BigJim's Shelter Cove Adventure

Charged North solo from my house at 2am.

At Mario's Motel by 8am and found Annie and Nick right away and told them to suit up so we could go diving!

Unloaded a bunch of frozen crab bait (Ling carcasses, perch and a big old Male Sheephead head) with PondPoacher and then headed down to the launch.

Paddling out the swell was BIG and there was nobody at all up north where we were headed.

Pointed out PilotRock, the LightHouse, the GreenCan, the RedCan and the Hotels to Annie and Nick, and then put my head down and started paddling.

I had some RockStar energy in me so the paddle against the wind and swell felt fun and the Kraken was handling the conditions great.

When I got to the spot I looked back and Annie and Nick were nowhere to be found. 

Turns out they had been calling me on the VHF telling me they weren't into it, but I must have not heard them...

Anyway, anchored up and jumped in...viz looked decent up top but was super churned up and dark and surgy on the bottom. 

Too rough to get much shallower than 30 feet...

Dropped my gun at the base of a pinnacle but the floatline must have gotten wrapped around it and pulled under cuz I couldn't find it again! 

Spent like an hour scouring the area until I finally came across it.

By this point I could see Annie and Nick and Batt on the bluff keeping an eye on me and I didn't want to make them wait for me too long so popped three nice size uni, jumped back into the yak, waved to them to let them know I was done and headed back to the launch.

The following wind and seas made the paddle back a breeze. 

Full on party that night with old and new friends at Mario's and the Bar, and the morning found me groggy and tired and the rain falling outside was not very motivating....

But batt stopped by and said he wanted to dive with me so I sacked up and got suited up and paddled out and caught up to him in his AI over by the lighthouse.

Little calmer than the day before so we charged to an area where we have had good luck before...unfortunately the ocean was a brown mess from all the sand in the shallow area being stirred up by the big swell. 

Went to a diff spot that looked promising and we worked it together for awhile but it was rough, surgy and dark again...I spooked a nice Ling and took a shot into the murk as she glided away and luckily put my shaft right through her eye and out her cheek (maybe I don't need glasses just yet?  ), and then batt said he was calling it.

Not a monster, but at almost 30 inches and nice and meaty it is the biggest one I have shot so far up at Shelter Cove. 

I SHOULD HAVE quit with him but I was feeling a little less hungover after popping the Ling so said I would move a bit and see if I couldn't find some big trophy abalone.

After 70+ dives I had found nothing, was bruised and battered from being tossed around between boulders by the surge in the dark, had thrown up and dryheaved into my snorkel and both legs were cramped up tight.

 

Limped back to my yak, and started the long paddle back in...course the wind had switched so had to fight the headwind all the way back. 

Back on shore I recharged with some coors light, a hot shower and some RockStar and young Cody Brockman was nice enough to filet up my one Ling to donate to Jack's TacoShack.

Then JJQ came by and said he was ready to help with the Raffle...I told him we had a few hours to kill so to just relax and have a beer...he said nope, give me the tix, a Mooch Strong Shirt for good luck, and I'll start going around drumming up sales! 

JJQ is a SELLING MACHINE. He went door to door, car to car, and camp to camp and at the end of the day we totaled up with $2908 for HOW and $2908 for PIF!! WAY More than we got last year!!

 

The rest of the raffle went super smooth thanks to a ton of people just working together and helping out with whatever was needed.

At the very end LapuLapu was the winner of the sick Malibu Yak and he donated it to PIF as well so it got strapped to my car to bring back down here!!!

THANK YOU Rey!!!!!

That night we continued the party at full force and returned to the bar where Annie and Nick got me my traditional Bikini-Tinis.

Jameson Redding and Greg Didriksen from Jackson Kayak were there and were super stoked on the hospitality of everybody!

Next morning we had the uni I harvested for breakfast and hungout and then brdopry was about to head out with his young son Zack to try and catch a fish...I said hold on, I got a swimbait/shrimpfly rig that has been in my car for awhile and you should take it in case he gets broken off...

An hour later he comes back up to the Motel and he and Zack both have a big grin on their faces and a BEAUTY of a Ling in the tankwell!! Guess they got broken off quick, tied on the rig I gave them and BAM! Fish on!!!! 

THANK YOU again to AbKing, everyone who helped with the raffle, and all the residents of the ShuLander nation for making GSX one I will never forget!!

 

Sincerely,

Jim

 

Great write up Big Jim.  It is was good seeing you this weekend.

Sound like a great trip Jim. Next year hopefully I can make a trip up to Shelter Cove.

Great to see you Jim. Some day we will end up diving together. Thanks for all you did for the raffle too.

Die hard. 

I had a great time visiting everyone Friday and Saturday even though I never made it on or in the water until Monday. 

Your ticket assistant was on it.  While portioning fish for tacos he volunteered to reach in my pockets for the cash.  I only had one Pliny at that point so made him wait.  But he gathered up lots of raffle sales waiting at the taco shack so that was good.   

Thanks folks!

Here are a few screenshots from the GoPro.

 

Sincerely,

Jim

Couldn't have asked for a better sponsor! Thanks for showing us what gimme shelter is all about and for sending the Jackson guys to camp next to us! Had a blast hanging with all of you guys and wish the conditions were a little better so we actually could've dove with you! You're an animal Jim! Thanks again for everything!


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Good times as always jim, we gata get in the water down yer way soon

Foodie heaven!!!!  Good job Jim and other volunteers!

Mini vid of some of the less than favorable conditions...

Song is in reference to some of the pics I found on my phone Saturday after it was left out on the table in front of the Motel room all night...

I almost went blind. 



 

Sincerely,

Jim

The pics couldn't have been as bad as what the Schus kids did to you when you were passed out a few years ago!!!

The pics couldn't have been as bad as what the Schus kids did to you when you were passed out a few years ago!!!

They were!! 

I'm still not sure whose "anatomy" it was....I think pondpoacher's? or maybe Zilla's? or Dr. Fektavious?

 

Thanks for a great report and pictures Jim.

Hell yeah Jim! Way to get after it in tough conditions. Good seeing you at the cove!

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