Santa Cruz Report for Sun 7/15 (MY FIRST BUTT!!!)

I got the okay from the wife late last night and decided to hit Santa Cruz up for another attempt at a halibut.  Got up at 5, had the kayak loaded and coffee to drink by about 6 and headed over the hill from San Jose.  Beautiful morning sun rise as I came down the other side of 17.  Pulled up to the harbor, grabbed some mooching rigs and a parking pass and some drinks.  Filled my bucket with live chovies from the S dock guy in the harbor.  Made my way back around the harbor to the hand launch site.  This time I immediately put the chovies back the water to keep them from dying too quick, and got to gathering up the gear and suiting up for launch.  Met up with NCKA guy, but I cant remember how to pronounce or spell his handle (Sorry! I'm wiped out) and launched just before him around 7.  We headed out, he caught up while I was trying to get sun screen out of my eyes, and he was talking about hitting up Blacks Point and we headed out of the harbor so I asked if I could tag along.  The fog rolled right on top of us before we exited the harbor.  Kept heading to the SE hearing the waves crashing on the beach, till we were out far enough to be away from PB's and started doing some fishing.  No swells, no wind, and barley any drift. 

I rigged basically how SCAllen says in his article, egg sinker, bead, swivel and a mooching leader hooked up with a live chovie.  Took quite a while, maybe an hour, for me to get my first rock fish of the day, small brown.  Kept at it sending back down chovies, bouncing them off the bottom and drift/slow trolling them around.  Tossed out my sabiki but never caught any extra bait.  By about 10AM the fog was lifting, and the sky opened up to where I could see where we were.  Not far away I could see the yellow buoy so I paddled over to where I met SCAllen last Friday on an outing, directly out from the harbor. 

Started pulling up some more rock fish, some browns and a OK blue/black but released all of them.  One was crawling with parasites on its fin's, so I kind of didn't feel like eating them.  By this point I had forgotten about halibut.  Stopped keeping the reel in free spool, and put the rod into the holder. Saw another twitch on the rod, guessing it would be yet another greedy brown I grab for it and gave a yank, to which the response was a hard jerk from the depths below. 

I didn't let it run, I was too excited with dreams of catching a ling or at least a larger rock fish, that I forgot to let it run and just started reeling and and muscling to the surface.  Now I am noticing that this feels a lot different than a rockie, and I am having trouble with my reel cooping with this fish.  I had to thumb the spool or it would just peel off line.  I started saying obscenities, and could see that the other yacker was heading my way.  I finally saw the sinker reach the surface when I look down to see this flattie coming up from below.  I got out my gaff, and bit off protective guard and lunged it down several times trying to gaff him, but he was just a wee bit far away.  On like the 4th try I was able to sink the gaff into him but he went MAD after that, flopping and whizzing, I lost my hold on the gaff and he went for a run under the kayak.  I pulled him up (cursing a bit more profanities) on the other side of the yack until I could reach the end of my gaff.  Finally with a good grip on him with the gaff and the other guy gave him a few whacks with his bat for me.  Subdued for now I get my stringer out and loop him, unhook my leader from his lips and asked if I could get a picture taken, which he glady did (cant wait to see!).  My arms were shaking, adrenalin still pumping through my veins I was just too excited to land this fish that I just didn't want to think about loosing it now. 

Started back into shore after giving the rest of my bait to the other yacker.  Looped my stringer around the hobie pedals, and kept a foot on it just to be sure he didn't go anywhere and paddled back t.  Decided to keep the gaff handy since he kept wiggling a bit.  About every few minutes I kept giving him a few cracks on the head to be sure he stayed quiet (heard PLENTY of bad stories!).  When I reached the jetty I slowly paddled the rest of the way in the harbor, stopping to show the fish on my front hatch to some of the guys fishing off the rocks.  I pulled up to the launch and offloaded my catch, started acting up again so I had to give some more smacks (much to the shock of some old ladies walking by!) before hosing him off and keeping the game clip attached to the water pipe.  I packed up after showing him off to some other passers by and managed to get one of them to take a pic of me on shore holding the fish.  Packed up and went to the marina to give him a weigh.  He came in at around 19# with the stringer.  My friend later measured him at 35 1/2 inches before he got sliced up for dinner.

Kudos to you for your great catch --can't wait to see the photos! I'll bet your wife was glad she "gave you the day off"!

Janice aka "Big J"

The pics...

pic 1: Picture of the harbor entrance from the road before launch

pic 2: Picture of the catch on the ivy

pic 3: Me and fish 

pic 4: Fish on scale

pic 5: Scale closeup

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those rockfish are good, they have less parasites inside than the average halibut,
(I eat both, but I do examine them for internal parasites), you should keep a couple,
and learn the baja fish taco recipe. lots of kids will prefer them to a straight up broiled
or even fried presentation, 

but a halibut like that is a real prize!

flat water all week, perfect for them halibut, but maybe it had to wait for the sun to
be able to see, 

congrats!

   Congratulations on  your first hali. Looks like maybe your the one who got hooked.

Hey Alshobieoutback,

My name is Eugene (e2g) and Im the guy with the bat! 

was out slow trolling for butts but only picking up brown rockies and an underling.  Sun had finally come out and the water was flat, the wind was down, its paradise.  Im day dreaming when I see Al working it hard and some serious splashing.  Something about that tone of voice makes me think, "hes got a big fish on" so I head over as fast as I can.  When I get there, hes got the butt gaffed about midway in the body, and the fish is 'swimming' and moving him for a hell of a ride.  Each time his tail moves, Al hobie jerks forward.

I pull out my trusty "no alibi" mini bat and offer to take a few whacks.  Lay a bit of metal to senor butts head and he mellows out a bit.  Al get the butt clipped in and works him over a bit more.  We snap a few pics, load her up and he heads in. 

I kept trying for a few more hours, along with a sailboat that had been watching the whole show.  Neither of us scored.  So its nice my bat got to see a halibut head, now it just needs to be my fish!

when I came in, SCallen was working the docks for some perch and reminded me of the odds of catching a halibut on any give day.  Just glad to get to share the experience.

I emailed you all the pics Al, but here are the two poses.  Im sure Ill see you out there again soon, but this time I think Ill follow you!

Nice flatty dude!  I need to catch me one of those soon!

Hey Al Nice fish dude!  that's awesome.  Stoked for your first flattie!

dp

I have yet to get a flatty. Sounds like a kick!!!!

wtg, wtg!! 

good job.

I spoke with Eugene when he came in this afternoon, my son and I were catching perch on the Velocity dock.

you rock, Al!

Allen

  That's a Hawg!!!!!  WTG!!!!!!  >>>>> Nice story too , got a few chuckles..

  I can relate,........Danglin