Fort Ross 8-30 Bodega Crew

Ok, I know I don't post as much as I should, but here goes:

So Nao and I are sitting at our workstations on Wednesday, wondering where the F' our boss is....haven't seen the dude all week.  Nao is reading fishing reports rather than working as usually, and he finds our boss, Bill on the Miss Anita website.  The F'er has been fishing all week.  So we say F this and we hit the Fort on Thursday.  Good decision, cause it was FAC and Bill came into work that day, haha!!  Launched around 7AM and head to deep water, cause I am looking to upgrade my peewee rockfish.  We head north of the washboard rocks and the action is fast and furious.  After a couple gophers, I get hit hard, and a tug tug tug its a 30in ling, dinner is served.  Meanwhile Nao is killing everything in sight.  Then we head out to 120ft+ and bam I get hit hard again, and this time I am praying the fish gods for rockfish, and the gods must have heard me...cause I landed this 23in yelloweye.  Well I guess you need to be a little more specific when praying to god.  Did I mention that the protection of canary and yelloweye is the stupidest idea ever!  So this time I prey for a legal rockfish and low and behold a 21 inch copper.  About the same time Nao lands a nice 19 brown.  All in all an epic day, great weather, and no workie.

Friggin Awesome condititons and bite guys,

  So jealous ... ... @ work ... hope the wind calms back down for next week ... Danglin

EXCELLENTE'!!  sweet deal on the midweek work cut-out and got fish in glassey waters too?!    too bad on the Yellow-Eye, but all else was ALL GOOD for you BOTH!

Are you thinkin of a return sunday?

I checked out how FAC it was on the marine lab cam that day. Kind of pissed me off 'cuz I knew there was  no chance of it holding over like that for the weekend.
I will be staying at Red Barn over the weekend, probably ab diving Sunday. Any takers??
Still nursing a jacked up shoulder so the kayak is staying home.

Jim you will probably be responsible for thousands of Yelloweye hatchlings. That fish is either full of roe or is a huge piggy. You added to your "Yak Shirpa" Karma bank.

Shim;

No Karma, that fish died.  I tried to puncture the swim bladder, but no luck.  I almost kept and paid the fine.  Friggin sea gulls picked at it for hours. The copper I kept had eggs and so did the ling.

Jim

You know there is a simple devise out there, that allows you to release the fish unharmed from deep water. It is a stainless steel clip that you tie into your terminal gear. It looks like a curtin hook. You poke the sharp end through the fishes lip and then send the fish back down. When the fish starts kicking again, give a quick jerk and he's off. Considering how many fish get wasted, it's well worth the little expense and time it takes to put em back. Good for the future too.

I caught a big, beautiful yelloweye in Alaska.  It was a very dead fish when in came to the surface.........   At least there you can keep one.  I called it for the day at that point.  AK even prohibits attempting to send yelloweye's back down.

jonesz, do you have a url or a place to purchase such a device.  I would purchase one today, as I am sure many of my kayak fishing brothers would.

Jim

Jim heres the Shelton product, he makes the FBR's and other products.

        http://www.sheltonproducts.com/SFD.html
 
 I've seen people use a large hook tied on upside down with the barb pinched down and a sinker tied to the hook eye to do the same thing.

Looks like a great launch, is it public??? And Jonesz, thats such a great idea, Im building one before the next trip. A peice of coat hangar, a weight, a snap and just bend it the right way and down he goes, fast. What a beauty, almost worth the fine...

Ocean was super flat & no wind.  When the sun came up I was getting toasted!?
That was fun trip!  too bad about Jim's yellow eye.  It was a pig!!!  but he did good job that day.
Here is Jim catching his big copper!  We all can learn from it, huh Chuck & Sean!?

Awesome guys!!!! Great job!!!.....Congratulation!! and nice pics... CHEERS>>>

Smooooth  !

That was some SWEET gaff work JIM!!!