Matt Moyer (left) and Mike Ryba with their winning catches. Photo courtesy of Saltwater Bass Series.

For nine hours on Saturday night, 16 teams of saltwater fishermen floated around Alamitos Bay and surrounding Long Beach waters in the hopes of catching the big bass that would help them win Saltwater Bass Series’ Long Beach Night Event.

After returning to the competition’s starting point at 2AM–five big fish in tow–the fishing team from Ballast Point Brewing and Spirits in San Diego were named victorious. With their second win of the 2013 season, Team Ballast Point’s Mike Ryba and Matt Moyer are solidifying themselves as the team to beat in the Inshore/Island Region lineup of competitions which in January had them pulling more winning bass out of San Diego Bay. 

For the Long Beach Event Night, teams set off from Davies boat launch in Alamitos Beach at 5PM Saturday and were told they could fish anywhere they wanted outside of Huntington Harbor and the Port of Long Beach, both of which have no-fishing laws. Even the water near oil rigs were fair game, however, if asked to leave, they were required to abide. 

Ryba and Moyer’s winning fish totaled 26.94 pounds with the largest weighing 7.44 pounds, nearly two pounds more than the next biggest catch of the night. 

Saltwater Bass Series is a Long Beach-based tournament series that provides Southern California anglers an opportunity to compete in events across a variety of formats. The next competition will be held April 13 in Mission Bay San Diego.

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