L-K Trip

After a two hour drive I wasn't going to turn back and fish stillwater. I knew it was dicey and I have poor launching and landing skills as those who were there can confirm. I had a window on the launch but fell of the boat trying to go to fast. The next set put me through the washing machine. Boat sideways, boat next to me, boat all over the place. Finally got a small break and scrambled up the beach. Thanks Eugene for picking up my hat. I waited to get my breath back then had a nice long window about five minutes later. No problem on the second attempt. I was using a mega swim bait about 8" and a dropper above. Had to take the dropper off due to the numerous blues and olives that would stop it on the way down. If that had been Santa Cruz I would have been really happy with 12" to 16" fish on every drop. I ended up keeping six big reds, one big copper. Two legal lings (they are my wifes favorite) oh and one blue that was too badly damaged to release. No pictures from the day, I don't allow myself a camera on the boat on surf days, for good reason. Nice to meet everyone. The man dog tasted soo good with a cold beer. Thanks again to all for all the help.

X factor,  those are some nice fat reds.  nice job.

Those are well deserved prizes guys.

Scott, sorry you lost them after all that hard work. But I'm sure you were glad to have added another "fishing" story to your collection 

So Ark, Dan, Gary, Ramon, and I got to the beach around 7:30 and saw these  so we studied the surfs for a good 15 min. Watched Gary and Ramon made made it out with excitement. Then Dan gave his best shot but... I'll let him tell his account.

After another 1/2 hr of debating and seeing that the conditions were consistently same or getting worst, Ark and I decided to chicken out, AGAIN 

But, I'll be back...

X-factor, You r the Man! That is a lot of good looking fish ! WTG !

After another 1/2 hr of debating and seeing that the conditions were consistently same or getting worst, Ark and I decided to chicken out, AGAIN 

But, I'll be back.

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What ? No wonder I did not see you when I got out. Hope next time
we get better water condition. I Like LK but the lunching and landing is just a little too rough but that is part of the game
Have you ever been at Mill Creek ? I wonder how it is down there.

Damn, that is one good lookin table of fish!

That is totally true Gary, if we wait two more minutes to land, We would have a different story. I glad everybody got out safe.
 

But if you sit outside and wait 10 minutes, letting that set go through, then you land safe. it can be nerve wracking because you think the surf is rising or whatever, but there are always gaps in a ground swell and you just have to wait until right after a set. that is the safest time to launch OR land.

if you come in and it looks clear, but then you go to land/launch, that is not good because you don't know when the set is coming. could be right as you go. better to wait the 20 minutes if necessary for a set, then head in/out.

J

Now for the surf competition...
 Eugene only turtle rolled where I hung 10 on a P15 so I think I won the surf competition. 

Scott

I have to agree!

AOTY-smay-OH-tee-WHY, you are definitely way out ahead in NCKA adventure and reporting this season Scott, glad you are okay, good move to put distance between your self and the yak. 

I am so glad you did that. cause a p15 upside the head is not going to be fun, helmet or no helmet.

scott, I have only had to do this a couple times, up at XJ-14, but if you have a 10' rope attached to either bow or stern,  you can jump off the boat, hold onto the rope, let the yak get washed to shore while using yourself as a sea anchor. this way the yak is between you and the sand/rocks and you can kind of control how it beaches from a safe distance and deeper water. If you are going to be swimming anyways, what the heck. once it beaches, follow it, then use the rope to pull it up the beach if necessary.

I guess you could launch a boat like this too, but I have never done that. swim out holding the rope. pull the yak out to you, jump on it.

Sounds Like PJ is pretty much david hasselhof (  ) out there, good to have around in rough conditions, eh?

Now for the surf competition...
 Eugene only turtle rolled where I hung 10 on a P15 so I think I won the surf competition. 

Scott

I have to agree!

 good move to put distance between your self and the yak. 

I am so glad you did that. cause a p15 upside the head is not going to be fun, helmet or no helmet.

scott, I have only had to do this a couple times, up at XJ-14, but if you have a 10' rope attached to either bow or stern,  you can jump off the boat, hold onto the rope, let the yak get washed to shore while using yourself as a sea anchor. this way the yak is between you and the sand/rocks and you can kind of control how it beaches from a safe distance and deeper water. If you are going to be swimming anyways, what the heck. once it beaches, follow it, then use the rope to pull it up the beach if necessary.

I guess you could launch a boat like this too, but I have never done that. swim out holding the rope. pull the yak out to you, jump on it.

Sounds Like PJ is pretty much david hasselhof (  ) out there, good to have around in rough conditions, eh?

John -

Good to know that after all these years the ejector seat still works.  Funny how those reflexes kick in. I thought about using your technique where you jump out and hold on to the stern but the beach is so steep at LK I would have been swimming in the crunch zone.  Etienne has a nice shot of me before I went airborne that you will really enjoy. PJ even looks a little like David Hasselhof. You guys should hook up and you can trade XJ-14 for the Flemish Cap, just bring a shark shield with you. 

Scott

Eugene, Etienne, Dogpound, Ramon, SCXfactor & Scott (GB2), a big big thanks for letting me tag along!  For me it was an awesome, awesome adventure!  You guys are true sportsmen & watermen.

Mountain Big, Ocean Deep. Full Fathom Five on the Cap Du Nord.

The short version;

Scared, exhilarated, amped, exhausted, challenged, elated, concerned, back to elated, way elated, exhausted, concerned, relieved!

The long version;

Couldn't sleep wok up @ 4:15, tried to go back to sleep but couldn't I was too stoked to see the valley of Cambria not filled with dense fog as the Marine Forcast had called for!  I had wondered the night before, "there's no way these guys would go out there in 1/4 mile visibility, would they, would I?"  It wasn't a factor.

The vehicle was loaded the night before, & I bolted out of the house @ 5:45.  Beautiful drive up the coast as it always is from down here watching the sun rise over the ridge & terraces of the Southern Flemmish Cap.

I pulled up @ the gate to see someone closing the gate, went down to the parking area & heard Etienne say, "the launch is going to be interesting".  I knew there was some west swell in the water as I could see some spots firing with surf along the Northern SLO coast.  The Cap, however, appeared strangely calm, deceivingly so.  I would later find out it was much like Cape Horn, calm one minute, hell the next.

Upon reaching the beach I saw Dogpound, Eugene, & Xfactor being washed in & out of a very strong womp & backwash, ebb & flow of the surging surf.  I definately had second thoughts but I could also see GB2 & Etienne safely offshore.  I waited for a set to go thru, another pound complete with a 6-8' wall-surger that threw tons of water past us & onto the rocks.  This is definately not the place for an inexperienced kayaker.  Another minute & calm, that's when I hit it & made it out safely.

As I tried to play catch-up to the group I wondered over & over; "Would this spot stack up against the Flemmish Cap?"  I had heard rumors, stories, myth's even comparing the Southern Cap with Cap Du Nord.  One particular line from a southern local stuck in my mind, "some say around here is even better than the Cap Du Nord".  Better, no way, could they all be wrong?  We'll see.

After a long, long, (i don't care what anyone says but by SLO standards that was LONG) paddle we arrive on the southern edge of the Cap Du Nord.  Immediately people were being hit. Then many people were being hit.  After 5 minutes I knew there was not much competition between the Southern & Northern Caps.

We fished & had a steady stream of verms, lings, browns, & scraps.  At one point Etienne said he thought he had a Salmon on, the thing was fighting he said.  I believe it was a Steelhead, he quiclkly had it off the hook & slowly sauntered away.

Everyone headed further north, a few of us stayed put, Dogpound, Eugene & me.  After 2 nice Verms & 2 good Browns I figured I'd head back to our initial drop zone.  I had earlier got a few Lings around there was hoping for maybe one fat one.  I instantly got a heavy hit.  Started reeling & could feel it was heavy.  The thing even made a couple runs straight down at which point you get that feeling, "Yeh, it's fat, it has to be something big".  It was a decent Verm, the biggest yet, I was stoked.

I yelled for Dogpound to come over but he probably couldn't here.

I added some new squid to the 7" swimbait I'd been using all day & dropped it down again.  Didn't get much so I brought it up 20-30' off the bottom & all of a sudden my rig wouldn't budge.

I wasn't sure I had a strike but without 1 snag all day it was doubtful it wasn't a fish.  I pulled again & again it wouldn't budge.    It was way heavier than the 19" Verm I just boated, I was totally stoked!  What ever it was it was just laying there & I couldn't move it.  I yelled again to Dogpound, "Getting hit overhere!".

I kept the pressure on my 20lb line.  It was a standoff.  I checked my drag, made sure it was loose because if it was something fat I sure as s#$% wasn't going to have it pop off on a Nantucket Sleigh Ride to the Outer Banks.

The fish just sat there for another minute so i slowly increased pressure and my drag spun a little.  I was right where I wanted to be, drag set, pressure on the fish, home-made gaff @ the ready.  Slowly it began to come up, so I reeled to keep pressure all the while waiting for the run from hell.  I could feel it was very heavy, almost as heavy if not heavier than anything I'd ever boated.

As I made progress on the fish, I yelled to Dogpound again for some moral support.  Finally I couldn't believe what I saw, a fat, fat, monster, mouth agape looking like it could swallow a cantalope if it wanted to.  I braced again for the thrashing from hell that never came, strange but true.  One swipe with my gaff & it slid right under his gills, I had him solidly hooked where I new he wouldn't come off.  I had to rest for a minute as by this time my shoulders were burning from the combo marthon-paddle-fish-fest.  Dogpound confirmed it was pig, I was totally stoked, for me the day couldn't have been better.

I saw GB2 & told him thanks, thanks, thanks.  He said he was heading in & I could see Eugene had already started his way back.  Dogpound wanted to stick it out, rightfully so after 2 consecutive drops produced my 2 biggest fish on one of the best days I ever had. 

Off I went after GB2.  Needless to reiterate but it was an even LONGER paddle back.  Why I don't know, but seemed twice as long heading in. 

We all met up outside the impact zone.  (refer to "the surf competition" by GB2 for his accounting of the incident) I look over to see GB2 stowing his hat and strapping on a crash helmet!!!  "Right, the guy knows the place & he looks like he's ready for a football game after having run 2 marathons!!!".  I told him he wasn't filling me with a lot of reassurance dressing like he was going to the Super Bowl.  I could see Etienne on the beach, camera in hand, getting ready for the perfect shot.  I knew that ment he knew it would be a Kodak moment.  Another bit of reassurance from the veterans!

I creeped into the cove, Eugene & I looked @ each other with concern on our faces as another whomping set rolled into the cove.  It looked like it was 8' from trough to crest & there were 3-5 waves per set.  I thought that had to be a maxed out set otherwise we were in deep s*&^.  It went calm for a minute & I thought, "wait for another set & go after".   I let the others know what I was going to do & I felt confident it was a good plan.  We waited & sure enough another whomper rolled thru the cove.

I yelled, "that's it, i'm going!!" I paddle like hell & made it safely to shore.  I didn't see my compadres again till Etienne yelled, "Get Eugene, I'll help Scott!"  I tried to help Eugene as he & Scott both got whomped a few feet of the beach.

Looking @ Etiennes shots later, I think Scott won the contest cause he held his form longer than Eugene.  He looked like he was committed, or some might think in denial to the very end.   You decide.

My Ling turned out to be 32" & I don't know how many pounds.  I was stoked, second biggest Ling ever!

After the adventure on the beach, Scott helped me carry my boat back up to the parking zone.  Thanks!  He summed it up perfectly, (paraphrasing) "it's the whole package here that tipifies the sport, the paddle, the launch, the fishing, the scenery, the bbq, the Cap Du Nord & NCKA".  He couldn't be more right!

WHAT AN EPIC DAY!!! Thanks a bunch again. 

PJ

nice fish and party pics, let's see the yard sale pics

scott, as you can see I am as good a photographer as I am a surfer

thought I had cleared off the lens of moisture, but obviously not enough.  Sorry.

Oh and that wasnt a turtle roll.  It was my attempt to turn into the pipe

Ramon and I made the same comment that it felt like we were almost standing still and just inching along on the paddle in.  Add paddling against a current to the list of things that LK does to make you earn your fish.

Yep, the steep dropoff at the beach is totally deceiving.  When I made the sprint in for the landing I was clean all the way into what I thought was ankle deep water and when I jumped off I sunk into waist deep wash.  The wash immobilized me and was starting to suck my yak into the soup then a following wave threw the yak about 10 feet up on the beach.  Then my yak was starting to reverse direction and with the steepness of the beach I knew it was going to take me out.  It was then that Ramon jumped on it and stopped it cold.  Thanks buddy I owe you one!

Ark and I had a conversation at the launch about LK and BH.  The Bean has its moments but is somewhat more predictable and lacks the raw power that the LK  waves and backwash had.  Unless the surf is down at LK I would recommend that the yak rookies learn their surf launch/landing somewhere else.  

PJ, you use 20 lb test line...very sporting of you.

Sorry I missed the BBQ, nothing like sharing stories of catching big fish, facing the elements and surviving amongst comrades.  BTW, those man dawgs were awesome and hit the spot on the drive home.  

Scott, thanks for setting this up and all the tips for helping us surviving this adventure.  LK sets a new standard for me regarding rockfish although I have yet to check out the waters up north.  

Everyone else, thanks for the company and it still cracks me up when we make introductions.  It goes like this: "Hey, how's it going?  I'm Gary and I go by the call sign, Sandman."  The response to Gary is hmm...OK but when I say I'm the Sandman, then "Oh you're the Sandman."

Good times...

Gary

Oh man what a great time.  I hate to leave you all hanging any longer but I just finished unloading our camping gear and my kayak and gear are in the back yard not rinsed and reeking of fish.  My arms hurt and the fog has rolled into Seaside after the heat wave.  I just stopped in for a taste of the report and now 35 minutes later I see that my entry must live up to a high standard.  Bare with me while I finish my chores and I will add the rest of my two cents and the shot of Scott, soon never to be forgotten and a few more.  Photography is fun too, sometimes you catch things that are just as much fun as fish  .     

Man, it sounds like you guys had an EPIC day!  I'm soooooo jealous!  I'm waiting for Etienne's photos with baited breath...it's about the only thing I got to bait today.    Congrats on the great day though, and thanks for the reports!