So Cal Hali

I've done some surf fishing for the past year but this is my first Salt post. Hope y'all enjoy.
SATURDAY: decided to go to Redondo Beach to shoot out some clousers off a rock jetty for some halibut. Got there late (7:45am) and watched a plastic chucker bag a 28"er (legal). With high hopes, I matched the color of his lure and shot the next 1.5 hours for nada. Surf was a little high at 2-3ft so I'm not sure if I got down far enough to get any halis attention. Surfers showed up and thought it best if I didn't snag fiberfins.
SUNDAY: I was on the water at 05:30 and casted out to a dark horizon of Long Beach, CA. Very early blue morning light and warm So. Cal water was nice to wet wade in gentle waves protected by a rockpile breakwater wall located 2 miles out. First 1/2 hour still dark: casted to sounds of jumping halis (yes they do jump for bait-like sharks after seals in So Africa ). My first fish on to my surprise was a small needlefish-like species (I'm sure it was not a cuda as I caught them before). Tried to release him but he turned around to bite me and got the tippet instead and wouldn't let go. How ironic that I'm always losing fish and this one doesn't let go and the hook isn't even anywhere near his mouth. After shaking the needle off, there was plenty of light for me to see a bait boil and a jumping hali. I gathered my senses as this was the first one close enough to my max-casting ability (let's not go there). I managed to cast just beyond the boil and stripped the weighted line through the boil...nada. With the basket looking like an unkept nest, nervousnes and excitement, I casted out again but this time off target of the boil by aleast 2 yards. But it wasn't off target at all, the boil had moved quickly in my target zone and I stripped again. Through the baitball, the line stopped and my 6wt bent. I closed my rod hand to set the hook and a short fight (remember short cast :oops: )resulted in an 18". I release it and another half hour goes by before I'm on to another close range prize this one about the same size with nearly the same story. At 8am, I packed up to go home early- wife and kids were soon to wake- browny points for future early morning outings. I am told that the season will peak when the water cools next month and the prize reach 30-40". I guess it's time to get practing again in the front lawn with the 8 weight with hopes that it can handle pulling in a "barn door".