didn't do that. We just stood there, totally silent, looking at this fish. I probably just held it for a few minutes, even before I looked at the spring scale on the Boga, which was somewhere between 11 and 11.5 pounds!!!
Tommy finally broke the silence and asked… “How big do you think that fish is?” I handed him his fish and answered his question with… “Take a look at the scale".
Well, I snapped a few digital photos and then released the fish. Man, it was a great feeling seeing that fish swim back into the deep… Very impressive.
We caught a few more fish, then right before it got dark, I went into the water and rounded out the day with a limit of lobster. We were back at the launch ramp before midnight , even after the almost two hour ride back.
Couldn't look happier: After assisting friend and fishing partner (Tom Mishek) with his 11lb. Calico Bass, Sandy displays an impressive limit of bugs caught after dark at Catalina Island.
All I can really say that could sum up that day, other than it was an enlightening experience, is that you never know when, where and how, that trophy double digit fish will be caught. We're all experienced anglers, and what we do (throwing swimbaits) is probably the best way to try and get that toad on your catch list, but here's the thing… Tommy's a good stick. We've fished together for years, and although he's more of a big game fisherman and tends to only fish bass for fun; every now and then with me, he'll stick a big one, including a 9lber. and that 11+ in the past couple of months, on my boat.
Basically, what I'm trying to say here, is that any shoemaker (not that Tommy's a shoemaker) can hang a big fish at any time, so what we're doing doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. We as saltwater bass fishermen represent such a small percentage of the anglers in southern California , and though it should stand to reason that one of us should have the world record Calico Bass by now… we don't.
The bottom line is, if you want to really try and focus on catching huge calicos… Either throw the 5+ inch swimbaits or throw live mackerel, smelt, squid, or tomcod, at places like Clemente, Catalina, and Ensenada … I'm not saying you WON'T catch big fish throwing small to medium plastics, because most of us have, I'm saying that I personally think that if the world record is ever broken, it'll most likely be on either a BIG chunk of plastic or on BIG live bait.
Anyway, I honestly have to say, although this particular fish was not weighed on an "official" scale, I really can't say how much it weighed exactly, but I do know for sure, it was a double digit fish, which at Catalina on a swimbait is quite a feat. Seeing this fish come over the side of my boat, was a magical experience. It is, for sure, the biggest Calico Bass I personally have ever seen caught on a rod and reel. The thing was just...huge!
..................................... ........................Sandy Collora
Cover Story Bass: 11.5lb. Calico Bass caught by Tom Mishek on 12lb. test at Catalina Island. Tom, also seen below with another trophy Calico Bass that was caught at Clemente Island, during another trip. The weight on this fish is unknown but the two fish look to be of the same class. 
Past articles:
Spotties, Spotties...