Was able to take a day for fishing on an Alaska sightseeing cruise. The outing was for Dolly Varden, but I didn't mind the silver salmon that got in the way! - Carl Shrake
We have just returned from Colorado where we had some great fishing on the Roaring Fork, in Basalt, Colorado. We were able to fish with our rep from Orvis whose home waters are the Roaring Fork and the Frying Pan rivers. The Roaring Fork is not big water, but it is beautiful! We caught wild fish from 16" to 22", browns and rainbows.
The day was great and the companionship was top-notch! - Ernie and Diane; Ernie's Casting Pond
Cattle and coyotes on my left and elephant seals on my right. It's zero dark thirty in the old Blue Volvo (300K miles), kayak on roof and heading south in the fog below Hearst Castle. My pulse is elevated.
I'm to meet my ocean kayak fishing guide, Brendan Crahan, at Lucia Lodge. He's right on time, with housemate Angie. We head south to Mill Beach just south of Kirk Creek campground. The sandy beach at Mill Beach is actually over the rocks & boulders to the north around a sharp rock outcropping. We lug the kayaks down and across, waiting for the BIG waves to subside before we dash around the corner.
According to Brendan, the usual surf pattern this time of the year is small to moderate swells from the northwest. But there's a large, nasty swell coming in from the south. We watch, we watch...This looks pretty rough to me and if it's this bad now it'll probably be worse when we try to land. After a while Brendan says, "Too rough, let's try some other places." (Good guides always have a plan B, C, D...)
We load back up and go south. We look quickly at Willow Creek Beach but conditions are the same.
So that's how I find myself traveling south on Cabrillo Highway south of Hearst Castle looking at the coyotes and elephant seals. We turn right at San Simeon Pines then down the road to Leffingwell Beach. What a sweet little beach it is, at times barely a foot of surf and a nice paved ramp down to the sandy beach. Leffingwell Beach, Landing and Creek is on Moonstone Beach Drive, just north of Moonstone Beach in Cambria.
We unload and gear up. Brendan does a safety check of my previously loved kayak and gets it in order. This is my first trip on the ocean in this yak and I appreciate the help. There's significant fog and Brendan shows me how he has his GPS set for our entry point. I'll be staying close to him on the water to assure a safe return. My whistle is working, just in case. We launch easily in very small surf.
We paddle about two miles southwest to a large reef. There's still that big southern swell. At times it seems eight to ten feet to me but it's probably closer to five or six. There's still fog and swift currents, probably three to four knots. The currents are jumbled and mixed, not the best for fishing, according to Brandon. The water is that beautiful cerulean blue that we get in summer coastal waters. In the fog, at times, and at the bottom of a trough, I can't see another person. A spooky feeling, I think.
We paddle close to the kelp beds and start to fish. In some places, the kelp fronds are streaming sideways from the strong currents. Brandon and Angie are using bait rods with weighted rubber baitfish imitations. They drop the "bait" through the holes in the kelp forest, hit the bottom and jig.
I'm trying it the hard way with a fly rod. I'm using a Rio integrated-head striper line with a size 2 pink squid imitation (thank you Geoff). It takes a couple of tries but as I drift by a streaming kelp plume I get strikes and then hookups. The fish, olive rockfish, feel like five to ten pounders. My rod is a previously loved 10wt (thanks Doug). The olives fight like mad but the biggest is less than four pounds. The olives fight like smallmouth bass on meth; they don't give up, ever.
I catch over a dozen, releasing all but three (dinner). At times they're actually breaking the surface after my pink squid. If I had a floating line rigged with a gurgler, I'd have some surface action for sure. Angie and Brandon do very well, with a beautiful red rockfish, a nice ling cod and some smaller olive rock bass.
With our late start, we have to stop after three or four hours. As we paddle back in the fog, monster surf is crashing everywhere. We stay really close to Brendan as we paddle around the kelp, through an area of big rolling waves then back to that sweet, sweet little beach, still with only a few inches of breaking surf. Brandon lands first and grabs the bow of my yak as I slide into the beach. Got to admit I'm relieved to have my feet on solid ground. What a rush that all is. It would have been worth it even without the fly fishing. My first fish caught on flyrod in the ocean, first open ocean kayak experience. The elation (adrenaline, endorphins, dopamine coursing through my system) lasts through the drive home.
Brendan knows his stuff, including safety, kayaks, currents, underwater topography, fish and currents, the result of years of experience. I recommend him to anyone with a yen for adventure and some kayak experience. He took good care of me and I had a wonderful time.
Brendan Crahan can be reached at 831-423-8003, or his website: www.centralcoastkayakfishing.com. Brandon was nice enough to clean my fish and give me a nice piece of ling cod which I had for a early dinner when I got home. - Tom Pelikan
Took Tommy on his first camping trip to Kennedy Meadows. The water was high, but the fishing was still good. We rode our bikes to our favorite fishing spots and Tommy caught a willing little trout all on his own on a little Panther Martin. Pinched barbs allowed us to let this little guy go, unharmed and still full of a lot of spunk.
Dad had the time of his life helping his son and was satisfied to hone his skills on a particular spot requiring a long technical cast in an eddy I just knew held a fish. It was probably less than 12" and it shook off before I could land it, but I was happy knowing the fish was there and that I could cast to it, and hook it. - Tom Hogye