Trinidad 8/12-8/14

I was in Trinidad at a vacay rental with the family for a long weekend. I was overdue for my first real outing on big blue and thanks to NCKA I was already aware of the services of LoletaEric. I lured him away from the hot bites at Humboldt and Shelter cove to guide me out of Trinidad Bay on Friday the 12th. It seemed like the perfect spot to pop my Yak fishing cherry. We were on the water by 7 with excellent conditions. We made a slow pace out beyond Flatiron, trolling in case there were any Kings hanging out on the way.
I was not at all intimidated by the open Ocean, but I ended up a bit humbled. I've never been sick on a powerboat and I've paddled plenty of miles on a Kayak, but I learned that bobbing around on the Ocean in a Kayak is a different ballgame, especially in a place like Trinidad where the rocks create swells that come from varying directions and the fog is so dense that there is no discernible horizon. I probably spent too much time looking at my gear and making sure all my pulls were 24" on the nose and i got a little queasy. Eric recognized it early, but I was in denial, insisting that we press on. I picked up a barely legal ling and a HUGE black right before tossing my cookies. I felt the wonderful post-vomit rush of blood to the head and I was sure I was good to go. Eric was wise enough though to ignore me and guide me to calmer waters where I quickly regained my equilibrium.  I picked up another ling right on the steep inside wall of the head, and then another ling and a couple blacks in the bay. All in all a pretty decent stringer. I was really surprised by the quality of the blacks up there. It seems like you have to pick trough a lot of dinks down this way to find a decent keeper.
The next couple of days I took the fam out for some paddles on the bay and had fun catching some short lings and picked up a couple more blacks. Trinidad is a beautiful place that seems like it's from a bygone era.
I can't recommend strongly enough Eric's services.  He clearly knows how to design an outing on the fly based on his client's experience level and he is conscientious and passionate about the fishery and the environment. I hope to line up another trip with him when my skills are at a different level. 

Trinidad is a beautiful place.  I love living so close to it!  We have a pretty good grade of 18-20" blacks being pretty common outside the harbor.   Glad you had fun!

Right on, Mark!  I had a great time out there with you!  Keep at it - you're well on your way to full Madness immersion. 

Awesome!  This is my first year in a kayak, I'm totally jealous.  Fishing out of HMB.  It has definitely been a challenge for me.  Shelter Cove/Trinidad area sounds and looks like a place for me to check out.

Nice Piscell! As a beginner, I love reading about other newbie experiences!