SC 10/13 PondPoacher busted rod...

Got out there late but got up early...8:30am peddled out to the red can on the way saw birds diving on bait...got a couple of agents and put um down...just before that Aaron said "look down" there's hundreds probably 30-40 but maybe hundreds of bat rays 10-20ft down swimming by...I've got a sabiki on and bamb hook a freaking batray...my line is twisted around my bail...and pop...gone   Well already have bait so we continue on...I hear Aaron shouting and look over and I'm thinking he has a fish up to deck...60 FOW hooked up with something large that breaks his line and snaps his pole right off just above the reel seat!!!  Mystery fish!!!  and the weird part about it is that his drag is set so that he can pull line out by hand...so his drag was set right just freakin weird...he can chime in on that score.... we fished around than went back into the Marina for some more refreshments than headed to the "nursery" as PondPoacher put it... north of the pier... watched double overhead going off with surfers doing there thing cool to watch...wouldn't want to do it myself...tried to scratch up some more sardines with no love...was hooking smelt after smelt after smelt...hooked like 20 of them really big...put one on the Hawg Trough that was just shy of 16"s  lots of peeps out OTW...amazing day warm little wind few large swells kept looking for a Butt but no love there...It was a LOT of fun fishing with PondPoacher!!!  Thanks for taking me out there bro...can't wait to hookup again!!! One fishy dude!!!  Now he has to go to work and its sctrace's turn to fish bet she catches more than you did bro...

vids to be added...

Hahaha! ...Fishing in Santa Cruz!

Thanks for the report Sledge! It's cool to see PP fishing because it seems like I'm seeing sctrace fishing more lol! Sorry to hear that Aaron's rod mysteriously break during the outing, but looks like all had fun otw!

Sorry no Batray sleigh ride for you Sledge.  Those Jack Smelts make great Crab baits.

Those Jack Smelts make great Crab baits.

And ling bait.  And butt bait.  Even at that size.

-Allen

Hear that all the time about smelt, but i've never caught jack on one in SC/Cap.  Maybe there are just too many other tasty treats in the water  there 

I caught a 3.3lb vermilion once on a live smelt back at one of the Kayak Connection contests.

nice report Sledge. Wonder what the rod buster could have been?????????

I caught a 3.3lb vermilion once on a live smelt back at one of the Kayak Connection contests.

nice report Sledge. Wonder what the rod buster could have been?????????

were thinking a big ass butt!!!  who knows???  I'm sitting here having this discussion with AlsHObie...

I was there watched it all.........BuTT baby!!!!!

Good times with the sledged......lots of coldies and laughs a good swell for a couple days so my hopes were nt super high. I wish I could of seen that thing I hooked down there, but that's fishin.some big bait fish that's all ways fun on light line when you hook 5 or 6 at a time.......next time bro. We can hit my other spot

Way to be out there in the right spot to get to break something big off - we're all aiming for that type of spot.   

Personally, the more intense, prolonged and interactive the hookup is before breaking off or losing a nice fish, the more vivid and consuming the afterthoughts are.  For instance, I've found that I will often think of that encounter right as I lay down to sleep.  I replay what occurred, how I reacted, how my gear was prepared...etc., and I try to remain focused on being thankful for having had the experience versus being uptight about having lost whatever it was.  The preoccupation with such an event can last for many months or even years in some cases.  It feeds the madness!   

Sorry to hear about the broken rod Aaron but better to break it on a fish than from a snag. Will you make it to Tiki bro? I know Mike will be there.

Jedmo