Birthday Dive #3: Personal Best Verm and Sheep!!

Had planned to go diving with fuzz the Saturday before my birthday...conditions and family issues kept that from happening. 

This Saturday, I was still having some personal/family issues but ended up with the day free, conditions looking good, and fuzz and Porky ready and willing to go on a little adventure. 

Headed down deep into Monterey County and were met with 20+ foot viz and relatively calm water!

 

Reds and sheephead were the target species today...saw one female sheep pretty quick, but she scooted away well before I could train my gun on her.

Found some nice pinnacles with clouds of blues and olives and picked off a few nice ones. Then I dropped down to the base of one of the pinnacles and saw another female sheep darting away...had enough time to get off a shot that went in through her back and out her belly, and grabbed her underwater and secured her before she had a chance to get away!!

She was 21 inches and a new PB for me!!

Fuzz and I then started diving and exploring all around and picked up a few more chunky blues (up to 16 inches) and then he told me there was a Ling under this one kelp stalk so I went down and planted my shaft right in his head. Nice 28 incher.   

Little while later I drop down a nice kelp stalk and sitting out in the open at the base of a rock is a nice Ling. My shot is a little off, but he doesn't get away. Nice bright blue 30.5 incher, biggest of 2013 so far! 

Little more exploring with fuzz and then I find another nice female sheep...this one spooks but then pauses and turns broadside and I nail her right in the face with my shaft! 22.25 incher!! New PB!!

 

Ok, two nice sheep and two nice Lings...now I need that Verm!! Right then my GoPro battery dies...I think to myself "I bet now that my GoPro is dead I will find a Verm". Very next drop I go down to 45 feet and see the face of a Verm sticking out from a little ledge. Calm my heart, line up the shot and BLAMMO!!!! Right through the eye and out the other side of the head! Rise to the surface watching the Verm turn from mottled gray to beautiful bright red, screaming and fist pumping all the way up!!

I have been hunting hard for a "real" Verm ever since my 8 inch mini-version last year...have found a few but have always blown the shots...not this time!! Hell yeah!!!!!

Turn the GoPro back on and manage to get about 20 seconds of footage from the dying battery. The Verm is 18 inches and is a beautiful specimen!!   

Celebrate with fuzz on the surface for a bit, and then keep diving. Harold points out a BRIGHT 21 inch cab sitting on top of a pinnacle and it ends up on the stringer as well.

Harold then directs me to a base of a big boulder where another red is lurking. This one is smaller, but still a nice 14 inches or so. I nail it and head up super stoked.

See 2 more sheep on the way in and fuzz takes a fat 19-20 inch red, and a toad olive as well.

Finally swim back in tired and happy and celebrate on the beach before making the drive home.

Amazing day with very good friends. The conversation and companionship was at least as good as the diving.

Thanks again fuzz for making it such a special day, and porky for your friendship and advice...you guys rock.

Here is the vid and a few pics.



 

Sincerely,

Jim

Your reports re getting dull.always a big stringer of fish held by a guy with a even bigger smile. Change it up a little  great catches

Nice report Jim and awesome video. Could you please go into more detail on exactly how deep into Monterey County you went? I'm sure your readership would appreciate the added information. Hehehe.

TELL ME WHERE YOU WENT!!!!


-Charlie

Scuba is an activity. Freediving is a sport.

Congrats on the Verm and Sheep.  Thanks for sharing the great day of Friends and Diving. 

All hail a king!

Great haul jim that's awesome!!! But where's the mfe pose w the verm??  I agree w what ice said too?? Also I finished the half merry today right at 2 hrs.. W a hangover,, never again. See you april 7

WTG...Great report...hope the birthday was everything it looked like on pics.

Be careful putting your fingers in sheepheads mouths  especially the bigger ones. They chomp up shellfish with their big teeth and could easily crunch you finger. If you want to get some monster male sheepys head down my way. I know of a reef with some big 30-40+ lbers swimming around. If you go to the bottom and start banging around and smashing urchins they come in thick for a free meal. Last bug dive on this spot i had a 40 lber following me around as i messed around with lobster in holes.

Colorful bag of fish.  Those sheepshead are mean looking fish.  I wish our water got that much visibility.

Strong Work Brother!

Great post.



S.

dude that Verm is OBSCENE!!

dude that Verm is OBSCENE!!

   No more mini's for you !!!   That's why they call you BIG Jim !   

That's a hell of a stringer!  WTG Jim!!!

Jeff

Jim, thanks for the write up and pictures. Way to got rid of those bad Vermillion nightmares you've been having. I'm glad that bruddah Fuzz help you out to erase those bad vermillion nightmares because he started it. Well done fellas and once again, thanks for the report and pics. WTG

Freddie

Nice stringer Jim, and a nice video too. What is the speargun you are using? I like the lines of it and thinking about adding another gun.