Santa Cruz/ Monterey rockfish(kayak) 8/14-15

I take no offense when it comes to questions about my safety or anyone else.
To answer your question, I feel that I have the necessary equipment to be safe on the water and for those I'm with.
As mentioned in my intro, I am new to Kayak fishing hence the low post count.
PFD, Radio, whistle, flag etc...were my top priority to have checked off prior to even posting/replying to a hookup.
** forgot to mention the farmer john wetsuit and booties as well. Also, I've practiced capsizes and self recovery in my pool many times.

I do truly appreciate the concern/question.

Hope that helps.

Awesome to hear that you have taken the upfront safety precautions to be safe out there!  Hope you slay 'em this weekend!!!!

Bill

Quit talking about me Al.

Glad to hear it!  I once offered to take someone out for their first time, they showed up with no PFD, wearing board shorts, and didn't know what a vhf was. 

At least he brought beer ... but only for himself. 

I think SC is better bet. it is closer and easy to launch from based on previous members advice. rock fish are relatively easy to catch. the only think is catching the right size and fish you want. I, too have never been to SC or Monterrey so I can't chime in but one of these weekends I will go.

I'm shooting for SC as well. Hopefully someone will be able to meet up. If I don't have another to fish with, I will probably be cruising up and down the outlet before the lighthouse.
Please PM if interested!

I haven't posted my trip report from last weekend down there yet. But be careful. As I was paddling out from the Harbor, maybe 1/4 to a 1/2 mile out of the Harbor to the Buoy, I had a heart stopping moment. So I am a fisherman, I end up adding an inch to my fish when talking in certain circles (or anytime after a few drinks  ) But I am telling the truth 100% here.

So, paddling out, I happen to stop, seeing some boils and broke out the Sabiki rig since I did not know there was sooo much bait out there. As I am looking at another boil maybe 10-15 yards away from me, something massive leaps out of the water. I am talking 6-7 feet long big. Being from the East Coast, my first thought was, whoa, marlin. It only took a fraction of a second to realize that massive object that has cleared the water with its tail is a shark as it came crashing down.  I am new to this area and ocean fishing as I have mentioned, and have not really had to deal with sharks, just big rays. I have been looking at the pictures of sharks that are in this area. It wasn't a thresher, it had a normal, forked tail, no fin was super long as I saw in the pics of them. The only things I saw that looked alike were Juvie Great Whites and Makos? I know the cement ship was surrounded by them a month ago.. what do you guys think? I'll post this in my trip report as well.

el nino!!!!!

Hmm...with all these shark reports I may just Rick traffic and head towards mbk to fish near cannery. I guess if anyone else is heading out this saturday, give me a holler.
David

Hmm...with all these shark reports I may just Rick traffic and head towards mbk to fish near cannery. I guess if anyone else is heading out this saturday, give me a holler.
David

car show or not I always see incoming traffic jams into Monterrey as i head out. going home is basically traffic free.I really don't know any place or where to even start to look otherwise I go with you. we were thinking of hitting Big Sur but just looking at the swell at 3-5 feet is making me not want to go now.

 
     I think the SC area is more sharky than it has been.  About three weeks ago and a 1/2 mile east of the Mile Buoy I overheard a couple of commie halibut trollers talking about "can you see it" from about 200 yards away, then one of them trolled past me and said they'd seen a big GWS, and had seen a hooked hali chomped off the day before.  A few minutes later I caught a small shark but it broke off before I could get a good look.  I've never caught a shark in that area in 10 years of fishing it, though I have caught small ones off the New Brighton-Cement Ship area. I decided that maybe I should try my luck nearer shore.
    With the Bay water at record temps (69 deg out at the MB Buoy), I don't think we can rely on past experience much.
I hear that SoCal kayakers see GWS all the time and don't think anything of it.
     And MBK will be jammed with car show things - there's a big tent set up in MBK parking lot for a car auction. 

     I think the SC area is more sharky than it has been.  About three weeks ago and a 1/2 mile east of the Mile Buoy I overheard a couple of commie halibut trollers talking about "can you see it" from about 200 yards away, then one of them trolled past me and said they'd seen a big GWS, and had seen a hooked hali chomped off the day before.  A few minutes later I caught a small shark but it broke off before I could get a good look.  I've never caught a shark in that area in 10 years of fishing it, though I have caught small ones off the New Brighton-Cement Ship area. I decided that maybe I should try my luck nearer shore.
    With the Bay water at record temps (69 deg out at the MB Buoy), I don't think we can rely on past experience much.
I hear that SoCal kayakers see GWS all the time and don't think anything of it.
     And MBK will be jammed with car show things - there's a big tent set up in MBK parking lot for a car auction.

Thanks for the info, FT.

I've been out there a fair bit recently, and I haven't seen any sharks, but then my eyes aren't very good. I'm starting to think that maybe that's a good thing...

I haven't posted my trip report from last weekend down there yet. But be careful. As I was paddling out from the Harbor, maybe 1/4 to a 1/2 mile out of the Harbor to the Buoy, I had a heart stopping moment. So I am a fisherman, I end up adding an inch to my fish when talking in certain circles (or anytime after a few drinks  ) But I am telling the truth 100% here.

So, paddling out, I happen to stop, seeing some boils and broke out the Sabiki rig since I did not know there was sooo much bait out there. As I am looking at another boil maybe 10-15 yards away from me, something massive leaps out of the water. I am talking 6-7 feet long big. Being from the East Coast, my first thought was, whoa, marlin. It only took a fraction of a second to realize that massive object that has cleared the water with its tail is a shark as it came crashing down.  I am new to this area and ocean fishing as I have mentioned, and have not really had to deal with sharks, just big rays. I have been looking at the pictures of sharks that are in this area. It wasn't a thresher, it had a normal, forked tail, no fin was super long as I saw in the pics of them. The only things I saw that looked alike were Juvie Great Whites and Makos? I know the cement ship was surrounded by them a month ago.. what do you guys think? I'll post this in my trip report as well.

Most likely a Salmon Shark.  They look a lot like a small GWS, but are still relatively big in size.

I'm thinking Sunday outta MBK for halibut...
btw the whitecaps were out by noon today, blowing onshore hard...most whitecaps I seen here in weeks

I'm heading to mbk tomorrow morning as well. If you don't mind a Noone kayaker  I'd love to hookup with you.
Was hoping to target some rockfish but anything will suffice.

I take no offense when it comes to questions about my safety or anyone else.
To answer your question, I feel that I have the necessary equipment to be safe on the water and for those I'm with.
As mentioned in my intro, I am new to Kayak fishing hence the low post count.
PFD, Radio, whistle, flag etc...were my top priority to have checked off prior to even posting/replying to a hookup.
** forgot to mention the farmer john wetsuit and booties as well. Also, I've practiced capsizes and self recovery in my pool many times.

I do truly appreciate the concern/question.

Hope that helps.

You've been doing your homework, haven't you?  Good job.  Safety 1st.