Coral St. 12/30

Getting close to the end for rockfish this year so I had to get in one last trip.  When the day dawned clear and calm I decided today was the day and loaded up my gear.  I hit Coral St. shortly after 9:30 and launched by 10: after fiddling with the fishfinder battery and getting all of the crabbing gear stowed.

The tide was low and the beach was big with lots of rocks that are usually underwater exposed.  The swell was small inside for the launch but the wind was steady with a 1-3 foot chop outside.  I paddled out to 80 fow and rigged a crab trap but had to paddle back to sandy bottom as the wind had drifted me over rock.  Same with the second trap in terms of dropping it in a good place as the wind increased and pushed me off my sandy bottom target. 

After deploying the traps I let myself drift with the wind and fished.  The drift was fast so I started with an iron but no love and soon switched to a swim bait.  I landed an 1-inch blue RF and kept him for crab bait next time.  The wind really picked up and the bite was slow finally at about 11;15 I decided the wind was too much and headed out dead into it to retrieve my traps.  I got there OK and dropped a few more lours but no love so I pulled the traps.     My floats were intermittently submerged by the swells and both seemed to be stuck at first but I used the wave action to break them free and gradually pulled up 100-feet of rope.  The fist trap was empty but the second had a 4-inch dungeness crab that I released.  The wind was still up and I was cold and wet so I stowed the crab gear and headed in.

As I approached the wind mostly died and I decided to fish a little more.  I rigged up a rootbeer grub on a lead head with a blue and while fishtrap on an octopus hook with 8-inch leader as a stinger.  On the next drop I pulled up a really nice Cabazon that will be part of our Bouillabaisse this evening.  I will measure it and post a photo later.  I caught and released a nice brown RF and also a kelp RF.  The kelp RF had a big healed wound between its dorsal fins.  IT looked like a big bite was taken out of it.  I was getting close to the beach but the fishing was really picking up so I trolled a little as I passed the point just outside the cove at Coral St.  Zeeeeeee, drag was ripping unlike a Rf bite and too fast for a snag.  I hauled in two really nice Olive Rf one on each lour.  As I got ready to land them the smaller one on the stinger hook go off but I kept the bigger one.  Those two really made a good fight and put the cherry on top of my best fishing season ever.

After landing and loading up, I stopped and the Sea Harvest and picked up a crab and some clams for the Bouillabaisse.

I think I will have to try for Sanddabs and Crab off PG again this winter.  Now that I know that there are crab there I want to make better effort to get some keepers.  Maybe I will bring even more rope so that I can deploy even deeper as I hear they are deeper here than at Linda Mar.  Time to buy a 2007 Fishing License.

Happy New Year.

I wont get out again this year for the rockies but thanks for letting me have one virtual day out there!

When the swell settles down for a few days, definitely planning to hit the buoy area for sand dabs.

This was also my best fishing year ever, thanks to the yak and this forum.  Happy New Year to all, and may next salmon season be WIDE open!

Eugene

Uh ho, now you've done it - I haven't tried crabbing 'cause I thought I'd have to go out either too far or do nasty surf launches, but maybe that's the spot to give it a try.  I know I would if they cost $10/lb instead of $3 at the store.   And thanks for reminding me to try trolling the swim baits.  I too have caught good Olives there mid-water, and they like the moving lures.
    Glad to see someone got out there after the two-minute warning on the season, or is that "during the 2 minute warning season"?