SWS and SWN, great day to be on the water 5/8/2010

I arrived at 7.00 am at Stillwater Carmel and it was like a big blue lake. I saw some folks yak fishing getting set up and one guy with a great motor setup with pontoons. never seen anything like it but i bet its a lot of fun to ride in. met some of the Tritons , great bunch of guys and really friendly.

i paddled south of arrowhead and the water was cold, colder than the last time i was out and i felt it. first dive saw a big monkey faced eel staring at me from a hole. his whole face closed up the hole and i watched it for a bit then moved on. the head was BIG.

i visited the Ling hotel and found one occupant which i invited home for dinner. really friendly and cooperative. vis started waning with some wind and surge so i left to head north. south side proved to be not really fishy for some reason. north was like a fish party.

north side was a blast, thermocline was warm and toasty and the first dive i saw a undersized ling on a pinnacle. vis was about 40 - 50 feet and probably even more. I went through the cathedral made of kelp stalks and saw large schools of blue and some with the tell tale sign of ling bites. dive down again and saw another ling cod but this one was also small. get out and dive rain or shine there when the swells are down, its so worth it!

i looked for abalone shells and found a stash just outside of a cabezon house. i went back down and the cabezon was sitting adjacent to his hole and i got him to go to the kayak with me. my last fish was a olive RF which i love to eat.

the thermocline kept me warm but diving down repeatedly got downright cold for me.

then it was time to go home to see my wife and daughter who could not make it with me this time. to them i would not only bring fish to eat but also this little guy i found injured on highway 156 en route to SW on this morning. he waited patiently in the car for me while i did my diving, what a pal!

Killer report!!

Congrats on the awesome day!!!!

Thanks for sharing!!

Sincerely,

Jim

thanks for the great read, what did you do with the fox pup, cameron

thanks for the great read, what did you do with the fox pup, cameron

unfortunately i had to give up the young fox to the SPCA where they would test it for rabies and i dont know what will happen to it after. i asked if it was ok for me to keep it and they said there is a whole host of laws forbidding one from keeping as a pet a wild animal.

i was bitten when i went to pick it up and i had to get a tetanus shot as well. i had no idea how much was involved in this event! the bite was very superficial but i am told to keep an eye on it and call animal control to get updates on the status of the fox as well. by the end of the day it recognized me and let me pet it with no issues. i guess the hours we had we created a bond 

i would have loved to get it healed and raise it but its not for its own best interest i guess.

anyhow, i got to spend a little time with it and that was nice. my daughter was able to see one for the first time as well so we'll remember the short term visitor!

john

great report and incredible pics.  what a photogenic lil critter

Man, what a great report!  That fox looks pretty happy to be riding around in your car!   

John... Kudos for your good deed.  I'm sure that's something that you and your daughter will always remember.

That's awesome - nice one.   

  Great stuff!

whats the size and bag limit on fox? very cute and building some karma in the wild kingdom is always a plus

whats the size and bag limit on fox? very cute and building some karma in the wild kingdom is always a plus

i dont know the min size or the bag limit but apparently one is even too much! one could get a nice round of injections like myself and a fat fine if caught with one! well, it was worth it and just getting the little guy off the road was worth the trouble to me. sure my morning didnt start as early as i'd hoped but it was so worth it.