Pigeon Point Sunday 10/14

Eric (Eyeatbay) fished Pigeon Point solo last weekend so a small group decided to keep him company today.  Besides Eric and myself this expeditionary group included CafeCraig, Nathan (Newb), Dave and Ed (?).

The weather was not prime, we launched in the fog and it was foggy/windy most of the day.  The swell was pretty good sized (6 - 8 ft) but manageable.  The cove below the lighthouse parking lot is well protected so launching and landing was not an adventure.  Once the fog went away it was quite scenic. 

That area is loaded with seals.  They weren't following us around, we just happened to be fishing in their spots.  A party boat came by to scout the area and then left.

Eric and I launched before anyone else had arrived.  So we let the drift take us south.  We didn't see very many reefs but there were pockets in the rocks that looked fishy.  Fishing was very slow and the few fish that were caught were small.  Eric and I each caught a Cabbie but nothing else.  We had little nibbles all day and suspect that it was kingfish or jack smelt.  On our FF's we saw bait balls all day.

I was hoping that fish would make the migration to Pigeon Point from BH but that was wishful thinking.  At least we got our lines wet.

I'll let the others add their comments.

Gary

Hey Gary and others. WTG on the cabbie and sticking with it.

Scott

The cove below the lighthouse parking lot is well protected so launching and landing was not an adventure

Guys, really?
 If the launching is good, why isn't this the go-to place rather than Davenport?
 The bite is off lately but will return...then this place could be alive, no?!
 How far was the carry from the parking lot?
 Steve

I've never been to Davenport so I can't make any comparisons.  Hopefully someone can chime in.  However, compared to the Bean, PP has much fewer reefs to fish and PP was loaded with seals actively swimming and most likely feeding.   

This was my first time at Pigeon Point so it was a learning experience.  The cabbies were a bonus.  The carry from the parking lot includes going down a set of stairs for about 50 yds.

There were alternating rocks and sand so I suspect that when the bite turns on it would be productive.  For the party boats to be working that area they must have caught fish from there.  We were wondering if the storm that blew in late last week pushed the fish into deeper waters.

Gary

Isnt that area known to be sharky? 

That being said, is anywhere in the salt NOT sharky?

Sharky and also halibuty~!
 Steve

I fished/dove it for years and never took halibut there but maybe I was missing something

very sharky spot, basically part of the ano nuevo neighborhood   A guy lost half his bod at the washrocks out from the beach    OSpace management guy said they'd seen a gw breach from shore

Is ano off limits to launching now? My buddy used to dive it and apparently it's pretty fishy

Gary, thanks for the report. I have wondered about that spot for awhile so I appreciate your exploring and report. Steve

In my mind a lot of seals= sharks.

For you guys that miss the Bean (like me) Pigeon Point would be a great substitute "IF" the bite were to turn on.

We should thank Eric (Eyeatbay) who was the one who scouted PP out and got the rest of us out there.  After talking to Dave and Ed, it would appear that they've been there more than a few times and I appreciate the intel you had to offer. 

If you go, follow Hwy 1 (Cabrillo Hwy) to the PP lighthouse exit.  Take that turnoff, follow the road towards the beach and turn left into the International Hostel parking lot.  Its about a quarter mile off the main highway.  The path to the cove and launch is to the left as you face the hostel building.  The walk down to the cove is steep but they have real stairs and its not an eroded footpath (without the poison oak).  There are portable toilets at the far end of the parking for a pitstop before the paddle.

Regarding sharks...you betcha they're going to be there.  Just south of PP and around the corner is Ano Nuevo.  That's like 5 star dining to a GWS and there were a bunch of seals everywhere at PP.  One breached about 10 feet away from me and freaked me out.  Normally they pop up about 50 ft away and check you out.  This one probably wasn't paying attention and paniced when it saw me.  Cafecraig was next to me at the time and wanted to make sure that it was indeed a seal.  So no one dangled their feet while fishing at PP.

Is this area prime for Halibut?  No one caught a butt on this trip but looking at the terrain on the FF, I would fully expect that there were butts underneath us.  The water was pretty cold though, it was 53 to 54 degrees all day.  Oh yeah there was lots of bait in the area, a couple of times the ball was so big it filled up the FF screen.  I didn't have a sabiki rigged up but this would have been the prime time to make some bait.

When we were leaving lots of people showed up to visit the light house.  Its supposed to be quite historic and the view from the bluff is awesome.

Gary

how'd eric do the other times he went? any good then? I have heard of folks doing just fine fishing wise there.

personally, it does feel a little close to aNo to be a regular destination.

J

I fished PP twice.  Both times, nothing but kingfish.  Small RC around the light house rocks.  Otherwise you have to paddle out to Franklin Pt.  I've seen Party boats out there (Tiger Fish).  Anybody know if there's any launching spot near Franklin Pt.?

Eugene.

Thank sandman for detailed report on PP fishing trip. His description pretty much summarizes the spot, which leaves me little to add.  Good job, Gary.

Sunday's bites were way off. Storms just passed and swells were 4-6ft (not flat). I guess fish was shy and hiding. I had a few previous trips to this area. Definitely, gws is always a fear factor to me. If I was alone, I did not want to venture out far (<1/2 mile).

There were Halibuts in the summer. I lost one to a seal after battling Hali for a while. I caught a few decent blacks (2+lb) in the previous trips. Cab seems more typical, because I had a cab in each trip. We met Dave and Ed last sunday, they shared similar experience.

Is the place really fishy? I doubt it.  I believe Seals have taken most ahead of us.  BH is more fishy than PP. Compared with Davenport, PP is better in launching, paddling and fishing. But, DP has less seal problems to deal with. This is IMO, based on my limited experience to the spot.

Hope it helps if you are curious.

Good work and recon Fellas. I'm missing it bad!
.......maybe all those seadogs keep the good fish away by EATING them, like Eric says.
Way to get out and stick to plan!