NorCal Kayak Anglers
Dive Zone => Kayak Diving and Spearfishing => Topic started by: BigJim on March 14, 2018, 01:28:25 PM
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I hate working on my birthday so took the day off and headed out on my buddy Jeff's beautiful 43 foot Riviera to go for a dive.
Spot I chose had great viz, but was pretty dead and super surgy. I took a small but legal bright blue cabbie, but wasn't finding anything else I felt like shooting...
Eventually found a nice looking slab of rock with a nice crack underneath it down at 32 feet...
Peeked in one side and looked empty...
BUT, just over the top of a rock way back in the crack I saw something brown that looked "off"...and to me it looked like it might be the top of a dorsal fin of a fish peeking up from the other side of the rock.... :smt003
Went up and breathed up and dropped down and looked in from the other side, and immediately saw the obvious honeycomb pattern of a nice Ling and followed the body up with my light to a big golden eye ball. :smt007
My dive buddy and good friend Bryan hasn't shot a nice Ling yet so I went up and called him over...
Told him where to look and he dropped down but came back up and said there was nothing there... :smt010
I dropped down and looked again and the fish was still there...but I decided that I would take it instead of giving Bryan a second chance...being my birthday and all. :smt002 :smt044 :smt005
Took my time and lined up the shot and placed my shaft right behind it's eyeball.
Left the fish there and went back to the surface instead of trying to extract the Ling right away...next drop the fish came out super easy and I was stoked to see that while not a monster she was definitely a solid meaty fish. :smt001
Did some hooting and hollering with Bryan on the surface, ripped the gills out, admired the pretty fish and then worked our way back to the boat.
Enjoyed the ride back to the harbor drinking beers and gutting and filleting...was stoked so see that the Ling was spawned out, and that instead of eggs she had a whole Lingcod folded up in her belly. :smt005
Gifted the blue cabbie to my buddy Jim who is the husband of my daughters' dentist, and gave the boneless fillets to Jeff and Martin since they have stoked me out a bunch with boat rides.
Once back on shore we had a few beers and chilled, and then headed over to Alvarado Street Brewery for beers and lunch.
Martin drove Bryan and I home, and then I headed to sushi dinner with my girls and some good family friends.
Super fun day all around and I feel very grateful for the nice fish and all the love and support from my family and friends.
:smt008
Here's some pics and a quick vid...
https://youtu.be/OXq--yKlEkk
:smt006
Sincerely,
Jim
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:smt006
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Glad you took a day off and went diving on your BD. Thanks for the report, pictures, and video Jim.
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awesome stuff. Glad you had a blast on you BD! :kick :kick :kick
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You da birthday man Jim. Nice job stay young.
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Another Cannibal Ling. Nice
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Thanks for the report bigjim. Awesome video and pictures as always.
Happy Birthday!! :occasion16: :occasion15: :occasion14:
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Ling tossing on ur bd. :smt001
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Ling tossing on ur bd. :smt001
Looked like a well rounded Birthday ! Happy Belated B.D. Jim . :fishing1 :beer3