Hey everyone! Jason and I took the kayak out for another test run in the harbor and had a pretty good day! We remembered having a 7-species day a while back so I looked at our old posts and turns out we had one exactly 4 years and 2 days ago on our inflatable at the same harbor, lol funny!
Anyways, so we got in the water a little before 0700. Water was chilly and there was a slight breeze, but there was nice cloud cover and things looked promising. We were definitely quicker and more comfortable getting from his truck to peddling in the water... not quite ready for a surf launch, but getting there!
After I missed a nice big bite, Jason caught the first fish of the day
Before the next bigger fish, I was able to catch about 4-5 micro turd rollers (not pictured). I was using a 3" swimbait and Jason was using a 4". We were both getting a lot of bites, but my smaller lead head was able to fit in those tiny mouths.
After about an hour or so, I hooked into this guy. I've missed these spotties! He put up a nice fight.
We were in a pretty good spot so we kept casting, hoping for another. Then I got stuck on something and had to break off (first of many today ). Jason's much faster at re-tying so he offered to do it for me. Since we were still hovering over the spot where I got that spottie, I suggested he drop his lure down while re-tying my lure, *just in case*... might as well have something in the water since we were both just sitting there. I SHOULD'VE just fished with his rod, but dammit I still need to learn how to use a baitcaster.
So, of course, with his hands full and me just sitting there relaxing, he gets a hard PULL on his rod. All I hear is, "Oh sh*t, oh sh*t, oh sh*t!" hahaha. I turn around and see that he has my line in one hand, a lead head in the other, and his rod in his lap that he's holding with his elbow (our rod holders are still being shipped ). He hands me my stuff so he can land the fish. So now my hands are full and my rod's in my lap, and this fish is pulling us into a bad spot, so I dropped everything to grab the paddle to get us outta there. Since I am not coordinated at all, and had no idea how to back up and steer us with a paddle, it was a challenge. But luckily we made it out and he was able to land the fish and it was all worth it.
First legal of the year. Taped out to just under 23". Released.
Since it was MY idea for him to drop his lure down, I say it's part mine.
So the whole day we were getting these annoying little bites, and Jason was finally able to hook one of these guys. Pretty ambitious... the 4" swim bait was as thick as he was! 4th species and PB lizard fish
I was able to hook a few more mini sandies here and there before getting this nice surprise. Tiny, but we got the bass trifecta and 5th species.
Shortly after, I finally got a nicer model sandie.
And followed up with our 6th species... A little rockfish. hehehe
It slowed down quite a bit, the sun had come out, and we were pretty tired from peddling that we started to feel like this.
We took the time to try some new spots and experiment with the kayak, learning more about steering and getting more comfortable with it before calling it a day.
7th species, and first time catch/PB for me. hehehe
Although Jason *technically* caught the legal , the pink rod was the hot stick again today.
Jason:
Spottie - 1
Legal Hali - 1
Lizard Fish - 2
Me:
Spotties - 2
Sandies - too many to count
Calico - 1
Rockfish - 1
Mackerel - 1
Lures lost - 5 I guess that legal was Jason's reward for re-tying all my lures.
Before I go, I'd like to send a huge THANK YOU to everyone for your kayak tips and offers to help when we're brave enough to launch from the surf. We really appreciate all your support. It may take a few more outings but we're definitely getting there!
Til next time!
***QUICKIE BONUS REPORT 4.15.14***
Went out again for a quick afternoon session from about 6-8pm and hit some of our usual spots...
First fish was a nice 16" spottie
Next up was a PB lizard fish
Got a mini turd roller that shook off before Jason could snap a picture, followed by this mini calico.
Wind picked up and it got dark, but I managed to catch this last one on the way out.
New species for me!
And that's all for now... til next time!
Tess