Slow day in Santa Cruz day with a Happy Ending

Left out of the harbor with my buddy Erik and paddled back towards Pleasure Point to a kelp bed where we have had good luck in the past...brought along a crab-ring that I just bought to see if I could pick up a few crabs while fishing.

Today it was SSLLLOOOWWWW...Very few bites at all for the first few hours, but I persevered, picked up two nice RockCrabs, two medium Black and Yellow Rockfish, one nice 14 inch Kelp RockFish and a baby octopus...

Then, on my very last drift along the edge of the kelp the rod goes bendo and my line starts screaming off through the kelp!!! Get it to the surface and it is a beautiful Ling!!!

24 inches exactly, barely legal, but legal!!!
 


Stoked after a fun day on the water and looking forward to eating the fish, crabs and octopus!!!!

The wife was already cooking other stuff for dinner, so I will add on some fish-on-dish pics tomorrow!!!
 


Sincerely,

Jim

dam nice job jim , makes it all worth it !

Nice haul Jim, that first shot looks like a big afghan rug, way cool!

Looks like a fun day!.. thanks for the pix and the final yak carnage money shot! 

nice days catch!

wow nice haul. and those rock crab are big.

Good job Jim. You had me wondering where you stopped at on the way home for a second.

YES, killin it as usual Jim, nice dude.

Thanks guys!!!

Good job Jim. You had me wondering where you stopped at on the way home for a second.

No, I'm a good boy...now..that I'm married........  

The wife made Shrimp Pasta, garlic bread and salad and we also cooked up the crabs and baby pulpito in some New Orleans Zatarains CrabBoil...good stuff!!!!!!

Washed it all down with Pinot Grigio with Banana Fosters for desert...

Will cook up the Ling Filets tomorrow!!!!
 

Sincerely,

Jim

Looks like you enjoy the harvest of local waters and I'm assuming that's your front yard Nice to still be able to go out and get fresh seafood to supplament the dinner table and have fun doing it!  Thanks for the report.

Alex 

Nice work, Big Jim!  I was glad to see that baby octopus in the later pics - I thought at first that you were gonna eat a sea star!     (it'd probably be crunchy!   )

You've done really well to become experienced in the Pacific.  WTG.   

great day jim, thanks for sharing, cameron

Nice Haul!!!

Great catches!  Thanks for the report and pictures Jim.

Nice work!