Arw 6/9 pretournament scouting report

Met up with BennetDanville at the ramp at 730 this morning.
first stopped by Mikes on 14th for shiners..fair price at $1 each.
surpirsed to be joined by 4 others today...a newbie coocoofish, dablazer (brian) dan, and another transplant from the So. CA scene, Alejandro..(not yet a NCKA member yet..ran into him by coincidence.

the water was mostly calm in early morning and I started marking fish alomst immediately... I felt that tody was the day I was going to hook up on that elusive fish known as mr. Halibut. this sob his eluded me more than I care to admit but somehow I felt that Today was the DAY.

trollled out to the first break and planned on drfiting back. Low tide was suppose to be 1147 today so I figured we would have some decent conditions for the morning.

Alejandro joined me and I was commenting how my shiner sure seemed active..my rod tip danced non stop..then within 20 mins of sending down my volunteer my rod loads up..I was in 18ft of water and fought the beast up..holding my breadth all the way...sure enough it was finally mr Hallibut that has laughed at me for so long....

as I fumble behind me to get my net...it catches on another rod in its holder and I can't extend the net's arm...so I figured to just try to scoop the fish in...dooooooooooouuugh.

snap goes my new Hayward Supply halibut rig...(thought it 40# test leader would hold)
Alejandro and Brian who paddled up got a glimpse of it and we figured it was around 30 inches... sucker had broad shoulders..
oh the pain... .Brian later commented that I will be tossing in my sleep tonight...yep..we have all been there but it was still a thrill and at least a step in the right direction for me..

I remained hopeful though for the rest of the morning but that was all she wrote. Martin stayed mostly by the 40' hole so we didn't fish much together.

by 11 we were getting pounded by the wind and white caps.. the group drifted in and ran into MadDog. Steve, sees newbie Coocoofish at the launch and cautions her about going out. Good call Steve. She hung by the launch area as she was eager to take her newly bought yak on its maiden voyage.

I fish a little longer thinking that I was still going to connect but the incessant waves kept pounding me, soaking me a couple times.. So I hussled in worried that Martin was going to fininsh off all the beers with the other guys..
I brought 4 of my own Trader joes as  a reserve and we drank on the ramp over snacks. Nice to meet new faces and trade stories with a fine group.

that should have been it but I still had that nagging feeling of regret and couldn't throw in the towel when I still had volunteers alive in my bait bucket.. the shiners we eager to get back out there so I convinced myself that the waves indeed died down a bit...
As Borat would say...Notttttt.
So few a couple more hours I went back for more pounding and soaking..
You have to understand...I am under tremendous pressure to produce.. I have in-laws visiting from Japan...(japan the highest fish consuming per capita nation on the planet).. I dare not return home empty handed.. they scorn and disaproval would be relentless.. they would wonder whether I could adequately provide for their beloved daughter....
on tops of that.. the disappointment from my kids...they love watching me clean the fish and touching the heart...examining the stomach contents..

So I had to man up and return with my tail between my legs.. 
should have called it earlier when everyone else did but I knew it would be a while before I could get back onto the water so wind or no wind...I was going to maximize my time OTW.
So Mr. Halibut alludes me once again.

as a side note for those fishing Yakhoppers event this weekend...martin and  Iboth painted a lot of fish..I didn't see a huge amount of bait though.
power boaters were out beyond the firt break...I saw one connect trolling popsicle..
lastly... what would be a good alternative to ch69 ? we needed a backup channel cuz so jackels working on some drydock were yapping incessantly on 69..someone even politely asked them to move over to a commercial ch. but they kept on..could be annoying this weekend if there are still there.

dave

Dave,
   Thanks for the detailed report.  Between the wind and the "SKUNK", I just didn't make writing the report a high enough priority to get it done.  All said and done; it was still a great time with NCKA brotherhood on the water and at the ramp for the beers and snacks.  It was great meeting some new fishing friends and as always nice fishin' with you.

Martin

Thanks for the report Dave. You'll get them Sunday when it counts 

ernest

Sorry about the "lost" Hali.  Hope you'll "find" it again on Sunday.  Thank you for the report Dave.

Great report... those are the ones that keep me awake at night too! Better luck next time!

Dave: That just ripped my heart out! You earned that one, Big Time. If I score one Sun. I'll call for the fresh fish drop off address. I know You're flying. but I have Chiho's #. Thanks guys for the pre event scouting. Wish Jed & me luck. dave...

AWESOME REPORT BRO! Sorry about the loss, u seemed to work hard for that one! Yea most could tell you that lifting ANY fish over by rod is a NO NO, especially for fish of size and that u really want! I know your pain, plenty of times trust me! Next time just be calm and make sure that your net is ready before a hook up! Hope to see you out there Sunday! FW...by the way where is mikes bait shop? Need a back up bait supplier just in case berkeley fails!

Dave: That just ripped my heart out! You earned that one, Big Time. If I score one Sun. I'll call for the fresh fish drop off address. I know You're flying. but I have Chiho's #. Thanks guys for the pre event scouting. Wish Jed & me luck. dave...

Are you and Jed scouting this Sat?  If yes I may join you 2.

You will get one soon my friend. I was snapped off at Paradise and then almost again at ARW as I found my leader sawed thru just below my circle hook and the broken few inches of line and treble stinger hook impaled in my net. The circle hook was bent out an extra 3/4" and was dislodged from the mouth of the fish in the net. Need to get those suckers in the net and then on the stringer quick before they can make their "Great Escape". Next time dude.....next time!

Fishworks916: mikes bait shop is on 14str on oak near the intersection of international blvd. You can google them. Cheap bait. $1 shiner plus frozen tray herring for $6.5. Opens 7 am maybe earlier on weekends.

As for net loss.  I didn't try lifting the sonbitch into haul. I thought foolishly that I could land him in the net when it wasn't fully deployed. The extension arm blocked the net pocket so when he hit the net, he exploded.
I had no clue that halibut had such a foul temperment. He wasn't just pissed. He was furious. Damn couldn't take a joke.
Sadly I have to work Sunday so I will miss you guys Sunday.

So the 3 way bet continues: Whats comes first: me landing a halibut? Sonny catching his catfish? Or Martin bringing his home brew?
Martin. If you lose then you need to come up with new screen name. You already have a nice logo from GS4, the shark and beer keg. Good fishing with ya. Good luck with the family task. Take the guy on a fishing party boat on the bay. Spendy but lot more interesting than Alcatraz boat. 

The nets the way to go for me anyway. Sorry about the net mishap. Im sure that you learned that one. Once you touch them though they go ballistic for sure.

Just one word,"Gaff"! Unless I plan to CR (which rarely happens) my Gaff is the go to landing tool for Halibuts. Just an opinion.

Great report Dave!  Sorry about the loss, you'll get the next one!


Loved your description of the mental game, I think the spirit of the halibut has gotten deep into your pysche. It's now a quest!   

Good luck - John

Thanks for the great read this morning Dave. Sorry about your lost fish but hey, that will just make
you a better fisherman. I'm sure the next time around she'll be on the game clip.

Jedmo

That was an awesome report Dave. I'm sorry that you went 0-14 on this one. Better luck Sunday. Definitely a great time OTW and at the docks choppin it up with you BennettDanville, Alejandro, BA, MadDog and Cuckoofish. Thanks for the beer and the snacks. Good luck....cya Sunday.