Carmel 9/16 diving report

Okay, nobody is having much to report. So now you can all read mine...  although a bit late.
I dove a spot in Carmel last Saturday. It's a bit rough with close-together breaking waves, but I still managed to get out. The kelp is a bit dense, and the fish liked to stay inside the beds. I sort of dove down and swam into the kelp bed, hunt underneath all the kelp, then swam out and surface outside the bed. Took home 5 decent blues and 1 grass. (could've limited easily on blues, but I was looking for that always-elusive big one...) I used my polespear, but I probably would do better with a gun. The fish were skittish and I had to chase down almost every single one of them. There was this fat 25"'ish grass rockfish, just swam under me while I needed to get a breath. I dove down again and it hurried into a deep hole. I couldn’t get close enough in time for the polespear but if I brought my gun, I would have a good shot. It sure didn’t get to be that big by being stupid.
For the past 4 dives in different areas in Carmel, I have yet to see a lingcod. Maybe I am not diving deep enough? I checked out a lot of cracks and crevices to 25' deep, saw some sublegal cabbies but no ling. Probably the areas I dive are too popular, lingcods either learned or were already in someone's BBQ!

Hey Leon. Good to read your report. Carmel does seem almost fished out though there can be some places that hold good quality fish such as  gaps between kelp patches.
I haven't fished in a couple of weeks and this weekend doesn't look good either for kayaking out in the ocean. Hope you can make it somewhere so that we'll read another report soon:)

Hey leony, was that carmel dive at carmel river beach / monastery? north monastery is home to some big lings as my friend tom and i have been diving there for years and he pulled out one as big as 37" last year.

South Monastery is also good and there are actually more lings here than north monastery.

Are you sure it was a Grass rocky you saw? That would be probably a record GR fish.

Yes a polespear is a challenge but a gun would provide easier breath holds since you are not having to deathgrip the handle like holding the powerband on a polespear.

Next time you are out, try diving down and remaining stationary on the bottom, scratch the tip of your spear on a rock and watch for the fish to start getting curious. Some of the biggest ling cod i see are the ones which poke their heads out when they hear noise and come out to investigate.

lingcod sem to enjoy having a view down and around. they like to sit with just their heads out in an area where they can see the fish passing bu. sometimes you will see just a portion of their body. the best place to shoot them is behind the pectoral fins, or just behind the eyes. sometimes you can just swim up to them with a dive knife and catch them by stabbing them right on the top of their head. you may not even need to load the polespear band for them. but be prepared to grab them once you do so they dont get away.

Each time we dive Monterey and Carmel its a rare day hen we don't limit on lings and usually that is when vis is really low or the fish are really holed up. Otherwise 75% of the larger lings are laying camoflaged on the bottom, perched on slabs of rock or sitting on pinnacles. Rarely do I spend a day purely loking for lings in holes. They match their terrain well and I usually get them while they are just sitting there checking out the other fish.

Tapping on rocks or scrathcing them also brings them out to the open.

With a speargun its easier to take fish from farther. I don't think I can take a calico in Monterey with a polespear but with a speargun i love spending the day laying on the bottom and watching them cruise by for a look.

I use a 90 cm gun in bad vis and a 100 cm gun when its good. nothing longer for these waters. both have a riffe shaft with stinger tip.

The lings are there, you just need to train your eyes to look for them. once I was abalone diving and had to return an abalone to the bottom, went to put it on the side of a rock and the whole thing moved like a giant snake. it was actually a huge lingcod.

i hope to dive this weekend, low tidal swing makes it perfect.

John,
I did dive North Monastary a couple of times. It's pretty rough for exit, being so close to Monastary Beach. I never tried South Monastary, because I don't know the boundary of the preserve, don't want to risk a ticket.
Yeah, I am pretty sure it's a record or close to record sized grassie. I have a cheapo 90cm Sporasub Black Viper, it shoots okay, but the barrel leaks. I just plugged it, hope it holds up okay. I am taking it to Catalina at the end of this month for the lobster opener. Hoping for a not-so-smart WSB or a lost yellowtail.
Leon

north monastery between the rocks north of the main beach is a good place to go in and out. i like that place when there is good vis its open and out of sight. south monastery is better for fish i think and it would be a long swim to get to lobos reserve. you can actually go pretty far around the exit and still not be in the reserve. i have swam almost a half mile out and around and it was still a ways out.

sporasub black vipers are by far the besy guns i ever had. i take more fish with the black vipers than any other gun i own and have used them for a lot. they shoot fast, easy to track game and strong trigger so you can double band it and add another wrap of line to it for farther shots. changing a sporasub cartridge trigger takes all of 2 minutes too while other triggers require complete disassembly.

since 3 years ago i use nothing but black vipers.

wood guns for blue water are nice but for close shots and speed, nothing beats a eurogun.

try doing some shooting along cannery row and mcabee beach. you'll swim over calicos. you can sit there in the kelp, wait for one to swim under and dive directly on top of it and get him right in the head.

those guns are perfect for hunting in these areas. if you go to channel islands you may want to think of a bluewater gun or wood gun. at cortez bank i tried to use an overpowered euro gun and it was miserable. kickback of the gun and always wondering how much pressure the trigger mech will take. i think for channel islands and south a big woody may be good.

enjoy the hunting! i wish i could go too!

john

John,
Thanks.
It's hard to shell out major bucks for a bluewater gun while I know I will have absolutely zero use for it locally though. Last time I got a big calico bass in Catalina with my polespear. Another diver saw some lost yellowtails the day before, so they are there, as long as I appear disintereted and let'em check me out
I will try out South Monastary one of these days, I guess it has to be a really calm day.
Leon

i agree, big guns are pricey and i myself have never bought one although i have done hunting in mexico and channel islands, los coronados as well. i have seen guys take large WSB with 100 cm euroguns as well.

i think yellowtail would pretty well be possible with your gun. rig it with 400lb mono, 2 wraps of it, cut the muzzle and install a second band, use a strong shaft like a riffe euroshaft and you should be good to go. use a floatline and a float.

the heavier riffe shaft with a 2 banded eurogun will be able to plant the shaft in the yellowtail and out the other side. maybe near the head would be good. otherwise a slip tip is better for body shots.

well heck, you got calico with a pole spear so yellowtail is easier. just dive down, hang out and they will come by. try putting some prismatic tape on the tube of your gun in the shape of baitfish also, the shiny stuff draws em in. then you can POP em!