Late Skunk Report 8-8 in SC

Got completely skunked last Sunday on the Westside.  At 0700, we counted over 50 pb's within a mile of our position.  Stayed in the kelp beds from 0700 to 1400 with only one bite.  My friend Steen did manage to catch what looked like a trout (15-inches long) right out of the gate on a scampi.  That was it for the fish.

I did manage to crash at the beach again (see "every rookie mistake" post below).  The extra weight throws the kayak balance off and it doesn't help to land at the start of a major set.  This time, however, the anodized aluminum aircraft rivets held solid.  The torque from my Ugly Stick rotating into the sand ripped the rod holders out of the milk crate, destroying about 1/4 of the crate.  All gear stayed on the kayak and was recovered.  I now know how to reconfigure my rod holders for beaching operations to avoid this problem in future.  By next week, the boat will be re-fitted and then I will gear up and spend an hour or so practice launching, surfing, self-rescuing and landing.  Once I get the boat fitted and my technique down, will post pics. 

Howard, thanks for sharing your report with us all. Sucks to hear that only 1 fish was caught, but at least you did go out!! I believe that trout-looking fish you caught is a kingfish (white croaker).

FYI, kingfish are good to use as live bait for the BIG halis, esp is sardines are scarce

A big bummer that you had another crash landing! As the saying goes: "practice makes perfect". Howard, I know for damn sure that you'll become a pro at landing in all conditions real quick!

Thanks for sharing, and if you ever want to fish together lemme and others know

- Daniel

Thanks Daniel.  From the pic's googled, I think you are right about the kingfish.

I'm still working the kinks out.  Once the kayak is rigged properly and my beach skills are improved, I look forward to fishing with NCKA folks: I don't want to be the weak sister on the water.  My goal is to be able to feel comfortable (but NOT cocky) enough to fish Big Sur, SMC, Sonoma and Mendo.  I'm hoping to get to that level before the season ends.

Wow, Big Sur, SMC, Sonoma & Mendo are all big feat!! Even I myself have not launched out of those spots as of yet. Although I have kayak fished couple handful of times out on the ocean, I don't consider myself ready for a launch like those places.

One thing I might suggest is taking a safety course out of MBK. Everyone has said it is a "must-do", and I will no doubt take that course before I try to launch out of any challenging spots.

Consider the course, maybe we can take it together

Hi Daniel

I have a lot of kayak experience surfing and rock-bashing, so I am a little too used to crashing (it's fun) and need to work that out.  I know how to get hammered on the beach while holding on to the boat and paddle without injury.    What I need to do is get comfortable handling the boat loaded with fishing gear and to practice launching. 

I'm in the process of rigging and re-rigging my OK Yahoo!... it's a discontinued SOT model designed for white-water and surfing.  Not exactly a perfect fishing platform but my WS Tarpon 100 is way too tippy for me to use.  The nice thing is that the empty weight is only 53-lbs.

I don't plan on taking any classes, I just need more practice getting off and on the beach through the surf with the fully loaded kayak.  Part of my rigging strategy is to make the gear more survivable in crash landings.   If you feel uncomfortable with the thought of launching from the more hairy beaches, you should definitely take a class.