Top Secret Expedition to Zipper-lip Locations in the San Juans

'Yak Monkey (Brian), Pisco Kid (Janni) and I made a trip to the Islands for some saltwater action, from last Thursday- Sunday.

I'm slammed with catch-up at home so will have to dribble out the report over time.

It snowed in the pass going over, but cleared once we crossed the Cascades. The weather was gorgeous, the tides mellow, and the water was flat. Ideal conditions for bottomfishing and camping. I wish we could have stayed longer.

Janni caught coppers and greenling, while I managed coppers, greenling, an under-ling (24.5") and a cabbie. One of my coppers was the biggest I've ever seen,  at 19.0". The cabbie was no slouch, either, at 24.0"

A few pictures to whet the appetite.

That cabby is a hog.  Well done.  Those islands are a magical place when the weather cooperates.  Looks like a good trip.  Looking forward to Brian's report.

Zipper lip locations huh? I see how you are. Man that's the biggest rockie and cab I've ever seen out of PS. Not bad my friend. Well we at least know how deep you were fishing since the rockie's baro'd out and you went Spottie all over 'em w/ the bass gear. Janni's a lucky girl. Sure she had a blast.

Z

Hey, I was trying to be discreet about the spot that you and NG went to, by just describing it, instead of naming it.

It's really hard to find spots in the Sound that aren't hammered repeatedly by the PB crowd. Both of those fish were special. Rockies like that are slow growing, so advertising the location on the web would probably mean that I would never catch another like it, there. That particular spot produced a 30lb ling about 7 years ago, so I was hoping to run in to some of her progeny. No such luck, unless that explains Janni's frayed line break-off.

Brian sent me a some photos that I'll try to post.

'Yak Monkey's Zipper-lip Report:

  So, this is my fourth weekend out in 4 weeks.  Whew.  I have to say that it compared closely to the previous trip to the islands, with the camping being better while the fishing (for me) wasn't as productive.  I have to commend Pisko on his knowledge of these waters and the launches.  We camped at one site, and on each day of the 2 days of fishing launched from different locations.  I can't imagine any better conditions.  Tides, winds, sunshine, currents and crowds were all in our favor.  Somebody has good San Juans juju  !  Due to my success earlier this ling season, I focused on trying to hit lunker fish using large baits and made a valiant attempt at "from scratch" bait fishing by starting with the sabiki.  All of my catches throughout the weekend were rockfish, yet I did lose several uber-benders that enjoyed ripping my jigs in half 
   I believe that my most interesting fishing moment this weekend was the double-ling follow up. Let me elaborate.  I was jiggin' a magical fish magnet, and got a hookup on what felt like the typical copper.  Until, WOOPS, I nearly lost the rod as it went double bendo quickly and my drag went "zing-ng-ng" in a hurry.  My thought was, "Well, this must be a nice ling that started out a little lazy!"  I kept playing the fish in, keeping mind of the barblessness of the situation.  It didn't take long and I was able to see the shape of a critter on the other end of my line.  "Huh?" is my first thought, followed by "Well, looky there!"  What I observed was a small-ish rockfish on the jig, a decent ling holding on to the rockfish, and the uber-mama-ling following the first ling!  I nearly huli'd in my reach for the net, while at the same time putting my feet to the pedals in order to keep tension on the line without reeling in too much.  I laid the net across my lap and slowly pedaled while reaching forward with the rod tip in an attempt to bring all 3 fish up high enough to try and net the unhooked ling that was holding on to the copper.  I wished but had little hope that the mama-ling would be nice enough to swim into the net, so I concentrated on the more likely ling.  Well, you probably guessed it.  As soon as net was in the water the larger ling swam off and as the smaller latched on ling got close enough to maybe possibly net, it let go and gracefully turned it's rear in my direction and swam back into the depths.  Typical.  Damn.  Well, it was fun anyway.
  Earlier on Saturday, with dying cell phone and very little signal, I was able to convince the GF to come out to the campsite and bring IndyNoodle (her son) along for a night of campfire and beach frivolity.  That night was a fish-fry to beat all, with a large batch of Pisko Sicko and Pisko Kid greenling and our collection of rockfish breaded and fried, with salted, grilled yams and oiled garlic broccoli.  YUMMERS!  Sunday was a family day, and I never actually ended up putting a kayak in the water.  We explored the islands, found a small secluded beach, played in the sand and made a leisurely day of it.  Just a few pictures are below:

The jig in the mouth of Janni's copper was the hot ticket. It got slammed on most every drop, especially in new locations. My first experience with Gulp, and it seemed the stuff worked very well.

Great Stuff Guys!  Looks like you guys had an awesome weekend!

Thanks for sharing!

Hey, I was trying to be discreet about the spot that you and NG went to, by just describing it, instead of naming it.

It's really hard to find spots in the Sound that aren't hammered repeatedly by the PB crowd. Both of those fish were special. Rockies like that are slow growing, so advertising the location on the web would probably mean that I would never catch another like it, there.

Just giving you a hard time. The only reason I gave up the 411 on the other spot is that it's no secret. I feel you about hammered spots. Most places in the sound are either non-existent or there's only few very small fish. Gotta do what you can to preserve the gems. Heck, I'm just glad they're still out there!

Z

nice report, that's a fattie cabbie for sure.

Way to go Janni! good job gettin on the board

Looks like waay too much fun! Maybe if I had a boat like yours, I could get my 10yo out. Mine is a little wherry of fishing with me.

WOW! It's amazing to see how much the Pisco Kid (great handle!) has grown since that Everett Bay tournament. I have some great picture that she took from then when I turned her loose with my camera. I'll see if I can find them and I'll post 'em or send them to you.

Looks like waay too much fun! Maybe if I had a boat like yours, I could get my 10yo out. Mine is a little wherry of fishing with me.

WOW! It's amazing to see how much the Pisco Kid (great handle!) has grown since that Everett Bay tournament. I have some great picture that she took from then when I turned her loose with my camera. I'll see if I can find them and I'll post 'em or send them to you.

The "little wherry" comment reminds me that Brian's GF came up with a name for my boat- "the Wherry Traveler". That might fit!

It is amazing how fast the kids sprout up. Our oldest is graduating next month and was Janni's age when I met her and her mom and sister. Janni loves playing with my camera and is asking for a movie camera. Guess I better read the direc tions for my camera, first, and see what we can produce with it. Seeing some of her pictures, from the Coho Derby, would be fun. Btw, the rod in this picture is the one she received for participating in the Everett Coho Derby.