Sharktember 27th

As Sean called out to me (we were just within ear shot), I turned my head to see a considerable length of the tail fin sticking up out of the water.  Immediately I began to make my way over to him as I too had a Shark Shield deployed. I figured two SS are better than one and it would surly deter the shark.  As I began to make my  way over there with lines still in the water, I hooked up on a fish.  Shit!!! I cant bring a struggling fish over there. I cut the line and promptly continued my way to the scene, by which point the shark had already gone. There is no telling how things would have gone without a SS, but it is certainly comforting to have one.  We even fished for 2 or 3 more hours; a bit closer to one anther though. Its is that time of the year; officially!

My buddy was out there with you guys... Why no warning call to him?!!

Sean and Matt,

Glad it left you guys alone!!

Me too!

As Sean called out to me (we were just within ear shot), I turned my head to see a considerable length of the tail fin sticking up out of the water.  Immediately I began to make my way over to him as I too had a Shark Shield deployed. I figured two SS are better than one and it would surly deter the shark.  As I began to make my  way over there with lines still in the water, I hooked up on a fish.  Shit!!! I cant bring a struggling fish over there. I cut the line and promptly continued my way to the scene, by which point the shark had already gone. There is no telling how things would have gone without a SS, but it is certainly comforting to have one.  We even fished for 2 or 3 more hours; a bit closer to one anther though. Its is that time of the year; officially!

My buddy was out there with you guys... Why no warning call to him?!!

I don’t have a good excuse for this.  We did meet him briefly before relocating further to the north; Ryan is his name as I recall.  After the encounter, and after our excitement levels receded back to normal, we looked for him but could not see him.  We talked about trying to hail him on the radio, (not knowing if he even had one) but worried that a warning might be misinterpreted as heckling, and not taken seriously. The animal did not seem particularly aggressive so we went on with our morning.

 Admittedly this was the wrong decision. We should have attempted to contact him and offer a warning as the unspoken comradery demands.  I genuinely apologize to Ryan, and to you as his friend and local yak fisher.  I hope this does not create rift between any of us. I would prefer we all become friends and coordinate our fishing trips. Davenport is no further from Ano Nuevo Island than is Bean Hollow and should be given all the same respect as Bean Hollow.  The buddy system is one of the golden rules and should really be employed at Davenport. Nobody should fish here alone.

I agree completely he was just kinda confused why you guys took off in such a hurry, Ryan is his name! Can't wait to fish with you guys and no worries I just had to pull a string! No rifts he and I are both super understanding, we choose to take that risk every time we go out, especially by ourselves! Glad everyone was ok!

Hope to paddle out soon with you guys! Glad it was all good for everyone that day! Maybe your SS scared that guy away enough for all of you! There are no sour feelings at all, it's an adrenaline thing!

Your two again!!

Man you guys should invest in some SS. Oh wait...

Congrats on a successful day otw glad your all good

And you thought SC is safer I dont know where to fish anymore, after Ghan's hit and run and your encounter, I'm thinking I'm better off at BH just saying. kidding aside Im glad it definitely left you guys alone. Its those time of the year when their presence are almost everywhere in the Red Triangle, I'm just surprise up north felt it too. SS definitely played a role in deterring the attack looks like time to save up or build one, I use to make portable electric fishing machine back home. I just need to figure out the schematic of the SS and try to build one for my use.   

Wild story. I am going to save up for a SS. Just too many encounters this year. I've only been at this 4 or 5 years now but this seems to be the worst year that I can remember.

Your two again!!

Man you guys should invest in some SS. Oh wait...

Congrats on a successful day otw glad your all good

  yeah, well, as I said back in the other thread, ya buys yer ticket & ya takes yer chances....fishing on the edge of the envelope does have some risk to it.
However, this is almost like old hat now. I had a few seconds of true concern, but it just didn't feel like a reason to quit early. I mean, I still had bait .
By the shark's reaction I did not think it would return. If it had in returned in any posture I would have called it a day.
 
I have to add that we lost sight of the other solo paddler when we headed to try a deeper drift and he didn't follow us, and then the fog rolled in for whiteout conditions. I didn't even know if he was on NCKA or if he had a radio, and when I'm fishing I'm no one's keeper except the folks I launch with, and they deserve 100% of my attention. I'm not a guide being paid, BTDT, so I admit to being a bit selfish when fishing on my own time.
  That said, this has been a re-learning experience and I will try in future to engage more and at least learn if there are radios among  solo folks I don't know.

In the end I was privileged to see one of these majestic fish in the wild and no one got hurt or soiled so I call it a win
This was just a teenager, so maybe getting a snootful of zap will teach it to avoid investigating the next yak it swims across.

 To see that fish glide under the bow in that clear water, lit up like a giant seabass was a truly amazing thing to witness.
And I still can't forget the bronze hue of the notched tail and the pebbled texture of its skin.

Only sharks and rays could possibly be affected.

And probably not the best idea to hang a fish over the side, regardless of whether you have a shark shield or not. In fact, this might be a good time of the year to practice CnR...

Thanks for the input! CNR is typical practice for me as 90% of the fish I catch, I release them.. however this was a PB 16lb 37" ling I had.. If they are bleeding at all, they will take a ride on my lap or under my legs.. If it was a clean hook set, removal, etc, I am putting them on a stringer, with a bungee style cord and giving them 3-4 ft to swim with me.. Picking them up when its time to move... Fresh fish is the best fish... If seals are around there is no way I am hanging a fish off the side however.. I do understand your point, however I have been doing it for a while with no issues yet...

Just out of curiosity, if you were to keep your fish, how do you keep them?

no pix?  Matt you couldn't take a quick shot or two while fighting a ling cod and paddling crazy to Sean at the same time?

Seriously, thanks for the heads up.  Really helps me in the decision making process of where to fish for the next few months.

Bushy

And agreed with Allen, I think my DPort days are coming to an end around this time of year... Sucks because I have been targeting the Seabass and Butts... Even seen some Blue Fin taken a couple miles out lately!! But as for now, until a SS is invested in, I may hold back on taking my chances around this time of year, especially knowing what goes on up there!

Re: "fresh fish is the best fish"... This is debatable. When you dangle a live, struggling fish on a stringer, all that struggling leads to lactic acid buildup which I understand can decrease meat quality. I personally believe the best quality comes from fish that are fought quickly then bonked, bled, gutted and iced ASAP. That's how I roll, anyway.

Holy Shit!  it reads like, it acted like it felt it?  Zapped that bitch!!
Good to read no blood was shed and no one blasted.

THIS IS THE YEAR OF THE GWS!