CDM and Newport, 4-11-11

[Amish Ed]

Finally after 9 weeks I got back in the yak. Launched at the USCG beach with Landwhale at about 6:30am. We started in the harbor where I managed 2 short sandies and a barely legal calico. Then we moved out and down to CDM. Things were really slow down there, I got 3 bites in 2.5hrs. Granted each bite got me a fish. 1 nice rockfish of unknown species, a short calico, and a legal sandie that I somehow hooked in the back. Fishing the boilers was a pain in neck too, the kelp has grown right up to them. So you had to get pretty tight to fish them right and there was just enough swell to make you watch behind you. But, with the kelp a quick get a way was impossible. Anyways, we worked our way back to the harbor and fished the moored boats for some more bites, lost fish and one short spottie for me.

For baits it was pretty standard stuff for me. 5" Zooms and Swimmin Senkos on the Sledhead and 3" Flurries. Those got all the bites/fish. 4" Flurries and the 7" Zoom got zero bites. All baits had a bit of Hotsauce for flavor.

Conditions were very winter-like. Cold air at launch, very cool and partly cloudy all day. 58º outside the harbor and 62º inside. Wind was pretty much going all day, from the south/southeast at first and shifting around for a really stiff northwest wind by 10am.

All in all, it was really tough fishing, but I'm stoked to be back on the water.