Ghost Buster, better known as Marmite

WTG Marmite!!!!!!!! It was sooooooo good to see those fish on your lap.

 i blanked. stayed for sat am and fished with SC allen, polepole, solsrfr and another ex NCKAer. The weather became near brutal, and the fleet was even further down and out. Large short period swell with a strong wind coming up around noon blowing away from the launch. The PBers were complaining about having to beat into it to get back to the harbor. The swell made it nearly impossible to see fellow kayakers and buoys.

 Ill need therapy after dropping a fish AT the boat. It was HUGE. 15min fight. Ive never been trulu spooled by a big fish, but i thought i was gonna. i have my Avet SX spooled with 30lb braid and it was easily 3/4 the way down at times. It made many looooooong runs down and out it was pulling me at nearly hull speed with the drag buttoned down and taking line as if the reel was in freespool!!!!! after many runs i brought it in dead weight and was about to gaff it when it did a miracle headshake as it surfaced and spat the hook!!!!! i still swung the gaff but the 20knts of wind pushed me an inch too far. the fish just lay there just outta reach for a few seconds before giving a few tialkicks down into the murky depths.


 PS anyone seen the WX for the next few days.........hehehehe.

Sharky,

So sorry to hear about your dropped fish.  I was real scared when my fish was peeling off line.  I don't have experience with how to play these fish and was just too afraid to tighten up too much, but he was peeling off a lot of my 30 lb. braid as well.

Sounds like I was really fortunate to go out Friday.  Meant no sleep but if I'd gotten sleep and waited another day it probably would have ended very differently for me.

Weather looks real nice tomorrow

Bummer on the hook spit Sharky but great story nonetheless. Next time=your time. Thanks for sharing.    jim

Sorry the fish came unbutton Sharky. I'm sure you'll get'em next time. Goodluck
on your next trip.

Jedmo

Heya Sharky- Heartbreak, bro!... Happens to the best of us every once in awhile... the grade of fish on this bite are huge, not like the 10-20lbers we were catching earlier in the season, and they've got some real shoulders to them..  Good luck next time. It looks like the window should bust wide open again by Wednesday, after the gale force winds calm and water is given a couple of days to settle. If it happens like it did in 2001, the fish may stick around for the next month or so, slowly moving north up towards Davenport before taking the Seabass Hwy out through the fingers and back down to Santa Catalina. Good signs are starting to show in Capitola... Squid spawn in a couple of spots could bring them in close up here.

Was checking on historical stats for WSB:

Largest on record

59 inches
90 lbs

Doug... HUGE Congratulations!  I'm speechless (and a bit jealous too)!  Nice work.

EK

BIG congrats Doug! That's a heck of a stringer.

Damn Doug thats monstorous!

I heard there is a virus going around in the flesh of the WSB in the northern hemisphere.  My department is in charge of researching the virus and a cure.  DO NOT EAT THE MEAT!  Keep it in the freezer, and I will personally come and begin the chain of custody of your specimens back to a confidential holding and testing area.  I will promise that I will control exposure of others to a bare minimum of the tainted flesh.  This is serious business, but make sure all the steaks and sections are vacuum sealed and frozen before I pick them up.  I also need your garlic salt and any other spices you might have used already on the meat to see if there is any cross contamination.  Any notations you may have for recipes handed down from your mother, I will be needing the original copies too, just to be safe.  The potential is very bad, and if I have seen it once, I have seen it a thousand times, any and all WSB that you catch in the future will be needed for further research.  Clean, butcher, and freeze as usual, then call me to come secure the packages.  Do it for your country man! 
P.S. I hope they taste good, they look fabulous!

And what ever you do don't cpr the fish?

Wowzers... great catch Doug. hauling those bad boys in must've been fun. How long did it take for your hands to stop shaking?

WTG

Freddie

Sharky,

I was re-reading your post:

the fish just lay there just outta reach for a few seconds

Did the thought to jump in after it cross your mind?

How long did it take for your hands to stop shaking?

I'll let you know when they do

Sweeetttttt!!!! WTG guys. Congratulation on your WSB those are a good eating fish.



Kiel

Very nice Doug.