Cambria Slam Down II Report - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

steveooo · 09-23-2013, 04:02 PM

First off, a huge thanks to Ryan Howell and Central Coast Kayak Fishing for putting on and organizing such a great tournament. It was obvious that a lot of preparation had gone into the tourney before anyone else showed up.

I made the trip up to the California central coast for the Cambria Slam Down II. I took the wife and kids with me, we were in Cambria from Thursday to Sunday. What an awesome part of coast it is up there. Next year I'll try to make a full week out if it.

On the drive up, I had to make the customary stop in Cayucos for some Smoked Albacore tacos at Ruddell's. Stop there on your way through town next time. You can thank me later.

I saw this sign at the Cayucos Pier. A nice gentle reminder that we're not in Kansas anymore Toto.

Since I had the wife and kiddos, I ponied up for a hotel. Little Sun Inn. Only about $150 a night, free breakfast, snacks in the evening, great hospitality, 2 minute drive to the launch, and a nice view of the Ocean from our room. My first time there, but I'd recommend this place in a heartbeat.

Day 1 we walked across the street to the beach. It was a low tide, which left lots of cool rocks exposed. I know the central coast can get some rough weather, but this certainly wasn't one of those days.

We checked out a few tide pools. The kids got a kick out of that.

Some random nature shots...

That evening I walked down to check out the landing. Leffingwell is a pretty unique spot. Protected pretty well by natural rocks, it was a lake the first day I was able to check it out.

Looking South

A nice concrete ramp down to the sand

And we stayed to watch the sunset over the landing

The next morning I woke up to do some surf fishing. The big perch didn't want to play, but I did manage to catch a crab, and some sort of small surf perch.

Later in the day we went to go check out the Elephant Seal colony. Some cool facts: The colony has only been there since 1995. Since then, the population has grown to over 17,000 Elephant seals. They all come back to the beach every year. The big males can weigh over 5,000 lbs. That is bigger than a pick-up truck

Here is one that is about 5 years old, and maybe 1,500 lbs. Apparently the big males come back in November/December. I'd like to see that in person.

Saw this bad ass off-road touring rig from Holland. Too cool to not take a pic of.

Later in the day we did the touristy Hearst Castle tour. Not really my scene, but the kids liked it.

As often as I could I tried to get my hands on some local beer. I'm a bit of a hop-head, so here is some of the Central Coast selection I had on the trip. No, this wasn't all in the same afternoon

Saturday was the day of the tourney. As usual, I'm kicking myself for not taking too many pics. Ryan had organized the tourney to a tee. Check-in was 20 seconds max, and we walked away with a free bag of tackle goodies and a printed out sheet of the rules

There were over 100 guys and kayaks on the beach. Pretty cool to see tat many yaks all in the same place, and all launch at the same time, because the tourney was a shotgun start.

The fishing was incredible. First time I dropped down I picked up a fish. There were times that your bait couldn't even make it to the bottom without getting hammered. It was like that for a solid couple hours. With that much fish coming over the rail, I forgot to take pics

Here are a few I did take

Within a couple of hours I had caught & released countless rockfish, and had 2 nice legal lings on board. Most of the fish were caught between 40 and 70 feet, so they released pretty healthy.

Roby called me over, he had caught a monster Cabazon. I hope he got a better on the water pic, because I had a spot of water on the lens.

I fished til about 1, and then headed in. The launch wasn't looking as friendly as it was earlier. The predicted 7ft swell had come, and made for some tricky landings. If you timed it good, it was no problem, but it certainly got the adrenaline going!

Here is a pic of guys packing up on the beach

This was a length tourney. Each species had a points per inch (PPI) assigned to it. Your biggest of each species counted toward the length, multiplied by the PPI, and that gave you your point total. I measured a ling, a nice rockfish, and a 7" perch (which had a high PPI assigned to it). Like all tourneys, skill and luck play into winning, but so did strategy. The highest point totals were the guys that were able to submit multiple species for points. 4 species would put you in the running. Certain species have higher PPI assigned. Had I known what they were, I probably would have spent some time looking for a Greenling. They had a high PPI, and a minimum length of 15". Bring in a legal greenling, and you have as many points as the tourneys largest lingcod, which was about 36".

Awesome format. Definitely looking forward to trying to maximize the points next year.
Here is how the point system worked.
"Your total combination of all species that you catch will be your grand total.
Lingcod = 5.5 points per inch(ppi) Rockcod = 8 ppi Halibut = 5.5 ppi Salmon = 5 ppi Cabezon = 8 ppi White Seabass = 4 ppi Barracuda = 5 ppi Surf Perch = 14 ppi
Flounder = 10 ppi Greenling = 13 ppi Calico Bass = 8 ppi Sand Bass= 8 ppi
Sheepshead = 8 ppi Striped Bass= 6 ppi"

Rob, Hunter the 80's man member caught a monster ling. It was the biggest I've seen in person. Hopefully he got some good pics of it.

Here is my take for the day (plus about 50 released rockfish).

Jorge & his haul

Once we were back on land, and measured our fish, the food was a potluck. 2 things I learned about the Nor Cal & Central Coast Guys 1) They know how to fish. 2) They know how to eat! This potluck was insane! What a spread!

Highlight for me was the fresh fish fry. They did a dill tempura/pankow with the lings and tasty rockfish that were just caught. I had probably 10 pieces, and I'm stealing that recipe for sure.

Team Sewer was there in full force. Nice fishing with you guys.

After we ate they had a couple of tables with lots of prizes for both the winners, and the raffle. Grand prize was a brand new Hobie Outback. Lots of cool swag, with big name sponsors.

Here was the top 10

The raffle was first come, first serve- where you got to pick your prize off the table if your ticket was pulled. The Kelp Clothing Shirts were the first items that people were taking when their number got called. I even got lucky and scored a Kelp Clothing shirt.

The weather turned into typical drizzle central coast during the raffle, and I was happy to get back to the hotel for a warn shower, and to relax by the fireplace afterwards.

Spent the next morning doing some beach combing, and then started the drive home. Almost as soon as I got home I started doing some research and panning my next trip up to the same area. What an awesome area, and insane fishery. It looks like it can be as family friendly as you want it to be, but can be about as hard core of fishing as anywhere. What a cool combo.

Ryan, Thanks again for putting this tourney together. To all the Nor-Cal and Central Coast guys, it was nice to share the pond with you.

Looking forward to my next trip up there, and definitely looking forward to fishing this tourney again.

Steve

09-23-2013, 04:14 PM

Ansolutely epic, awesome write up, great photos. I wish I could have made it.

Cheers to you buddy

Amish Ed · 09-23-2013, 04:16 PM

Great report. Thanks. I love the Central Coast. I was up there in June, wish I had a yak with me too.

rhyak · 09-23-2013, 04:17 PM

Was awesome bringing the NorCal and So-Cal bros together in those numbers was 50-50 on that which made it awesome and more diverse tournament in the state.

Even got Spike to partake in the first tournament of his life...

steveooo · 09-23-2013, 04:34 PM

Doh, Sorry Ryan. Just noticed you had put up a report too. Didn't mean to step on your toes.

http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwevb/s...ad.php?t=19614

makobob · 09-23-2013, 04:52 PM

What a GREAT report, and VERY Special Event. Congratulations to all the winners. Looks like everyone was a WINNER. Maybe next year!

ericko · 09-23-2013, 04:53 PM

That was the best weekend ive had in a long time!!! great seeing so many yakkers and fishing was wide open for the most part...steveooo and ryan great pics and write up...

lets make a trip in OCT

buddha · 09-23-2013, 05:08 PM

Anyone that goes up to that area make sure to make a stop at Jocko's they have some of the best steaks in Southern California.

StinkyMatt · 09-23-2013, 05:17 PM

Great fishery, you can drop almost anywhere and be on structure. Ling cod city!

Holy Mackerel · 09-23-2013, 05:22 PM

As usual, great write up and cool family trip!

Aaron&Julie · 09-23-2013, 05:52 PM

Beautiful report and excellent pictures.

roby · 09-23-2013, 06:37 PM

Great pics.

It was a fun day for sure. Lots of fish and even more laughs.

Those Team Sewer guys crack me up....

Hunter (The 80's Man) · 09-23-2013, 07:33 PM

Thanks Steveooo! Great report! You really captured the feel of the tournament.. And thanks, also, for the help on the water. It was kind of a surreal experience to see that many kayaks on the beach at gray light anticipating the start. It was a blast hanging out with all the team Sewer guys! Camp life was great

Pretty much laughed the whole time.. And big thanks to Jorge for cheuffering a few of us around!

Rob

jruiz · 09-23-2013, 09:11 PM

3 time, ADD, and LARPing. What more could you ask for?

StinkyMatt · 09-23-2013, 09:24 PM

I am slaying the monsters with my great rod of thunder power!

Ka Boom!

Now we need a sage or a Wizard to get rid of these drunk girls!

Man, you can't make this stuff up!

jorluivil · 09-23-2013, 09:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StinkyMatt

I am slaying the monsters with my great rod of thunder power!

Ka Boom!

Now we need a sage or a Wizard to get rid of these drunk girls!

Man, you can't make this stuff up!

It was one of those 'you had to be there' kind of trips.

jorluivil · 09-23-2013, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hunter (The 80's Man)

Thanks Steveooo! Great report! You really captured the feel of the tournament.. And thanks, also, for the help on the water. It was kind of a surreal experience to see that many kayaks on the beach at gray light anticipating the start. It was a blast hanging out with all the team Sewer guys! Camp life was great

Pretty much laughed the whole time.. And big thanks to Jorge for cheuffering a few of us around!

Rob

Congrats on your second place finish!

MrM · 09-23-2013, 10:24 PM

Looks like a good time for everyone! Gotta love the 805, one of my favorites.

Deamon · 09-24-2013, 04:35 AM

Very, very cool report! Felt like I was there as I read your update. Thanks a bunch for sharing with us losers who couldn't make it. Jim

walrus · 09-24-2013, 07:47 AM

Your pictures are fantastic, it's such a great place.
This report makes me want to pack up the truck, right now.

Congrats on the great tournament finish.

09-23-2013, 04:02 PM	#1
steveooo Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 1,921	Cambria Slam Down II Report First off, a huge thanks to Ryan Howell and Central Coast Kayak Fishing for putting on and organizing such a great tournament. It was obvious that a lot of preparation had gone into the tourney before anyone else showed up. I made the trip up to the California central coast for the Cambria Slam Down II. I took the wife and kids with me, we were in Cambria from Thursday to Sunday. What an awesome part of coast it is up there. Next year I'll try to make a full week out if it. On the drive up, I had to make the customary stop in Cayucos for some Smoked Albacore tacos at Ruddell's. Stop there on your way through town next time. You can thank me later. I saw this sign at the Cayucos Pier. A nice gentle reminder that we're not in Kansas anymore Toto. Since I had the wife and kiddos, I ponied up for a hotel. Little Sun Inn. Only about $150 a night, free breakfast, snacks in the evening, great hospitality, 2 minute drive to the launch, and a nice view of the Ocean from our room. My first time there, but I'd recommend this place in a heartbeat. Day 1 we walked across the street to the beach. It was a low tide, which left lots of cool rocks exposed. I know the central coast can get some rough weather, but this certainly wasn't one of those days. We checked out a few tide pools. The kids got a kick out of that. Some random nature shots... That evening I walked down to check out the landing. Leffingwell is a pretty unique spot. Protected pretty well by natural rocks, it was a lake the first day I was able to check it out. Looking South A nice concrete ramp down to the sand And we stayed to watch the sunset over the landing The next morning I woke up to do some surf fishing. The big perch didn't want to play, but I did manage to catch a crab, and some sort of small surf perch. Later in the day we went to go check out the Elephant Seal colony. Some cool facts: The colony has only been there since 1995. Since then, the population has grown to over 17,000 Elephant seals. They all come back to the beach every year. The big males can weigh over 5,000 lbs. That is bigger than a pick-up truck Here is one that is about 5 years old, and maybe 1,500 lbs. Apparently the big males come back in November/December. I'd like to see that in person. Saw this bad ass off-road touring rig from Holland. Too cool to not take a pic of. Later in the day we did the touristy Hearst Castle tour. Not really my scene, but the kids liked it. As often as I could I tried to get my hands on some local beer. I'm a bit of a hop-head, so here is some of the Central Coast selection I had on the trip. No, this wasn't all in the same afternoon Saturday was the day of the tourney. As usual, I'm kicking myself for not taking too many pics. Ryan had organized the tourney to a tee. Check-in was 20 seconds max, and we walked away with a free bag of tackle goodies and a printed out sheet of the rules There were over 100 guys and kayaks on the beach. Pretty cool to see tat many yaks all in the same place, and all launch at the same time, because the tourney was a shotgun start. The fishing was incredible. First time I dropped down I picked up a fish. There were times that your bait couldn't even make it to the bottom without getting hammered. It was like that for a solid couple hours. With that much fish coming over the rail, I forgot to take pics Here are a few I did take Within a couple of hours I had caught & released countless rockfish, and had 2 nice legal lings on board. Most of the fish were caught between 40 and 70 feet, so they released pretty healthy. Roby called me over, he had caught a monster Cabazon. I hope he got a better on the water pic, because I had a spot of water on the lens. I fished til about 1, and then headed in. The launch wasn't looking as friendly as it was earlier. The predicted 7ft swell had come, and made for some tricky landings. If you timed it good, it was no problem, but it certainly got the adrenaline going! Here is a pic of guys packing up on the beach This was a length tourney. Each species had a points per inch (PPI) assigned to it. Your biggest of each species counted toward the length, multiplied by the PPI, and that gave you your point total. I measured a ling, a nice rockfish, and a 7" perch (which had a high PPI assigned to it). Like all tourneys, skill and luck play into winning, but so did strategy. The highest point totals were the guys that were able to submit multiple species for points. 4 species would put you in the running. Certain species have higher PPI assigned. Had I known what they were, I probably would have spent some time looking for a Greenling. They had a high PPI, and a minimum length of 15". Bring in a legal greenling, and you have as many points as the tourneys largest lingcod, which was about 36". Awesome format. Definitely looking forward to trying to maximize the points next year. Here is how the point system worked. "Your total combination of all species that you catch will be your grand total. Lingcod = 5.5 points per inch(ppi) Rockcod = 8 ppi Halibut = 5.5 ppi Salmon = 5 ppi Cabezon = 8 ppi White Seabass = 4 ppi Barracuda = 5 ppi Surf Perch = 14 ppi Flounder = 10 ppi Greenling = 13 ppi Calico Bass = 8 ppi Sand Bass= 8 ppi Sheepshead = 8 ppi Striped Bass= 6 ppi" Rob, Hunter the 80's man member caught a monster ling. It was the biggest I've seen in person. Hopefully he got some good pics of it. Here is my take for the day (plus about 50 released rockfish). Jorge & his haul Once we were back on land, and measured our fish, the food was a potluck. 2 things I learned about the Nor Cal & Central Coast Guys 1) They know how to fish. 2) They know how to eat! This potluck was insane! What a spread! Highlight for me was the fresh fish fry. They did a dill tempura/pankow with the lings and tasty rockfish that were just caught. I had probably 10 pieces, and I'm stealing that recipe for sure. Team Sewer was there in full force. Nice fishing with you guys. After we ate they had a couple of tables with lots of prizes for both the winners, and the raffle. Grand prize was a brand new Hobie Outback. Lots of cool swag, with big name sponsors. Here was the top 10 The raffle was first come, first serve- where you got to pick your prize off the table if your ticket was pulled. The Kelp Clothing Shirts were the first items that people were taking when their number got called. I even got lucky and scored a Kelp Clothing shirt. The weather turned into typical drizzle central coast during the raffle, and I was happy to get back to the hotel for a warn shower, and to relax by the fireplace afterwards. Spent the next morning doing some beach combing, and then started the drive home. Almost as soon as I got home I started doing some research and panning my next trip up to the same area. What an awesome area, and insane fishery. It looks like it can be as family friendly as you want it to be, but can be about as hard core of fishing as anywhere. What a cool combo. Ryan, Thanks again for putting this tourney together. To all the Nor-Cal and Central Coast guys, it was nice to share the pond with you. Looking forward to my next trip up there, and definitely looking forward to fishing this tourney again. Steve

09-23-2013, 04:16 PM	#3
Amish Ed Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Grants Pass, OR Posts: 1,903	Great report. Thanks. I love the Central Coast. I was up there in June, wish I had a yak with me too. __________________ Amish Ed You can't catch it again if it's dead!

09-23-2013, 04:17 PM	#4
rhyak Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Central Coast Posts: 398	Was awesome bringing the NorCal and So-Cal bros together in those numbers was 50-50 on that which made it awesome and more diverse tournament in the state. Even got Spike to partake in the first tournament of his life... __________________ Team Central Coast Kayak Fishing

09-23-2013, 04:52 PM	#6
makobob Baitless on Baja Join Date: May 2013 Location: Vista California, Gonzaga, San Quintin, Asuncion, Mag Bay Posts: 4,250	What a GREAT report, and VERY Special Event. Congratulations to all the winners. Looks like everyone was a WINNER. Maybe next year! __________________ http://www.mako-ville.com Home 760-630-4470 Cell 760-520-2514 YES YOU CAN

09-23-2013, 05:52 PM	#11
Aaron&Julie Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Spring Valley Posts: 1,400	Beautiful report and excellent pictures. __________________ "Never say die"

09-23-2013, 04:14 PM	#2
Drake Guest Posts: n/a	Ansolutely epic, awesome write up, great photos. I wish I could have made it. Cheers to you buddy

09-23-2013, 04:34 PM	#5
steveooo Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 1,921	Doh, Sorry Ryan. Just noticed you had put up a report too. Didn't mean to step on your toes. http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwevb/s...ad.php?t=19614

09-23-2013, 04:53 PM	#7
ericko Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Huntington beach Posts: 594	That was the best weekend ive had in a long time!!! great seeing so many yakkers and fishing was wide open for the most part...steveooo and ryan great pics and write up... lets make a trip in OCT

09-23-2013, 05:08 PM	#8
buddha Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: chula vista Posts: 907	Anyone that goes up to that area make sure to make a stop at Jocko's they have some of the best steaks in Southern California.

09-23-2013, 05:17 PM	#9
StinkyMatt Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Under a bridge Posts: 2,169	Great fishery, you can drop almost anywhere and be on structure. Ling cod city!

09-23-2013, 05:22 PM	#10
Holy Mackerel Señor member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 1,627	As usual, great write up and cool family trip!

09-23-2013, 06:37 PM	#12
roby CEO of Team Roby Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 905	Great pics. It was a fun day for sure. Lots of fish and even more laughs. Those Team Sewer guys crack me up....

09-23-2013, 07:33 PM	#13
Hunter (The 80's Man) Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Riverside Posts: 243	Thanks Steveooo! Great report! You really captured the feel of the tournament.. And thanks, also, for the help on the water. It was kind of a surreal experience to see that many kayaks on the beach at gray light anticipating the start. It was a blast hanging out with all the team Sewer guys! Camp life was great Pretty much laughed the whole time.. And big thanks to Jorge for cheuffering a few of us around! Rob __________________ What's in YOUR hatch?

09-23-2013, 09:11 PM	#14
jruiz Large Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: La Verne, CA Posts: 1,008	3 time, ADD, and LARPing. What more could you ask for?

09-23-2013, 09:24 PM	#15
StinkyMatt Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Under a bridge Posts: 2,169	I am slaying the monsters with my great rod of thunder power! Ka Boom! Now we need a sage or a Wizard to get rid of these drunk girls! Man, you can't make this stuff up!

09-23-2013, 10:24 PM	#18
MrM Senior Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: The Matrix Posts: 643	Looks like a good time for everyone! Gotta love the 805, one of my favorites. __________________ -Kevin

09-24-2013, 04:35 AM	#19
Deamon Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 1,972	Very, very cool report! Felt like I was there as I read your update. Thanks a bunch for sharing with us losers who couldn't make it. Jim __________________ Recreational Fisherman's Catch...2% Commercial Fisherman's Catch- 98% Recreational Fishing Kayakers Catch- .00001% "The reality is that the wall was built to keep all Asians ~specifically Japanese and those that think they're japanese~ out of the U.S"

09-24-2013, 07:47 AM	#20
walrus Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Baja fish camp Posts: 478	Your pictures are fantastic, it's such a great place. This report makes me want to pack up the truck, right now. Congrats on the great tournament finish.