Shelter Cove - 7/5 and 7/6/17

Shelter Cove with friends, old and new.

Wednesday the 5th I had a cancelation due to illness, but two of my best friends and fishing partners were hitting the water expecting to join up so it was on! David, Domenic and I ended up spending almost 10 hours on the water on a great ocean. We tried some different strategies out west of the red can and were rewarded with a new species for the dinner table - Petrale Sole. Soooooo good, and they're fun to pull up along with some sand dabs.
 
At one point we thought Dom had a Pac halibut on, but it turned out to be a skate. All good fun!

A long and beautiful day on smooth water with friends was a great time, and I was stoked to get a text from Ryan at the end of the day saying he was ready to hit it soon. "You down for tomorrow?" I sent... And soon I'd gone from all warm and fuzzy from 10 hours OTW to re-charged for another adventure on Thursday!

I made my way back up 101, got dinner in town, got home and cleaned gear quickly, and then my kids wanted to go berry picking... Even after 3 hours driving, 10 hours fishing, an hour at the cleaning table, briefly meeting with my guest for Thursday, dinner and re-situating gear for the next day's trip, I was stoked to do some picking with the teenagers! Coll and I scored a couple quarts at Humboldt Hill, and then Claire freed up and the 3 of us donned headlamps and mosquito repellent for night picking in Loleta. I knew I'd be pushing it to do a second day in a row of getting up at 345AM and fishing all day, but you don't skip out on night-picking with the kids. #lifetimememories

Got to bed just after midnight hoping my body would tolerate the forced endurance test... Thursday at 345AM came, and I was ready to be on point with my best for the day. Packed my bait, breakfast and a few beers, picked up Ryan, his yak and gear, and we were on the road for the Cove. 101 in the dark is a favorite time, and spending the trip getting to know my guest and new friend was a great way to start the day.

Ryan and I got down into the Cove by about 6AM to see a beautiful ocean with overcast skies that promised to keep us cool for the day's adventure on the Pacific. We got launched by just after 7AM and made our way along the usual circuit - moorings, Bell, a few favorite pinnacles, the Whiss, south for a bit, west for a bit... There was a common theme: the fish were biting on every stop! I enjoyed passing on information to Ryan as the morning progressed - it's not just the how, where and when of fishing that I am looking to impart - we focus on how to use the forecasts, how to read the water, what to watch for as the day unfolds and the conditions change... Safety is really the overriding theme of any kayak fishing trip, and anyone who doesn't understand that is certainly not doing it right! We also go over gear and tools - everything from kayak/seat/paddle/fishfinder/PFD to rod/reel/tackle/net/stringer/burlap/cooler to wetsuit/drysuit/boots/paddle jacket/hat/glasses/face shield. I am proud to have a set protocol for items and considerations that are to be reviewed and focused on during my offshore adventure trips.

Ryan's first offshore outing at the Cove was a great success, and we had a blast getting to know each other while playing with the fish. After two strong days on the water, all the driving, not much sleep and practically wearing out my smile muscles, our drive back over the ridge and up 101 had me catapulted to a whole new level of warm and fuzzy!

Thank you, Ryan, for bringing an open heart and positive spirit to our trip - it was really great to meet you! Thank you, Domenic and David for being the best fishing buddies and all around badasses that I could ask for in friends.

I look forward to my next opportunity to share my way with others and to build on the praise that I offer to Nature as a daily reflection of my soul's intent. 

Nice report Eric.  Its a joy to read your reports.

Thursday pics:

Nice report Eric.  Its a joy to read your reports.

Thank you, Mel.  I missed you at GS this year, but I am confident that you will be back to be with us again in the future. 

Is that an Albacore that the young guy is holding? 

Is that an Albacore?

Yep - they got 'em 32 miles from the Cove on Wednesday.

Awesome. One of these days I will fish the cove.

Awesome. One of these days I will fish the cove.

Would love to show you around. 

Thanks for posting! Looking forward to the next Lost Coast video report to give me some motivation to get up there!

Great report as always!!

You really make the most out of where you live!!

 

Sincerely,

Jim

I'll be up there next week.
Maybe run into you. 
Just maybe, I'll get to taste my first canary!