Third time a charm, 10-13-10

Sorry for the late post, but I guess my iPhone was not downloading all my emails and came home to a load of work problems.

Launched out of MBK to calm conditions around 6:30 am and headed out towards fleet. Word from my tackle dealer is that a lot of fish were caught Monday and Tuesday out in front of harbor, but to just look for boats. Noticed all boats heading towards Lovers Point so decided to make the trek out there first.

Settled in 230' after seeing commercial fisherman from Capitola that I know on edge with room to roam around. Fog rolled in and what I approximate at 60 boats goes to none visually. Fog clears after a couple of hours and no action, so I decide to head back towards harbor. On my way I see a congregation of boats near Otter Point (that's what they called it on radio) in 200' and decided to give it a try. Watch 2 commercial boats land 3 total while everyone else around watches with no hits. Tried to watch how deep he was going, but I think he knows the game and would rearrange rods on boat and let out new line on side with fewest spectators while sitting down. Worked this area pretty hard knowing fish were there, but no hits.

Decide to head back in working towards MBK in 150' around 1:30. Noticed bait down 60' and near bottom. Dropped one rod to bottom and other down 60'. Wind dies and water to glass, so I start to troll. Around 2:25 left rod gets hit and I set the hook. Funny, seems a little light for big wsb. As I'm reeling it up with the occasional pulls I thought great a shaker or worse a rockfish (I'm use to using fresh water bass gear for lings and this Trevala doesn't play the same way). When I see that it's a keeper ling funny thoughts start going through my head, it's almost quitting time and going down to one rod might be ok, but I want a wsb. With ling in gripper still in water removing hooks, clicker on right reel goes off and rod starts to load and my decision is clear, pop open gripper with left hand and release the ling to fight another day and grab the rod with my right hand.

It's initial run only goes a few feet and when it slows, I thumb the spool and set the hook. I guess that's when it decided to test if we were really meant for each other and started it's first of 9 runs. By now the wind had picked up and the fish was pulling me back to where I had just came from. I was pulled into the chop about 125-150 yards in total, right between 2 party boats that were drifting and towards the only pb otw in the area. It stopped short by 60 yards and I was able to get it under the boat and only running downward. While being towed I kept looking at the time and thinking that over tens minutes have passed and you should be running out of gas (commercial guy landed his fish within 5 minutes each). The whole ride I keep saying to myself I hope this isn't a shark and when I first see any color there was some kelp wrapped around the line above the fish and I see brown and a wispy strand flowing and think crap, a shark! The fish pulls down one last time and this time when I see color it was white. The fish kinda laid out and waited for me to give it a head shot gaff and then wiggled a couple times, on went the clip, a couple love taps to fortify our bond and pulled it onto the boat to start back to MBK.

Vital statistic: 51", 50lbs

Really slow day from other sources and observations, but really glad I stuck it out and didn't quit even though I thought about it more than once.

Dean

Yeah Dean!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SUPER happy for you buddy!!!!!!

Congrats on the persistence and the payoff!!!!!!

Look forward to seeing you OTW again soon!

 

Sincerely,

Jim

Dean,
Glad you persisted though hard and that your efforts were rewarded.
Awesome. That fish would really taste well knowing the efforts put into it.
Happy for you.
Danny

Hell of a nice WSB there, WTG!!! I'm getting the itch to get out there again. Water looked awesome off of Santa Cruz this morning. Thank for the report.

Dean, what can I say?

WhatSupBrotha!! 

I've already said it once to ya when we chatted it up, but WTF'nG my brother!!

I'm so glad that your perseverance paid off, when other decided to go back in and you decided not to. Gotta thank that ling for giving that wsb time to hit your squid, any other day that ling would have been bagged 

50 lbs ain't bad at all for your first.

I'm looking to go out Monday to SWS, if reports/conditions aren't great. So far, reports of yesterday and today were terrible especially when the wind kicked up. Hope the weekend is better for those who do go out.

Dean, I'll be seeing you again soon brother to some more good ol' fishing!!

Great tale! I like the not giving up without one mentality.  And I think you've answered my question of whether a ling will have "that zing" after the ghost-es with the most-es.
     That was a fat one.  I never weighed mine, but it was the same length and I could barely lift it for the pic, let alone Fishsniffer it.

right on bro great report! Great first wsb u gotta love it!

right on. nice fish

Excellent report and awesome fish.  Congrats!

Congrats on a beautiful fish, If the fish are there you have just as much chance in the last minute of the day as you did in the first, keeping your bait in the water pays off Yea!!,