Tomales Bay Report 5/16

So finally after a very exhausting move, we finally get out again on the yaks and this time somewhere new for this year...A good choice i believe and well deserved! We get to Miller park around 5:15 and launch around 6 and head straight to the mud flats with the outgoing. Get to the flats and drop the trap down right in front of where we banked it and let it soaked while we dig for clams! After getting muddy and cold and 40 mins later i decide to go check my promar trap. Get to the trap and to my amazement pull in my first 4 red rock crabs in my new trap! I was happy now! Set it back down and paddled back to the mud and decided to set up a rod for sharks. Throw out a anchovy smeared in procure predator sauce and set the clicker. At this time my Gf is coming back with a fair catch of clams and muddy and cold! She doesnt like the cold very much so we decided to pack up and head back with the incoming! As im packing up i see a funny pumping like bite/action on my rod. Pick it up and fill hardly anything and as i start to reel in the the slack its back. Set the hook, and WHAM, BENDO! Fills heavy, was heavy. Fish pulls and moves 40 yards to the left and then turns and does the same 40yds back to the right. It was give and take like that for 5 plus mins. and i could only think this must be a Huge Shark or a..........finally get it in close enough and its a Big Ray! Exhausted, get it on the bank, snap some photos and let it go! What a fight that was. so we get back to the yaks and i have to pull up my trap again. Pull it up and this time 4 reds and 1 decent size Dungee! Its like 10:30 and we already have a nice catch of Lovely and tasty crabs and clams and fulfilled already! On the way back in tried drifting for hali's but only managed 3 smelts for bait on the sabiki rig! Water was nice and graphed lots of bait.Probably all smelt! Call it quits and headed in for lunch. 1 guy at the ramp said they got 1 27in. hali but that was it. So there out there! Packed our gear and headed for Tomales bay Oyster farm where we met up with some friends and finished the day with a great lunch of Oysters and links! Im still exhausted as im writing this report but cant wait to get back out there!

Thanks for the report and pics!!  Looks like a great time.. I am hoping to get out to Tomales again very soon.

Thanks for the report.  Those "mud marlin" are fun as hell.

great report, thanks for sharing, love tomales bay oyster company, need to get back out there, cameron

sounds like you had a lot of fun, landing a ray is always a challenge and the fight is always to remember. those oysters look real good!

That was a nice all around report
yakking, fishing, clamming, crabbing, bbqing,  what more can you ask!

That was a nice all around report
yakking, fishing, clamming, crabbing, bbqing,  what more can you ask!

A lovely lady to share all these things with... priceless. You've got a good life bud. Thanks for sharing.

Sounds like a great day Ricci, thanks for the report and pics!

Nice haul there bro. Congrats!

Jedmo

Way to go bro! You and the gf did great. Too bad there wasn't a classification for that bat ray for the AOTY. No pictures of you guy's digging in the mud?

WTG man! I love hooking into those bats, they will put up a hell of a fight. All that crab an shellfish is gonna taste mighty good.

WTG ! Nice haul. Hope you get a Hali next time, goodluck..aka-kimo

thankyou all for the feed back guys and wish some ncka'ers were there to enjoy the day also. we would've taken more pics but when your hands are covered in sand and are cold and numb as Hell from digging, its kinda hard to stay on an expensive camera let alone being in ocean conditions! My hands are still "F" up! And those red rock crabs are harder then sh$! to crack open! lol still cant wait to go back tho!

Fishworks doing it right! Good job out there.