Doran Park, Bodega Bay 7-11 (coupla scenery pics added)

Sabiki'd up some shiners at Lucas Wharf and hit the base of the jetty at Doran Park at 5:00PM. Weather was beautiful and the water was glass. I drifted the sandy beaches of Doran Park looking for halibut until about 7:45. No signs of flatties, but the bay is PACKED with bait. Couldn't tell if they were smelt, mackerel, or both but there was bait sporadically busting all over the bay the whole time I was there.

Since I couldn't find any flatties I decided to use up the last 45 minutes of daylight drifting the jetty on the beach side. As I was paddling to the jetty one of the crabbers waved me over and asked if I could help get his crabnet unstuck, so I reeled up my shiner so it wouldn't get stuck in the rocks, but left it hanging over the side of the yak, still in the water. Easily got the net out and as I was backing out of the rocks my shiner got nailed. My pole bent over, a short bit of line ripped off my reel, then nothing. D'oh! Reeled in my line and my shiner was still there. For some reason the fish (probably a ling) just let go of it.

Anyway, I drifted down the beach side of the jetty and picked up a ~16" grass RF and a ~15" blue RF. As I was swept around the end of the beach side and into the channel I picked up another ~16" blue with my last shiner. I was gonna continue to drift down the channel, but the last of the salmon heads were still screaming into the channel so I decided to throw FT's on the beach side of the jetty. Missed one really good strike and another smaller fish that was on for a few seconds then let go.

Got off the water at about 8:30PM. All fish released. Got some pics of the scenery I'll post in a bit, but camera's battery died before I caught any of the fish.

PS - I'm kickin' myself now for not just paddling around the head and hunting rockfish, but I was solo and would've felt more comfortable if there was at least one other GW target out there with me. 

Thanks for the report.

one of the crabbers waved me over and asked if I could help get his crabnet unstuck...got the net out and as I was backing out of the rocks my shiner got nailed.  All fish released. Got some pics of the scenery

Good karma patrol:  Gold Star!   

"It was a good read"

                               - Abking, regarding Rock Hopper's Bodega report for 7-11   

Here's some pics I took before my camera died. The first one is looking South towards Tomales/Pt. Reyes.

Nice out there