Ft Ross area 10/3

I introduced myself here a couple weeks back in preparation for my first kayak fishing trip in the ocean. I took a buddy of mine who spears in that area and knows the water. Long story short, we had a fantastic time and caught some rock fish, ling, and cabezon.

We were on the water by about 8 am and had lines in shortly after. The plan was to target ling, then move to shallower water so my buddy could dive if we weren't finding fish. It wasn't before I hooked my very first fish - a small ling, which was a good sign. Throughout the rest of the morning, we caught lots of blue rock fish, a couple vermillion, one keeper ling (22.5" lol), and a couple cabezon. The best experience of the day was by far the big cab. He fought hard and made a few runs, which was a ton of fun. He also tasted great.

Thanks for all your advice and help in getting me started. My goal for the next trip is to bring a depth finder and spend less time figuring out where the fish are. Anyway, I hope to see some of you out there soon!

Waly

SCORE!
Thanks for the report

That's an awesome first outing. Love the variety. Thanks for the report.

great first trip, looks like you already know how to cook the fish, now you'll never be hungry haha.

Thanks guys. Yeah, I need to brush up on my filleting skills, but I know the basics. It definitely feels good to put food on a plate when you know exactly where it came from!

WTTM
It only took me one trip into the salt to get hooked on the ocean. It’s a helluva playground. Glad you got to enjoy it with a friend. Way to play it smart, safety in numbers is always a good plan

Thanks for the report!
How was the wind/swells? I was in the area on Saturday as well and it looked like the wind really picked up in the afternoon.

Thanks for the report!
How was the wind/swells? I was in the area on Saturday as well and it looked like the wind really picked up in the afternoon.

In the morning it was fine - 3-4 ft swells and a gentle breeze. But by noon, the swells felt too big. Not sure how big they really were, but I remember looking up at a huge one that started to break and realizing it was time to leave. We found some area to fish out of wind and caught some more before landing at about 12:30. I would have liked to stay out another couple hours if conditions were more favorable, but I was satisfied. Fortunately, I don't get seasick or it could have been a sad day.

Nice haul for the first kayak outing.  Thanks for the report and pictures Waly.

I introduced myself here a couple weeks back in preparation for my first kayak fishing trip in the ocean. I took a buddy of mine who spears in that area and knows the water. Long story short, we had a fantastic time and caught some rock fish, ling, and cabezon.

We were on the water by about 8 am and had lines in shortly after. The plan was to target ling, then move to shallower water so my buddy could dive if we weren't finding fish. It wasn't before I hooked my very first fish - a small ling, which was a good sign. Throughout the rest of the morning, we caught lots of blue rock fish, a couple vermillion, one keeper ling (22.5" lol), and a couple cabezon. The best experience of the day was by far the big cab. He fought hard and made a few runs, which was a ton of fun. He also tasted great.

Thanks for all your advice and help in getting me started. My goal for the next trip is to bring a depth finder and spend less time figuring out where the fish are. Anyway, I hope to see some of you out there soon!

Waly

Well done! Cabbies are the best fight - they grab it and then just dive for the bottom, over and over again, and yeah, they taste great too.

nice catch