Bean Hollow 9/30 Sat

Gorgeous conditions today - Lake Pacific - very small swell outside the cove, spaced well apart.  Launching was moderate - average for past few weeks.  Water was crystal clear.  Should be similar tomorrow.

Also - HMB Art & Pumpkin Festival is advertized as Oct 14/15.  There were some pumpkin farm festivities, but light traffic.  Time from Hwy 1 to 101 at 2pm, - 20 minutes on 92.

Bite was hit or miss.  Met up with Paul in his SIK Perception, and Ed (sudmucker) and one other person went out separately.  I heard Ed did well, keeping 9 RF.  Thanks for the hand carrying Ed!  You and Mary seem very cool - hope to see you guys out again.

I caught a few small rockies, a decent blue (which decided to jump out of my yak while I was getting ready to knock it out), and a 17" cabbie which I kept.  Drift was about .75mph towards west, then shifted towards South.

Several PB's out farther than 2 miles.  Unlike other days, there were no PB's fishing shallow.  Maybe the fish are deeper now.

Possibly related, Paul and I did have a GWS sighting, just FYI.  It was non-threatening - only curious - but not a small shark.  My "hookups" post comes back to haunt me -> Mooch, unfortunately no waterprooof camera! 
Sorry I missed getting the sharkie pics.

Am going to invest in a waterproof casing for mine (or try to find an Optio W20 ultra cheap on eBay).

Paul called it a day @10.30, soon after GWS sighting.  I stayed out, but wasn't really in fish-seeking mode from then on.  Just made a few drifts for a couple hours.

If you have a particular aversion to GWS, note sighting and make your own call.  I'm not deterred.

Will be out there at 7am-ish tomorrow also.  Tomorrow I will paddle straight out, to find 120'+.  Hope to see some folks out there!

Camera, camera, camera! Damn, I wish I saw that!
 When I pulled my yak out of thr water today I had a gallon or more of water in it. Its rigging time tom. for me. If there's time Ill hit Dux, but the Bean is too far for a half day.

Ben, I am guessing that Paul woulda traded places with ya...  hehe

Sorry we'll miss you tomorrow...  Hope the rigging works out!

Paul, thanks for coming out - hope ya landed fine and at least somewhat dry...

holy sh!t bro, 4 months of kayak fishing and you catch 2 halibut and see a GWS. you are either blessed or cursed, I do not know which.

congrats or condolances, I'm not sure which to offer you, you choose.

HOW BIG? what do you mean only f@cking curious. spill the beans and report the encounter to the shark research committee now!

curious today, HUNGRY tomorrow. that's how it goes.

Bill, what do you think of this one? where are you taking me for lunch? 

I may fish tomorrow, but if I see a GWS 10' or above, that is it, I am on the beach.

J

Hey Craig - how did you see GWS from fishfinder or straight down to water? How deep it was swimming? Wow ... Sooner or later we would have to give in this place for landlords. Take easy and care, tomorrow.

curious today, HUNGRY tomorrow. that's how it goes.

ha! thats what i said at the paddlefest today when i heard craig talking about the encounter!!!  and you(craig) acted so nonchalant about the whole incident.  be careful dude!  you know that the research guys feed these sharks in order to study and tag them.   what happens when they see a boat with the scent of fish coming from it and its not giving free handouts???  careful out there jtf..

Bill, what do you think of this one? where are you taking me for lunch? 

J

I would have to go back and double check but I am pretty sure we agreed that phsysical contact would have to be made.

I heard the whole story, Craig is being modest...

I SOOOOoooo want to see a GWS on my kayak.

Lucky bastard!

Wish you had pics.

MolBasser

Like I said in my post - let's start a CafeCraig camera fund!

I think I need some of what you're on, bro!   

Ha! JTF I promise I will not give the yak a seal oil rubdown tonight!  Molbasser and all, totally... What a disappointment not to have pics - my (landbound) cam has a great movie mode on it too.  That would have rocked.  The water was so clear.

It's a good point, JTF - it's probably safer to keep your catch inside your yak, as opposed to on a stringer over the side... Mine stays safely down below!  For all at Bean tomorrow, it's probably a wise thing to do, instead of the usual stringer overboard thing.

Alright, this will probably help you all feel better.  I am going to give you the abridged version.  

Heard a small splash behind me, turned to look back to the left (north), saw the dorsal, about 10 feet from my yak.  It was only above water about 8 inches.  I called at Paul to check it out.   He was about 40 feet on the other side of the shark from me, and not impressed I think (in a manner of speaking).  Shark was swimming slowly, harmlessly past my left side, from back to front.  It didn't leave a wake or boiler behind.  It circled to the left, submerged, still just casually moving.  

I looked straight off my port midship where i last saw it, and in the clear water, I made out the shape, then color, moving torwards me.  Saw the grey on top, then eye, then part of the white belly and gills, right at my boat.  I thought it was just a couple feet below surface, and it passed quietly and slowly straight under my knees, and out the other side.  I didn't feel a thing.  All I could think was to freeze, not make a move.  Which I did with flying colors.  (Bill is correct in saying that there was no contact, J - sorry!)

I was a bit mesmerized - just wanted to follow the front of the fish, and I didn't let my eyes linger looking for tail or overall length estimate.  As it passed under my yak, it looked to be about the width of the yak.  But since I didn't feel the dorsal fin scrape my yak, I suppose it was a bit deeper than I thought, maybe 4-5 feet below me.  Miight have been about 28" wide from gill to gill, based on the width of the yak comparison.  I don't know how long that would make it.  As soon as I saw the gills go by, I just looked on the other side of my boat to see it passing under.

It was really cool, and the shark seemed friendly.  I didn't try to pet it though.  
It circled back behind me, then we heard the tail splash and saw the boiler on the surface when it left, curiosity satisfied.

I googled a bit after I got home - since then, I'm not worried at all.  It was pretty amazing, and I wouldn't mind experiencing it again actually.  But next time, with a camera  

Oh... So much for the abridged version.  I was glad to hear that the PF Derby was a big success, and very sharky for you all in the Bay too! 

Hope to see you all out there tomorrow!  And that someone brings a camera out on the water! 

   Hey Guys,

    You surer it wasn't a sun fish I was out there today. The loner I was actually out there with Ed for awhile. I saw him go back in and he did not mention anything about a shark, he just wished me good luck and paddled in.
     From your description it almost sounds like my encounter with the sun fish(mola mola) I saw today. I saw about three differnt ones today one almost 6ft in diameter. They always give mea scare when I first see them they have the coloring and when their fin comes out it looks like a dorsal.
       Well shark or no shark I had a descent day two large reds, couple blues and a copper. I also caught a skate but I let it go because I dont know if there is a size limit or regulations. If anyone knows let me know. They are good eating from what I hear.

James - nice catch today!  I was looking for you in your Tarpon but didn't feel like paddling back out to find you after i met Ed coming back in.  I wanna head out where you were today!

I have never seen a mola mola before in person, so I can't be sure how to compare it to a GWS.  I did see the fish pretty clearly a couple times, especially as it was coming towards me and under my yak, and figured what I saw of the length and width to be about yak-sized.  But I see your point!

Thanks for the pics - very cool!

I looked straight off my port midship where i last saw it, and in the clear water, I made out the shape, then color, moving torwards me.  Saw the grey on top, then eye, then part of the white belly and gills, right at my boat.  I thought it was just a couple feet below surface, and it passed quietly and slowly straight under my knees, and out the other side.  I didn't feel a thing.  All I could think was to freeze, not make a move.  Which I did with flying colors.  (Bill is correct in saying that there was no contact, J - sorry!)

 


Nuts!  You lucky bastard.  That must have been so cool/freaky  Wow!  What a story...

MolBasser

Craig~
You are King of Cool maintaining your composure like that. I am not so sure I would have been so at ease in that situation. I would like to think I would be, but the proof is in the puddin'.
I am just glad you got the experience safely.

   Hey Guys,

    You surer it wasn't a sun fish I was out there today. The loner I was actually out there with Ed for awhile. I saw him go back in and he did not mention anything about a shark, he just wished me good luck and paddled in.
     From your description it almost sounds like my encounter with the sun fish(mola mola) I saw today. I saw about three differnt ones today one almost 6ft in diameter. They always give mea scare when I first see them they have the coloring and when their fin comes out it looks like a dorsal.
       Well shark or no shark I had a descent day two large reds, couple blues and a copper. I also caught a skate but I let it go because I dont know if there is a size limit or regulations. If anyone knows let me know. They are good eating from what I hear.

Catch any length shovelnose.  And they are very good eating.  The one you caught would have made some good meals!!

No limit on length that I know of.

MolBasser