Shelter Cove - 8/26/20

August 26th @ Shelter Cove:

Ben and I paddled out into thick fog with a mind to get some action!  Passed through the salmon zone hoping for an early thriller, but it was slow on the inside.  We opted to head further offshore where Ben was aiming to top his best lingcod catch, and we'd try to load up on rockfish to build up the stringers.  Strong current along with a breeze from the south had us working for it, and the lingcod weren't biting well - we only saw one all day.  Luckily, it was the one Ben was looking for - 32" personal best in the bag!

The paddle back toward the Bell took forever - interrupted briefly by a leaping 10 pound coho that got a no-touch release.  By the time we got through the fog and chop to see the moorings again it was early afternoon - a lunch break at the trucks was in order, and I got our 13 rocks and the ling filleted and stashed in the coolers.

We headed back out to the halibut grounds where one of my guests from last week, Alex, hooked us up with a cold brewski.  He and Ted had been working on finding some flatties, but the bite was slow.  Ben and I were fortunate to hookup a couple of shakers, and Ben pulled out a 25 incher for his first legal Cali on the yak.  It was the icing on our day.  One more mini-fillet sesh at the tailgate and we were wrapping up - met up at 6AM and split up at 6PM.  It's a long day for a Shelter Cove kayak guide - 100% of them agree though, it's a labor of love.   

Good stuff and nice meeting you out there. Ken has been a staple on my two visits and Alex likewise was a cool dude to meet and chat with. Good to know there was more than one small keeper hali inside! haha

Thanks for the trip report Eric.