Stole someone's fish . . . .

I was in Ocean Cove yesterday.  It was a ghost town with OK viz (10+) a good ways away from the beach and awful viz inside the cove.  I saw one black and yellow and almost nothing else (a 16" cab . . .).  I was bummed.  I had run into Marco Mazza for the first time and he told me a fishy spot from the day before.  Sure enough, right when I was ready to call it quits and pull a small ab (to be a hero at a birthday party), I saw a hefty head in a hole.  A big blue ling head.  I shot it with a 31" MAN midhandle right then and left it with no pulling on the spear.  Went back down again and could only tell two things:  the spear would not back out, and the hole was clouded up from thrash.  Next drop I was able to see and grab the spear tip and pull out an almost 12 pound blue ling (31.25").  I then notice fishing line tangled around the spear. There was a good size golden hook caught in the throat with some tinsel coming down from the eyelet (can you tell I don't H&L?). I don't think it was from that day, but it might have been pretty new.  The ling was a hit at the birthday party.  It was getting pretty aggro there at midday with lots of chop and white caps.  In we went.  From some other kayak anglers, it seems like the lings were not that hungry that day.  My buddy shallow diver got a fat grassy, too, but we were pretty close to skunkville there . . . .

Finders keepers.  That's a nice ling. 

you should have checked it's belly. big ling like that might have swallowed a smaller rockfish or greenling that had been on that lure
congrats on solid catch, that's awesome! and good that your kids get excited about fresh seafood. someday they'll be surprised that other kids only have had mc fish sandwiches!

it is always kind of a trip to imagine the previous battle when you land a previously caught fish that managed to get the better of someone. Pretty sure there are guys on here that have caught some of my lost fish

congrats on the nice ling!

Nice job Yowlie!!

it is always kind of a trip to imagine the previous battle when you land a previously caught fish that managed to get the better of someone. Pretty sure there are guys on here that have caught some of my lost fish

congrats on the nice ling!

Here are my two speared fish that had hooks in them....

 

Sincerely,

Jim

Nice job Yowlie!!

it is always kind of a trip to imagine the previous battle when you land a previously caught fish that managed to get the better of someone. Pretty sure there are guys on here that have caught some of my lost fish

congrats on the nice ling!

Here are my two speared fish that had hooks in them....

 

Sincerely,

Jim

Wow.  Talk about a hairball.  Do you think it was eating kelp to deal with the ingested hook? 

Nice job Yowlie!!

it is always kind of a trip to imagine the previous battle when you land a previously caught fish that managed to get the better of someone. Pretty sure there are guys on here that have caught some of my lost fish

congrats on the nice ling!

Here are my two speared fish that had hooks in them....

 

Sincerely,

Jim

Wow.  Talk about a hairball.

I know right?!?

When I first cut the gut open I thought it was a Ling that thought it was a monkey cuz all I saw was kelp! 

Then I pulled it out and saw all the line and the hook...

Sincerely,

Jim

No clue why the kelp...or why it swallowed all that line...you think it would have just bit through it??

Felt bad for the fish...glad I put it out of its misery.

 

 

Sincerely,

Jim

My guess is Jim's ling found someones snag and ingested the seaweed the rig was stuck in. My ratio of big fish that broke off versus gear lost due to snagging the bottom is definitely in favor of the bottom snags.