La Jolla 4-13-14

[hook1fred]

I was almost flipped when a sea lion grabbed hold of my bait tube and started pulling. Scared the hell out of me. I hit the sob on the head with my paddle and he let go, then he followed me for 30 minutes as I tried to get away

[driftwood]

I had a 500lb sea lion grab my fish and flipped me like a ragdoll.
lost a thousand dollars worth fishing stuff.

Again, NEVER. EVER. LEAVE. YOUR. FISH. IN. THE. WATER.

It's just a matter of time before disaster strikes!

The sea lions get a lot more aggressive during the summer.

Keep your fish in your KAYAK Please!!!

[WildernessWanker]

Originally Posted by driftwood

I had a 500lb sea lion grab my fish and flipped me like a ragdoll.
lost a thousand dollars worth fishing stuff.

Again, NEVER. EVER. LEAVE. YOUR. FISH. IN. THE. WATER.

It's just a matter of time before disaster strikes!

The sea lions get a lot more aggressive during the summer.

Keep your fish in your KAYAK Please!!!

I understand the lost gear, but did you lose your catch as well?!

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[GregAndrew]

I have to respectfully disagree. If people are taking the proper precautions, the worst that is likely to happen is that they get wet. If they have all the gear that they want to keep leashed or stowed, they have little financial risk. And if they keep their eyes, and more importantly their ears, focused on their immediate environment they will almost always know when Sealions are nearby. Then just have the gameclip accessible and set up to be easily brought to the deck. Definitely err to the side of caution when ever you see a Sealion swimming in your direction. And, by all means, let others know when you see one going in their direction. But for me, the benefits of keeping my fish in the water outweigh the added risk I might be taking. However, if someone is not familiar with remounting their yak, doesn't like or believe in leashes, doesn't hear very well etc. then it might not be an acceptable risk for them. I have several friends that have lost gameclipped fish to Sealions, about half of which flipped. Most of them still keep their fish in the water, but are much more attentive and quicker to react when they hear or see Dogs in their area.

[driftwood]

You're right Greg, i did learn the hard way.

The problem is, you're not always aware of your surroundings due to distractions.

There are times when food is scares for the seal lions and they can become very sneaky. Sea lions are very smart....

It would be a mistake to think "that will never happen to me". Why even take a risk? Everyone has a choice I understand that. As for me, not worth the risk. too many bad things happen real fast out there.

Try telling these guys they should of been prepared....too many distraction out there.


the guy is very lucky he still has a hand.

[Bert Vega]

Since I never catch anything. I dont have to worry about where I carry my fish

[William Novotny]

So the moral of the story is some like to be very safe and not keep fish in the water and risk a flip. Others take the bit of extra risk and as a reward have fresher fish. To each their own. I know a flip is inevitably in my future and I'm prepared. I made the mistake of throwing a stringer of Reds in my tank well and not in the water. At the end of the day I had a bunch of cardboard boomarangs. I've also observed dogs swim up and inspect rockfish and not touch them, where with a yt , mac or other fish the will pounce on it. I really don't think they like to mess with those spines unless they are really desperate.

[jsunmkly]

Will fish basket hanging in water be okay?

[Cbad Mike]

I definitely understand the risk of soaking fish, I personally don't, but do the seals really go after Rockfish? I would like to believe that they are to smart or might try it only once. I've tried to find some info on if they will eat them but can't.
To the guys who have had the seals grab their fish... We're they Rockfish?

[GregAndrew]

Originally Posted by driftwood

You're right Greg, i did learn the hard way.

The problem is, you're not always aware of your surroundings due to distractions.

There are times when food is scares for the seal lions and they can become very sneaky. Sea lions are very smart....

It would be a mistake to think "that will never happen to me". Why even take a risk? Everyone has a choice I understand that. As for me, not worth the risk. too many bad things happen real fast out there.

Try telling these guys they should of been prepared....too many distraction out there.


the guy is very lucky he still has a hand.

Yeah, I was going to add that I would not recommend fishing around bait barges and docks with your fish in the water, cause they sure have good cover to sneak up on you. Another consideration might be noisy days (maybe from wind or surf) that may mask the approach of Sealions. I also agree that there are a lot of distractions out there these days, especially with all the bikini clad paddle boarders. And it seems that we have a bumper crop of new pups this year, so those that do keep their fish in the water will need to be pretty vigilant.

Even when you are paying close attention, you should still be prepared to be flipped. Cause even a Whale can surface right underneath you with no advance warning. I did understate the risk, cause you will probably lose the fish in addition to getting wet.

As far as the fish baskets are concerned, just look what they do to crab traps. They don't know that they can't get the fish out until they have stolen the basket from you. The only assumption you can make about Sealions is that if they see food, they probably want it.