Author Topic: Making the best of bad conditions!! 03/26/11  (Read 886 times)

BigJim

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Making the best of bad conditions!! 03/26/11
« on: March 27, 2011, 10:51:52 am »
Figured I would share with you guys since the low viz and high surge reminded me of ab diving up North!!!  ;D

Been jonesing all week to get back in the water and try and shoot some more video with the GoPro!!

Also, just got a new shaft for my little Riffe...the other one worked great but the Hawaiian flopper needed to go 6 inches through the fish to flop and in tight holes I was losing some fish that were right against the rock.

Wanted to try a threaded shaft with a flopper closer to the tip. Ordered it up from Austins Diving Center online....these guys have GREAT customer service and have helped me out several times....explained what I was looking for and that I was hoping they could rig it with line and crimps to match my gun....did an excellent job and the package arrived a day earlier than expected.  If you can't find what you are looking for at your local dealer, you should give these guys a chance to help you out!!

http://www.austinsdiving.com/

Anyway, conditions have been horrible all week, but the forecast was slightly smaller swell and lower winds for Saturday....

It still was miserable out and the wind made paddling out a real PITA!!   :-[

Getting ready to start diving, put my mask on and the f'ing strap breaks!!     >:(

Have just enough starp left to barely make it work, but it comes loose several times while diving and I have to swim back to the yak to redo it...after the second time doing this I decide to leave the GoPro in the yak to make one less thing to worry about on my head!!!

Vis was minimal and surge was high....worked the shallows for a small MFPB and Black and Yellow and a decent Grassy.

Then found a hole with a fat old MFPB head in it!!    :D

Shot him once and even with the shorter flopper the spear did not stick....let the dust settle in his hole and am eventually able to see him back in there...shoot him again and once again I can't pull him out....   :'(

While I am cursing and reloading, he snakes his way out of his hole all dazed and confused looking!!  No time for the spear so just tackle him underwater and start wrestling him into submission!!     :o

Get my legs wrapped around him and pull out my knife and manage to skewer him right through the head!!    :P

Call it quits for the day and paddle back in and head over to Moss Landing to meet up with Andy and the fellas who were gonna be poke poling over there. They had the pop ups, beer and BBQ going to combat the conditions...good times with these guys are always in the forecast and today was no exception!!!
 
 ;)

DFG comes by and they say they think the eel (measured out at 27 inches and weighed close to 5 pounds on their scale) may be a state diving record?!? One of the DFG guys says the current record is 4 pounds 12 ounces...

They had me go over to Phil's Fish Market to get it weighed on a certified scale, and when I did it weighed out the same as the existing record taken back in 2007!

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/pdfs/sportsdivingrecords.pdf


I shot a 28 incher in Carmel a month or so ago and I know HotPlate has pulled out a 28 incher as well, but I never even new there was a record for diving for these guys....Kirk Lombard  holds the hook and line record at over 6 pounds, but apparently they have seperate records for diving and hook and line...

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/pdfs/anglingrecords.pdf

I think a lot of guys have gotten bigger ones diving and just have not reported it. The grass rockfish record is 6 pounds...I think some of the lunkers that Andy and I have pulled out this winter would have been right there...anyway, got a crap load of meat off that eel and the wife was very happy with the amount of goodies we have for the ceviche she wanted!!

For the conditions we had today I am just happy to have brought home dinner!    8)

Here is a vid I threw together...wanted to make a vid showing off my amazing bottom time and great aim ( :D) but ended up with this instead!!

Looks best in 720p!



 8)

Sincerely,

Jim

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Re: Making the best of bad conditions!! 03/26/11
« Reply #1 on: March 27, 2011, 11:39:11 am »
Great report - way to kick ass in less than ideal conditions!   :)
See you OTW!