Merry Christmas - A Yellow-tale

[blitzburgh]

I used to think that after landing my first La Jolla (and second ever) Yellow, that I would have an amazing report to post. Full of all the details and photos that most of us Kayakers really like to read about. Gear, water temp, air temp, current, bait etc... . What ended up happening was a little unexpected, however. On June 1st of this year, I lost my one and only big Sister, Lori. She succumbed to complications from a ruptured brain aneurysm. It has been a devastating loss to the entire family and as we approached Christmas, it started to get tough again. Rewind to this past Wednesday. I headed out on my 4th venture at La Jolla. Beautiful day, small surf. Got to the grounds and on my second drop, got bit and the fight was on. The only word I can muster is 'amazing'. Simply amazing. Just after I was hooked up, another kayaker slides closer to me. The following is not the conversation verbatim but pretty close;

Kayaker: Dude, you got a bait down?
Me: (struggling voice) Ya, I'm hooked up
Kayaker: Nice!
Me: I'm stoked cause' this is my first LJ Yellow
Kayaker: What!? Seriously? That's AWESOME! Don't be surprised if you pull up a 40lb'er, they're lurkin down there. Dude, look at your finder....
Me: (Finally looking at my HDS-5, I was fixated on the fight I wasn't paying attention) HOLY S#IT! ( I had never seen my screen THAT full of fish before).
Kayaker: I know! They're stacked down there!

At this point, he proceeds to give me some great tips.

Kayaker: Ok, be careful if he turns that way (points) because there's a ton of lobster pots over there. And if he turns that way (points in different direction), that's the kelp...what do you got on there?
Me: 65lb spectra & a 40lb. flouro leader
Kayaker: Oh you're good dude.

This guy then starts cheering me on. I mean, he was just as excited watching me fight this fish as I was to be fighting it. I'm talkin' fist pumps and shouts and everything. I thank the guy for his advice a couple of times. "No worries man! Congrats and enjoy the experience!" He lets out some 'woo's!' as he peddles away. I fight this beauty for around 13-15 minutes and land it. I have pictures of me fishing in diapers at Lake Erie and have been fishing my entire life. I cannot ever remember a time that I let out such a huge scream upon landing a fish.

Fast forward to loading up the gear, after a successful landing I might add. I see the guy make his way in as well. I eventually approach him to thank him again for his helpful info. We introduce ourselves and he gives me even more tips on how to prep my YT. We discussed the events of the morning and this guy was so friendly and happy for me it blew me away. Back to my sister; She was the consummate beach bum. She lived in San Clemente for 20+ years. She loved the beach but she loved the people more. How friendly they are, caring and generous.

The next few days after my catch and encounter with this guy, left me thinking of a lot of things. The fish was only part of it. My Christian beliefs caused me to search for the lesson in this. What it was I cannot say 100%. I do know that this guy reminded me of my Sis' and brought a big smile to my face because of it. So I want to thank Ryan (a.k.a. RK) for being a great guy and reminding me how good people can be to each other . I want to thank everyone in the BWE crew for the countless tips and info. And most important of all, I want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ for giving me the tools and opportunity to catch such a beautiful creature and feed my family. Merry Christmas!