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Topics - Tim in Albion

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1
Tried crabbing in Big River on opening day. First off, it was a crazy scene, at least two dozen boats in the water including several powerboats. Not used to seeing that up here.
Crabbing was a total bust. I only heard of one or two legal size Dungeness.
New to me was the European Green Crab, which far outnumbered the few Dungeness I pulled up. Last July I don't remember seeing any - this time it's almost all you catch. Apparently the same story on the Albion, and I just talked to some guys throwing snares in the Noyo and they are getting them too.
So, we are in the early explosive-growth stage of an invasion. Probably won't be worth trying the rivers/estuaries here for a couple of years at least. I just hope those things don't move out into the open water as well.

2
Fished out of Albion with three others yesterday. The fishing was generally slow, not a hot bite, but we plugged away and got some keepers. Polepole bogarted the Lings, catching his limit while the rest of us failed to get any.
The ocean is looking really good - a huge amount of phytoplankton and zooplankton, lots of baitfish, the kelp beds are expanding, and the water is nice and cold (around 51F). The abundance of food probably explains the slow bite - all the fish are stuffed, mostly with small prey.

The big event for me was catching my first kayak salmon, a legal-sized King that hit a little rockfish jig while I was moving from one spot to another. Unfortunately salmon season doesn't open up here until next Tuesday, so after several minutes of excitement I managed to bring it to the boat, get the hook out (fortunately barbless), and watch it zip away.
Two hours later we got checked by the CDFW patrol boat, so it sure was a good day to be a law-abiding citizen!

We saw several salmon chasing baitfish, and one even hit my buddy's rockfish jig while he was fiddling around with a descender. So they are out there and voracious! By Tuesday of course they will all disappear...

3
General Talk / Things you pull up in crab rings
« on: November 11, 2020, 09:12:55 AM »
We catch a lot more than crabs in our pots and rings... what's the strangest thing you've pulled up?

Yesterday I came up with several small California halibut, around 8" long, and this monster Buffalo Sculpin. Don't think I've ever seen one of those before. This one had a huge full belly - I wonder how many crabs he had just eaten... there weren't any left in the ring!

4
Hookups and Fishing Reports (Viewable by Public) / Mendo this week
« on: July 26, 2020, 03:53:51 PM »
Forecast looks good, finally. Late notice I know, but I'd love to have some company for a Navarro launch Monday or Tuesday...

5
Safety First / Mendocino kayak incident
« on: July 10, 2020, 11:06:00 PM »
Trying to find more information about an incident from a couple weeks ago. Apparently a kayak was found in the rocks off Caspar, but no kayaker was found. Coast Guard searched with a chopper, VFD searched, but nothing found. Anybody hear anything?

6
Couple of us are heading out from Russian Gulch late this afternoon, probably around 4:00-4:30 for a short jigging trip.
One of us (not me!) has to work, otherwise I'd be out there already... looks gorgeous.

7
Fish Talk / Anchovies on the Beach
« on: May 28, 2019, 08:59:16 AM »
Something I've never seen before. Couple days ago a school of Northern Anchovy somehow got caught in the surf at Navarro Beach. An immense feeding frenzy took place, lasting for several hours according to a couple I talked to. I estimated at least 1,000 birds were present, perhaps twice that, and two or three dozen sea lions in addition to the resident harbor seals.

I wasn't prepared, or I could have loaded up on bait. Never saw Anchovy on the beach before.

8
For Sale / Swell Scupper 14, FB
« on: May 25, 2019, 09:45:19 PM »
Liquid Fusion Kayaking is selling two nearly-new Swell Scupper 14 kayaks.
https://mendocino.craigslist.org/spo/6896700335.html

I think these probably have the original scupper plugs, but don't know for sure.

9
General Fishing Tips / Reel maintenance - really necessary
« on: March 12, 2019, 08:44:34 PM »
Finally got around to lubing my reel, a Quantum Boca 50 bought new last summer. Start work on it and water starts dripping out... that's not a good sign... apparently when you drop it in the drink, water gets in and doesn't get back out again... so a quick lube job turned into an all-afternoon teardown, degreasing, drying, relubing and reassembly project. Got it before the corrosion really got going though, just a few blotches.

Running smooth now, and now I know to open it up whenever it gets dunked. Which, with my mad skillz, will be pretty much every time I take it on the kayak.

10
Hookups and Fishing Reports (Viewable by Public) / Big River, Mendocino Bay
« on: December 03, 2018, 11:27:08 PM »
Anybody here tried going in at Big River and out to the bay this fall? The configuration at the mouth of the river seems to create some nasty currents and I've been wondering if it's kayakable. Looks like the channel hugs the rock face at the south and there's a big shoal. Maybe ride the tide out?

Last week some guys tried surfing there when the swell was running 15 to 17 feet. One of them died. Definitely not a place to be when the ocean is riled up.

11
General Fishing Tips / Rock Crab won't let go!
« on: November 21, 2018, 08:02:22 PM »
Went out crabbing a couple days ago and pulled up a big Rock Crab with two huge claws. I've never eaten them so wanted to take that guy home, but he was not down with that plan. He got hold of the net and wouldn't let go. I tried a long slow pull, quick surprise pulls, putting the ring back in the water and trying to grab him when he let go to scuttle off... every time, he would just grab the net with those monster claws. I finally put the ring back in, waited until he was moving out and almost to the edge, then picked him up... and discovered they are a little more flexible than Dungies! He almost got my thumb, and when I tried to shift my grip, plop he went back home.

So... is there any trick to getting those things out of the netting? And are they worth the trouble?

(BTW, I did get a big Dungie in another ring, so we didn't go hungry)

12
KayakFishingMagazine.net / Is KFM extinct?
« on: November 07, 2018, 08:55:08 AM »
Tried to follow links, but nothing works. Server IP doesn't resolve. Facebook shows no new posts since 2017. Did it migrate somewhere or just disappear?

13
Introductions / New Old Guy
« on: October 30, 2018, 08:44:17 AM »
Been lurking for a while and finally got my kayak salty. Figured that meant it was time to join in the fun you all seem to have here!

I live in Albion, and fish with a friend in his rowboat every summer, but am a novice kayaker. I have an old Perception Illusion 14 that seems to paddle pretty well, despite being severely oil-canned, and am trying to rig it up for fishing.

Looking forward to more time on the water, and maybe running into some of you on the beach.

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