Blood free kayaks in LJ are recommended - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

Old Man in the Sea · 08-02-2012, 10:19 PM

This is no joke - but joke if you want....I know it is coming but I don't care...
in fact - I will post the first joke picture...ANYWAY
2 good honest friends and long time kayak fishermen have seen 2 GWS on separate days in the last week. 1 guy followed and filmed a large GWS for 30 minutes from the comfort a skiff but will probably not post pics, but the other had a GWS close encounter today in his PA-14. The one today has no pics but the GWS circled the PA14 a few times with a 25lb yellow strapped to the back of it. Typical short stubby nose, white face, large visible gill plates and 2.5-3' fin was out of the water all clearly visible 100% confirmed sighting within 5 feet of the yak. Anyway cut gill/bleed your fish and move away from the original spot and try to keep your yak blood free and always fish with a buddy if you can...and no it wasn't the shark in the attachment.

back on July 3rd...a 3rd confirmed sighting in LJ....
San Diego Lifeguard Lt. Greg Buchanan told The San Diego Union Tribune that a 14-foot shark was seen by a lifeguard who was in the water at 3:15 p.m. Monday at La Jolla Shores beach.

Cbad Mike · 08-03-2012, 12:01 AM

I was out yesterday (Wednesday the 1st) launched at 5:45 am and saw a BIG shark twice. The first time I saw it was around 12:30 from less than 30 yards away. At first I saw it out of the corner of my eye and thought (hoped) it was a dolphin. The fin was much bigger then a dolphins and then I thought maybe I was over seeing something that just looked like a sharks fin like a seal floating and putting up its flipper. When I saw the tail fin come out of the water too that's when I was sure what I was seeing

I'd say the distance from the top fin to the tail fin was about 8-9 feet. It was very slowly moving and looked like it was just kinda resting on the surface. I was straight off the big white building. I kept padding away and looking back while telling myself that I saw something that wasn't really there. It was on the surface for about 45 seconds.
I saw it again at about 2:00 from about 40-50 yards north of me while straight off the cove. Once again it looked like it was just kinda resting on the surface with the top and tail fin exposed. I saw it for about 15 seconds and then it disappeared.
When I got home I told my girlfriend and my friend what I saw and and then told myself that it was probably just a Basking shark because there are no sharks in LJ.... Right?

driftwood · 08-03-2012, 07:45 AM

I was out yesterday in La Jolla... As i was coming in around 6pm i stopped just past the condo and started to secure my rods and my nice YT. Thats when i noticed a 2 ft fin stiking out of the water right next me. I looked down and i knew right away it was the Tax man

. His head was HUGE!! No doubt GREAT WHITE.

He circled me for about 5 min (felt more like 30 min) My buddy and I peddled back to shore close together. I have mix feeling spotting a great
GW. A little traumatized and lucky to have seen one in the opnen ocean. EST lenght...About 12-15ft.

Mongo Johnson · 08-03-2012, 08:59 AM

Take a buddy. A slower paddling buddy.

(Free diving long ago, I learned sea critters can be pretty nippy about game bag contents. Gotta dress yer catch a bit or your water-sharing neighbors might get all "Bacon, bacon, BACON!" about it.)

icelogger · 08-03-2012, 09:32 AM

These sightings bring some questions to mind. How to deter sharks from getting too close to our kayaks. I definately don't want to be dissuaded to fishing out LJ with great whites present. I wanted to fish LJ this weekend but not sure now. Last weekend I picked up my first boat and haven't met other kayak fisherman to fish with.

I found a good article with some solutions. http://modernkayakfishing.com/articl...-n-with-sharks

FYI, I was fishing LJ on monday and tuesday. On monday evening on my way in near the yellow buoy, I saw a dead seal floating in the water. It was upside down with fins out. I saw no signs of sharks circling the dead seal. Perhaps this dead seal brought this great white to the area.

Jimmyz123 · 08-03-2012, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by icelogger

These sightings bring some questions to mind. How to deter sharks from getting too close to our kayaks. I definately don't want to be dissuaded to fishing out LJ with great whites present. I wanted to fish LJ this weekend but not sure now. Last weekend I picked up my first boat and haven't met other kayak fisherman to fish with.

I found a good article with some solutions. http://modernkayakfishing.com/articl...-n-with-sharks

FYI, I was fishing LJ on monday and tuesday. On monday evening on my way in near the yellow buoy, I saw a dead seal floating in the water. It was upside down with fins out. I saw no signs of sharks circling the dead seal. Perhaps this dead seal brought this great white to the area.

Or maybe what killed it was still lurking around. There is so much speculation. Over the last 30 years I have surfed, bodyboarded, fished, and now Kayaked our ocean areas here in San Diego and have seen some very interesting and humbling creatures while doing all of them. We have to remember we are going into their world and realize that sometimes they may be a little curious to what we are. Still that does not comfort us, but with all the seals being protected now we are now paddling or peddling into their dinning rooms. I pray that none of us becomes their snack. Keep it safe as much as you can.

PescadorPete · 08-03-2012, 10:41 AM

I spotted the fin in the same area near the condo late Thursday morning. It looked like it was rummaging around on the surface. I had no blood on deck and my kayak isn't red so I watched it for a while before heading in.

james92026 · 08-03-2012, 04:48 PM

Interesting read....Opinions about kayaks and sharks are varied and inc onclusive. There have been countless ideas of what triggers an attack, whether or not it is mistaken identity, or curiosity. I would not mind seeing some empiracle data relative to implicit attacks on kayaks. I have read articles here and other places about techniques, colors to avoid e.t.c. but have not really seen any data on the frequency of actual attacks on yaks. I beleive I read one on here about a gal that was hit from underneath near Long Beach Harbor or maybe Dana. The article stated she was struck from underneath, hurled ten feet into the air and practically landed on the shark's back. No injury reported.

anyway.....lots of opinions I am sure.

Quote:

Originally Posted by icelogger

These sightings bring some questions to mind. How to deter sharks from getting too close to our kayaks. I definately don't want to be dissuaded to fishing out LJ with great whites present. I wanted to fish LJ this weekend but not sure now. Last weekend I picked up my first boat and haven't met other kayak fisherman to fish with.

I found a good article with some solutions. http://modernkayakfishing.com/articl...-n-with-sharks

FYI, I was fishing LJ on monday and tuesday. On monday evening on my way in near the yellow buoy, I saw a dead seal floating in the water. It was upside down with fins out. I saw no signs of sharks circling the dead seal. Perhaps this dead seal brought this great white to the area.

PE.rider · 08-03-2012, 11:29 PM

Sounds like the encounter that occurred near Catalina Island. An HB family was moored by the Island and the mother was on a kayak. A GWS tipped the kayak up several feet, and she fell on top of the shark, kicking away from it. She was rescued shortly after by a nearby boat.

I'm curious to see what members of this site and kayak fishing community carry along for protection against such encounters. Statistics are great, but won't tell you if you are in that low-mean sample that does get attacked.

08-03-2012, 07:45 AM	#3
driftwood Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: SAN DIEGO Posts: 1,086	I was out yesterday in La Jolla... As i was coming in around 6pm i stopped just past the condo and started to secure my rods and my nice YT. Thats when i noticed a 2 ft fin stiking out of the water right next me. I looked down and i knew right away it was the Tax man . His head was HUGE!! No doubt GREAT WHITE. He circled me for about 5 min (felt more like 30 min) My buddy and I peddled back to shore close together. I have mix feeling spotting a great GW. A little traumatized and lucky to have seen one in the opnen ocean. EST lenght...About 12-15ft. Last edited by driftwood; 08-03-2012 at 07:53 AM.

08-03-2012, 08:59 AM	#4
Mongo Johnson Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Long Beach Posts: 192	Take a buddy. A slower paddling buddy. (Free diving long ago, I learned sea critters can be pretty nippy about game bag contents. Gotta dress yer catch a bit or your water-sharing neighbors might get all "Bacon, bacon, BACON!" about it.) __________________ A day on the water . . . priceless. Last edited by Mongo Johnson; 08-03-2012 at 09:41 AM.

08-03-2012, 12:01 AM	#2
Cbad Mike Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Carlsbad Ca. Posts: 1,206	I was out yesterday (Wednesday the 1st) launched at 5:45 am and saw a BIG shark twice. The first time I saw it was around 12:30 from less than 30 yards away. At first I saw it out of the corner of my eye and thought (hoped) it was a dolphin. The fin was much bigger then a dolphins and then I thought maybe I was over seeing something that just looked like a sharks fin like a seal floating and putting up its flipper. When I saw the tail fin come out of the water too that's when I was sure what I was seeing I'd say the distance from the top fin to the tail fin was about 8-9 feet. It was very slowly moving and looked like it was just kinda resting on the surface. I was straight off the big white building. I kept padding away and looking back while telling myself that I saw something that wasn't really there. It was on the surface for about 45 seconds. I saw it again at about 2:00 from about 40-50 yards north of me while straight off the cove. Once again it looked like it was just kinda resting on the surface with the top and tail fin exposed. I saw it for about 15 seconds and then it disappeared. When I got home I told my girlfriend and my friend what I saw and and then told myself that it was probably just a Basking shark because there are no sharks in LJ.... Right?

08-03-2012, 09:32 AM	#5
icelogger Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: All over the country Posts: 109	These sightings bring some questions to mind. How to deter sharks from getting too close to our kayaks. I definately don't want to be dissuaded to fishing out LJ with great whites present. I wanted to fish LJ this weekend but not sure now. Last weekend I picked up my first boat and haven't met other kayak fisherman to fish with. I found a good article with some solutions. http://modernkayakfishing.com/articl...-n-with-sharks FYI, I was fishing LJ on monday and tuesday. On monday evening on my way in near the yellow buoy, I saw a dead seal floating in the water. It was upside down with fins out. I saw no signs of sharks circling the dead seal. Perhaps this dead seal brought this great white to the area.

08-03-2012, 10:41 AM	#7
PescadorPete Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Leucadia, CA Posts: 261	I spotted the fin in the same area near the condo late Thursday morning. It looked like it was rummaging around on the surface. I had no blood on deck and my kayak isn't red so I watched it for a while before heading in.

08-03-2012, 11:29 PM	#9
PE.rider Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: OC, CA Posts: 234	Sounds like the encounter that occurred near Catalina Island. An HB family was moored by the Island and the mother was on a kayak. A GWS tipped the kayak up several feet, and she fell on top of the shark, kicking away from it. She was rescued shortly after by a nearby boat. I'm curious to see what members of this site and kayak fishing community carry along for protection against such encounters. Statistics are great, but won't tell you if you are in that low-mean sample that does get attacked.