Off-the-grid in Jalama beach for 3 days (11/8-11/10) *long report* pics/vids

[dkinla]

hey everyone,

Well... we just came back from 3 days at Jalama beach and there's no cell service/wifi/internet up there!

After Robert saw my post from last year about Jalama and the cabins we stayed in, he wanted to setup a trip back to Jalama since he had never been before! So, about 6 months ago, we picked a couple nights to stay in the cabins with some good tides so we could fish both am and pm high tide sessions.

A few days ago, the weather forecast didn't look so good.. predicting that the 11/8-11/10 would be the windiest/coldest/wettest days there... so I was kinda bummed about that, but it turns out that the weather wasn't so bad after all and we got some decent fishing in too :Wink:

Just in case, here's a link on some info for the Jalama cabins.. they are pretty nice cabins! and the Mrs. just won't do "camping" anymore anyways :LOL:

http://www.countyofsb.org/uploadedFiles/parks/Camping_Parks/CabinInformation.pdf

(here's an old post from last year on another forum that has more info on the cabins/pics/vids... not sure if posting a link to another forum is allowed here??)
http://www.scsurffishing.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=77338&highlight=jalama

so Thurs am rolls around and we get the CRV loaded up:

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/9E053DAA-BDEA-469C-9FF1-D7E8A2549C41-45137-00001AD1887952A0.jpg

took 3 setups for the usual surf fishin (Shimano Clarus and G.Loomis 8'6" rods with Stradic Ci4 3000 reels spooled with 15# PP braid and a longer 9' Shimano Tiralejo surf rod with a Thunnus 8000 reel in case we wanted to soak some squid/perch for something bigger)

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/FE5CDBB0-F709-41DA-9DC2-D66168FA4368-45137-00001AD19953F65F.jpg

The Mrs. and Alfie are ready for Jalama part 2!

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/468D5CB7-CAC2-4201-9577-F1D3001BA66E-45137-00001AD1A65E0CA1.jpg

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/90E72589-4906-4640-A542-027978F99D99-45137-00001AD1B11539F0.jpg

met up with my parents in Ventura and had some great clam chowder and fish/chips at Brophy Bros in the harbor there

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/1667E14C-C0B6-4273-B083-DB54EBF5C8E5-45137-00001AD1BA432260.jpg

it was drizzling/cold in Ventura, but once we hit got further north into Santa Barbara, and the road to Jalama, just overcast!

enjoyed the drive to Jalama just like last year!

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/36204B2E-4957-42DE-8AE7-AC64E2FDABEE-45137-00001AD1C5DAF850.jpg

Coming around the final bend, it's great to see the water/sand/Jalama:

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/56A32910-303A-4730-955E-C9C86F89C548-45137-00001AD1D6A0F6F0.jpg

here's a quick vid from the road above Jalama:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDYpMzRA--s

Check-in was around 3pm, and I think we got there around that time...
Robert and his gf Renee were in the car just ahead of us at the ranger station! We got 2 cabins side by side for the trip (Plover and Sandpiper units):

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/16508A51-CE2B-4FB7-8936-A0DBD77BA88D-45137-00001AD1EB742399.jpg

here's a view from the cabins... a 5-minute walk down to the water from there!

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/DC39BCAA-0735-4414-95A1-844678FADAA1-45137-00001AD206726CFC.jpg

well... we quickly unloaded the car and of course Robert and I headed down to the water for a session before it got dark!

it was pretty breezy and cold, but manageable... the water was cold, minimal salad, with some pretty big surge, and not much structure really... the beach was pretty flat up and down coast, but the bite was wide open! a bite on every cast :LOL:

view down coast... there were a couple other long-rodders there I think that weren't having any success really:

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/926C81E6-6314-4935-801A-1B84E2F39A13-45137-00001AD213694B1F.jpg

Robert and I started working the beach and caught too many to count in the 2 hrs we had... mostly small to mediums

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/B270C02E-0B83-448C-8795-A0CE08B93D87-45137-00001AD2257FBD1D.jpg

approaching sunset:

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/1229C3A3-3B4E-408B-A6E8-33E00BEBE81C-45137-00001AD2399916EE.jpg

typical first day perch:

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/2493628C-8EA0-47B9-8E45-7F399784EA1A-45137-00001AD2456FE62A.jpg

unusual looking perch with some unusual markings... hmmm?

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/B2A29DE2-67CA-4467-9C55-476415723108-45137-00001AD24DFB2DC7.jpg

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/0AD468EC-152C-418D-957F-8497972D1BF7-45137-00001AD2576B9C0C.jpg

also another unusual looking perch with some different markings... Robert said this was NOT a walleye:

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/C9F60407-3CFF-49C3-BD4D-06F97A3AE23C-45137-00001AE7999DF0B7.jpg

here's one of the nicer mediums the first day:

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/9FBA5072-1426-4AB6-BD5F-B90346676471-45137-00001AD261B54E9F.jpg

and a decent medium for Robert:

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/E5893AEB-5286-4A49-8C82-9E05D8478042-45137-00001AD2710E4ECF.jpg

well... it got dark, so we called it... and retreated to our warm/cozy cabins!

for dinner, pops prepared some sashimi from a couple of the bigger perch we kept and we had a whole spread of other yummy things:

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/B34A80BC-9767-4482-A9AE-6950CF641776-45137-00001AD27DC70A62.jpg

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/40CD3AC8-F283-4A88-A2E5-FD175926A3A4-45137-00001AD294931464.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNCib9F1na4

after dinner... Robert brought a ton of firewood for us to sit around the firepit and keep warm during the night!

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/2FE70C27-C4DE-49E3-8159-E32BDF53EDD2-45137-00001AD29EEBBD9E.jpg

we threw some sweet yams and potatoes wrapped in aluminum foil in the firepit and man they were great!! Robert/Renee also brought smores too!

unfortunately, it started to rain after maybe an hour or so around the campire, so we all headed back inside and relaxed a while before going to sleep so we could fish early the next am!

Pops and alfie chillin:

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/CF337AA2-66B8-4756-9731-7DBB4553D024-45137-00001AD2AE0ADE35.jpg

It rained pretty hard overnight, and was still raining when we woke up... got a little worried that we might be rained in all day, but just like that... the rain stopped and the skies cleared up!! :Shocked:

so we get geared up for the am sesh... I look like I'm going out ice-fishing or something.. but hey.. I wasn't cold at all :Big Grin:

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/B3A4519B-08B1-438A-B127-F0324565E46E-45137-00001AD2BDB1BD6E.jpg

light winds in the am the 2nd day... still relatively salad free, with medium waves and strong surge still. Oh by the way, sand crabs were plentiful there, but they seemed to bite on the crack (camo/bloody) much better.

sunrise shot:

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/977CE725-3B0C-46B9-A79B-A2B53840061E-45137-00001AD2D2EAA7A1.jpg

bite wasn't wide-open like the day before, but we still got decent numbers for the am sesssion:

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/0E414841-F5A3-40C3-A8B9-76A98717F5E7-45137-00001AD2DC682871.jpg

off in the distance... there were patches of storm clouds headed our way... and saw this awesome rainbow as we were fishin:

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/220E095F-6D06-4EFB-A2D9-639B45A50C1B-45137-00001AD2F2CFFA76.jpg

I took this freakin awesome panorama shot with my phone:

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/9FB5F3A8-9BA1-42B5-BC18-B34A68DE2C48-45137-00001AD2FC1A6A02.jpg

the tide started to go out and the rains came in... so we headed back to the cabins and relaxed... pops with some coffee:

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/ECD0A928-40ED-4F3D-9EFA-2799DE621B91-45137-00001AD30E579CF6.jpg

the rain came and went, and we headed back out again around 3pm or so for another sunset session... this time thought... the winds had really picked up and it was pretty darn cold... the fishin was tough, but we still managed a few bigger models...

here's one of the biggest for my dad there:

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/F79B38B8-A2B5-4E68-9FCA-DF5B4823EA2C-45137-00001AD32076BABC.jpg

quick vid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXIQT4ytOFw

later that night... we cooked up some pork on the electric pan with all the trimmings (lettuce, ssamjang, etc.):

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/D0C95F55-E53C-49ED-8572-B76A562E2DC2-45137-00001AD3326C36E9.jpg

this was followed by another session at the firepit and had some great smores/potatoes/yams again :lol: man we had the fire roaring!! thanks again for the firewood Robert!

slept well, and was hoping for a great am session on our last day before checking out...

sunrise shot:

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/B3257FF2-97B1-4548-BF1F-326263B6A39C-45137-00001AD33F0A6705.jpg

wow, the conditions had really deteriorated overnight... tons of salad everywhere (look at all that beached salad in the pic above), big waves, big surge... made the fishing really, really tough, but we stuck it out and moved up/down coast to find open water... at least the winds were ok:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0gDhUlTO5E

the action was kinda slow, but we got the biggest perch of the 3 days the final am... and the salad later cleared out as the tide went out too:

Robert with a big model:

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/7BEEAEC6-27C0-4299-ABEE-5331A8830486-45137-00001AD35141D114.jpg

my dad with another big model:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_MRSJS-Gyo

and Robert with another... I don't know how Robert just fished in his usual shorts and t-shirt... with a light sweatshirt, but he did :EyePop:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFcoI3yHTkQ

headed back to the cabins to pack up and made it down to the Jalama beach store to have one last meal together... of course we had to try the famous Jalama burger!!

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/42DC8595-3537-495E-8FFD-94C21E00317E-45137-00001AD369EC9A66.jpg

my dad approved (I got him a Jalama hat too)!

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/F0460A2F-950D-47E7-A94A-AAC6338E6185-45137-00001AD373B6DDE9.jpg

the Mrs. was happy too:

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/DD4D1AEB-3272-4107-89E1-1259F0029D94-45137-00001AD379DDB854.jpg

thanks Robert/Renee for buying us lunch!!!

one last group pic before heading back to civilization and the internet/cell phone service :LOL:

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/E54F5E43-2DE0-43B8-87FA-8349A77102DE-45137-00001AD37FB29AEB.jpg

I think the Mrs. and Alfie were pretty pooped out from having a great, relaxing, and memorable trip

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/2EC6F2F1-B561-4FC5-B013-96B6CCA00FAF-45137-00001AD3932DA138.jpg

thanks for reading everyone! sorry if I made it too long as usual....

just might have to go back again next year (thx Robert for taking this awesome pic of me) :LOL::LOL:

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/dkinla/4E25CEF6-FB08-4687-877A-7D9AAFB3A80A-45137-00001AD398BFCCAE.jpg

[peanutbutter]

that panorama picture = one of the best shore pictures ever
frickin epic trip :Surprised:

[iLLest]

Looks like a blast, thanks for sharing.

[murrieta angler]

Looks like you had another nice trip up in Jalama dkinla.
Great panorama shot!
Thanks for sharing with us again,
Robert
<><

[TUNAVIC]

Wow quite a trip,excellent pictures,looked like a great trip,with great family and friends,Thanks.

Cya Tuna Vic

[CL SmooV]

Great post, great pics.

Thanks for sharing....

[sidified]

Great pics, great report, great family..thanks

[Which Way Out]

I remember your report from last year, it was great.
This year even better.

Jalama is a great little place to go to, but as you know the wind can never really be predicted there. Somehow the weather is always part of the experience. Makes for sitting near the fire more inviting IMO.
Again a great selection of photos, Fish, Food, Fun, Friends and Family. What more could you ask for.
dkinla thanks for sharing. It's only a short drive for me to go to Jalama, but I somehow never think of it.

WWO

[dkinla]

Thx everyone for the really nice comments!

My dad wants to head up there again next year! :Big Grin:

Nothing like just walking down to the water in 5 minutes and fishin a beautiful stretch of beach with family!!

[frankjz]

Great report. Not too long at all. It was a pleasure to experience the trip with you. Some good looking perch!

[saltman]

Hi dkinla

Very nice report, I enjoy your report last year and this year too. Looking forward for next year report in Jalama.
Thx.

Saltman..

[koifish]

Nice pictures. Thanks for report.

[bones]

Danny..... That was an Awesome report buddy. Good times for sure were had by all. Robert needs to smile more....LOL The unusual perch were cool too. I've heard of calico and redtail perch being abundant up there also. In a spot like that with the family it really doesn't matter the size of the perch but rather the warm feeling in your heart you come back with. Cherrish these times you spend with your loved ones. I've always wanted to make that little trip up there and have seen those cabins. How far in advance do you need to reserve a cabin? A PM with a few details would be appreciated.

Thanks for sharing your memories and great photo essay. Top notch!

Mike

[City Dad]

Great report and pics! Looks like a blast.

[simijab]

Last time i was there the wind ripped the siding of the door to my trailer but when the fishing is good you cant beat that spot for the perch. Looked like an awesome trip thanks for sharing

[dlmoo312]

Looks like a great trip! A fishing roadtrip... that's really cool.
I need to plan a trip like that sometime!
Thanks for the report!


-Daniel

[Homefish]

Thanks for the great report & the info on this place. I'm for sure gett'n up ther some time next year.

[shinbob]

Awesome report!

Fishing, Family, Friends, Food, Fire, ... it doesn't get any better than that! Gotta love the sam gyeop sal, too!

[J3FFro]

Thanks for the awesome report! Looks like the perfect family/friends fishing "camping" trip. I will definitely note this down for future references.

[radray]

dkinla,

Great report my friend. I never fished there before, but after reading your report I will definitely have to visit and fish there. I see you are in Northridge. I am in Granada Hills a lot to visit my parents maybe we can hit the surf one of this days.

Raymond

[dkinla]

hey thanks everyone for all of your nice comments... I really appreciate your kind words (this forum can be kinda tough and rough sometimes :LOL:)...

we'll probably head up there again next year sometime :Wink:



dkinla,

Great report my friend. I never fished there before, but after reading your report I will definitely have to visit and fish there. I see you are in Northridge. I am in Granada Hills a lot to visit my parents maybe we can hit the surf one of this days.

Raymond

yeah sounds good... I head out to Malibu/SM area sometimes to surf fish!

[skunked4life]

Now I know where we will be going for our next vacation! By the way, sashimi and Korean BBQ is the way to go on a fishing/camping trip! Thanks for sharing the story/pics/surf report and the culture!

[bachiboy]

Great report and pictoral! Sounds like you had an awesome trip. Thanks for all the eye candy!!!:Wink:

Don