SD bugs

[BT]

Well it has been a while since I have taken my kayak out. Before the end of the last kayak season my wife and I purchased a home and the kayak was put on the rack for to long. Last week I took a few friends out on a coworker’s boat for their first time buggin. I cringed at the fact that I had to share 4 bugs with three guys. I got one, my other buddy got one, and the capt. got two. The whole time I was thinking damn...if I was on my yak, I would have four to myself hopefully!!!!!

So I start getting my X-factor back to snuff. Clean out the cobwebs (literally...sad I know!) get my gear in order, and test out the electronics. I took out 4 flat nets and one eclipse. Stuffed the hell out of the bait cages with macks (friggin squidco had macks the size of 2 liter soda bottles), salmon heads and filled the spaces with dines. One thing I learned....you aren’t going to catch that many bugs with bait that jingles around in a bait cage....STUFF THEM MOTHERS!!!!

Yesterday I loaded up and hit the water at 4:30. Got to the spot a little while later and dropped them before sunset for a nice long soak. Right before dark I hit the lights and within seconds my FF reads LOW VOLTAGE! DAMN IT! I guess the inactivity of the batteries sucked them dry (I charged them over the weekend) so I just used my FF intermittently. I put a couple of light sticks atop my fishing pole for safety, and kept my headlamp on all night. Waiting for the first 30 mins after sunset I decide to indulge in a cigar

For those of you who enjoy a smoke on the water...CAO Gold Karats. 4 x 38...slightly smaller than a corona and they burn for about 20-25 mins. Just enough time to wait between pulling sets.



So 30 minutes past sunset (hoops in water for about an hour) and I start to pull. First net 3 shorts, 2nd net 2 shorts and one keeper (2 lber), and the rest of them all have at least three shorts. Next string yields average 3 shorts per net and the last one has another solid keeper. The next two strings the crawl seemed to slow, but there was at least 1 in one of the nets. Last pull I let them soak for an hour and enjoy another tasty smoke.

Last pull.....pull up all the flat nets for nada and pull up the eclipse thinking I am going home with two solid bugs. There I see a bug that looks like it could be a keeper. Throw on the glove and go to measure him. I had a good grip on him and he moves a bit and actually grabs my finger in his friggin mouth!!!!!!!!! AAAAHHHH! These little suckers have some power in their jaws!!!!! I wanted to rip his tail off right there and eat it raw I was so pissed. Didn’t break skin but man it wasn’t pretty. So I measure him....about 30 times...with TWO DIFFERENT GAUGES! He just makes it and I now know which the first bug I am going to eat is.

Started the paddle back in, turned off the FF and the battery had enough juice to power the lights for the paddle back in. Not a bad night at all, and lunch is going to be a good one today.

3 keepers (2 solid models 1 just turned 18 yesterday)
I would estimate about 30 shorts

Sculpins are stupid fish. Last week we had about 5 that got their jaws stuck in the nets and last night had another that came up dead.

Once I got home I burned the ends of the feet with a lighter of the one that bit me. I also did chinese water torture (salt water of course) and put him on the rack. JUST KIDDING!

I did take the tail off of two of them (the savage one is going on the BBQ in a little bit) and the meat was brown (pic below). I never saw this before and I posted on another forum asking what to do and a guy who owns a seafood distro said to cook it up and it will be fine. I will give that one to the wife just in case though.

anyone ever see meat like this on a bug? I killed them when I got home (still alive and kicking) and tailed them a minute or two later.


The three ....the offender is the little one on the left....always the little guy.



in the tank fresh out of the water


So now I am tired from not paddling a yak in months...sore...groggy...in need of sleep, but I am gonna do it again next week!

BT