My Wife's Fish Is Cooler Than Your Wife's

[steveooo]

This weekend My Wife and I celebrated our one-year anniversary. I consider myself very blessed to have found a woman that will tolerate me, and more importantly Kayak Fishing. We booked a room at the Blue Lantern Inn in Dana Point.
Pretty nice place if you are into Kooshy.


The view from our room


The toilet. (For some reason I judge the “niceness” of places by the commodes. Blue lantern is nice, but it does not match up to the freshly cleaned smell of the johns at the shores.)

After a nice breakfast we went for a walk near the harbor. It was very foggy when we started, but it quickly burned it off.


Tons of kids sailing. Comedy to watch.


Lone sailboat.


Pirates of the DP strike again


We then went for a nice walk along the cliffs. It was high tide, but we were still able to enjoy the scenery.


Lots of lobster carcasses along this stretch


Close-up of a weird tidepool bug.


I wouldn’t want to meet this guy in an alley


Some berries (I do NOT recommend eating unknown berries)


Stubbed My Toe


We were getting a little humgry, so we got a sandwich at a delicious deli and then decided that it was too nice a day to not get the Yak wet. We took the sandwiches to go and were on the water in the tandem (sans rods) within half an hour.
I watched the bait boat unload for a while. That kinda brings all of the wildlife in the harbor to life, but I am too slow with the camera


I also steered the wife toward a pelican, because she HATES them!!!!


We stayed in the harbor for about an hour before the wind kicked up so that there was whitecaps in the harbor. After a nice dinner, we rented a movie and called it a night.

Then the fun begins. The next morning we checked out and decided to go for another walk down by the harbor. I insisted that we go onto the pier and look into the fisherman’s buckets (doesn’t everyone do that?). My wife got the hint and said we should take the Yak out one more time before we left. This time I snuck 2 rods on.

We started trolling a couple of plugs around and within 3 minutes my wife says “I think I’m snagged” I see her rod tip dancing and tell her to start reeling. A minute later I see color on what I thought was the weirdest halibut I have ever seen. I then realize that she has something truly special on the line. I grab the fish when it gets near and I pull out the most beautiful harbor fish I have ever seen.
Who woulda thought? A DP harbor Salmon?

The fish was so strong that it straightened out the hook as well as the split ring on the small bass plug it was caught on. I snapped a few more pics while hooting and hollering and then we spent a minute paddling around and reviving the fish before it swam away unharmed.


My wife did not understand how I could be so jealous of her, and happy for her at the same time. Usually I would not consider only one fish caught an “awesome weekend” but the accommodations, the fish, and most importantly the company made this weekend truly special

Tight Lines,
Steve