July 4, Capitola hunt

Launched off the Capitola pier to less then ideal conditions, dirty water and swell. Lots of good sized chovies all around the wharf. Jigged some up and away I go towards the Point. Very near the point in 40 FOW I get hit hard twice and miss it both times. The bait was totally ripped. In the excitement I fail to notice my bait-bucket knot coming undone and it drifting off to who knows where. Of course it was my camo bucket  . I backtrack my breadcrumb trail on the gps and find it in the kelp 10 minutes later. Back to fishing and the wind machine turns on. Lots of big sheep! I high-tail it back towards the wharf until it's calmer and drift around again. I fished 7 hours and only landed a couple of rockies. The guy on the pier told me only one little halibut was brought in.
Saw many other yakers all around, and met Snapperhead (?) before launching. All in all, adventure is always a good thing. It gives me stuff to dream about.

Sounds like a little adventure. You sure get around Juan!

CHEERS!

The bait fish have been really abundant inshore this year.  I have some friends that work the pier in Bodega Bay and on the last full moon at night the harbor has been full of anchovie and herrring.  They where cast netting and getting soooo many fish that it would take two people to lift the net out of the water.  The good upwelling conditions this year have certainly benefited the bait.  Too bad there's no salmon.

Jim

Great report, Juan.   

Juan-

You do get around. I hit the beach with the family and Stuie's family today. We got to Capitola and played all day long. Saw lots of yaks out there working the kelp. Walked up to the wharf to see if there was any action out there. Looked pretty slow. The kids liked seeing that little WSB by the crane launch though. All in all... today looked like a great day to hit the water. Maybe next time Juan...

Freddie

It was great to meat you as well. I have never fished the area before, so I stayed close by til the fog broke. Of course that means fishing in the wind. I ended up buying choives from the wharf; .25 each. We fished just short of O'neils for a grand total of ZERO. Its only my third time in the ocean in a yak. All in all it a was great day on the water.

Good one on the breadcrumbs Bro!  I don't think I would have thought of that one. You are going from one end of the coast on week to hitting the other the next....ain't it crazy?   Me too!  I was up at Salt Pt. and your down in SC!

Were you huntin the elusive Capitola Halibut?  Good to get out when the swell&wind is low, even if the fishin slow, because one of these days the water will hit that magic number and we'll all be having a blast trying to keep up with the jones' (speeking for myself)

Thanks for the picless Report! I'll search for a older report for the visual!

Hey Mako1, must have missed you out there in the fog or something!  No one all morning replied to me on 69, but saw a few yakers out there.  Since it was so foggy, I stuck close to the launch.  Got 2 browns, and a pile of chovies.  Kept one brown to toss on the BBQ.  For about an hour a sea lion had been toying with me... Kept thinking I was getting large strikes, only to pull up missing or "skinned" bait.  Did this drifting over and over south of the kelp until I figured out what was going on...  

When the wind kicked up I was out of there around 11.  Soon as I got up on the wharf again, sun finally came out.  DFG busted some guys without licenses renting a boat fishing at the kelp.  They then came over to see me, make sure I was legit, I took a lil' video of them for fun.