5/9/2013 Pacifica Pier (NON YAK0 battle with the furry beast of the deep

I took the day out of work (use up some over due comp time), and hit the Pacifica Pier.  Picked up a buddy of mine around 7:00 AM, and headed down there.  We got there around 7:30, dropped off the gear and parked the truck.  We went out to the far end of the pier, and set up shop.  I dropped my kayak trap with two 5 lbs weights, a sack of salmon carcasses and a  tub of salmon parts and pieces, and then dropped her to the depths below. I then set up my lone rod with a CA legally modified crab hawk and dropped it over.  Everyone around us was bringing up crabs, decent size, some brought up 2 at a time, and one man brought up three on a snare.  This is looking good I am thinking to myself.  I bring up the hawk and two undersized females, well one was legal but I let her go.

  A few more attempts on the hawk and it seemed like I could not get anything for about three hours.  I checked the trap and low and behold one legal, a half hour later we are up to 2 legal, my buddy is still at 0. When behind me there is a commotion, so I turn around and there is my buddy, with the rod doubled over.   What is this?  I look off the pier and one of the crab hawks is being feasted on by a furbag seal.  !@#$%.  My buddy is struggling with this thing, and gives it to me (my reel anyways, he is just borrowing it).  I have 40 lb braid on this, I am hoping I can get it out if its mouth, when bam, It comes free, there is cheer from the pier as one of their own has wrestle the bait monster, but victory was not to last, as no sooner did it come free than the vicious crumb snatcher of the depths, makes a charge as fast as possible towards its meal.  I am reeling for all I am worth, but the seal is faster.  It grabs the trap a second time, and plunges,  I pull back on the rod, but the beast is far heavier, and the line gives way to the beast.  A sigh from the pier can be heard, the beast has devoured yet another.  Several of the on lookers come up to me and say they thought it was going to be the first time one of them had one the fight with a beast.  A guy near me is nice enough to give me one of the locally made snares,and I put it to work, bringing my tally for the day 3 keepers, 10 undersized,  1 battle with a seal.  My buddy caught one , and i gave him another so he could make a meal out of it.  All in a fun day finished off with a BBQ Brisket sandwich from Gorilla BBQ.

Darn, I thought it was a victory story until I kept reading! 

Good job on getting some crab for dinner though.  The day was a success if you had Gorilla BBQ in my book.   

Thanks for the report.

You know if I wasn't such a terrible swimmer, I would of jumped in after his butt, but then Sailfish would of posted something that read like this "Seal Kills Pacifica crabber"

You know if I wasn't such a terrible swimmer, I would of jumped in after his butt, but then Sailfish would of posted something that read like this "Seal Kills Pacifica crabber"

Or maybe "Seal killed by Pac crabber" 

Great story... I always laugh at the folks in SF who admire the seals on the pier... I'm thinking they must not be fishermen...

That sucks dude, salmon heads always brings out the worst in those bastards.

I am hoping the little fur bag gets sick from it!