NCKA @ Shelter Cove - 6/20 - 6/22 - *** long video added late ***

Short report:  A dozen blacks and blues solo on murky water Friday using a shrimpfly and 4.5 oz. Megabait in lavender - kept 3 including a 19" black.  Skunked Saturday from the yak and the rocks but grabbed an ab w/o my wetsuit.  1 more ab Sunday and C&R one smallish greenling from the rocks.

I'm just now getting time to sit down and report on a fun weekend at the Cove.  I was burnt yesterday - too much fun, lots of beer, and shouldn't have drank that wine with the surfers Saturday night!   

The wife and kids and I went down on Friday.  They left a little early with the car and DVD player so they could take their time on the road and maybe not get carsick.  I got the groceries and hit the road behind them with my truck loaded with crap as usual - X-Factor, Scrambler XT, 3 bikes, BBQ, cooler, case of beer, food, soccer ball, football, frisbee, diving stuff, lots of rods and tackle...  The Cove was a beautiful 70 degrees on arrival early in the afternoon.  We spent some time on the beach and had a liesurely lunch.  Our hotel right on the beach, The Tides Inn, was totally worth 3 bills for 2 nights - the place is awesome.  I got the family situated and got to head out on the flat ocean for some rockfishing.  The reports on the radio and at the fish cleaning station were of murky water from a bloom and slow fishing.  I grabbed a couple of cold ones and some ab guts and headed out to the reef that produced the Thrill Ride.  The water quality was crap!  No clean water outside even a mile.  I jigged my way to a bite, landing and releasing a nice blue.  It was so nice out.  I reminisced about times I'd spent down there with my Dad over the years, took some videos, and enjoyed the peace of the water.  I ended up with 3 double hookups of blues/blacks and about a dozen total fish in an hour.  No lings, but that was fine.  I kept 2 fat blacks and a blue and headed in, outa beer and ready to bbq some chicken for the fam.  We had a bike ride and then met up with the NSSA (North Swell Surfing Ass'n) at the campground and enjoyed some Good Times at their fire before retiring for the evening.

Saturday morning started with rumbles of thunder and beautiful clouds.  The slick minus tide was so sweet with no swell, but the visibility was such crap that I didn't want to go diving - I saw several others with the same thoughts.  That's the breaks at the ocean.  I played around in the tidepools with the family.  Collin was creating a starfish collection that got pretty out of hand.  I found some little abs that I showed the kids.  I ended up pulling a 7 incher wearing my booties, shorts and a t-shirt.  We hung at the tidepools for quite a while before enjoying a nice breakfast and going for more bike rides.  It was vacation-friendly, and it felt great.  Sonny showed up soon and had brought his buddy, Eldon.  Great to meet you, Eldon, and very nice to see you again, Sonny.  We headed down to the ramp - saw another yakker who was done fishing for the day and had some nice blacks.  He was from Sacto and had a cool old Scupper that was 17 years old and in good shape.  We geared up and headed out for some mid-afternoon fishing, but, again, the word was a very very slow bite, and the wind had kicked up the water to near the uncomfortable stage.  We hit it pretty hard, I had ab guts on the 4.5 oz. Megabait that had slammed them the previous day, but I and Sonny wound up skunked, and Eldon didn't do much better with a black landed and escaped via the big flop out of his lap.  We had fun out there though.  Sonny was enjoying peddling his new Hobie, and Eldon, who hadn't been on real open ocean before, did awesome about a mile out in big chop and random whitecaps busting in your lap periodically.  He was sporting Sonny's Mini-X, which appears to be an extremely sea-worthy craft.  We decided to head in and fish from the rocks at Abalone Point.  It wasn't much better - got some bites, broke off 3 rigs myself, and enjoyed a few more beers and some Good Times with the NCKA bro's.  We called it and I headed with the wife and kids to the NSSA barbecue at the campground.  A bunch of tri-tip, several beers, and too many gulps of wine later, I was toast!

Sunday came and trashed me out again...  I woke at 5:30, wondering how close I'd been to not making it to my hotel room due to the wine-spins that had me before I crashed at O-mystery-thirty...  I thought of how I'd told Sonny and Eldon that we'd better hit the water early - 5:45!  I stumbled from my room to my truck, got some water, and waited in my truck with the heater on for an hour before those guys showed - alarm clock problem, but that was fine, I was too burnt at 5:45-6:15!  Since the ocean had kicked up and there was thick ground fog we geared up and headed down the stairs from the Cape Mendocino Lighthouse at Mal Coombs Park to rockpick for abs and fish from the rocks.  I plucked an ab for Eldon since he's never gone, Sonny showed true diligence, searching every rock in a couple of acres for his limit, and Eldon and I fished from the rocks for quite a few bites but only one little greenling that got to go back in the drink.  I headed out to load up the truck, check out of the hotel, and hit the launch ramp for the memorial paddle that had been changed to Sunday morning at 11.  The family headed out, the paddle went really nicely, and I hit the road for home around 2PM, only to learn of many fires burning to the west along the route home.

It was a really great time, nice weather, got into some fish on Friday, great NCKA hookup with Sonny and Eldon, the Tides Inn was sweet therapy for my head, and I just had fresh fish tonight and will have ab tomorrow.  Good Times to start the Summer of '08.   

Nice report Abking ! you are a none stop fisherman.  Where is all those places that you go fishing ? Mendocino area? 


~ramon~

Eric,

I know how you feel, sometimes after fishing, lunch, beer, cleaning gear and fish, family time etc. it is really hard to muster the energy to sit down and write a report.  The weekends are way too short.  Nice reprot and good job getting the family involved.  I like the clouds we had some good ones Saturday also. 

Thanks for the great report Abking!  Love those scenic shots of sky and sea, and the kids. Captured an epic weekend across CA within your shots - beautiful clear skies followed by the fires and smoke. Great job.

Looks like a great time Eric. And you managed to get WAF points while fishing!

QualityTime with family,friends&NCKApeeps!  seems the blacks are the only RF that are hungry in northern california now.....and from what I've seen & is being said, THEY'RE BIG!
Thanks for the AK-style report and pictorial! it was calm EVERYWHERE!

 

Man, that looks and sounds like fun! As I read this report, it feels like I'm looking into the future LOL! Because that is how I want to spend my family weekends.

Abking, looks like a great time!

SN Pale Ale, my fav!

Tequila instead of wine if I'm getting up early!

Novofish

Where is all those places that you go fishing ? Mendocino area? 

Humboldt, Bro - it's north of Mendocino.   

after fishing, lunch, beer, cleaning gear and fish, family time etc. it is really hard to muster the energy to sit down and write a report.

...unless I catch a big one - then I'm all full of report energy!   

scenic shots of sky and sea, and the kids.

Throw in the Sierra Nevada life support system and my wife and I'm just about set (did I just put beer before my wife?...    )

Looks like a great time Eric. And you managed to get WAF points while fishing!

I wish, Bill!  I did OK on WAF, but for me it's more like guaging WTF - Wife Tolerance Factor...  I'm not sure she ever has a posture of approval!  (and she basically gives me a look like the other WTF whenever I announce I'm going fishing!   )

QualityTime with family,friends&NCKApeeps!

Yep.      Priceless, my Brother, priceless.   

Man, that looks and sounds like fun! As I read this report, it feels like I'm looking into the future LOL! Because that is how I want to spend my family weekends.

Amen, PK.  Hopefully they'll have a little more clear flat water and a salmon opportunity, but, really, it's all good as long as the fam is having fun and learning about the natural world and their part in it.   

Thanks, Guys.   

SN Pale Ale, my fav!

Mine too for years, novo - Steelhead can keep me happy for a while, but I gotta have my SNPA.   

Thank you Eric for a great report.  I'm having problems posting the pictures.  Let me try to post 2 at a time!

Twice the fun, Sonny!     Thanks for posting those shots.  Did you guys go back out fishing Sunday?

Eric

Picture 1:  Sunset at Black Sand Beach area
Picture 2:  My friends' (Lyle & Marilyn) Tea House in the cove.

Twice the fun, Sonny!     Thanks for posting those shots.  Did you guys go back out fishing Sunday?

Eric

Elden had to get back around noon and I don't feel like going out alone so I spent some time with my friends in the cove then head out around 3pm.  Saw many fire trucks on the way out and also at Ukia.  Really appreciate these fire fighters for their tough jobs and dedication!

Sonny

more sweet shots of the weekends calm north coast...Thanks Sonny!  thought you might have moved out of the country, or even worse.
turnINTOaLURKER!    

more sweet shots of the weekends calm north coast...Thanks Sonny!  thought you might have moved out of the country, or even worse.
turnINTOaLURKER!    

Hi Adam,

I'm travel alots (job related!) and without much notices.  I'm here today but could be out-of-state/country tomorrow.  Sorry, I'm not very good with words, just pictures