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May 04, 2024, 06:08:08 PM
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Kayak Diving and Spearfishing / Shallow Cherry Smash
« on: March 14, 2019, 08:42:29 AM »
Snuck out before dawn with my buddy Luke who is a bartender at the Alvarado Street Beer garden.
http://www.alvaradostreetbrewery.com/monterey-beer-garden/
Luke is a super nice guy I have known for awhile, and he has been trying to get into spearing for about a year but has had issues getting his mask to seal around his facial hair and not puking his guts out when gets seasick.
Kicked out to a nice area I know, but Luke was having mask issues so moved to a little shallower area.
Found a decent cabbie chilling on top of a pinnacle, but surge and whitewater came in and washed us out before I could get Luke on it...
He then swallowed some seawater and got sick so I explored around to see what else I could find...
Came across a cool undercut boulder and way back in the dark I could see a nice Ling head....came up and looked around to try and call Luke over to shoot it, but couldn't see him, wasn't sure if he had got his mask and puking under control, was afraid surge and whitewater might wash me out of area...so I shot her myself.
Nice 31.5 inch, spawned out 11.6 pound blue beauty.
http://doty.norcalkayakanglers.com/leader_board/3416/show
Swam back and found Luke and showed him the fish, and how to bleed it, and told him at least we had dinner for him and his GF now...
He said he was still feeling sick, but was gonna try and at least shoot some of the blue rockfish hanging in the shallows before giving up...
I strung the Ling on my belt and kept searching, and very shortly found a NICE Ling head in a little hole.
Came up and called for Luke, and he swam over and showed me had just shot a nice blue...his very first speared fish ever!
I said F that noise, gimme your gun with that fish, take my gun and come blast this beast.
Dove down and pointed out where the fish was hiding, Luke dropped down and nailed it right in the eye, shaft came out the belly and even went back through the tail, and the fish darted out of the hole double skewered.
I dove down and grabbed it and brought it up for Luke and showed him how to get his hand in its throat to control it, how to bleed it, and how to brain it.
Beautiful golden fish that taped out to 36.5 inches, and weighed 16.9 pounds spawned out with totally empty belly...would have been close to 20 pounds with any belly contents or eggs.
Luke is younger than me so I made him hike the fish and banks board back out to the truck, and then we took some pics and had some beers, and I filleted mine to show him how to do the different cuts and how to get the collars off etc.
I've put a lot of folks on their first Lings, but pretty sure this is the biggest first I have found for anyone...so stoked it worked out and he finally got some fish and such a beautiful Ling!
Both Lings found under 15 feet of water....gotta love shallow hole hunting!!
Here's a rough Insta edit and some pics.
https://instagram.com/p/Bu02TgHg0N4/
Sincerely,
Jim
http://www.alvaradostreetbrewery.com/monterey-beer-garden/
Luke is a super nice guy I have known for awhile, and he has been trying to get into spearing for about a year but has had issues getting his mask to seal around his facial hair and not puking his guts out when gets seasick.
Kicked out to a nice area I know, but Luke was having mask issues so moved to a little shallower area.
Found a decent cabbie chilling on top of a pinnacle, but surge and whitewater came in and washed us out before I could get Luke on it...
He then swallowed some seawater and got sick so I explored around to see what else I could find...
Came across a cool undercut boulder and way back in the dark I could see a nice Ling head....came up and looked around to try and call Luke over to shoot it, but couldn't see him, wasn't sure if he had got his mask and puking under control, was afraid surge and whitewater might wash me out of area...so I shot her myself.
Nice 31.5 inch, spawned out 11.6 pound blue beauty.
http://doty.norcalkayakanglers.com/leader_board/3416/show
Swam back and found Luke and showed him the fish, and how to bleed it, and told him at least we had dinner for him and his GF now...
He said he was still feeling sick, but was gonna try and at least shoot some of the blue rockfish hanging in the shallows before giving up...
I strung the Ling on my belt and kept searching, and very shortly found a NICE Ling head in a little hole.
Came up and called for Luke, and he swam over and showed me had just shot a nice blue...his very first speared fish ever!
I said F that noise, gimme your gun with that fish, take my gun and come blast this beast.
Dove down and pointed out where the fish was hiding, Luke dropped down and nailed it right in the eye, shaft came out the belly and even went back through the tail, and the fish darted out of the hole double skewered.
I dove down and grabbed it and brought it up for Luke and showed him how to get his hand in its throat to control it, how to bleed it, and how to brain it.
Beautiful golden fish that taped out to 36.5 inches, and weighed 16.9 pounds spawned out with totally empty belly...would have been close to 20 pounds with any belly contents or eggs.
Luke is younger than me so I made him hike the fish and banks board back out to the truck, and then we took some pics and had some beers, and I filleted mine to show him how to do the different cuts and how to get the collars off etc.
I've put a lot of folks on their first Lings, but pretty sure this is the biggest first I have found for anyone...so stoked it worked out and he finally got some fish and such a beautiful Ling!
Both Lings found under 15 feet of water....gotta love shallow hole hunting!!
Here's a rough Insta edit and some pics.
https://instagram.com/p/Bu02TgHg0N4/
Sincerely,
Jim
