PC report 08/09/09

Howdy all,

steelheadr and I met up at PC around 8am.  The tentative plan was that steelheadr would be going after lingzilla, and I would follow him around.  We launched into some choppy water, and it was choppy for most of the morning.

We got everything unstowed, and I discovered that my basically brand new Shimano Cardiff wasn't working - very little drag resistance and it wouldn't retrieve properly.  I was not going to catch a fish with that, so I switched over to the spinning reel/rod that I used on Wednesday.

My goop job on my transducer puck worked, and so I could read bottom and pickup fishy signals.  That was cool.  Not truly helpful, but cool none the less.

We started out on the NE edge of the haystack, and worked our way a little towards the buoy.  We both hooked up at about the same time, and I reeled in a double of blacks - first double, wooohooo, and one of them was the biggest rockfish that I ended up catching today.

We scooted over to the west side of the haystack, and promptly got blown southbound by the wind.  between the wind and the current it was difficult to accurately target anything, drifting too fast.

After a couple of minutes, I snagged up something fierce.  I think I spent about ten minutes (maybe more) trying to get unsnagged.  I finally did after getting southbound of the snag, and building up a head of steam going northbound.  Which snapped the line.  And I had just put on a fresh swimbait body.  Oh well.

I think steelheadr hooked up a couple of rockies while I was losing my gear, and then he snagged as well, and ended up breaking off.  There is something about 500 yards westbound of the haystack that didn't appear as structure on the sonar, and was 90 feet down.  whatever it was, it now has at least two shrimp flies and a 3 oz. jighead as part of it.

we futzed around a little more, and then started north in the general direction of the buoy.  I had a couple of hits, but everything shook off.  Then I got a solid hookup, and it turned out to be an underling.  Back in the water it went.

Steelheadr packed it in around noon, and I decided that 2 fish wasn't going to cut it, so I stayed out.  I drifted over to the zone in between the buoy and the haystack, and about 5 minutes after steelheadr headed in, I hooked up a third black rockfish.  Kinda on the small side, but I ain't complaining.  The next one that came up was a bit bigger.  And then I snagged, and started driving northbound to see if I could unsnag.  I felt the jig unsnag, and then it felt like I snagged again, but this time there was a headshake.  Reeled in another underling, and this one was only just (21 1/2").  So close.

I picked up two more rockfish before I decided I should probably head in.  Packed everything up, and got about 100 yards offshore.  Solid wall of breakers - the northerly end of the beach included.  And the breakers where 20-30 yards off shore.  Crap.

I picked a line that would take me near my car, and into what looked like smaller water.  Well, it wasn't.  I tried to follow a wave in, but since the Outback tracks like a pig while under paddle, I decided to go in with the rudder down to help with some control.  It helped me track, but having to adjust the tiller meant I wasn't paddling as hard as I should have to stay on the back of the wave.  I lost momentum, and then heard the crash behind me. 

I got flipped somewhere between 15 and 20 yards offshore.  I held onto the yak for a split second, and then thought better of it.  The wave took the yak towards the beach, and I got stuck in the breaker zone - my PFD was doing its job, which meant my feet couldn't stay on the bottom, and I suck at swimming in waves.  So I did my best to keep my cool, and duck under the breakers.  When I was about 30 feet from the shore I tried to flip my kayak over.  No dice, and I was still in the impact zone.  So I let it go again.  everything that wasn't bungeed or tied down had taken off.  I had spotted my gaff right as I popped up the first time, and no way was I going to let that go.  So I grabbed that and the paddle.  The DFW checker who was waiting for me on the beach grabbed my yak and flipped it over.  When I got up to her, the only things missing were my hat and net.  My hat was on the next wave in, and the net came in about 10 minutes later.  I was very, very happy that the mirage drive was still attached by its bungee when I got up on the beach.  The last 30 or so feet, that was all I could think about.

And then I realized that I purchased my drysuit yesterday.  If I had been wearing the wader/mountaineering jacket combo, this report would probably be very different.

All in all, a pretty rocking day.  I caught fish, I had fun, and I huli'd with no loss.

Now, that's a proper baptism.    

Expect those conditions every time you go out in the ocean and be thankfull when it's any smaller.  It's easy to get lulled into a false sense of security by a couple of easy launches and landings.  Breakers 30yds offshore is still a small day by Oregon standards.  Always securely stow or lash ALL of your gear (especially a gaff).

Glad you came thru with everything in tact!!!

Now, that's a proper baptism.    

Expect those conditions every time you go out in the ocean and be thankfull when it's any smaller.  It's easy to get lulled into a false sense of security by a couple of easy launches and landings.  Breakers 30yds offshore is still a small day by Oregon standards.  Always securely stow or lash ALL of your gear (especially a gaff).

Glad you came thru with everything in tact!!!

Yup.

What Spot said. In fact I almost typed all of the same words.
I'm REALLY glad you kept your drive!
I didn't  

 About the only thing I'd add is go out and do that on purpose without any gear. Its fun and a great learning experience.

Sounds like that was a pretty good day! (Ain't good gear great!)

About the only thing I'd add is go out and do that on purpose without any gear. Its fun and a great learning experience.

Oh yeah, Great learning experience! BTW, don't we have a video of FFTW doing his huli thing somewhere around here?? 

Z

Glad everything turned out ok and REALLY glad you had your drysuit for this!

About the only thing I'd add is go out and do that on purpose without any gear. Its fun and a great learning experience.

Oh yeah, Great learning experience! BTW, don't we have a video of FFTW doing his huli thing somewhere around here?? 

Z

Glad everything turned out ok and you didn't lose anything..

 Spot hit it on the head. Those 1ft ankle slapper days at PC are fun and can be deceptively easy but , more often than not you looking at, and should expect more challenging surf.  Best thing a guy can do is show up on a bigger day and leave the fishing gear in the rig and go out and "play" in some decent surf (stuff that half scares you when you look at it, with a buddy is best).  It will do more for your surf/break reading,  boat handling skills and confidence than anything else.  I spend one day a year just playing in some big surf, its great for tuning up your game and its damn fun.

Something I've really been meaning to do is get some thigh straps. I have yet to use them but anyone who has (I think nanook uses them) says they give you a lot of control, something we have very little of when going through surf.

Z

hmm, thighstraps.  I think I need to learn how to "swim" while wearing a PFD and a drysuit.  I was having a heck of a time trying to kick while bobbing like a cork.

I learned a lesson.  Not sure which lesson plan it was, but I learned it.

Before I got all the way in the little voice (okay, one of the little voices) in my head made me stop about 100 yards offshore and stow my FF, which is on a RAM mount in the sail mount, with the wiring going under the lip of the front hatch.  I don't think I saw myself rolling in the surf, but a caution light went off.  I actually looked at everything on the boat to make sure it was either stowed, tied down, or woven into the bungee on the rear tankwell.

I made sure that all of the leashed items (fish stringer, water bottle, and paddle) weren't intertwined.  That was from last Wednesday, when I didn't huli but my paddle leash (leashed to me), wrapped up with the water bottle leash (to the boat), and was quite a nuisance when I went to jump out.

Next time the water bottle is getting stowed, as is the gaff.

I really want more practice, as that was really "fun"   I'm sure that if I had a safety buddy on the beach and no gear to worry about, it really would be more than an exercise in keeping your cool.  I stopped in the PC store to get some ice and a sammie, and couldn't keep my hands from shaking as I filled out the sandwich order.  Still in my drysuit.

I didn't take the drysuit off until I got to Netarts.  I had dropped a crab trap right off the bridge at Whalen Island, and came up blank (all of the shad that was in the bait box, as well as most of the cabezon carcass loose in the trap was gone).  I  talked with a guy who was putting in as I was heading out - evidently the crab worth keeping tend to further downstream towards the mouth.  I had this crazy idea that I was going to head up to Netarts and dump the trap up there with a rockfish carcass and a couple pieces of shad.  I got all the way there and realized I was exhausted, hungry, and it was 4pm.  two hour drive home.

I've heard that Cabezon is not a good fish to put your traps.  The smarter bigger crab know that these fish eat crab.  Just a rumor though.

Something I've really been meaning to do is get some thigh straps. I have yet to use them but anyone who has (I think nanook uses them) says they give you a lot of control, something we have very little of when going through surf.

Z

I've got a pair and love em!  They give you the ability to set and edge.  They don't give you total control but definitely more than you have without them.  Plus, you never get bounced out of your seat or slide off the nose on pearl.

-Spot-

hooray for thigh straps!

One thing I've noticed with the soft keels most SOT's have is that it's really hard to hold a line on the wave. These boats don't have the hull speed, or hard lines needed to surf well.

I've found most of the time you end up side surfing. Makes it worth while to get good with bracing, because the only way to survive side surfing is to lean into the wave and brace on top of it and hope it peters out enough to get off it before you hit the beach.

Other than that, I concur with everything everyone else said.

I've found most of the time you end up side surfing. Makes it worth while to get good with bracing, because the only way to survive side surfing is to lean into the wave and brace on top of it and hope it peters out enough to get off it before you hit the beach.

And here I thought I was doing something wrong
Cool


Thigh Straps:

 My Cobra XL came with some nice padded thigh straps and I had no idea what they were. For years I used them as a shoulder strap to carry the boat and wondered why it came with two of them

 Actually I did have a clue what they were, but at the time ('94) I had no interest in being tied to the boat in any way shape or form. Now I think I'll have to revisit them.