OAP Sunday 1/11

It was nice being able to sleep in since high tide wasn't until about 11:30 am or so.  Freddie and I got our fishing gear ready the night before so come morning, we just needed to load everything and take off... except, Freddie didn't have his sturgeon card yet!  As always, he waits for the last minute to get his tags.  We went to Walmart at McCarthy Ranch since it was on the way.  We waited at least a half hour to get some service then another few minutes to purchase the card.  Apparently the attendant had no idea what a lifetime fishing pass looked like or where to put the sturgeon card info.  Yeah...

So we are on our way out, get to OAP around 11:20.  Freddie makes me paddle my ass off to get to "my spot" saying that its high tide and that it will be outgoing tide soon and that if I didn't hurry I will be carried out to sea.  He wasn't going to save me... 

We paddle out to about a mile away from the buoy to anchor up.  Freddie teaches me how to anchor up and release it when I had to.  We bait up, and cast.  Then... literally, (kid you not!) about 15 minutes after anchoring up, I'm on to something.  (Last year it took me 10 minutes from when I anchored up) It striked the bait hard so I thought it would be a shark or something, but WHO CARES!!!!  I set the hook then yelled to Freddie, "Babe! I got something".  I'm reeling in on the slack.  Since I'm still quite very inexperienced, Freddie had to come over and unhook me from my anchor.  I didn't have much a fight with this guy so now my realization that it could be a shark, scared me.  I yelled to Freddie to come help cause I dont want this shark.  I bring it up to the surface and its a STURGEON!!!! I was sooo happy.  Freddie passes me the snare and yells at me to run my rod through it so that I can grab the sturgeon.  Ok, so I dont have practice snaring fish, so I was getting frustrated with Freddie.  I guess I tangled my line up with the snare and he's yelling at me to turn the snare over to untangle it.  Finally get it over the fish, and Freddie is still yelling at me, "Pull it tight!!!"  Pulled it over onto my yak (much easier than last year's!) to make sure it was of legal size... Freddie guessed it was definitely over 50 inches so I kept it.  (54" to be exact)   

I know all of Freddie's "yelling" was out of excitement.  Thanks Babe! 

I still dont know what its REALLY like to go sturgeon fishing, but so far, I LOVE it!

Freddie hooked up with two sturgeons.  I'll let him tell his story.

(Pictures to come.  We are having technical difficulties with our computers)

Way to go, Melissa. Two years in a row and you're on the AOTY board again. Plus the yummy sturgeon steaks in the offing. Congrats. How did Freddie do? Any luck?

Howard

WTG, Melissa.  You've got a nice catch-to-post ratio going!  That's awesome.  Will look forward to the pics.   

WOW! You are my new heroine. Can I fish with you next Sunday? I'll bring the bait. Sorry Freddie you will have to get your own. I can wait for the pics. Congrtatulations you are da' wo-man

wtg melissa!  was freddie's bigger? =)

WAIT a MINUTE!...didn't we just do this last year? and didn't we just talk about this the night before?!
Like I said, You will always be the SturgeonGodess! for EVER!  
and I sure would have loved to be there, to to hear you calling for Freddie over the radio!  
Please figure out what technical problems you're having(possible user issue,Freddie?)
andGETthemPICTURESpostedNOW!....please?  Freddie? dejavu?

I just told my wife about you and I am going to keep on her in your name to gat out there and FISH! Thanks, Craig

Congratulations Freddie & Melissa yall kickedass. Congrats to the other guy as well didn't catch his name but his was huge. I'm glad I paddled in and was able to see that.
 
Dave (Relentless), Rob (Diroblo), Rob (Red Fish and Dive), & I fished our 2 mile spot out by the fleet of boats. It was a sturgeon ghosttown out there. So quiet and so boring. Until Diroblo hooked up all of us started hooting and hollaring with excitement only to find out its a BATRAY! I had one tap the whole day and caught a nice fat bullhead that I kept alive in my footwells. The bullhead and I hung out all day shooting the shit. We even got so bored Mr. Bullhead and I went on a search for Jedmo. 1 mile paddle south against current we didn't find Jedmo but I did find Kingfisher & Colum.

Bullhead & I returned to the kayakfishing fleet think, "yah by the time i get back one of the guys would have caught something", NOPE! Fished another 30mins then called it a day. Paddled in 1/4 mile from shore I bump into Jedmo, the bullhead and I were happy at this point. Paddled into shore from the white booey I see 3 fat sturgeon laying on the sand. High fived Melissa, Freddie and other dude, took pics, and released Mr. Bullhead.

freddie's sturgeon was BIG!
and melissa your catch was excellent also!
see you guys next time.

You will always be the SturgeonGodess! for EVER!

Do doubt. WTG melissa!! You're making it look waaaay too easy.

Z

Unreal, Melissa!!! 10 & 15 minutes to hook a sturgeon - you got some special powers, girl!
54" - that's a NICE fish! 
Congrats to everyone who caught one yesterday.

So quiet and so boring.

Now, that's a little more like sturgeon fishing! Sorry to hear you didn't have the same luck as last time. Nice talking with you at the ISE show, btw.

The bullhead and I hung out all day shooting the shit.

  Did you discuss the meaning of life or was it mostly just fish talk?

Congrats!

Those of us north of the fleet were not so lucky. I hooked up with a ray after about 10min in the water but that was it. It was good to hear someone getting into fish over the radio somewhere

Thanks, everyone, for the congrats.  Hopefully I'll be able to make it out there again and catch another, a bigger one.... 

Can I fish with you next Sunday? I'll bring the bait. Sorry Freddie you will have to get your own.

Ravensblack,

Sorry! We can only fish every other weekend.  We have the kids this weekend.  I cant go solo either cause I cant carry my own yak- I have a Trident.  That thing is HEAVY!!!

wtg melissa!  was freddie's bigger? =)

Yes, Freddie's was bigger but only by 4".  It looks soooo much bigger though cause his is FAT and mine was really skinny.

WAIT a MINUTE!...didn't we just do this last year? and didn't we just talk about this the night before?!
Like I said, You will always be the SturgeonGodess! for EVER!  
and I sure would have loved to be there, to to hear you calling for Freddie over the radio!  
Please figure out what technical problems you're having(possible user issue,Freddie?)
andGETthemPICTURESpostedNOW!....please?  Freddie? dejavu?

Maybe "Sturgeon Goddess" should be my new screen name... hehehe.   Nah, its too long and I need one that has a hook.  No radio involved.  Freddie heard me squealling.   .  Finally figured out why we couldnt post pictures.  We have a high capacity SD card and apparently our old computer cant read it, so now our camera is directly connected. 

I just told my wife about you and I am going to keep on her in your name to gat out there and FISH! Thanks, Craig

Definately spread the word.  I need more competition in the women's division!  No, but really, its really fun and I only do it for the social connection.  (The glory is nice too!) We need more women out here.  The women to men ratio is really bad! 

Pictures....

Fish on, BABY!!!


This is when I realized, it IS a sturgeon!


Dino, pulled aboard...




Freddie and his dino...






Forgot his name... sorry!  Too bad he didnt join AOTY before going out on the water!  His is about 64"


All three sturgeons and their slayers...

DANG!  3 for 3 again!!!!!