Stillwater Cove Opener!!!!!

What a place!!!!!!!!

What a DAY!!!!!!!!!

Drove down with Brent (Porky) and Curtis (Stoggie) and met Al (AlsHobieOutback) and Sara at the beach. Met several other NCKA guys at the beach, and they were super cool, but I can't remember their names...sorry! 

Absolutely gorgeous with white sandy beaches, CRYSTAL clear water, amazing rock formations, and great fishing!! 

Small craft advisory in effect so we didn't venture out of the cove, but there was still plenty of territory to fish and places to explore. I tried to follow Stoggie out for a bit, but didn't feel comfortable so came back in...

Drop a 3 ounce lead-head with a white twin tail scampi tipped with squid, and get a fat 15 inch Vermillion RockFish pretty quick, and then nothing for awhile...

Meet Rob (Naerob) on the water and we fish together for awhile.

Then...nice bite and feels HEAVY!! Look down and see a massive LingCod swimming up!! It realizes what is going on and takes off for the bottom, ripping line off my reel!!

Most of the fish I catch are small so I use a lightweight Clarus rod and spinning reel, and this was one heck of a fight on that set-up!!!

Couple more big runs, and manage to get him in the boat with me...beat him over the head with my wooden gaff until he stops thrashing!!

Give him a measure and he is over 30 inches!! 

Rob got some cool action shots which I am looking forward to seeing!! 

Get back to fishing and nothing for awhile..THEN my line takes off again!! This time he realized he was hooked from the start and my drag is screaming from the get go!! He goes into a clump of kelp and I can see him about 20 feet down. BIG LingCod!! I decide to let him sit there and to see if he would swim out and free himself. He does with a blistering run straight back down to the bottom!!

Finally get him to the surface and gaff him right in his big toothy mouth!! 

Subdue him with the wood shampoo and realize he is even bigger than the first one!!

Switch tackle to my usual RockFish rig (four ounce weight on the bottom, shrimp fly with chunk of chovy above and a white twin tail scampi with squid on top) and put 5 more small Rockies in the boat that are perfect size for frying up whole.

Paddle over to this side beach, and the water is so clear you can see all the details of the bottom!

Go to turn around to take a picture of the fish draped over the back of my kayak, and when I do the fish shift and slide, tip the kayak and next thing I know I'm in the water!! Brent  was right next to me and he was like "Dude are you in the water?"   

Nice opportunity to practice "self-rescue"!! No problem getting back in! 

Stoggie said my little yak looked like it was low-riding with all the weight on the back!!!! 

Land the kayak on the side beach and chill with my new NCKA friends and take some pics of the fish, but there is some fish goop on my lens so the pics are kinda blurry...

Decide I am done for the day and paddle back to the main beach with Rob and Sara, get the fish on ice and bring the beer cooler down to the beach.

Andy (FishMaster1), Joe (BloodBath), Ernest, Rob, Al and Sara, Brent, Curtis and Pat (SinCoast) get a SWEET barbecue going with chicken, beef, sausages, ceviche, fried chicken, fish tacos and plenty of cold beer!! If I missed anybodys name I apologize!! 

AMAZING day with super nice people, beautiful surroundings, and STELLAR fishing!!!

Wanted to say THANK YOU to everybody for being so welcoming and friendly...this was a very special day for me, first time fishing on the yak anywhere but Capitola or Santa Cruz, first time at Stillwater, first time meeting and chilling with NCKA folks, first time catching a ling over 24 inches!!!!!
 

Can't imagine having a better day!!! 

Having friends and family over for Blackened LingCod and whole fried RockFish today!! SOOO glad it's summertime!

Here are some pics of this amazing day!

 

Sincerely,

Jim

More!

Action shots courtesy of Rob!!

Thanks Rob!!
 

Sincerely,

Jim

Great score guys.
Thanks for the pictures.
Should have joined you instead.
Next time.

coming form the east bay how do i get there? and great fishing guys.

Another great opening day party,
I got up an hour late, set my alarm for PM oops. Still made it there at about 6:45. Got out to the edge of the cove and found the NCKA crew staying inside. Big swell and windy outside. I fished inside the kelp for a couple hours and got a few small browns. Then I moved into Big Jim's Ling Farm when he wasn't looking and first drop was an instant hookup of a 29" ling. He put up a good fight, made a short run back down but I got him.
The BBQ after is what made the day. Got to meet a few new faces. Great food, cold beer, good stories, a little golf, good times. Thanks again to Sara and Al for bringing the grill and to Andy for hooking up the fryer again.
Lets do it again!
rob
Im having trouble posting my pics, too big maybe?, I will try again later when I have more time.

Sounds like the "A" Team there Big Jim!!

Stillwater was "on!"

Stoggie went out around the corner?  Looks like the swell was wrapping a bit on that last wash rock in one of the pix.

Love that place congrats on your 1st Ling limit....Time for a bigger rod haha.

WTG guys.

ps love the shot of Al in the beach chair.  After a day of paddling and fishing, a picture of contentment, Lays potato chips within easy reach.

Wish Im was with you guys and grateful you didn't get a halibut, so I still ahve a chance for that burgter!

Allen

Thanks for the report and pics.  I think I'll change my plans for Paradise tomorrow and head South.

Martin

great report, lings, rockies and a swim!

Congrats on the lings fellas!!!

What a day!

I tried to go around the corner of the point and stayed there for about 1/2 hour. noticed nobody was following me out. I tried fishing for a while, but there were 10' waves at 10 sec It took all I had to just keep from rolling, so I went back in to the inner cove where everyone stayed and fished right next to the group with no love. I did catch a couple small gophers, which went back, and a nice copper, which I kept.

It was amazing to watch Jim catch those hogs on a tiny yak and with such lightweight stuff. When the ling started taking line it sounded like a salmon running, really cool.

The BBQ was epic as usual, and I don't know about the rest, but I got some nice sunburn on legs and feet.

It was a long day, up at 4:00 p.m., on the water by 5:30, home and unloaded at 5:00 p.m.

I'm too beat to make another run sunday.

BTW:

3 more weeks of fishing before they start limiting access to stillwater for the 2 weeks up to and including the U.S. Open. That means that from the first part of june through the open which ends on the 13th, it will be tough to get in. Suggest that you call before going to verify that access is open.

thanks to everyone, it was great

stoggie

wow, what a day, congrats jim on the big lings, looks like you all had a great opening day, thanks for the report and pics, cameron

Yup Killer day!

Got a bunch of rockfish, biggest 19"

Nice fishing, biggest lings I,ve seen in person, and first time I got to see someone fall in the water due to the weight of their fish capsizing their boat!!! Stupid question from me "Dude, are you in the water" when Im sitting their looking at you! Beautiful fish bro!

Not much to add here its all been said, so Ill post my pics of the day.

Sara killer quac!!

Bloodbath, killer ling cod ceviche bro, never had it, im hooked!!!

Great pics Porky!!

When I cleaned the Lings last night I was expecting to find some cool stuff in their stomachs, but no, they were both completely empty!!

They must have been hungry!!   

Thanks again!!

Sincerely,

Jim

Awesome score Jim. Congrats on those two nice lings bro. Yeah, whenever you're
around Al, Sara, and Andy, you will never go hungry. I wished I had made
it there to hangout. Thanks for the report and pictures.

Jedmo