Russian Gulch 7/4 Weekend 7/4-7/6, 2024

Hey Paul and Joe
Looks like we will have some fun on fri!
I plan on being there here 6:30-7
Lets getsome!!!
What’s the parking like?

Scotty

There are approximately 10 parking spaces by the beach

Instead kayak fishing, we went out on a friendCA boat.  Caught a cabazon, vermilion, blue, black, and China rockfish.

Now, that's a fancy boat, Paul

Now, that's a fancy boat, Paul

Yes it was.  I have some interest in smaller version of this boat.

Thank you Dave, Joe, and Scotty for joining
us today.
We had great time and great fishing. 
My wife and  got 3 vermilion, 3 kings, 1 canary, and 7 black rockfish.

Paul

The Sand Soles or whatever they were chomped on 9” frozen sardines meant for lings and halibut. I should have kept them but was not 100% sure at the time that they weren’t undersized halibut.
My best fish was a 20” Verm. Swell was bigger than expected. Descended several gophers and a China. Got some nice 12” dabs. 2 small lings released.

Here’s Scotty with his stringer. The photo doesn’t capture the large swell.

Very nice to get out! Thanks Paul, Scotty and Joe. Nice conditions and then got a little snotty in the afternoon. Wind blowing pretty good to the south. Morning bite was decent and then totally dropped off to zilch. I ended up with a 32” and 25” ling. I let a decent ling go on the way out, looking back I should have measured it as I think it was 25-26 as well as baby ling about 12” long. Lucky, not very many caught. Ended up with six decent rockfish (2 Vern, 2 blacks and 2 gophers) and a bunch of dinks that I descended. Feeling tired and very fortunate to have experienced a beautiful day!

Thanks Paul for the invite to fish Russian Gulch!
Never been there but enjoyed a  new fishing spot!
The day did not disappoint!  A limit of rockfish and nice ones too!
As for the Lings, all they did was tease me all morning…
The morning was the hot bite and about 11:30 it turned off.
I believe that high tide was about 12:15 or so and that may have been the reason?
My fish of the day was a 20” Verm, it bit on a dinky shrimp fly teaser and the funny thing was it was lip hooked and as I landed it the hook came out, went another way and the fish fell right in the waiting net! PHEW!! Another fun catch was a double hookup with a pair or 15” blacks, that was a lively pickup!
There was one disappointing haunt…
I’ve been using giant squid (12-15”) lately, cutting the body into strips for the hooks. The head/ tenacles part I put on a hook and dropped it down and wasn’t long before I had a Huge take down!, just like I was hoping…. This was a BIG fish taking 3 strong runs , playing it for about a minute, this one got me excited!!!!
Then poof, it was gone! must of just grabbed it never got the hook.  Most of us know that feeling.
When I do that next w I will have a treble , so one is buried in the bait and the other 2 can hook the fish. At least that is the plan.
Ended up 2Verms, 3Gophers and 5 nice Blacks!
Any day I get a limit, that is a good day  OTW!
Some fried fillets last nite, ceviche  today , smoking some tomorrow
With plenty in the freezer , this is summer fishing!
Get out there and Getsome!

Scotty

Nice stringer 

WTG guys. What an action filled day.

Wow that looks like a great day. I want to join you guys next time. My fam and I camped Hendy woods, then the fort Bragg area and checked all the camping  spots to bodega this last couple of days (didn’t bring my ‘yak). Russian Gulch was amazing. I can’t wait to go out there.

Go Scotty go!  Good stuff Paul and Joe and crew.  I gotta make the trek in time…

I want to give a call out to Paul’s wife! A sweet Lady there and man can she fish!  I saw her doing this 4 times!
A great day OTW!
 A few other pics of the day
Scotty

looks like good times, good catches!