NorCal Kayak Anglers
General => Fish Talk => Topic started by: mooch on July 27, 2007, 03:49:45 PM
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Hey Brian G....perhaps you can share your first hand experience with us :smt044
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Two first hand accounts of seal/ seal line attacks.
In 98 I was first first kayaking in Avila bay. There was a harbor seal that made friends with me. I had rented a sit on top kayak from the rental place and paddled out with a group of friends on a tour. The harbor seal swam up to me at high speed and bumped the boat which sent me swimming. This happened several more times after I would climb back on top. Little bastard was having fun at my expense. :smt013
More recently I had trolled up a monster sized striper off of sea bright beach in Santa Cruz, fish was my biggest striper in years, guestimated in the high twenties/low thirties. I gaffed the fish and was trying to figure out how I am going to stow the fish. My freedom has double hatches with a small center screw in hatch that was too small for the fish. I took too long deciding on what to do. A large sea lion popped up along side of me and latched on to fish. I held on to the gaff and got flipped in to the water with the sea lion. :smt010
If there ever is a hunting season for sea lions I will be the first to sign up. :smt067
-Brian G
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From our friends in the Federal Government (NOAA)
Potential Deterrence Methods for Pacific Harbor Seals & California Sea Lions
http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/Marine-Mammals/Seals-and-Sea-Lions/upload/Deter-Pinnipeds.pdf (http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/Marine-Mammals/Seals-and-Sea-Lions/upload/Deter-Pinnipeds.pdf)
Potential methods for use by fishers to deter Pacific harbor seals and California seal lions from damaging gear or catch (anglers must be actively fishing with gear deployed).
Visual Repellents/Noise Makers:
boat hazing, circling
pounding on hull
pyrotechnics (e.g., bird screamers, bangers, underwater firecrackers, cracker shells)
starter pistols
horns, bells, whistles
Physical Contact:
slingshots
paint ball guns
non-lethal ammunition (e.g., rubber bullets, sabot rounds, game stingers)
Methods to Avoid The following methods and techniques have an increased likelihood of causing injury or death and should be avoided.
No Firearms with live (lethal) ammunition
No Devices with Injurious Projectiles (e.g., archery gear, crossbows, spear guns, bangsticks)
No Sharp/Pointed Objects (e.g., harpoons, spears, gaffs, nail studded bats/poles/clubs)
No Entangling Devices (e.g., loose webbing, snares, concertina wire)
No Aggressive Tactile Methods (e.g., striking animals with bats, hammers etc., impact with vehicles or boats)
No Tainted Baits or Poisons
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I was paddling out one early morning with papa Bill out of Moss Landing (last year)in hopes of catching Salmon...well, as we were making our way out of the Harbor, I suddenly - nearly got knocked out of my kayak :smt118 It was still dark and did not get a visual of what had hit me :smt011 I later realized that I had been paddling in about 3 feet of water and paddled over a colony of sea lions :smt013
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I have only had one encounter with a sea lion, about 15 years ago, at Elkhorn Slough. I was following a sea lion in my kayak (yeah, I know), and he kept turning around to look at me. After a minute or two, he turned around, swam to me, and put his entire head across the bow of my kayak and gave me an evil look. Having trained protection dogs in the past, I took that to be a domination challenge, so I backed off quickly. He left me alone after I retreated. If I had been stupid enough to challenge him, I think he would have sunk my kayak or bit me. Just speculation, but that was how it felt.
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I had a run in with a pair of these beasts. True monsters. I was just paddling back to pillar point harbor from mavericks and one was swimming up from underneath me and smashing into the back of my kayak, creating a splash and thumping the boat good. The other was franticly jumping around the boat in front of me lookin like something was chasing it. I got spalshed again....thoroughly scared sh**less I look over and the little bastard popped up next to his buddy. All three of us traded dirty looks and I went on my way. Stupid 10 lb. harbor seals. :smt013
PS why is this in Fish Talk? jmairey's gonna have a field day with this one :director:
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Underwater, they'll come up to you and bop you in the face with their snouts. We were scuba diving off La Paz, Baja years ago and my wife got popped. Apparently that's how they greet each other. They also "bark" underwater to posture, but I think they realize that they're in their element, and you're no real threat. These seemed to be females...not sure if the males were even interested.