McStickin' the Barracuda

Stan Kaplun checking in with another bay report from San Diego. When throwing swimbaits, jerkbaits, topwater, or essentially any other lure in the San Diego bays, you never know what you’re going to catch. You can target certain species with certain lures, but the possibility of an unexpected by-catch is always there. 

I went out the other day with Michael Tran in my yellow skiff. The plan was to target Corvina and Halibut, but plans change quickly and you have to be able to adapt and adjust. While our target species weren't willing to cooperate, we found the Barracuda, and they were willing to chew.

Michael Tran with a legal Barracuda

The SPRO McStick 110 in Old Glory was getting smacked left and right. Mike doesn't own too many SPRO baits, so I let him borrow one of mine. Just like the time when he did some serious damage with one of my BBZ-1 Rat 50's, after which he ended up buying a couple; he did the same with the McStick. What's funny is that the first McStick that I got was from him years ago. What comes around goes around, and the McStick came back around full circle and got the job done!

Here's a better look at the SPRO McStick 110 (OG)  

The next day, a couple buddies gave me a call that they had rented a skiff, so I decided to hop on for a quick evening session. I had already known where they were, so I wasted no time and got straight to it. I picked up where Mike left off, and managed to catch a handful of Barracuda myself. 

Stan Kaplun with a Barracuda, caught on the SPRO McStick 110 in Midnight Blue

The retrieve varied from a slow and steady retrieve, to a "jerk and pause" retrieve. My setup was a Cousins 704S, with a Shimano Stradic Ci4+ 3000, with 20lb P-Line TCB and a 12lb CXX Mono top shot. Not only is this setup perfect for topwater, for those that prefer spinning instead of casting, but it also makes for a great jerkbait setup!

Check back in soon for more "on the water" updates!