Big Sur/Capitola/NB Updated Official Report w/ Big Sur & Captiola Video!

The Prelude:

My fishing high is slowly coming down, so I’ll try my best to capture the weekend. 

Friday June 30, 2011: ACT I

Got a call from my buddy captain quang during the week to head down south for a one day Big Sur trip for some Rockies. We left San Jose at 4 and in the water by 7 a.m.  Before we launched the swells were ankle slappers by launch time the swells transformed into Mavericks! WTF??? You got to be F&*K kidding me.  I get dumped 3 times before I got through, and lost my $10 net that I have grown very attached you and later lost my new camera mount that I just bought!

The swells were HUGE all day, but we managed to hook up with a hefty sack of Reds, olives and assorted Rockies. Captain Quang nails something big that breaks his hook.  Came in at 3 p.m. and called it day.

TIP:  If you are on a HUGE SUNK! Go to a BIG SURFLINE, MAN UP and get dumped. The tricks is to “lose something” Unfortunately The Fish GODS demand blood.  Your Karma will change in a heart beat. Don’t ask me why it works... it just does. (If it doesn’t you didn’t hear it from me)

Sunday July 3, 2011: ACT II

I started the morning off making bait in front of the wharf.  There wasn’t much there except my brethren the Anchovy.  Went to the NB side where I found the sardines and pulled up about 10.  Peddled to the NB coastline and worked the area between the two set of houses for stripers. At around 9 a.m. I get a BIG TAKE DOWN. She runs straight for the Surf line and back out. She breaks the surface and splashes the top of the water. After 15 minutes I see silver and it is a beautiful fish. Gaffed and secured the larger butt.

I worked the surf line for one scratch bait before I decide to work the outside of the Capitola kelp beds. I slow trolled a live sardine. After about 30 minutes my pole goes down like a big snag. I pull it up slowly… and felt a big head shake! she TAKES OFF!! Peeling line!! I let her run and work her up slowly. As she gets to the top I see a big wet brown carpet…followed by a smaller second one?? WTF? I grab my camera to try to film it but the big one makes a big run. When I get her to surface the second one was gone! (Well I tried to capture the moment) Gaffed her and secured.

By now, I ran out of bait and jigged up two bait size smelt. Trolled it outside of sponge bob for my finale. My pole goes BENDO outside sponge bob and I land number 2 for the day. I ran out of bait so I called it a day.


Monday July 4, 2011: THE FINALE!

I came back the next day for an encore. I was at the NB coastline by 7:30 a.m. and fly lined my first Sardine. Before I could get my second pole in the water my Sardine gets POUNDED BIG TIME!  She peels line like my first WSB. I work her in after 35 minutes and she’s a hog. I had a hard time gaffing her but eventually she made her way into the hatch. I repeated the process and slow trolled outside the kelp beds. I land a 28 inch butt in short time. I found some bait floating around a channel between two kelp beds that looked productive. My fish instincts were tingling.

HERE IS WHERE IT GOES ABSOLUTLY NUTS!!!

I trolled my first live sardine between the beds and get a hit, but nothing sticks. Send down a second volunteer and in 2 minutes another hit but with slashes… “What is going on??” Send down sardine # 3 and it gets pounded in 1 minute. The Fish breaks my line very quickly! (ARGH!) Remade my leader and send down my last sardine. It gets pounded in 30 seconds. This one PEELS line BIG TIME.  I couldn’t control it without breaking my leader line. It runs straight for a hole and snags up. I worked my line out of the hole but the fish comes off!

I ran out of live bait, so I switched to dead bait. I get hit by a 26 inch Ling that I was able land. I found a pocket of sardines and pulled up 3. Send down a lively one and before it hits the bottom it gets taken down BIG TIME! I felt some big head shakes and knew I had a BUTT on. It surfaces and it is a beautiful 30 incher. Gaffed and landed.  I send down a second sardine and in 1 minute it gets pounded again. This time it was a 30 inch ling. He makes some impressive runs and takes my pole to the water, but eventually succumbs to the gaff as well. Secure and landed.

I had one kayaker witness all this as it goes down. He is my witness. I am not lying or exaggerating. It was that HOT! After that the bite slowed and I made my way in. I got 1 hog striper, 2 halibut, 2 lingcods.


Final weekend count:

9 Rockies (3 Reds, 4 olives, 2 blacks)
2 Stripers (35” and 41”)
4 Halibut (2- 30”, 1- 28’ 1-29”)
2 Lingcod (1-30”, 1-26”)

The weekend was unreal and to think… it all started with a dump on the surf line.

Lost_Anchovy 


 

Holy snap, that enough to feed the round table!! Lol

That's a hog!  Can't wait to read the full report.  Thanks for the teaser L_A.

Looks like life is great on the end of your fishing rod. Can't wait for the full report.

Wow that's one big striper!  When are you going again?  I want to go. 

Rey

Dude,the video will be sweet!

on stand by..........you are on a roll!!

I heard a report from a guy down there wgo said some guy pon a hgrey hobie was slaying and had a huge striper. My reply was "f@#$/n lost anchovie. He said " no they were sardines" and I said" no you dont understand, it WAS a lost cho"
Well done Kieth.

WFO open for Lost Anchovy.  No hits runs and errors for the other 92 guys out there with him.    He is on one heck of a streak.

dang, that's up there with the slugs they call "rockfish" on the east coast.  serious WTG!

Wow! Nice striper bro. Big congrats

Jedmo

Nice meeting you Keith and WTG on that hog striper. Like Eugene said, it really wasn't WFO but there were some quality fish caught that day. 

Scott

Damn... that's a big striper!!!

Congrats on the hog striper    & thanks for the report  .
Time to break out the credit/gas card! 

Thanks for the fish porn L_A