Humboldt Bay - 3/26/10 - Video Added

For a while now I've been guilty of yakfishing quite a bit and reporting very little.  The truth is I've been on quite a skunk series - it's feeling like a curse at this point!    I put in 12 hours or so of steelhead fishing on the South Fork of the Eel, but the best I could manage was a blurry pic of some driftboaters catching a nice 10 pounder.  Not a nibble for me this steelie season...  I got plenty of scenic footage and enjoyed some paddles upstream and drifts back down, but it felt a little hollow not ever getting bit.  It fizzled my report and video motivation, but it'll come back...  Three times recently I've hit Humboldt Bay near south Eureka in search of the beach where the local paper reported "limits" of redtail perch.  I finally found it the other night doing some recon on my way home at a remote parking lot that I never knew of.  A guy hanging out with his dog told me of several other folks parked there who were headed perch fishing.  I got back on it this morning with Domenic - last Saturday we were out and he hooked up a little skate/ray/mud marlin from the yak plus a dink perch that he hooked from the beach.  Being fixated on catching one from the yak, due to AOTY of course, I bobbed around in the little mini-breakers paddling against the wind to keep my shrimp bouncing in the sweet spot.  That was perch-skunk day 1 last weekend.  I came back by myself after work a couple days later and paddled around in hurricane force winds - that day, perch-skunk day 2, I caught a little flounder of some type that I've posted for AOTY - if it turns out to be an off-limits fish or little hali I'll remove it...  I loved holding my own in the wind storm on the X-Factor.    So last night Dom and I schemed about getting to the "real" perch beach that we'd failed to find last week.  I got there before Dom and hit the water this morning at 7:30.  It was smooth and glassy inside.  I rounded the corner into the open bay and heading for the entrance and there were some squirly swells breaking on a shoal outside of my position, receding to just a steep bump, and sometimes re-breaking in the area I was paddling through.  It was kinda hairball due to those unpredictable swells, but I took my time and watched the trends.  I checked it out for 20 minutes or so before Dom arrived and we decided to push on to the promiseland of perch.  The incoming tide was finishing a significant flood, and the water laid down and got nice for fishing right behind little breakers along Elk River Beach.  Domenic is a perch expert, so I followed his lead about the little spots to cast to and try to hold your bait on as the current was pushing us up the beach.  He got a fish on, so Hope was alive!  A bit later and I had a few bites.  15 minutes before I had to bail to help the grandparents with doctor's appointments we both hooked up at the same time!  It was a blast landing a perch to the yak right behind the breakers.  Too bad it was only 9" (legal is 10.5").  

I'm glad to be off the shnyde, as it were, and maybe I'll even get inspired and make a video.  I just hope my big fish karma has been built up by all the fruitless fishing time OTW!  

Eric, glad you have been getting out OTW and fishing, even if the catching 'aint been so stellar...

I haven't caught a fish I could keep since RF season ended, but have had some great times OTW exploring new spots, picking up a few RockCrabs here and there, and just enjoying being on the kayak...
 
Thanks for the report and pictures, and I am sure your big AOTY fish are just around the corner!!
 
Sincerely,

Jim

good to read a report from you again, sounds like a real dry spell, but hey that only means you are due in a big way, and any day on the water is better than not, fish or no fish, cameron

Hang in there my friend.  I'm not doing any better than you lately as couldn't catch a darn Catfish for almost a month!    The Ab season and RF season are around the corner and things will get better.  Thanks for the great report and pictures as always Eric.

Nice Black Ab!  With the swells and weather Humboldt sees, stability really overcomes speed some times.  At least you are getting out there.  When that skunk gets off, I bet it will be wide open!  Maybe it will change for a nice chromer..... 

I am transfering to a new appointment soon, and will start having weekends off.  I hope to meet you in Eureka for some hook ups!  Be safe and I can't wait for the GMS 4 hook up!  Tell Domenic hello for me!

Matt

   Eric, as we have learned through you and others...It's all about the adventure. But it sure is nice to catch a fish once in awhile. A true dry spell is only when your kayak doesn't get wet.

Hang tough Eric,
 you will get the ju-ju back

I hear the Skunk Disease!!!!


   Just getting it OTway!!!

 See ya soon Bro     

No fizzling allowed!
I still say it's a sole.
To put your skunkstreak in perspective...I skunked my first 5 trips of 2010 (not counting rf or dabs). Still haven't caught a real fish yet this year lol.

Wow cool report.  Keep at it they are coming to you soon.  Good luck. Andy

Being such a NCKA junkie I did notice your absence, glad to hear you were getting out (catching or not). 

Looking forward to some of those awe inspiring reports and vids.

Take care

My video energies are starting to flow again...   

Abking keep the reports coming hoping your get a nice king soon to get that keeper of 2010. The year always starts off slow up here. Not so muc down south. The one thing I love about SLO is I am close enough to socal and norcal to fish both. Only thing is wish I had more guys into fishing the area in a kayak and exploring in the off season like right now getting someone to troll with is like pulling teeth... LOL

I will run a trip out of Port San Luis come wednesday and search for the salmon but sound really slow arround here sport boats our all getting the skunk...