Blood free kayaks in LJ are recommended

[Old Man in the Sea]

This is no joke - but joke if you want....I know it is coming but I don't care...
in fact - I will post the first joke picture...ANYWAY
2 good honest friends and long time kayak fishermen have seen 2 GWS on separate days in the last week. 1 guy followed and filmed a large GWS for 30 minutes from the comfort a skiff but will probably not post pics, but the other had a GWS close encounter today in his PA-14. The one today has no pics but the GWS circled the PA14 a few times with a 25lb yellow strapped to the back of it. Typical short stubby nose, white face, large visible gill plates and 2.5-3' fin was out of the water all clearly visible 100% confirmed sighting within 5 feet of the yak. Anyway cut gill/bleed your fish and move away from the original spot and try to keep your yak blood free and always fish with a buddy if you can...and no it wasn't the shark in the attachment.

back on July 3rd...a 3rd confirmed sighting in LJ....
San Diego Lifeguard Lt. Greg Buchanan told The San Diego Union Tribune that a 14-foot shark was seen by a lifeguard who was in the water at 3:15 p.m. Monday at La Jolla Shores beach.

[Cbad Mike]

I was out yesterday (Wednesday the 1st) launched at 5:45 am and saw a BIG shark twice. The first time I saw it was around 12:30 from less than 30 yards away. At first I saw it out of the corner of my eye and thought (hoped) it was a dolphin. The fin was much bigger then a dolphins and then I thought maybe I was over seeing something that just looked like a sharks fin like a seal floating and putting up its flipper. When I saw the tail fin come out of the water too that's when I was sure what I was seeing I'd say the distance from the top fin to the tail fin was about 8-9 feet. It was very slowly moving and looked like it was just kinda resting on the surface. I was straight off the big white building. I kept padding away and looking back while telling myself that I saw something that wasn't really there. It was on the surface for about 45 seconds.
I saw it again at about 2:00 from about 40-50 yards north of me while straight off the cove. Once again it looked like it was just kinda resting on the surface with the top and tail fin exposed. I saw it for about 15 seconds and then it disappeared.
When I got home I told my girlfriend and my friend what I saw and and then told myself that it was probably just a Basking shark because there are no sharks in LJ.... Right?

[driftwood]

I was out yesterday in La Jolla... As i was coming in around 6pm i stopped just past the condo and started to secure my rods and my nice YT. Thats when i noticed a 2 ft fin stiking out of the water right next me. I looked down and i knew right away it was the Tax man . His head was HUGE!! No doubt GREAT WHITE.

He circled me for about 5 min (felt more like 30 min) My buddy and I peddled back to shore close together. I have mix feeling spotting a great
GW. A little traumatized and lucky to have seen one in the opnen ocean. EST lenght...About 12-15ft.

[Mongo Johnson]

Take a buddy. A slower paddling buddy.

(Free diving long ago, I learned sea critters can be pretty nippy about game bag contents. Gotta dress yer catch a bit or your water-sharing neighbors might get all "Bacon, bacon, BACON!" about it.)

[icelogger]

These sightings bring some questions to mind. How to deter sharks from getting too close to our kayaks. I definately don't want to be dissuaded to fishing out LJ with great whites present. I wanted to fish LJ this weekend but not sure now. Last weekend I picked up my first boat and haven't met other kayak fisherman to fish with.

I found a good article with some solutions. http://modernkayakfishing.com/articl...-n-with-sharks

FYI, I was fishing LJ on monday and tuesday. On monday evening on my way in near the yellow buoy, I saw a dead seal floating in the water. It was upside down with fins out. I saw no signs of sharks circling the dead seal. Perhaps this dead seal brought this great white to the area.

[Jimmyz123]

Originally Posted by icelogger

These sightings bring some questions to mind. How to deter sharks from getting too close to our kayaks. I definately don't want to be dissuaded to fishing out LJ with great whites present. I wanted to fish LJ this weekend but not sure now. Last weekend I picked up my first boat and haven't met other kayak fisherman to fish with.

I found a good article with some solutions. http://modernkayakfishing.com/articl...-n-with-sharks

FYI, I was fishing LJ on monday and tuesday. On monday evening on my way in near the yellow buoy, I saw a dead seal floating in the water. It was upside down with fins out. I saw no signs of sharks circling the dead seal. Perhaps this dead seal brought this great white to the area.

Or maybe what killed it was still lurking around. There is so much speculation. Over the last 30 years I have surfed, bodyboarded, fished, and now Kayaked our ocean areas here in San Diego and have seen some very interesting and humbling creatures while doing all of them. We have to remember we are going into their world and realize that sometimes they may be a little curious to what we are. Still that does not comfort us, but with all the seals being protected now we are now paddling or peddling into their dinning rooms. I pray that none of us becomes their snack. Keep it safe as much as you can.

[PescadorPete]

I spotted the fin in the same area near the condo late Thursday morning. It looked like it was rummaging around on the surface. I had no blood on deck and my kayak isn't red so I watched it for a while before heading in.

[icelogger]

That reminds me... I also saw one of those giant ray looking creatures with its fin 3ft out of the water.

[seriola_killer]

The sighting only verifies the fact that they are here, which we all know. But they are here year round sighted or not. Now, let's go fishing!

[Yakin]

Originally Posted by seriola_killer

The sighting only verifies the fact that they are here, which we all know. But they are here year round sighted or not. Now, let's go fishing!

X2

[TEAMFISH]

Originally Posted by Yakin

X2

???DUH???

[Yakin]

Originally Posted by TEAMFISH

???DUH???

Originally Posted by seriola_killer

Now, let's go fishing!

[james92026]

Interesting read....Opinions about kayaks and sharks are varied and inc onclusive. There have been countless ideas of what triggers an attack, whether or not it is mistaken identity, or curiosity. I would not mind seeing some empiracle data relative to implicit attacks on kayaks. I have read articles here and other places about techniques, colors to avoid e.t.c. but have not really seen any data on the frequency of actual attacks on yaks. I beleive I read one on here about a gal that was hit from underneath near Long Beach Harbor or maybe Dana. The article stated she was struck from underneath, hurled ten feet into the air and practically landed on the shark's back. No injury reported.

anyway.....lots of opinions I am sure.

Originally Posted by icelogger

These sightings bring some questions to mind. How to deter sharks from getting too close to our kayaks. I definately don't want to be dissuaded to fishing out LJ with great whites present. I wanted to fish LJ this weekend but not sure now. Last weekend I picked up my first boat and haven't met other kayak fisherman to fish with.

I found a good article with some solutions. http://modernkayakfishing.com/articl...-n-with-sharks

FYI, I was fishing LJ on monday and tuesday. On monday evening on my way in near the yellow buoy, I saw a dead seal floating in the water. It was upside down with fins out. I saw no signs of sharks circling the dead seal. Perhaps this dead seal brought this great white to the area.

[PE.rider]

Sounds like the encounter that occurred near Catalina Island. An HB family was moored by the Island and the mother was on a kayak. A GWS tipped the kayak up several feet, and she fell on top of the shark, kicking away from it. She was rescued shortly after by a nearby boat.

I'm curious to see what members of this site and kayak fishing community carry along for protection against such encounters. Statistics are great, but won't tell you if you are in that low-mean sample that does get attacked.

[vincentek9]

so... it was a bad idea to do this on friday the 3rd?





that probably explains why every yakker got off the water before 3pm...

[driftwood]

HAAAAA!! once you get your first 15ft GREAT WHITE shark circle you like it did me on thursday... you will never get blood on yourself and impersonate a juicy bloody medium rare steak!

[dos ballenas]

http://www.sharkresearchcommittee.co...shark_news.htm

La Jolla — On July 31, 2012 Matthew Blanchard and an unidentified dive companion were planning to freedive the Northwest kelp bed near La Jolla Canyon in La Jolla. It was 6:30 PM and they had been on the water for about 45 minutes. The sky was clear and the ocean calm with air and water temperatures estimated at 60 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit, respectively. The water was approximately 70 feet deep with water visibility about 15 feet. They observed 3 – 4 seals on the surface during their excursion out to the kelp bed. Blanchard reported; “We launched a 10 hp dinghy at about 5:45 PM at the La Jolla Boat Launch. We were going to freedive for California Yellowtail, Seriola lalandi dorsali. As we were motoring in our dingy in search of a good location along the edge of the kelp bed cruising at ~10 mph, a shark appeared in front of our dinghy. Before we could react we ‘ran over' the shark, which was thought to be about 3 feet wide and more than 8 feet in length. When I looked back I saw the shark's head, gills, and a distinct line where the color changed from dark to white. We decided it best not to dive the area.” Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.

[Deefeesha]

Newbie, that's why I stayed away from you.

Originally Posted by vincentek9

so... it was a bad idea to do this on friday the 3rd?





that probably explains why every yakker got off the water before 3pm...

[wade]

there have been quite a few sightings this year...
some just wish to forget seeing as how they are there every day..

[T Bone]

No wonder you guys were being so crabby,It was just that time of the month!

I say hook one and hang on.Maybe big hook-wire leader-60# line and be ready to film and cut the line.

Yes,its illegal but what is that other than a sick bird?