Sup all,
A couple weeks ago I get a text from SCSF's own Reiner inviting me to come kayaking with he and his friend Steve. Having only had my kayak for a few months, and having not yet done any real fishing from it, I was eager for a chance to get some experience. Up until this point I had only been out a handful of time and it was mostly just to get comfortable on a new battlefield.
There was a bit of swell on the forecast and this was going to be my first time really getting outside of the harbor and onto the big water. Some of you may recall that I suffer from seasickness in a violent fashion, but I wasn't going to let this get in the way of trying to get back out on the water. What gave me pause is when I learned we'd be meeting at 0600... :lol:
The day came and when we got out beyond the wall the conditions weren't as bad as I had expected, but the swell was present and difficult for me to ignore. I was chewing on crystalized ginger and tried to focus on "driving" myself to our destination. We were headed out to the kelp near the point and the paddle out, albeit intimidating to a rookie, was quite nice. We stopped out at spot that had some lobster trap buoys indicating structure and did a little fishing.
I began casting a 5" Mutant M5 Swimbait (in Black/Purple) and got a little short bite on the first cast. I was totally taken by surprise, because I rarely get action so quickly. Two casts later I get hit hard and bring my very first kayak-caught fish aboard:
I return my catch to the water, exchange a couple words with Reiner, and start heaving! Oh well. I stuck around long enough to make a few more half hearted casts, and watch Reiner catch a calico, then split apart from the guys to make the long paddle back to the safe haven of the harbor while I was still able-bodied; It took 40 minutes, but I got back safely. I dropped anchor near the jetty and had a light snack while watching the Garibaldi defend their hideouts. After about half an hour I had overcome the seasickness and was ready to fool around in the harbor. That is when I saw Reiner and Steve come back to the harbor mouth and realize they weren't bobbing up and down. The swell had subsided, so I paddled out to join them for one more round.
Reiner in the foreground with Steve in the backgroundGlad I did, because I managed to catch another calico. This time I used a dropper and squid strip:
Reiner caught a mackerel, a pretty big sandbass, and another calico to finish off his day; 4 fish on 3 different lures if I remember correctly. Off the water by 1300. It was a great day! Big thanks to Reiner and Steve for inviting me to join.
Best regards,
Dave
