Most unusual surf catch EVER! Boy what a fight! (pics)...

[Skyler]

Well, I headed out to the coast again yesterday in search of halibut. Ended up in Ventura/Santa Barbara area. Threw Lucky crafts, Megabait jerks, Krocs, and a dropshot. No love on the halibut whatsoever, but I did stick a couple of BSP.

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/9886/1000995.jpg

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/3210/1000994.jpg

Well, towards the end of the day, I was throwing a green mackeral holographic Kroc dipped in smelly jelly sardine, and it happened....SLAM! Major bendo, and then it straight RAN! It fought like no other fish I'd ever hooked. I could tell right away it was no halibut. It tore off on another drag screaming run before I turned him again, timing it with some incoming breakers. ALMOST THERE! Nope! "WHIIZZZZ" back out another 30 feet. And it surfaced. WTF!!!??? That's no halibut! I fingered my spool and turned him again, this time he seemed a bit more tired. Using a nice set of rolling breakers I got him shallow, waded out, and got between him and the deep, chasing him up onto the beach. This whole scene went on for what must have been a good 5-10 minutes. So what gave me all this hassle? See for yourself...















WTF?!
http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/8595/1000997.jpg

Apparently I foul hooked this poor baby harbor seal! Right in the side of the upper jaw. Not sure if he went for the lure, or was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Either way, I felt terrible. I would have just cut him off, but I didn't think he'd do to well with 50 yards of fireline trailing behind him, plus I had just bought that lure, lol. Unhooking him was definitely first priority, and a bit of a pain I might add, but I managed to get my hand behind his neck and hold him while i used my x-tool to work at the hook.

I'd estimate him to be about 20 pounds or so. Landed on my medium cranking rod with ten pound fireline crystal and a 15 pound copolymer topshot, lol. Love that fireline! I'll tell you, unhooking a mammal is a hell of a lot harder than unhooking a fish! MY first priority was to unhook him, HIS first priority was to bite the hell out of me!! But I got the hook out and got a couple shots of him.

Afterward we sat there on the beach and shared a moment (and a cigarette, lol). He seemed no worse for wear, and at this point he wasn't even really afraid of me. Poor little guy. His mother was nowhere to be seen throughout all of this. After that I just packed it up and called it a day, knowing that there was no way to top that catch, lol. All in all, a very interesting experience. Goes to show the versitility of the Krocodile I guess. Anyways, tight lines, guys.

-Skyler

[Simplyeman]

What a cute lil bastard.....it looks like he was sleeping when you got him, or its thinking WTFFFF just happened lol

[GET DA NET]

What a cute lil bastard.
lmao............

[Cangler]

Hope you clubbed him ...

[kgselect]

Cute lil fella. I guess you never know what you might catch out of the surf.

[vanillagurilla]

you shoulda photoshoped him onto a stringer!! hahaha that would have been funny.

[Skyler]

you shoulda photoshoped him onto a stringer!! hahaha that would have been funny.

Ha ha ha ha. DFG would have shown up at my door in about 30 minutes! I actually was debating over posting this at all, as I'm not too sure of the legality of landing a marine mammal. But I had tell someone, and I only really had two choices, cut him off, or unhook him. Hopefully I was within the law. Either way, I'm sure he thanks me for not leaving him with a new body piercing, he he.

[Skyler]

What a cute lil bastard.....it looks like he was sleeping when you got him, or its thinking WTFFFF just happened lol

Yeah, the poor little bugger was WORN OUT after that fight. I was too, not to mention wet. Not sure why I wear waders at all. It seems that I always get wet anyways, lol.

[tpfishnfool]

How do you fillet a sea dog ? Do they taste like fishy chicken ? Mmmm ....

[BIGRED KILLA]

Very cool i bet Wingnut is a little jealous off your catch.






Bigred

[ghetto dad]

That lil dude is lucky is wasnt geordy that hooked him....sealtacos would have been on the menu that night :ROFL:

GD

[GeordyBass]

very cool i bet wingnut is a little jealous off your catch.






Bigred
:rofl::rofl::rofl:

[GeordyBass]

That lil dude is lucky is wasnt geordy that hooked him....sealtacos would have been on the menu that night :ROFL:

GD
hey dude CALM DOWN!!!












I would have made ceviche....lol....J/k

Just messin with ya ghettohomo...I meant GD...:ROFL: :ROFL::ROFL:

[Skyler]

Very cool i bet Wingnut is a little jealous off your catch.






Bigred

Ha ha ha. Naw, I'll bet he's already caught three, lol.

[Wingnut]

Skyler, major props to you for taking the time, and the risk of removing the lure & line from the little fella... well done. May Poseidon reward you with a monster Hali soon. :Wink:

And no, I haven't caught one of those yet... not sure if I want to... :ROFL:

[vanillagurilla]

c'mon wing nut you know you want to cross baby seals off your species list. you could have skinned him skyler and made a few reel bags from the fur of inocent, defencless, baby seals. lol jk :)

[lurk 182]

if he was hooked in the face i bet he ate it. good to know even the big brained mammals will fall for a well bent spoon with the right paint. good looking out on unhooking him, decent hooks don't rust out very fast. i had a similar showdown with a breakwater pelican last summer and i had a hell of a time handling that bird but just cutting the line would have haunted me for weeks. i've seen too many of the "poor animal caught in a net" shots that seem to get out there and i need to stay on my high horse as best i can.

[Skyler]

if he was hooked in the face i bet he ate it. good to know even the big brained mammals will fall for a well bent spoon with the right paint. good looking out on unhooking him, decent hooks don't rust out very fast. i had a similar showdown with a breakwater pelican last summer and i had a hell of a time handling that bird but just cutting the line would have haunted me for weeks. i've seen too many of the "poor animal caught in a net" shots that seem to get out there and i need to stay on my high horse as best i can.

Yeah, he was pretty young (and presumably naive). I'll bet he's a lot more careful on what he munches in the future though!

[TShaffer]

Wow I've hooked up with pleanty of sea lions but never caught one. Cute little guy though.

[PureAle]

damn, we should call you sletemfellthesteelskyler. lol.

[Nessie Hunter]

Major props & kudo's for the time & effort put into a safe and easy release!!

As much as I hate the dirty rats, Im sure I would have done the same.. Or at least tried to.......

Good day in the Surf, and job well done......

[troutdog]

Wow that must have been a heck of surprise reeling that little guys in, that catch may trump GD's seagull wing. Nice job on releasing the little guy.


TD

[ghetto dad]

Wow that must have been a heck of surprise reeling that little guys in, that catch may trump GD's seagull wing. Nice job on releasing the little guy.


TD

:Finger: :ROFL: I hope you get the runs when you come down here for lunch homie.....may I suggest the Terriyaki Chicken????

GD

[troutdog]

:Finger: :ROFL: I hope you get the runs when you come down here for lunch homie.....may I suggest the Terriyaki Chicken????

GD

:ROFL:

I'll be by tomorrow GD, you're working right?


TD

[ghetto dad]

Stop lying Geordy...hey guys, he posted this on another website!!!



Recipes

Cajun Spiced Seal
From the kitchen of Sylvia Allen

Remove meat from the rib
area of the seal. Pound
meat, then cut up like cube
steaks. Sprinkle Cajun
seasoning on meat. Roll in
flour. Fry in peanut oil at
Medium /high heat until
done.

Seal Intestine
from the recipe book of Pauline Duncan~ Sitka AK

Seal intestines
Seal oil
smoke house
Alder wood

Clean out and wash the
intestine. Stuff the intestine with
fresh seal meat and fat. Boil the
intestine for about 20 minutes
(depending on how large the
intestine is). Smoke the stuffed
intestine and store in seal oil.
The intestine can be stored in
seal oil indefinitely in seal oil.






http://harborsealcommission.org/images/SEAL_LOGO1_business_cardsize.GIF

[Skyler]

that catch may trump GD's seagull wing

Do I even want to ask? Just a wing? No bird to go with it? Ewww.

[ghetto dad]

Do I even want to ask? Just a wing? No bird to go with it? Ewww.

Actually, TD aint giving me my FULL props!! It was one full wing, a fermented body, and a partial 2nd wing.....

GD

ON the dropshot!!!!!!

[Skyler]

Actually, TD aint giving me my FULL props!! It was one full wing, a fermented body, and a partial 2nd wing.....

GD

ON the dropshot!!!!!!

WTF!!! Ha ha ha ha! That's nasty. I remember Tacklejunkie once caught a dead striper like that at Silverwood. Worst thing I've pulled up is a used diaper from the east end of lake Perris. Almost turned my stomach. Oh yeah, and I once caught some old chonies from Seccombe lake, lol.

Wingnut and Nessie, thanks, guys. I don't think of it as a good deed so much as my responsibility. It was pretty much the only option in my book. I've handled a lot of animals, so i wasn't really risking too much, short of a couple shots, lol. He was pretty worn out anyways. Hopefully Wingnut was right about the massive 'butt. Still haven't caught a legal.

[calico killer kevin]

Club him...LOL

I hate those f******, I don't think I would do the same...lol
Nah, but I respect the way you handled the situation.

[ToadsToadsOnly]

I would of make seal "Pho" out of that buster. LoL'z

[flyngby]

Skyler,

Great effort to release it with respect and taking the time to ensure that there is no further damage to the little guy by just cutting him off!!! As much as we hate the pest when they get bigger it was the right thing to do.

I do not think there is a problem or violation of DFG regs as you did release it and took the care to do some improvised first aid by removing you rig to ensure there are no problems in the future!!!

You may be in trouble though for sharing the Tobacco Product with a juvie though!!!!!!!:ROFL:

As for WINGNUT being jealous about you Pancake seal I don't think so!!! Arthur is always gunning for the bigger models!!:Secret::ROFL:
http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z286/flyngby/CIMG0095.jpg
http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z286/flyngby/CIMG0093.jpg



I would have left after the new friendship also!

Nice job on the slabs!!!

Steve

[megafisher94]

damn, we should call you sletemfellthesteelskyler. lol.
i dont think gary will like his thunder stolen lol

[megafisher94]

:ROFL:

I'll be by tomorrow GD, you're working right?


TD
hijacked thread! :ROFL:

[Ifishtoolittle]

Even though the little critter will grow up to become a yellowtail, bonita eating machine I hope it made it out ok.

[vagabond]

dam,what a catch.ive hooked on to bigger ones on charter boats and cut the line before you get spooled you,but that 20pounder was just right i guess,if you was fishing for them..

[Troutman65]

Wow !! What a day at the beach. Nice that the little critter was released safely and you were not injured. Thanks for the post & pics.