LJ 1/28 Doing the bendo thing - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

madscientist · 01-28-2006, 02:03 PM

Had a weird dream that coincided with my alarm going off, the result of which was I bounced out of bed at 4:30 this morning still a little woozy from last night's tequila. I was a bit discombobulated as I went through my morning routine and halfway to the shores I realized I forgot my bait stick and VHF, but managed to bring my headache with me. Also remembered the beer so screw it, not going back. Got down there to find a 4 second interval surf pumping. Not big but definitely gonna get wet. Threw on the dry top and punched thru, only taking one good one to the chest. Went to the pier for a mix of greenies and micro spanish. Big swell and a rip current made it interesting. Once loaded with bait I trolled a greenie on a bucktail over to the yoyo grounds (which I have to guess because my POS FF is still in the shop). Sun came up...

...and I hoped the offshore that had been blowing all morning would fade. It didn't.

Set up the drift and was just getting the second bait rod ready when the one on the bucktail goes "ZZ". Short strike but not a snag. I grab the rod but nothing is there. Think about checking the bait but decide to feed out a little more line first. As I'm doing that there's another strike and I swing like an idiot with the spool disengaged. Doh! Flip the switch and wait a couple seconds before, once again, the rod takes a bounce and begins to load up. Swing and I'm on!

Couple of shakes but no movement. Reel almost over top of it and start to think it may be the flat kind. Give a tug and suddenly, off it goes. Not flat, probably BSB or shark or maybe, just maybe, big YT. The fish is going full blast towards the kelp, but it's a ways away so I just hang on and enjoy the ride. Half way there I notice a buoy pop up from behind the swell. Shit! I try throwing the feet over the side but the extra drag on the yak just means the fish is peeling off more line. Sure enough, as we pass the buoy I feel a rub and now the line is vertical.

Fish is still there so I decide to be patient and see if it will sort itself out. Slowly but steadily gain line (love that metered spectra), but the fish wakes up and takes it right back. Three more times we go through that routine, slowly gain 20 yards only to give it right back with interest. Finally I feel like there's some more weight and I'm worried I may have finally gotten stuck. Nope, still gaining line a foot at a time. Then something pops.

Reel quickly to recover the slack and feel the fish is still there, and he's free. We are off to the races once more, this time out to open water. Cool! I rest my arms a bit and let him take us out of trouble, but then I see yet another buoy in front of us. Okay, this has gone on long enough. Throw the feet over, button down, and start the short pump action. Fish was tuckered out from the previous buoy encounter and I finally get it turned and headed upwards. As expected, it's a big (80-100lb class) BSB.

Fortunately I hear the bubbles out it's ass as soon as it comes up so I quickly snap some more shots and get the hook out of the cavernous mouth.

Only took a couple of prods before the big guy headed back down to the depths. That concluded the days fishing, though I stayed out several more hours. Swapped bad habits with lambcrew and drifted around with nothing doing. Heading back in a mother and calf gray whale popped up 20 yards off my port. I managed to get on a parallel course and get a few good (well, for me at least) pics.

Shadowed them for a good 1/4 mile. They were only doing about 1.5 mph and seemed unperturbed by my presence. The calf would breath about 4 times as frequently as the mother. Had to laugh since the whale watcher tourists were all a mile away out at the canyon edge. That guide sucks! I see those poor schmucks out there all the time, staring out to sea, as the whales pass behind them along the kelp line.

Surf had calmed considerably when I landed around noon. Interesting morning but the water is still very green and chilly and there was no sign of anything good. Thought this new moon and good tides might turn something on but I guess not.

Ryan The Sealion · 01-28-2006, 03:03 PM

water lookin any cleaner..?

Dennis · 01-28-2006, 03:26 PM

Brad,
Was the wind ever a factor? When I checked 0330 this morning, it was 12 mph from the East. How did it feel when you launched? Shootin' for tomorrow... Thanks
-Dennis

DaveC · 01-28-2006, 03:47 PM

Brad, while I was paddling out I saw you getting towed to south. I thought maybe things might get turned around today but watching it was not to be. We continued on out to the west for a couple of sandbass and a couple of rockfish, all released. Not much life out there today. Still a nice day on the water.

Dave

Iceman · 01-28-2006, 03:50 PM

Damn Brad, ya had me on the edge of my seat, fricken pesky blacks

Love to see the calf/mom combos.

madscientist · 01-28-2006, 05:33 PM

Yeah, I'm getting a little tired of these things. But on a slow day like today, it was fun just to pull on something. This one was so obviously a black (though you never know) that I was able to relax and enjoy the fight.

Wind was offshore all morning but never really bad. Died off around 10:00. Just got back from a walk with the wife at the shores. Tide is super super low, lowest I've seen. Tide pools are cool. Looks like the surf is way down as well. Probably not going tomorrow, maybe evening hooping. Water is pea green.

lamb · 01-28-2006, 06:25 PM

Great report! Good seeing you Brad.

The plan was to hit LJ on our yaks today. Got up to internet 10+ winds, 4 over 4 swell. Spoke to my buddy – we agreed to pass. 5 mins later my cell rang – “how about a skiff??”… :roll: Off we went.

Pea green with a shade of brown. Pretty good visibility, I’d say 15 ft. The coldest I’ve measured in a while, 55.9. NW corner had a lot of loose stringers. Mini Spanish were abundant at the kelp edge. Nada for us, a few aux catches. Didn’t see or heard of any action other than Brad’s BSB ride. Pretty dead all around. It was cold till 10:00AM.

There’s always tomorrow.

Mr_PeaCH · 01-28-2006, 06:38 PM

"Had to laugh since the whale watcher tourists were all a mile away out at the canyon edge. That guide sucks! I see those poor schmucks out there all the time, staring out to sea, as the whales pass behind them along the kelp line. "

:lol: Classic.

Just to echo the thoughts on the offshore and the temps; Up in Oceanside there was a very stiff (cold!) offshore breeze until about 9:30 - 10. Just unusually persistant and strong; not howling. Water there was cold and low vis as well.

katchfish · 01-28-2006, 07:52 PM

I made the lazy boy launch at 9:00.

I made it out dry after waiting for five minutes in the washing machine surf/current.

Made six inch greenies at the pier and bounced all the way to TP1.

Multiple drifts produced nothing but mega-smelt.

The weather warmed up so I decided to troll south to the old spot.

Nothing there. I continued south and made some fine Spanish.

Worked the Spanish out to two miles along the kelps for nada.

10.3 miles of paddling practice, no fish.

Landed around 3:30 at a very low tide, with shin high beach lappers.

Ken

madscientist · 01-28-2006, 08:16 PM

I was wondering what happened to you (and Chris) this morning. Was lonely without the VHF (though I think I could still hear Jimm 8) ) until I ran into the lambcrew. Sorry to hear there was no joy.

Holy Mackerel · 01-28-2006, 09:30 PM

Sorry Brad, I went to an extended happy hour last night! :lol: Doesn't look like I missed much fish action. Probably launching by the OB pier manana, if too big, I'm gonna head to LJ or SD BAY. Anyone interested in fishing Pt. Loma, we are meeting at the OB pier at 6:30AM.

01-28-2006, 02:03 PM	#1
madscientist Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 1,906	LJ 1/28 Doing the bendo thing Had a weird dream that coincided with my alarm going off, the result of which was I bounced out of bed at 4:30 this morning still a little woozy from last night's tequila. I was a bit discombobulated as I went through my morning routine and halfway to the shores I realized I forgot my bait stick and VHF, but managed to bring my headache with me. Also remembered the beer so screw it, not going back. Got down there to find a 4 second interval surf pumping. Not big but definitely gonna get wet. Threw on the dry top and punched thru, only taking one good one to the chest. Went to the pier for a mix of greenies and micro spanish. Big swell and a rip current made it interesting. Once loaded with bait I trolled a greenie on a bucktail over to the yoyo grounds (which I have to guess because my POS FF is still in the shop). Sun came up... ...and I hoped the offshore that had been blowing all morning would fade. It didn't. Set up the drift and was just getting the second bait rod ready when the one on the bucktail goes "ZZ". Short strike but not a snag. I grab the rod but nothing is there. Think about checking the bait but decide to feed out a little more line first. As I'm doing that there's another strike and I swing like an idiot with the spool disengaged. Doh! Flip the switch and wait a couple seconds before, once again, the rod takes a bounce and begins to load up. Swing and I'm on! Couple of shakes but no movement. Reel almost over top of it and start to think it may be the flat kind. Give a tug and suddenly, off it goes. Not flat, probably BSB or shark or maybe, just maybe, big YT. The fish is going full blast towards the kelp, but it's a ways away so I just hang on and enjoy the ride. Half way there I notice a buoy pop up from behind the swell. Shit! I try throwing the feet over the side but the extra drag on the yak just means the fish is peeling off more line. Sure enough, as we pass the buoy I feel a rub and now the line is vertical. Fish is still there so I decide to be patient and see if it will sort itself out. Slowly but steadily gain line (love that metered spectra), but the fish wakes up and takes it right back. Three more times we go through that routine, slowly gain 20 yards only to give it right back with interest. Finally I feel like there's some more weight and I'm worried I may have finally gotten stuck. Nope, still gaining line a foot at a time. Then something pops. Reel quickly to recover the slack and feel the fish is still there, and he's free. We are off to the races once more, this time out to open water. Cool! I rest my arms a bit and let him take us out of trouble, but then I see yet another buoy in front of us. Okay, this has gone on long enough. Throw the feet over, button down, and start the short pump action. Fish was tuckered out from the previous buoy encounter and I finally get it turned and headed upwards. As expected, it's a big (80-100lb class) BSB. Fortunately I hear the bubbles out it's ass as soon as it comes up so I quickly snap some more shots and get the hook out of the cavernous mouth. Only took a couple of prods before the big guy headed back down to the depths. That concluded the days fishing, though I stayed out several more hours. Swapped bad habits with lambcrew and drifted around with nothing doing. Heading back in a mother and calf gray whale popped up 20 yards off my port. I managed to get on a parallel course and get a few good (well, for me at least) pics. Shadowed them for a good 1/4 mile. They were only doing about 1.5 mph and seemed unperturbed by my presence. The calf would breath about 4 times as frequently as the mother. Had to laugh since the whale watcher tourists were all a mile away out at the canyon edge. That guide sucks! I see those poor schmucks out there all the time, staring out to sea, as the whales pass behind them along the kelp line. Surf had calmed considerably when I landed around noon. Interesting morning but the water is still very green and chilly and there was no sign of anything good. Thought this new moon and good tides might turn something on but I guess not.

01-28-2006, 03:50 PM	#5
Iceman Administrator Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: 1-2 miles off the point Posts: 6,948	Damn Brad, ya had me on the edge of my seat, fricken pesky blacks Love to see the calf/mom combos. __________________

01-28-2006, 06:25 PM	#7
lamb Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 2,568	Great report! Good seeing you Brad. The plan was to hit LJ on our yaks today. Got up to internet 10+ winds, 4 over 4 swell. Spoke to my buddy – we agreed to pass. 5 mins later my cell rang – “how about a skiff??”… :roll: Off we went. Pea green with a shade of brown. Pretty good visibility, I’d say 15 ft. The coldest I’ve measured in a while, 55.9. NW corner had a lot of loose stringers. Mini Spanish were abundant at the kelp edge. Nada for us, a few aux catches. Didn’t see or heard of any action other than Brad’s BSB ride. Pretty dead all around. It was cold till 10:00AM. There’s always tomorrow. __________________ [------------------------ <)))< ....b-a-a-a-a

01-28-2006, 03:03 PM	#2
Ryan The Sealion Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 308	water lookin any cleaner..?

01-28-2006, 03:26 PM	#3
Dennis Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: South of La Jolla... Posts: 1,193	Brad, Was the wind ever a factor? When I checked 0330 this morning, it was 12 mph from the East. How did it feel when you launched? Shootin' for tomorrow... Thanks -Dennis

01-28-2006, 03:47 PM	#4
DaveC Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 66	Brad, while I was paddling out I saw you getting towed to south. I thought maybe things might get turned around today but watching it was not to be. We continued on out to the west for a couple of sandbass and a couple of rockfish, all released. Not much life out there today. Still a nice day on the water. Dave

01-28-2006, 05:33 PM	#6
madscientist Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 1,906	Yeah, I'm getting a little tired of these things. But on a slow day like today, it was fun just to pull on something. This one was so obviously a black (though you never know) that I was able to relax and enjoy the fight. Wind was offshore all morning but never really bad. Died off around 10:00. Just got back from a walk with the wife at the shores. Tide is super super low, lowest I've seen. Tide pools are cool. Looks like the surf is way down as well. Probably not going tomorrow, maybe evening hooping. Water is pea green.

01-28-2006, 06:38 PM	#8
Mr_PeaCH Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 61	"Had to laugh since the whale watcher tourists were all a mile away out at the canyon edge. That guide sucks! I see those poor schmucks out there all the time, staring out to sea, as the whales pass behind them along the kelp line. " :lol: Classic. Just to echo the thoughts on the offshore and the temps; Up in Oceanside there was a very stiff (cold!) offshore breeze until about 9:30 - 10. Just unusually persistant and strong; not howling. Water there was cold and low vis as well.

01-28-2006, 07:52 PM	#9
katchfish Paddle for Mahi Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Doing the happy paddle! Posts: 849	I made the lazy boy launch at 9:00. I made it out dry after waiting for five minutes in the washing machine surf/current. Made six inch greenies at the pier and bounced all the way to TP1. Multiple drifts produced nothing but mega-smelt. The weather warmed up so I decided to troll south to the old spot. Nothing there. I continued south and made some fine Spanish. Worked the Spanish out to two miles along the kelps for nada. 10.3 miles of paddling practice, no fish. Landed around 3:30 at a very low tide, with shin high beach lappers. Ken

01-28-2006, 08:16 PM	#10
madscientist Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 1,906	I was wondering what happened to you (and Chris) this morning. Was lonely without the VHF (though I think I could still hear Jimm 8) ) until I ran into the lambcrew. Sorry to hear there was no joy.

01-28-2006, 09:30 PM	#11
Holy Mackerel Señor member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 1,627	Sorry Brad, I went to an extended happy hour last night! :lol: Doesn't look like I missed much fish action. Probably launching by the OB pier manana, if too big, I'm gonna head to LJ or SD BAY. Anyone interested in fishing Pt. Loma, we are meeting at the OB pier at 6:30AM.