LJ 8/23 - Credit where it's due

[SorryCharlie]

Hit the Jewel last Saturday with a fellow BWE member Dorian. We were on the water just around 6:40.

The launch was one of the easiest I have had in some time, you got to love how perfectly sheltered the launch is from the swell we were having. The water and wind were calm throughout the day, water was 72 degrees and the sun was out.

Spanish were everywhere, but I could not find a single greenie (Dorian found 1). After about 3 hours of trying for greenies, I say F it, and load up with some Spanish.

We get to the area, start trolling and after a few hours I see Dorian bendo. He is trying to work it out the kelp, so I move on and while heading back to check on how he is doing with the fish, my line starts screaming. After a short 10 minute fight, the fish is gaffed and secure (Thanks Dorian for the OTW shot).


Sadly, after securing the fish I look at Dorian and his fish escaped during the kelp battle.

Later in the afternoon the sea lions must have woke up because they were out in force. Bait would last less than 5 minutes in the water. I even had 1 dog sit about 10ft under my yak for a solid 10 minutes waiting for the next bait to hit the water. This was our queue to call it a day, back at the launch around 4.

Side note (Credit where it's due part):
If you have been having difficulties hooking up on the right kind, I cannot recommend the DarkHorse enough. I had fished LJ around 10 times with nothing to show for it, not even a nibble. At first I was reluctant to go the guide route, but bit the bullet late Oct. last year. Sadly, I have horrible timing (delayed wayyy to long) and went at the end of the season just as the YT are shifting modes, so when on the water with the DH I did not actually land a fish, but the knowledge I picked up was more then enough to justify the outing. In a way I am glad I didn't, because it meant my first kayak YT would be my doing (sort of..., it was DH knowledge)

This year I have made 10 trips to LJ, 1 BSB, 1 mako, and 8 YT seem like a pretty good return on investment to me.