garrapatta / saturday am / 10 - 345 pm

met around 1 with some friends and we hauled kayaks down to the creek mount. it is not easy but in all my life, i never fished a place with so many fish. all together caught and released 40+ fish. its hard to transport kayaks down to the beach but well worth it.

i kept 8 fish, two largest were vermillions about 21 and 23 inches.

amazing, cant even desribe it, so many fish and nobody else fishing it but us. the kelp beds we the size of football fields and we only made it to 2 of the many out there.

had a few big bites and fought something large for about 8-10 minutes on one bite and not only did it spool my reel but also took all the line and broke my pole in half. minutes before there was something chasing the anchovies to the surface and making em boil. i dont know what it was but it must have been somethng big. and not definitely not a ling i don't think it was a seal.

never have i used all bait. switched to plastics and kept getting hits. everything was biting at anything. i have never fished a place like this.

lucky i had another pole and reel though.

if you go, bring rope, first aid kit i case you fall and some frinds in shape to haul the kayaks down the trail and off the cliff.

sorry, no pics, only pics of the launch area. i'll post later.

had a few big bites and fought something large for about 8-10 minutes on one bite and not only did it spool my reel but also took all the line and broke my pole in half.

Dude, that is nuts!!  Getting spooled and broken off, literally!   

MolBasser

great adventure john, that is the way to do it!

J

wow, it broke your pole! What line and pole did you use? Usually line breaks before pole does. Your line has more strength. Did your yak went "flying"? That place is awesome and I'd like to try.

always wanted to hit those kelp beds! it is adventure to get down but sometimes that's what is all about

chef

aaah Chef, as your signature states, live life to the fullest. this place would probably just be one more place for you as you have been to many places. here are some pics, please enjoy and perhaps we'll have low swells sometime when you are back up this way. let us know when and we'll teamwork the kayaks down there!

take care of you and your mom, we wish you all the best.

john

That place looks sweet!!

MolBasser

hey Mol, those isalnds out there were full of pinnipeds. covered in guano.

just south of thee are some pinnacles and i believe walls since my ff was showing sudden dropoffs thee which went from like 50 down to 75-80 feet or so and even deeper.

just outside of the cove my friend ron landed a yelloweye which was promptly released. real shallow too so i know that spot is fishy.

all around the islands would probably be a good bet.

i want to go south to the point next time.

Epic adventure!

I want to go next time!!!! Done a LOT of shore fishing for RF there. Very cabby areas...

Thanks for the report and pics,
PK

How was the trail?  Could you cart the yak down?  That place looks awesome!

hey travis, the trail is real narrow and lumpy with logs to prevent erosion. it was hard using a kart and i broke my home made pvc one. broke right in half!

i would recommend straps to sling one end of the kayak over the shoulders one person in front and one in back.

i carried my kayak half way up the trail to highway 1 alone and had to drop the kayak in the bushes to the left since i was so out of breath. amazing how much easier it is with two people though.

bring a friend and you'll have the time of your life.

i cant wait to go again. for me its a lot closer than the north coast but damn, that is a real workout getting a kayak there. i was missing the ocean cove ramp when i got to my car: O )

Yep,
It was a great epic adventure! At first I saw the wind picking up and thought.....uh-oh, we'll be surfing on the way back! In fact, the swells went down and the wind calmed down. I followed John and Ron all the way to the kelp beds near the rock islands offshore and whammo! Bites were coming our way every time we soaked our lines. I had a rock-cod line set-up with 2 hooks and I was hauling descent blues an blacks 2 at a time. I even got 2 fish on 1 butterfly jig set-up with 2 hooks!
I got a nice red and returned to shore happy about our great adventure!
The only down side was the rappelling of our kayaks and my back giving way through the climb. I have been on advil since then.
Fish'n'dive/Alain

I hope someone on this board would like to point out alternative launch spots for this place. It would be appreciated if someone would PM me about the intel.

I hope someone on this board would like to point out alternative launch spots for this place. It would be appreciated if someone would PM me about the intel.

Hey Eric,

I think close to this spot there may be small trials north of here and the one at Yankoo Point, where I do not know. The thing with YP is that part of it extends into reserve area and one must be very careful where they are fishing. I know that a portion of YP extends to the Point Lobos reserve and that is the most patrolled spot I know of.

I think there may be some scenic overlooks north of garrapata that would offer access on really calm days but to find a cove to launch out of will require a hike and drop of kayaks.

Can you post some information on where you parked etc.?  I was told once that you can launch near the red barn in the cove slightly north of the point but the time I checked it out it was too rough for me.  I would be up for fishing in that area if I had company.  It looks like too much for a solo trip.