Capitola pelicans and butts

Fished out of Capitola yesterday. There were a bunch of kayak fishermen out there. Maybe half of them post to this board. Saw one guy bring in two halibut that he got next to the kelp. I had no halibut luck. Toward the end of the day, I was drifting off New Brighton and hooked something big. It was stripping line off the drag, so I figured "it's about time!" When I got it to the surface, it was a rockfish! Biggest brown rockie I've ever seen. I did a C&R, since I was only looking to keep a halibut.

The pelicans were as thick as I've ever seen them. There were hundreds of them! Paddling through them was like being on a destroyer in a kamikaze attack. I took a few photos, but they don't really show the intensity of this huge flock of birds. It was really amazing to watch.

Cool, Bill.  You oughta get the video rolling on a Hitchcock scene like that!   

Yeah Eric, I need to get another camera. I can't really see much when I use the Optio for stills, what to speak of movies. Video would have been cool. At one point, half a dozen pelicans dive bombed in a circle around my kayak.

I launched from the beach at 8:30 and slowly worked my way over to a three member NCKA hit squad working some kelp. Nice to put faces to names, guys and gal! Despite the easy live bait pickings (see the birds), I had it in my head to stick to artificials, mostly just to see if they could work when live bait was in abundance. Uh, no.

Two hours fishing the kelp from the pier on over to 38th street, in 25 to 40 ft. of water, using a 2 oz. P-line iron (a somewhat cheaper option than other irons on the market if you tend to lose them like me) scored me nothing. Over the next 3 hours I switched to a 3-inch white scampi on a carolina rig set up. Nothing in the kelp and nothing drifting the flats adjacent to the kelp. I finished off the day drifting an anchovy swim bait from the kelp edges to the end of the pier in 12 to 20 feet of water. Two hours with no takers, but the weather was beautiful inside the bay, and I was entertained by the music coming from the grotto. What can I say, I had a coke and a smile.

And just to add some insult to injury, as I pulled my ride out of the water and began breaking it down. A little boy looks down on the sand and proclaims, "Look! Is that a fish?" Sure enough, he picks up a 4 inch baby halibut. Flipping perfect.

I launched from the beach at 8:30 and slowly worked my way over to a three member NCKA hit squad working some kelp. Nice to put faces to names, guys and gal! Despite the easy live bait pickings (see the birds), I had it in my head to stick to artificials, mostly just to see if they could work when live bait was in abundance. Uh, no.

whoa, that's some serious birds!

I once caught a 30" ling in capitola with a rebel 4.5" silver and blue jointed fasttrac on a threeway with a weight (and one of the three hooks removed) as anchovies swarmed all around. it's aboutu as anchovy looking as an artificial can get. sometimes a lure that looks kind of like the bait but sticks out a bit can get hit.

J

The birds have been thick. I fished Friday afternoon, Saturday am and Sunday am. I had to work through the pelicans to get bait. Finally I had enough and bought $3.00 worth of bait which filled my tank. I am still looking for the next halibut. I would have loved to have hooked some large rf. Three days, two short lings, 20+- small rf. We did have a wonderful anchovie dinner tonight.

  Not good day to be a small bait fish there!
 Quite a while ago, I was riding along West Cliff Dr.  and the water off thee beach across from Woodrow Ave. north was just filthy with gulls,& pellicans, it looked as if the entire Monterey bay population of sea birds was there that day!  It was so crazy, there were pelicans getting tumbled in the surf!  They literally blanketed the water. 

Yeah.... The pelicans were going CRAZY out there!

I got over the hill and down to the wharf around 6:30 and got unloaded, and
re-parked the car.  Met Kim and Ken and chatted for a little bit while
getting ready, nice to see you guys!  Launched under a swarm of pelicans and
started to make bait.  After catching a handfull of anchovies, started
getting splashed by the pelicans diving all around me!  Had to argue with
one of them who thought I was catching them lunch.

Fished the chovies around some kelp, and caught around 5-6 browns, and one
black all C&R (oh, and a star fish).  Headed out a bit farther to do a drift
for some halis.  Only had strikes, no full take downs, and even with a
stinger, seem to have missed some nice hits...  Did a drift with the wind
for a while, trying to stick to the edges of the kelp without getting
snagged, but nada...

Oh, and unfortunately somehow I broke my camera lens after the trip    So gonna have to look for a new camera   

Pelicans:

http://www.youtube.com/v/-PTbG9n_EqY

Arguing with Pelicans:

http://www.youtube.com/v/XE4e1Asr-dQ

"My chovie!"     good one, Al!   

Hey Al, Bill, Ken,

Great time meeting up with you on Saturday. I *really* like Capitola and the launch is a good one. Too bad the birds were so thick - I bet there were hali's to be had near the pier but the pelicans weren't havin any of that. Tried it one time and they dive bombed my anchovy just as I pulled it back.

It was funny hearing Al yell at the pelicans - glad you put that on tape!

I couldn't wait to catch that huge halibut and go on a "sleigh ride" as everyone keeps telling me will happen - no e ride for me that day.... 

Here is Al with one of the many rockfish he caught near the kelp:

Here is a short video of the Pelican Mob from last Saturday.


There weren't as many on Sunday but it was still crazy. I heard the Wharf has reopened to fishing, so maybe the anchovies have moved on.