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Picture Of The Month



SD2OR with a trophy fall walleye

Topic: Learned my lesson  (Read 4570 times)

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  • WS Commander 120, OK Trident 13, Revo 13
  • Location: Creswell OR
  • Date Registered: Jan 2011
  • Posts: 804
Sunset Bay was kind to me yesterday. Despite the forecasted conditions it laid down pretty good for an early morning launch. The blacks and blues were hot action all day. I arrived at (undisclosed) location deployed my rig and immediately hooked up with something immensely large. Large bendo head wags told me this was going to be good! After gaining several trips topwater and then taking me back down to the bottom I was finally able to see my catch. which was the largest Cabezon that rivaled anything I have ever seen.

Once to the surface (and with much difficulty) I was barely able to fit the jaws of the boga grips around the lower lip of the fish! Once I did, it freaked out and rolled and bent the tongs of my grippers getting free. Fortunately it was still hooked!

I brought it up again for this exact scenario to happen all over again, but this time it shook the jig loose but managed to hook itself when it rolled on to my shrimp fly on its belly.

Third time I was able to get it topside it thrashed even harder but was able to get it pulled into my lap (not trusting the grippers) but was too BIG for me to manage normally! Its tail extended beyond the footwell and the head (nearly as large as I am) was too powerful. As I reach for my bonker, again the grips were unable to hold the fish this large and back down to the deep it went leaving me exhilarated and disappointed at the same time.

This whole scenario has me rethinking my whole strategy on how I deal with large fish like that. The lesson I learned is lip grippers are simply inadequate for very large fish. Even with the ability of the bogas to allow it to spin and roll, there is only so much force they can take. As much as I have avoided it, I will probably packing along a large net from now on.
Better to keep ones mouth shut and presumed a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.
<Proverbs>


Captain Redbeard

  • Lauren
  • Global Moderator
  • Sturgeon
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  • Location: Portland, OR
  • Date Registered: May 2013
  • Posts: 3290
Great story! No video? Would love to see that go down. Also would love to hear you got a state (or US) record cabezon! :)

Better luck next time, at least you got the meet'n'greet, even if she wouldn't come home for dinner.


  • Chris
  • True Life: I'm Addicted To Kayak Fishing
  • Location: North Bend, OR
  • Date Registered: Jun 2012
  • Posts: 1598
Thanks for saving that fish for me :)
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Ling Banger

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  • Location: Lincoln Beach, OR
  • Date Registered: Feb 2010
  • Posts: 2588
Sounds like somebody needs to make a gaff. I know who I'm following out on the 22nd. ;D




"We're going to go fishing
And that's all there is to it." - R.P. McMurphy


  • WS Commander 120, OK Trident 13, Revo 13
  • Location: Creswell OR
  • Date Registered: Jan 2011
  • Posts: 804
These were the $50 Evolution Gorilla Grippers brand. No complaints until now. But now they are sprung and worthless. But MAN! I'm seeing over $200 for the 60 lb Boga Brand! Not sure Im convinced they would hold up any better.

Ive got a flying gaff/harpoon set up for Halibut. Perhaps its about to get some more use!

AOTD this year should be a good one! Lets hope the conditions are favorable! At least the salmon should be in full swing at that time too.

Better to keep ones mouth shut and presumed a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.
<Proverbs>


[WR]

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  • Location: West of Auburn, East of the Sound
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wondering if ravakots polyanglers, sponsor, Lucid, has a more robust set ?
« Last Edit: August 03, 2015, 10:02:33 PM by [WR] »
Why so many odd typos ? You try typing on 6 mm virtual keys with 26 mm thumbs....


INSAYN

  • ORC_Safety
  • Sturgeon
  • *
  • **RIP...Ron, Ro, AMB, Stephen**
  • Location: Forest Grove, OR
  • Date Registered: Aug 2008
  • Posts: 5411
Awesome report, video would have been epic.

I have landed and bagged two monster Cabbies in my ocean endeavors now (27" and 29.5") and have come to the conclusion that unless future monsters could place on tourney day, they will be otherwise photo'd and released. 

Reason I am choosing to do so, is that they are a bitch to filet efficiently netting meager bounty in filet meat.  There is a ton of meat in that damn head, but again a bitch to successfully harvest.

I'm only going to keep a smaller one to roast over the BBQ/fire that night if I am camping, or oven if going home that day.  This way I can get at all the tasty bits with chop sticks and not waste a ton of meat. 

I am ok letting bigger ones go otherwise so someone else can fight it another day. Their choice on what they do with it.

If anyone (Fungunnin) has a good tutorial on best known method of maximum meat extraction from a Cabbie, I may change my tune and bag future monsters. But till then I am not going to try and hack one up again, or attempt to store a bled/gutted monster whole in a cooler for now. 

Again, awesome Cabby adventure story!
 

"If I was ever stranded on a beach with only hand lotion...You're the guy I'd want with me!"   Polyangler, 2/27/15


Mojo Jojo

  • Sturgeon
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  • Location: Tillamook, Oregon
  • Date Registered: May 2014
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Awesome report, video would have been epic.

I have landed and bagged two monster Cabbies in my ocean endeavors now (27" and 29.5") and have come to the conclusion that unless future monsters could place on tourney day, they will be otherwise photo'd and released. 

Reason I am choosing to do so, is that they are a bitch to filet efficiently netting meager bounty in filet meat.  There is a ton of meat in that damn head, but again a bitch to successfully harvest.

I'm only going to keep a smaller one to roast over the BBQ/fire that night if I am camping, or oven if going home that day.  This way I can get at all the tasty bits with chop sticks and not waste a ton of meat. 

I am ok letting bigger ones go otherwise so someone else can fight it another day. Their choice on what they do with it.

If anyone (Fungunnin) has a good tutorial on best known method of maximum meat extraction from a Cabbie, I may change my tune and bag future monsters. But till then I am not going to try and hack one up again, or attempt to store a bled/gutted monster whole in a cooler for now. 

Again, awesome Cabby adventure story!
Send big Jim a pm that dude consumes most of the fish and I'm sure he has a use for the skeletal remains as well. Sooooo jealous when I see his harvests and the water he gets to free dive.



Shannon
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INSAYN

  • ORC_Safety
  • Sturgeon
  • *
  • **RIP...Ron, Ro, AMB, Stephen**
  • Location: Forest Grove, OR
  • Date Registered: Aug 2008
  • Posts: 5411
I thought of him just after posting my above note. However, Bigjim usually cooks them whole like I plan to.

Monster Cabs just need more commitment and space (from me) to cook whole. 

I still need to pick his brain on cooking times and preferred seasonings.
 

"If I was ever stranded on a beach with only hand lotion...You're the guy I'd want with me!"   Polyangler, 2/27/15


onefish

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  • Location: Bend & Pacific City
  • Date Registered: Oct 2011
  • Posts: 378
I'm with Insayn on this one; I don't keep cabs any longer; they are such a cool fish.  Lings are great to eat and rockfish make great crab bait!
“Out of the water I am nothing” Duke Kahanamoku


SteveHawk

  • ORC
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  • Location: Portland, Oregon
  • Date Registered: Jan 2011
  • Posts: 820
I have been in the situation before. I pulled up a monster ling out of depot bay a few summers ago. I had it on the surface and realized that my plastic little lip grippers were sorely outclassed. Lanston and I pondered the situation and tried to net the thing with my salmon net. Once again, a no go. It was too big for the net.  Finally, Langston and I tried to sandwich it with both of our salmon nets and knocked it off.

My most vivid memory is when I reached out with my handy dandy, glow in the dark, plastic lip grippers and realized that those fangs on the front looked very, very big. I now have a gaff but am very hesitant to use it. What if I want to release it? I have a pair of Berkely grippers, but have found that the claws are to narrow. If the fish struggles at all, the claws pierce through the lip. If it spins, the most likely out come is a broken jaw bone. Sort of curious to hear what the more experienced of us do?
"if you aren't living life on the edge, your just taking up space"  Thom Rock


Green Outback, Blue Revo


Fungunnin

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  • Date Registered: Aug 2010
  • Posts: 2548
I have used the 30 pound Boga Grips on halibut up to 80 pounds. They are tough gips!
The simple as solution for you is to just carry a gaff. We aren't allowed to use gaffs in Wa but you can in Or. Hit the fish in the head and swing it into the boat in one motion. Then pin it under your leg.

Heavy mono leaders allow you to just lift and swing in fish too.


  • WS Commander 120, OK Trident 13, Revo 13
  • Location: Creswell OR
  • Date Registered: Jan 2011
  • Posts: 804
I have used the 30 pound Boga Grips on halibut up to 80 pounds. They are tough gips!
The simple as solution for you is to just carry a gaff. We aren't allowed to use gaffs in Wa but you can in Or. Hit the fish in the head and swing it into the boat in one motion. Then pin it under your leg.

Heavy mono leaders allow you to just lift and swing in fish too.

Are you using those grips to hold the Hali in your avatar doing a lap dance? >:D That's actually pretty close to the scene that transpired except I didn't get a chance to use my bonker.

John Hayabusa- Post up your marinade recipe for the collars and fins and other bones! That was amazing right off the Barbie like that around the camp fire! Sesame oil, soy ginger, right? Ill be saving up more fish bone carcasses etc. after fillet- especially cabbies- from now on! That was one thing you have offered to me that I really liked that didn't totally scorch my senses or get me drunk!
Better to keep ones mouth shut and presumed a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.
<Proverbs>


Fungunnin

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  • Date Registered: Aug 2010
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No for the avatar Hali I just grabbed the jig head and pulled it into my lap.


  • WS Commander 120, OK Trident 13, Revo 13
  • Location: Creswell OR
  • Date Registered: Jan 2011
  • Posts: 804
The Tarpon Gaff was discussed a while ago. Anybody use one of these? This really looks like the ticket for large fish or even halibut.

Insane- you able to make something like these yet?
http://www.lockjawgaff.com/

Better to keep ones mouth shut and presumed a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.
<Proverbs>


 

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