A Wolf Eel Story

Great report and catch, Mark!

Good Times at the Cove!   

Mystical waters around the Cove, full of surprises. I'm always glad to cross paths with you when I'm up there.

Good job making the most of your bait, Plankton!  A question: What is the piece of bamboo with cord tied around it which is lying across the front hatch on your kayak?

This boat doesn't have rod holders. The bamboo lashed across the foredeck is my way to keep rods and paddle on deck; without it they would slide off.

Great story and what a cool experience!

Nice fish!  Lucky octopus

Wolf eels live 25+ years and mate for life, so now there's probably another sad wolf eel back in that cave 

Someone should go put the poor thing out of its misery, it's the humane thing to do.

Nice fish!  Lucky octopus

Wolf eels live 25+ years and mate for life, so now there's probably another sad wolf eel back in that cave 

Someone should go put the poor thing out of its misery, it's the humane thing to do.

Honestly might be lol.  She's probably chilling in the exact same cave the first one was in .  Was just repeating what was told to me by far more experienced watermen.  They're pretty chill creatures, I've heard them called the diver equivalent of a puppy dog.  They also eat sea urchins.  I  know one diver who has chosen to take one for dinner, and know of many others who instead choose to observe and revisit them instead.  Plenty of other fish to shoot. 

Thankfully, we have the freedom to make these personal choices within the law, and bottom line is they're legal to take.  If you like to eat them, have at it!  I've never tasted one, but I might try it once if someone was cooking it and it looked good.  Monkeyface eel can be alright...

P.S. - Wasn't trying to be a fish-hugger. I hook or launch spears into fish, then brain-stab them, bleed, and gut them.  Then it is time to feast on their meat.  But for some complicated (not entirely logic-based) reasons I also don't eat shark or octopus.  Maybe I'm just a weirdo hypocrite?

Maybe I'm just a weirdo hypocrite?

I think you nailed it 

Btw, Tez, I don't have any issue with what you said before. We're all projecting our human ideals into the world of fish and other species. When I step onto a beach like Bolinas, during the serenity of the early morning hours, I sometimes think of all the carnage going on below the surface. Let's fish!

When I step onto a beach like Bolinas, during the serenity of the early morning hours, I sometimes think of all the carnage going on below the surface.

This would be a great "Deep thoughts by Jack Handy". 

Nice fish!  Lucky octopus

Wolf eels live 25+ years and mate for life, so now there's probably another sad wolf eel back in that cave 

Someone should go put the poor thing out of its misery, it's the humane thing to do.

Honestly might be lol.  She's probably chilling in the exact same cave the first one was in .  Was just repeating what was told to me by far more experienced watermen.  They're pretty chill creatures, I've heard them called the diver equivalent of a puppy dog.  They also eat sea urchins.  I  know one diver who has chosen to take one for dinner, and know of many others who instead choose to observe and revisit them instead.  Plenty of other fish to shoot. 

Thankfully, we have the freedom to make these personal choices within the law, and bottom line is they're legal to take.  If you like to eat them, have at it!  I've never tasted one, but I might try it once if someone was cooking it and it looked good.  Monkeyface eel can be alright...

P.S. - Wasn't trying to be a fish-hugger. I hook or launch spears into fish, then brain-stab them, bleed, and gut them.  Then it is time to feast on their meat.  But for some complicated (not entirely logic-based) reasons I also don't eat shark or octopus.  Maybe I'm just a weirdo hypocrite?

Nah, I kind of agree with you. I don't fault anyone else for any legal take, but, for possibly completely irrational reasons, there are some creatures that I choose to release or leave alone. I didn't really know anything about wolf eels, but based on what I've leared in this thread, I think they're on that list for me.

Awesome post!!!!

When I step onto a beach like Bolinas, during the serenity of the early morning hours, I sometimes think of all the carnage going on below the surface.

This would be a great "Deep thoughts by Jack Handy". 

Thanks for that, Nolanduke, I love his stuff. That's exactly where I was going. Here's a Jack Handey right back to you:

"As the evening sky faded from a salmon color
to a sort of flint gray,
I though back to the salmon I caught that morning,
and how gray he was,
and how I named him Flint." 

Ha!  Beautiful!    

Nice write up!  Much better, in my opinion, that we are participating in the circle of life with our kayak based adventures, than being one of the countless hordes who only participate by harvesting a Styrofoam tray of "pretty meat" from the grocery store.  There is something very deeply embedded in the human experience that provides a satisfying sense of purpose when we respectfully harvest our meals. 

Cheers,

Norm

That is a big wolf eel! I also landed my very first one this past weekend. It wasn't as big, but definitely made me think if I should put my hand on it or not. Luckily nothing eventful happened and it swam back down strong. 

Congrats on all the catches.

Congrats on an epic day and great write up!!

Awesome story!  very cool looking creature.  Thanks for the share.