NorCal Kayak Anglers
Kayak Fishing Zone => Hookups and Fishing Reports (Viewable by Public) => Topic started by: KZ on December 11, 2004, 09:23:13 PM
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First off... I gotta say I had a great time fishing with company for once. It wound up being Joel, Mike, Ken, John, Duane, and myself meeting up at Buck's Landing and launching at about 11:00 or so.
I had bumped into Allen at Loch Lomond while I was getting and had a good chat with him... he opted to launch at McNear's instead of joining our group. Was good to shoot the bull with him and Keith Fraser and talk yak fishing a bit. We later learned that he had some problems getting his anchor to hold off of McNear's and packed it in a little early. Sorry to hear that... better luck next time I guess.
As we paddled out, the wind was up a little which made for choppy conditions... not optimal conditions but certainly fishable.
We made our way out and set up a few hundered yards past the duck blinds. I caught a couple stripers and kingfish between 11:00 and 2:00 but it wasn't until after about 2:30 that we had most of the action.
Mike was the first to hook up with a sturgeon which must have been a pretty scrappy one... giving Mike a good fight... it came up short though... a tad under 40". That action certainly woke everyone up though.
Shortly after that, Joel hooked up... losing his sturgon virginity to a shaker Green Sturgeon. We figure he probably holds the kayak fishing record for Green Sturgeon with that one... you don't see to many of those.
I hooked up with a shaker sturgeon shortly after that... about 30 inches.
I'll try my best at the scores for the day... you guys can chime and correct me if I'm wrong...
Me: 3 stripers 20 - 22 inches; 1 shaker sturgeon; 1 skate; 3 kingfish
Joel: 1 california kayak record green sturgeon
Ken: 1 Bat ray... not sure what else.
John: 1 striper... not sure what else.
Duane: At least one striper...
Mike: 1 shaker sturgeon... not sure what else.
We headed in at about 4:00 and the tide had dropped by a good 6 feet. As we got closer and closer to the mouth of Gallinas Creek, the depth finders started reading 2 feet, then 1 foot, then 0 feet... then we were actually scraping bottom a bit at times :smt119 . Finally Joel was able to locate the channel... which is conveniently marked by stakes ( :smt115 mental note). I have to say I was starting to freak out a little bit.
We all made it back to Buck's by about 5:00 or so and headed out.
I'll leave the rest of the details to the others if they care to add anything. I know there were a few photos taken as well... maybe even some video.
I look forward to another adventure with you guys... it was an excellent group to fish with.
Erik
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Nice work guys! When is the next weekend where the tides are good?
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can't wait to see pics of the green sturgeon, I've seen very few photos of those. I'll be out next time.
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Hey Guys,
Don't get your hopes up on the video. I shot it and it was hard to keep the camera still and Joel & Mike kept on drifting behind me. Hard to turn your back in a Kayak.
I will definitely bring my Cobra next time. The Hobie is like a bath tub when you have to paddle it.
My ray was probably about 60 lb. and was real fun. I thought is was the real thing (Sturgeon). Pulled the yak around a few times and was ready to untie the anchor a few times. Very dissapointed when I saw the wings.
Got a 22 inch striper a little before the ray.
Ken
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Hey guys here is the video click on the link below. Joel officially caught the worlds smallest green sturgeon on a kayak. Really cool looking fish.
Mike
http://www.dalecomputers.net/mov00002.mpg
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Hey guys try this link it should be faster to download
http://home.comcast.net/~mdale28/mov00002.mpa
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Good to fish with all you guys. Final count for me was a 22" and 16" Striper. I was using the 10lb mushroom and it held no problem. I may put on a short chain to weight it down a bit more.
Will definetely Try Bucks Landing again for sturgeon!
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Special thanks to Erik for putting us on some fish! Looking forward to another trip! Even though I caught a small one :fishing1 I'm definitely going to spend more time hunting for dinos! I'm hooked! :metal
Erik - let us know when you go out again! When will the next sturgeon tide occur? Even if it's on a weekday - I'll take a day-off from work and FISH! :fish
FYI: the green sturgeon that I hooked (and released) had some really SHARP spines on the back :smt065
:groupwave fun fishing with a great group of guys!
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Damn..... I wish I went fishing with you guys instead of hunting last Saturday. 3 sturgeon plus a few stripers -- that's awesome. I bet it was a blast!
I'm game for the next trip to Bucks.
-Chuck
PS..... Nice Video. Seeing is believing!
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That looked like a fun trip. I wish I could have joined you guys. From the video, I can see that it wasn't the calmest day. In fact, I was starting to feel a little sea sick watching it. :smt002
Erik,
Aren't you 2 for 2? You gotta try again to see if the streek continues.
Stuart
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Yup... 2 for 2 this season... if I include last season, it would go to 4 trips in a row...
I've probably just jinxed myself with this post though... :smt012
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Well... there ya go Stu. Sturgeon fishing is not that much of a longshot.... unless you're me :smt090 . I still need to catch my first one. I'd be happy with a shaker.
I might just try sometime this week. The outgoing tides look excellent.
-Chuck
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Sturgeon fishing seems to be more productive than halibut fishing... At least from a boat of some type. The PFIC guys really put in alot of work but only rarely catch one.
You guys should really try not to snare undersized sturgies, it can hurt them pretty badly. I'll make sure to bring my huge net when I join in. Looks like I won't be going out until maybe new-years weekend.
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I agree...with Halibut - they can almost be anywhere where the bottom is sandy at any given time - that's a big area to cover. With Sturgeon - there's always that window of opportunity when the tide is moving in or out. And it seems like they are usually caught at the same given area during the season. And I'm pretty sure the Strugeon will give a better fight than the Halibut. The downfall of Dino fishing is being anchored in a spot - where the "rod tip watching" can get pretty dizzy. But I can always practice my kareoke singing. :smt034
The plus side of halibut fishing is that you can drift and cover more water.
But what the hell - it's fishing and it's better than doing yard work..... :smt002
Which is better tasting - Halibut or Sturgeon?
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Which is better tasting - Halibut or Sturgeon?
IMO, they are both among the best eating fish around... I like firm fish.
Which is better? Hard to say... I like halibut for it's sweetish flavor, but I love the firm texture of sturgeon.
I can't put one ahead of the other... they're both excellent.
Erik