At least one good fish

I took Julie Jag, my editor at the Sentinel, out for her 1st kayak fishing experience today.

Davenport Landing was snotty again, windy with a 3-5 foot windswell on the outside, and confused chop.

When that place is nasty, it is nasty.

Julie was a trooper depsite never yakking in the ocean before.

At 50 ft., she got this nice red rockfish.  We both caught a few smaller blues before the conditions forced us in around 8:30.

She may run a story about her experience, so check the Sentinel Sports page (....I'll post a link online if her story makes the online edition)

Fun day, she was SOOOOO stoked!

Allen

Nice Allen, is the ocean ever going to calm down??

That is a very nice fish for a first timer, I caught one of those extreme gophers my first time out.

Nice catch! May it be the first of many.

-Brian G

Allen,
Is she taken?  Can't see the left hand.

I'm trying to get Mooch hooked up (with a prey that doesn't have scales).

Stuart

    It has already begun!  The other day, at a kayak launch I can't name for fear of more of the same, I heard a guy telling his son "There are sure a lot of kayaks out here - I remember when I was the only one out here."  He didn't say much after I told him my great-great-grandfather used to launch there and that he used a dugout SOT.   
   First someone blabs to the press, someone always does - they like to see their name in print and their life's passion validated- next, teens are flocking to theaters to see kayak-fishing movies with soundtracks that are played on sattelite radio and on every I-pod.  Then middle-aged "doctors and lawyers and such" think they can just jump into the game without paying their dues with salmon-less springs and tangled lines.   Soon, the kayak manufacturers produce only shoddy low-end products for kids or try to grab a share of the growing market for overly-loaded yaks - exotic materials, electric downriggers, foot warmer wells, spray shields, etc.
    So, get out there and fish.  These are the good old days!
     
     

LMAO...

Foot warmer wells??????????????  Can I put my name on that list, Tom?

a woman with a pretty smile... wearing a PFD with a vermilion on a game clip is a beautiful thing  It's almost as good as seeing a super model wearing a sun dress on a windy day 

    Then middle-aged "doctors and lawyers and such" think they can just jump into the game without paying their dues with salmon-less springs and tangled lines.        
     

With apologies to Willie:

"Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be yakkers..."   

Nice work Allen, and a nice pic too!
A couple of years ago I took the guy who does the outdoor column for the SF chron out from the harbor, we paddled up to Natural Bridges & drifted back looking for halibut or anything, (it was before the RF/ling opener) and he finally caught a chunky black rockfish (released though) so at least he had a story with a fish in it! It was a big skunk for me that day. I fished that area on Sunday & condions were great until about 8:30, then they went downhill fast.
Sean

Yeah, Sean- I remember that story!  Maybe I can ask Julie to run the piece as "a unnamed lauch spot off the Wild North Coast of Santa Cruz."

Judging from the traffic jam on that road Memorial Day, it's not much of a secret I'm afraid.

Funny thing is, it's always empty when we get there to launch at 5:30am............

Tom- you crack me up!  Also, sorry boys, she's got a boyfriend.

Allen

Ive had my name/pic/fish printed more than a few times, thats what fishing publications are for, this site included.
So if im responsible for cheap kayaks and foot warmers(!) I want my cut, not validation. I dont need that.Kayaking cant be compared to a surfer beach where you throw stones at newcomers, this site is designed to attract newcomers, not keep it "clicky"  Seems hypocritycal to even join this website if you want to post something critisizes posting elswhere.
I cant agree more that its the good old days, who knows what lies ahead, kayak regs, closures and all kinds of other gov. BS
Get it while we can.

Guitarzan: I was joking.  Probably didn't come across the way I meant it.  God knows we could use all the company we can get out there. And in the unlikely event it becomes a mass  sport, the world will be a happier place because of it.

You know it , brother, its better than too many power boats! Its kind of scary thinking what the govmt has in plan for us. Kayak tax?