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06-14-2011, 07:58 PM | #1 |
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 108
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Staredown with the Taxman at LJ
After a quick mac minute at the bouy, we saw one of the cattle boats drop anchor on the NW corner and lines started flying. We decided to just get a little north of them and drift in. I had just put my line out and decided that I wanted to bounce the bottom so I reached for my other rod when I see the shape form in the water. He approached us with his dorsal out of the water and angled towards the front. I reeled in my line and realized that I just brought a mac three feet from his nose. I saw him drop down and come up on the other side about twenty feet out and turn towards us. I alerted my buddy about 100 yards away and he starts paddling (he has the gopro). That was when Mr. Taxman stops about four feet from me and we have an intimate eye-to-eye moment. He turns and scans the yak again coming alongside. That is when I get an idea of his size as he is about two feet shy of my outfitter. He drops underneath again to check out the hull and comes up on the other side. One more turn to look us over, then he turns, slashes his tail giving my daughter a shower and is gone. It only lasted about a minute, but my brain will be seared with the seconds for a while. After the initial shock, I realized how close I was to a rectal cleanse. I have no idea what he saw in us, but he looked "interested" in us for something. We finished out the day with nothing to show, but I am satisfied with meeting an apex predator in his inviron so close I could have touched him. My daughter was freaked out (she's 9) but didn't want to go in just yet. It was the cold that broke her and sent us in around five to a repeat cruise onto the beach. |
06-14-2011, 08:11 PM | #2 |
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Under a bridge
Posts: 2,169
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Wow what a day! I was nervous just reading this thing.....
Mommy! Mommmy! Guess what we saw today in the Ocean? Shhhhhhhhhh baby, lets get some candy for you......How about we don't tell Mommy about our secret little friend Mr. Sharkeeee. Pinky swear, Mommy NEVER finds out about this.... |
06-14-2011, 08:15 PM | #3 |
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Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Carlsbad
Posts: 163
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11 ft taxman? Dude I would have gone home You got some gut!
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06-14-2011, 08:32 PM | #4 |
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Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: La Jolla Shores
Posts: 1,626
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Its when they go down and you don't see them, thats the time to brace yourself!!! I'm thinking it was just curious.... I'll be in a boat the next few days thankyou!!
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06-14-2011, 08:43 PM | #5 |
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Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Valley Center
Posts: 271
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did your buddy get any footage on the gopro? I'm impressed that you stayed out after that. I think I'd have a 30 foot rooster tail behind my yak on the way in...
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The dude abides. |
06-14-2011, 08:58 PM | #6 |
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: San Diego
Posts: 217
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I think i would of peddled in very quickly after that!
your daughter got one priceless experience today. |
06-14-2011, 09:04 PM | #7 |
.......
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,509
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Wow!!!
11 feet must be 1500 lbs, plenty big enough to scare you Jim |
06-14-2011, 09:08 PM | #8 |
Member
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 66
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That's some serious stuff, there. I wonder if those swimmers ever see anything between the shores and the cove?
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06-14-2011, 09:13 PM | #9 |
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: San Diego
Posts: 179
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amazing report, glad you and your daughter were able to witness a magnificent creature so close and came away unscathed with a awesome story!
kind of makes me nervous about going out at 4am tomorrow |
06-14-2011, 09:36 PM | #10 |
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 192
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Thanks for sharing...
Sounds like a nice big one. 4ft distance away, incredible encounter! Glad you and your daughter took it all in stride. I've heard of a few similar stories in LJ... not too uncommon after all. Plenty of harbor seals and sea lions in the area to whet their appetite! |
06-14-2011, 09:41 PM | #11 |
Here fishy fishy fishy...
Join Date: May 2011
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 774
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Wow... you must have some serious testicular fortitude.
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06-14-2011, 09:44 PM | #12 |
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Clairemont
Posts: 813
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Dave's right, its the ones you cant see you need to worry about. They will be pupping until july-ish, then most will head back out to sea.
10-12 footers aren't feeding or are about to start feeding on seals. Its when they get larger than 12 they're eating seals and become dangerous. Im guessing you didn't see any seals out there today? Usually not seeing seals is dead give away that the tax man is around. nice report... anyone want to go fish the bay?
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06-14-2011, 10:23 PM | #13 |
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Vista
Posts: 1,111
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saw you heading out as I was coming in......RED tandem, right? Something about red Glad you guys came out unscathed and with a cool story
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The shorter you are, the bigger your fish appear |
06-14-2011, 10:40 PM | #14 |
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Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Bay Ho
Posts: 1,382
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Surviving a close up visit from a great white...
A memorable moment. When they turn sideways and you see their girth - and that unmistakable white underbelly - thats the moment you feel most alive. Sobering reality. Did you get any pics ?
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06-15-2011, 12:12 AM | #15 |
Junior
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 26
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man i got the chills from reading this
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06-15-2011, 02:47 AM | #16 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 108
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I'm kinda laughing about being brave and staying out. I just figured he was done with us and it was back to business. My buddy didn't make it over in time for footage, but he saw the dorsal and tail when we had out stare-down. My daughter was scared at first, (heck, me too) but the experience was too much to just call it a day. Staying out allowed my daughter to see seals, (they were around) the porpises and the overall experience LJ has to offer. She is ready for another trip when we can make it happen and that is what I wanted out of the day.
Barrels- yeah that was us. I remembered the "red" thing later and went, "Hmmmm." |
06-15-2011, 04:47 AM | #17 | |
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Spring Valley
Posts: 1,400
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Quote:
Not to start a panic, it's just that we as kayak-fishermen, would prefer to know one has been spotted recently. For one thing, we'll leave our life preservers on all day, which we usually take off and sit on during daylight hours. If one GWS was to flip you some how, that extra buoyancy would be an asset. If we were swimmers/divers, we'd want to know that information, too. We couldn't imagine if we didn't report it to some authorities, and then found out a swimmer, diver, etc, was attacked because they were ignorant of the fact a GWS was spotted in the area recently. Not reporting it, would haunt us forever. We know no one would ever post such information on the theory of reducing the number of kayaker on the water, eh? We didn't see anything in the news, yet.
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"Never say die" |
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06-15-2011, 06:50 AM | #18 |
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 108
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Good point A&J. Who would a person notify? I wondered about it bit figured he is ever present in his waters, we just borrow the area for enjoyment.
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06-15-2011, 08:01 AM | #19 |
Wolfman
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 51
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Shark
Some of my buddies were free diving out there, I am sure they would like to know.
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06-15-2011, 08:12 AM | #20 | |
Olivenhain Bob
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Olivenhain, CA
Posts: 1,121
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Quote:
The news media loves sensational stories and what could be more sensational than a guy and his young daughter being drooled over by a large GWS. I think that if this incident had made it to the media we would have witnessed an epic over reaction based on fear and ignorance. This is a tough one. Bob |
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