Big Mama - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

swinginFish · 07-24-2011, 03:02 PM

Fished from 2:00 AM to 1:00 PM last Thursday. Lost 5 lures and burned through all my live and dead bait. Watched everyone and his/her mother catch WSB and a few YT in the early hours. Come 10:00 AM, my main fishing partner, Dennis, had already headed in with two trophies and I, feeling “unloved”, took to drifting and chatting with notorious late-riser and long-time friend, Rod.

While the word has been about an “early morning” bite, WSB and YT don’t wear watches, and as morning moved to mid-day, I hooked up with a huge YT that, after an eternity of smokin' runs, elected to head to the kelp and create macramé I couldn't untangle. As I head back to lament the loss to Rod, I watch him hook up and then land a nice WSB. While happy w/ his catch, his reel was a mess, and noting my having sacrificed all my metal to Poseidon, offered me his “lucky” blue & white while he attended to the bird’s nest in his hands. I took the lure, tied it on, dropped it down, drifted slightly away and at straight up noon ... game on!

Some fish can’t tell time, and others confuse the open sea with safety. In this case, the pictured gal failed on both counts, neglecting to check the clock and heading for deep blue rather than stringers of green. She nearly spooled me twice, but I found one of the great benefits of a narrow peddle boat is its ability to chase after one’s hooked quarry and, rather than being limited to fighting from a forward tow, decrease a big fish’s ability to gain line. In short, while keeping the pressure on, I peddled fast after her and took advantage of whatever opportunity arose to gain line. While it took longer than most, this WSB too came to lose her gas and had no option but to accept her fate. Once on the clip, she was bled, but proved too big to put forward or aft, so I cruised in w/ her strung across the boat under my legs as I peddled.

She was one huge fish, coming to tip the home scale at 52.5 lbs, and tape out at the same number of inches. As expected, she was full of eggs and had a stomach full of squid. A fish truly worth waiting for, and surprising to me both in her size and the time of day she chose to bite.

Avery

GHOSTHUNTR · 07-24-2011, 03:09 PM

What a friggin pig, look at the squid gut on that thing.

bellcon · 07-24-2011, 03:18 PM

Awesome report and story Avery!
way to hang in there and do the over time shift
she's a beaut

RK · 07-24-2011, 03:28 PM

Avery i think I met rod on the water two days later same time and he told me the story of this pig I kind of shrugged it off but now..........
What a pig, man gorgeous fish congrats..

CobraTandem · 07-24-2011, 03:29 PM

Wow!

Good thing you didn't give up!

GBF · 07-24-2011, 03:47 PM

Smokin................great fish!!

GBF

yakrider · 07-24-2011, 07:13 PM

that's a fat one! very cool!

Lets_Fish · 07-24-2011, 08:11 PM

Wow, what patients you have. I would have tossed in the towel much earlier. Congrats on a monster of a fish.

Note to self, get the hell out there because if you don't have a line in the water you won't catch anything and be patient it will come!

buttchaser · 07-24-2011, 08:51 PM

Very nice Avery!

StinkyMatt · 07-24-2011, 09:11 PM

......Jenny Craig......

wow

Tman · 07-24-2011, 09:11 PM

Wow...nearly 12 hours on the yak, you definitely were rewarded for your efforts...congrats, Big Mama indeed...

GregAndrew · 07-24-2011, 09:42 PM

OINK Very much a pig. WTG on the overtime.

Slay Rider · 07-25-2011, 03:16 AM

Well done Avery!

undrH2Ohntr · 07-25-2011, 07:14 AM

Beauty.

bigFISHINyak · 07-25-2011, 07:15 AM

What a beast that fish is.

There goes all your freezer space! Not only is that fish huge but take a look at that FF screen. HOLY CRAP!

steveooo · 07-26-2011, 08:52 PM

Great fish Avery! Nice to see the vets get into the action. I like the newer ride too!

Rod, I had heard about your fish, but Damn! That thing is huge!

cajunman · 07-25-2011, 11:16 AM

Way to go Avery, by the way, if you hear from Tobey ask him to call me. 760.807.0623
rich

07-24-2011, 03:02 PM	#1
swinginFish Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 173	Big Mama Fished from 2:00 AM to 1:00 PM last Thursday. Lost 5 lures and burned through all my live and dead bait. Watched everyone and his/her mother catch WSB and a few YT in the early hours. Come 10:00 AM, my main fishing partner, Dennis, had already headed in with two trophies and I, feeling “unloved”, took to drifting and chatting with notorious late-riser and long-time friend, Rod. While the word has been about an “early morning” bite, WSB and YT don’t wear watches, and as morning moved to mid-day, I hooked up with a huge YT that, after an eternity of smokin' runs, elected to head to the kelp and create macramé I couldn't untangle. As I head back to lament the loss to Rod, I watch him hook up and then land a nice WSB. While happy w/ his catch, his reel was a mess, and noting my having sacrificed all my metal to Poseidon, offered me his “lucky” blue & white while he attended to the bird’s nest in his hands. I took the lure, tied it on, dropped it down, drifted slightly away and at straight up noon ... game on! Some fish can’t tell time, and others confuse the open sea with safety. In this case, the pictured gal failed on both counts, neglecting to check the clock and heading for deep blue rather than stringers of green. She nearly spooled me twice, but I found one of the great benefits of a narrow peddle boat is its ability to chase after one’s hooked quarry and, rather than being limited to fighting from a forward tow, decrease a big fish’s ability to gain line. In short, while keeping the pressure on, I peddled fast after her and took advantage of whatever opportunity arose to gain line. While it took longer than most, this WSB too came to lose her gas and had no option but to accept her fate. Once on the clip, she was bled, but proved too big to put forward or aft, so I cruised in w/ her strung across the boat under my legs as I peddled. She was one huge fish, coming to tip the home scale at 52.5 lbs, and tape out at the same number of inches. As expected, she was full of eggs and had a stomach full of squid. A fish truly worth waiting for, and surprising to me both in her size and the time of day she chose to bite. Avery Last edited by swinginFish; 07-24-2011 at 09:35 PM.

07-24-2011, 03:18 PM	#3
bellcon Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: San Pedro Posts: 999	Awesome report and story Avery! way to hang in there and do the over time shift she's a beaut __________________

07-24-2011, 03:47 PM	#6
GBF Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Huntington Beach CA Posts: 323	Smokin................great fish!! GBF __________________ "Just keep going out....it's better than staying Home"

07-24-2011, 09:11 PM	#11
Tman BRTF...bought & paid... Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 1,247	Wow...nearly 12 hours on the yak, you definitely were rewarded for your efforts...congrats, Big Mama indeed... __________________ Adios Tman Gaffer for Clay the Fishcatcher

07-25-2011, 03:16 AM	#13
Slay Rider Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: 1 Posts: 108	Well done Avery! __________________

07-24-2011, 03:09 PM	#2
GHOSTHUNTR Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Poway Posts: 160	What a friggin pig, look at the squid gut on that thing.

07-24-2011, 03:28 PM	#4
RK Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 736	Avery i think I met rod on the water two days later same time and he told me the story of this pig I kind of shrugged it off but now.......... What a pig, man gorgeous fish congrats..

07-24-2011, 03:29 PM	#5
CobraTandem Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 76	Wow! Good thing you didn't give up!

07-24-2011, 07:13 PM	#7
yakrider Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 611	that's a fat one! very cool!

07-24-2011, 08:11 PM	#8
Lets_Fish Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Wildomar, CA. Posts: 294	Wow, what patients you have. I would have tossed in the towel much earlier. Congrats on a monster of a fish. Note to self, get the hell out there because if you don't have a line in the water you won't catch anything and be patient it will come!

07-24-2011, 08:51 PM	#9
buttchaser Float Tuber Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 243	Very nice Avery!

07-24-2011, 09:11 PM	#10
StinkyMatt Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Under a bridge Posts: 2,169	......Jenny Craig...... wow

07-24-2011, 09:42 PM	#12
GregAndrew Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 2,384	OINK Very much a pig. WTG on the overtime.

07-25-2011, 07:14 AM	#14
undrH2Ohntr Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: San Diego Posts: 115	Beauty.

07-25-2011, 07:15 AM	#15
bigFISHINyak Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 44	What a beast that fish is. There goes all your freezer space! Not only is that fish huge but take a look at that FF screen. HOLY CRAP!

07-26-2011, 08:52 PM	#16
steveooo Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 1,921	Great fish Avery! Nice to see the vets get into the action. I like the newer ride too! Rod, I had heard about your fish, but Damn! That thing is huge!

07-25-2011, 11:16 AM	#17
cajunman Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 150	Way to go Avery, by the way, if you hear from Tobey ask him to call me. 760.807.0623 rich