Asilomar State Beach 9/1/07

• having Etienne talk me in through the rock chute.  You know you're in deep when the guy on shore is saying "Ummm, you better watch this next one.  I rode out 2 large waves (this was in the 'quiet window' mind you), letting the first just slip beneath me and bracing successfully on the second.  The third wasn't any bigger than others, but somehow was different -- I braced the same way, but this time it pushed me sideways, and as I kept bracing, spun me not quite 180 degrees before deciding enough fun, and flipped me.

From the land perspective, the 3rd one was not bigger than the previous ones, but happened to break on where you were. Otherwise, you would ride them through. It was pretty impressive of seeing you manage the 1st and 2nd waves.

Great reporting.  NCKA hookup success story #6259-B!  Bummers about lost gear and the slow bite, but Etienne defined it:

"It was one of those days where being on the yak and having a fun time really made me feel totally alive and in touch with nature."

Right on, Bro's!

 

Eric

Good fishing with you and WTG on the ling. We were all pulling for you after that launch. See you out there next week.

Dave

Good fishing with you. sorry about the camera.

Scott

Sounds like a blast  Always good to have a little excitement without getting killed  Landings in big surf and 0 viz are no fun

Last time I fished there I was wishing I had a helmet handy for the landing(no joke) and that was with good viz

It's one of those spots that can be tame going out and turn brutal on the return Besides being exposed to any swell that rolls in the terrain you go through coming in changes a lot with tide changes

Come to think of it that sums up a lot of our local coastline 

You fishin kayakers are NUTS!!  WTF'nG!!  all made it alive to tell their tale and got a few fish in the process.
wutmorecanweask?  thanks for the port!  I HATE WIND and SOUTH SWELL (when I'm not surfin)

Crazy day, for sure . . .nice to be back on Monterey Bay but apparently she wasn't as glad to see me

In about 3 years of fishing around Pt Pinos I've never been dumped hard and never lost any gear.  I'd gotten pretty lacsadaisical about leashing my gear, too. 

I knew from the sight of the launch that landing might be tricky.  I'd never launched from this particular cove and didn't know what the tide would do to the break . .and I wasn't even thinking about the heavy fog which rolled in and totally up'd the degree of dificulty. 

Although we all make our own decisions regarding our adventures in this sport . . I did kind of feel like I was leading everybody into some potential minor danger so I wanted to over-emphasise that  1. We could launch/land from Arena St which was about .5 miles back toward PG and probably flat  and 2.  If I was alone I would for sure go to Arena St.  Everybody thought about it for a few minutes and then decided to go for it.  Cool!

I made it out ok .. but got totally thrashed coming in.  I was the first one back in and the fog was so heavy that I could only make out rough details of the shoreline.  I knew it was the right spot because I could see my car and I could see a spot with no white-wash which I decided was my landing spot.  I am a very bad surf launch/lander and not experienced at timing the swells.  I just kind of watched the waves for a bit and then went for it.  Everytime I do this the phrase "paddle with authority" plays in my head from the kayak fishing video. 

Well I paddled with authority as a huge wave caught up to me and carried me really fast towards the beach.  I thought I was going to eat it for sure . . I was thinking about how to make sure the boat stayed between me and the rocks when I realized that I was totally surfing the wave straight!  Cool!  I rode that one in and then, before I could really think about what to do next, another one broke on top of me and dumped me.  Because of the way the cove was shaped this was still in 8-10 fow and I was swimming amongst the rocks with my boat . . .trying to keep the boat between me and the rocks and doing a basically good job of that.   

I got in with nothing more than wounded pride as a family picknicking on the beach enjoyed the spectacle.  I lost a full tackle box, rod and reel, lip gripper, and probably some other stuff I didn't even know was in my crate.  I thought about trying to get it back but there was just no way . . . .lesson learned and will get some leashes next time!  Actually the thing I feel worst about is polluting such a nice spot with my gear . . .I will actually enjoy replacing the gear.

The other guys made it in with varying degrees of success.  Etienne is a total pro and the only one (I think) that made it both in and out dry.  But what we lack in technical kayaking skill, the rest of us made up for in Chutzpah!  I am inspired now to improve my surf techniques . .and to lash my gear.

Here is a picture of Eric's keeper ling!

Chris - Thanks for sharing your post-event narrative. After 3 years of kayak fishing, your record of the lost gears is so small. It's an excellent result by itself. The picture looks good and with great background. I am going to keep it. Thanks for taking.