Stillwater Mtry 8/26/06/Don't try it next weekend.

Launched at Beach Club at 7 with son Alex.  Pat, Randy and Allen(?) got out a few minutes before.  Also launching was  another Tom, and I saw one other unknown yakker out.
    Fished near the kelp at Pescadero, got a few little gophers and coppers and a couple of 13-14 inch blues.  Water so clear you could look down and watch them school around my lure, then a fool fish would take the shrimp fly and then the others would go nuts for the bar with the red skirt on top (thanks to Mooch). 
    Paddled out to the Pinnacles -perfectly calm, long low swell- and had nonstop blue action and one big  Canary that looked for all the world like a Vermilion but chin smooth as a baby's.   
    Had gotten my limit of rocks by 9:30, and lost my rig and was about to go in but I couldn't leave, dropped down again and got a 33" slightly red-colored ling!  A little stall at the netting -it apparently was chasing the small blue on the the shrimp fly above and took the red-skirt bar.  This ling, like at least one Allen caught, had a red tint - and half digested crabs and a lot of wadded up kelp in the gut
     Looked for another but nothing but blues.  Went way in just to the southwest of Pescadero in about 30-50 ft of water close enough I could see cameras on the tourists at the pull out.  Just crazy with blues in there, again chasing but only a few going nearer to lures.
    Rude "enviro" woman at landing:  Had a calm landing about 11:30 until I met up with a very rude 40ish slender woman with long brown hair and wet suit and camera, said she lived in Pacific Grove.  I think it might be the same person who has hassled other anglers there.  Tell me there aren't more like her.  She sets her cause way back by her actions. I wish I hadn't tried to reason with her- she saw me rise to the bait and hooked my temper fast.

    Next weekend: the Harbormaster stopped by way after all the fuss and said that Fri, Sat Sun next weekend they have a bunch of golf events planned and will be closing the access for at least some of those days, but that it will be general chaos. He was as pleasant as she was nasty. I thanked him for the heads up and told him I'd go elsewhere.
     
Alex got 6 or so decent blues way inside the cove.   

Tom, it was me, Allen.  Nice to meet you.

The day was full of blues for me, a few decent sized ones but mostly small, but I wasn't looking for blues.  I came rigged with large lures looking for mama ling.  I was trying out a few creations that I was going to take up to Ketchikan.  Like Tom said, I had one VERY red underling.  A few minutes later I had a nice ling chase my jig to about 15 feet below me.  She kept circling around, but just wouldn't take the jig.  I swear I was bouncing it off her head.  When all of a sudden a blue takes the teaser fly and  makes a run, somehow scaring the ling off in the process.  D'oh!  Still later in the day I felt yet another blue take the bait and decided to let it sit down there.  Not 5 minutes goes past and I get a monster strike followed by a tug of war with me not able to pull her up more than feet.   Then I feel that sickening feeling we've all felt before ... slack.  The blue came up with its scales missing from half way back all the way to the tail and its head just about ripped off.  No mama ling joy for me today.  I also had a seal following me around half the morning.  It scared the shit out of me a couple times.  I would be looking down at the fish I was reeling up and this large mass would make a pass under the boat.  However, the seal was nice enough to let me unhook and release the fish before he ate it instead of taking it while it was still on my line.  I fed it at least 3 fish.

I took one medium sized olive home for dinner, all other fish release.  I'd say "released unharmed" but those 3 the seal got wouldn't agree with me.

-Allen

Did you see the seal on your fish finder when it was under you? If so, what did it look like?

CHEERS!

Nice report. Got to get there one day. I spent the day land-bound mounting my Matrix GPS/Sonar and other stuff on my new Marauder. I take my time and try to do it right the first time but its frustratingly slow and worse not to be fishing. Oh well, the time will come.

Alex here, admitting to be Tom's son, using a nickname that dates back to when Tom's hair was dark and mine was light.

He was only upset at the crazy lady because she started off her environmental outreach by saying his ling looked small.  The only thing I could think of during show was "Go sell crazy somewhere else lady" from some movie I can't remember.  Funny thing was she disappeared quicker than she showed up.  

Did you see the seal on your fish finder when it was under you? If so, what did it look like?

I didn't have my FF with me.  But even if I did, I was looking down into the water, not at the FF.   

A couple times that the seal did this, my first thought was "there's a big ol' ling", only to be followed by disappointment when reality hit.

Lucky for crazy lady that she wasn't aroung when Randy, Pat and I landed ... 

Oh, we did see some crazy guy who was on his way out to go spearfishing ... WITHOUT A WETSUIT!

-Allen

Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach   
 
Wed / Thurs, Aug. 30-31
Practice rounds at Pebble Beach and Del Monte
Thursday, Aug. 31
4:30 p.m.: Coca-Cola Champions Challenge (FREE!) - Pebble Beach Golf Links
Friday, Sept. 1
First round Pro-Am, both courses
7 a.m. - 7 p.m.: The First Tee Village - Peter Hay Golf Course
Afternoon: Meet the Champions, presented by Michelin - in front of The Lodge at Pebble Beach
Saturday, Sept. 2
Second round Pro-Am, both courses
7 a.m. - 7 p.m.: The First Tee Village - Peter Hay Golf Course
Afternoon: Meet the Champions, presented by Michelin - in front of The Lodge at Pebble Beach
Sunday, Sept. 3
Final round, Pebble Beach Golf Links
All 78 pros and leading 22 juniors
* 28 Amateur teams and remaining 56 juniors lay at Del Monte Golf Course.

Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach   
 
Wed / Thurs, Aug. 30-31
Practice rounds at Pebble Beach and Del Monte
Thursday, Aug. 31
4:30 p.m.: Coca-Cola Champions Challenge (FREE!) - Pebble Beach Golf Links
Friday, Sept. 1
First round Pro-Am, both courses
7 a.m. - 7 p.m.: The First Tee Village - Peter Hay Golf Course
Afternoon: Meet the Champions, presented by Michelin - in front of The Lodge at Pebble Beach
Saturday, Sept. 2
Second round Pro-Am, both courses
7 a.m. - 7 p.m.: The First Tee Village - Peter Hay Golf Course
Afternoon: Meet the Champions, presented by Michelin - in front of The Lodge at Pebble Beach
Sunday, Sept. 3
Final round, Pebble Beach Golf Links
All 78 pros and leading 22 juniors
* 28 Amateur teams and remaining 56 juniors lay at Del Monte Golf Course.

What a nice group to be out with...........and no crazy lady when we landed.  The water was glass and the wind never chilled........and when the sun came out it didn't cool either.........

I was looking at the edges of the new preserve and so got my fishing off to a slow start.  I too was trying monster lures looking for Monster lings when I found areas of structure.  I can't believe what big mouths rockfish have.  My day was full of blues, two browns and a few nice olives of which two came home with us for dinner.  No real joy until I moved into the kelp.  Had yet more small rockfish hits.  I let the lure continue down a bit and then slam!  Hard run one way and then hard run the other, gaining some line and then wow slam.......uh oh..........at 60 feet of line peeling out (my new Teckota line counter is wonderful) that stomach dropping slack thing happend.............

I then headed into the rocks and found a sweet little legal cabezon and we brought him home for dinner as well..........we're just nice like that.

So, a very pleasant day but not ling joy.  Ketchikan, here I come.