Octopus aka Kraken

Now that I have experienced the thrill of bagging a Pacific Octopus at GS8, I'm pondering the possibilities of bagging my next. 

Oregon regs allow 1 per day, may be taken by angling, dip net, pot, and hand, open 24 hours per day unless otherwise noted elsewhere, yada yada.....

So, we have structure where we kayak fish that should easily harbor these awesome creatures, no?

I'm not going to be doing any free diving any time soon, so I'll have to resort to targeting them topside.  Probably with a weighted pot, or some similar device.  Or just get lucky with a 6" Big Hammer again. 

Now, if I go the pot route the question would be how long to leave said pot soaking, and what to use for a rope and float to recover the pot (probably simple crab pot rope and bouy, duh). 
Just thinking with my fingers here.   

Anyone here ever made any effort to actually try this method of actually targeting Octo topside, in Oregon/Washington ocean waters (not bay, or the sound) with any success? 

I want more Kraken!!!!!

That meat is the shiznit! 

Tell me this doesn't tempt you! 
(Disclaimer, photos pulled randomly from the interweb)

Perhaps if you tie a cute girl up to a pillar at the entrance to Depoe Bay?  Then you could slay the beast as it went for the bait!

Free diving is probably your best bet, but a pot with a crab buoy could work too.

Also, you could catch a halibut and pull one out of it's stomach.  That's what NWNoob did.

I'll ask a commercial fishing buddy of mine--he used to put down nest boxes for them and then haul them up to use as bait.
T2

I had a client hook into a pretty good size octopus a few weeks ago in Pacific City. The locals in PC are seeing quite a few this year. It also seems like all the fish I'm catching lately are full of octo legs and octo babies. Who knows, maybe you'll find one out there.

So, in the highly unlikely event that I pull up my lure only to find a GPO stuck to it, what it the hell do you do with it?  Seems like quite a logistical problem just to dispatch it and stick it somewhere. 

Brain spike it to dispatch it. Apparently there is this way to kill it by biting it behind the eyes, but I'm not that badass.  We've talked about it once or twice on this forum before, but I don't think anyone actually started targeting them.  I imagine the best way to do it would be to drop down a trap-door pot, like tsquared mentioned and let it soak for a day.

   " biting it behind the eyes"

  I'm not too sure I would do that either. Thinking more like a knife to a core area til it quits wiggling.

  What did you do Insayn ?

Lack brain as we know it. Each arm is capable of independent process and will continue to feed the mouth even when detached

But Octo stew done in V8 juice is outstanding.

  So.....stabbing maybe not a great idea ??

 How about throw one in a mesh bag to secure it then deal with the beast when you get on land ?

 Not that I've ever hook one ----but you never know what you'll pull out of the salt. "The appeal "

Stabbing doesn't do much (at least on the larger ones).  Easiest way to secure one is to give it the opportunity to climb inside your partially submerged catch bag.  If that doesn't work, stick your arm in a burlap sack, grab a shoulder with the burlap coated hand and pull the beast into the bag.  Suckers don't work on burlap so it can't pull itself back out.

-Spot-

Can't you just bungie it to the bow or stern? If I hook one there better be someone else on the water that wants it or it C&R for me

If that doesn't work, stick your arm in a burlap sack, grab a shoulder with the burlap coated hand and pull the beast into the bag.  Suckers don't work on burlap so it can't pull itself back out.

Sounds like the best idea to me.

Can't you just bungie it to the bow or stern? If I hook one there better be someone else on the water that wants it or it C&R for me

Methinks that's a lose your jig proposition.  Not sure I'd want to mess with all those arms to try and get it back.  Probably just cut the line as close as you comfortably can.

If your intent us to keep the gpo in the first place, you will be getting the jig back at some point

   " biting it behind the eyes"

  I'm not too sure I would do that either. Thinking more like a knife to a core area til it quits wiggling.

  What did you do Insayn ?

I accidentally let it drift too close to the kayak and it suctioned itself to the starboard side under the kayak. 
Not knowing what to do with it, I hooked it randomly with the gaff and held on to it for all my might.  It then decided to hang onto me, and wrapped a leg or two around my gaff and hand.  Roland (Dino's cuz) cam over and grabbed my arm to attempt to pull the gaff away from the kayak. 

Nope!  Not gunna happen.  That beast had way too much traction, and we straighten the gaff. 

It then was reaching around the backside of BOTH of our kayaks    and kind of spooked us in a cool way. 
As Ro said over and over......"THIIIISSSS ISSSSS AWWWWESOOOOME!!!!!!!

With the mouth directly between us facing up and all the arms under and around the kayaks, I went at the head prison style with my bait knife. 



I eventually hit something that made it give up and come loose.  After I slipped it into my lap, I then asked over the radio, "what the hell do I do now".  Someone said to invert the hood and yank all the colored crap out and it will die quick and can then be bagged on ice.  What they failed to mention was that it would ink in protest. My kayak was blasted with the black goo, but rinse off easy enough with hand power splashing.



Once dead and prepped for storage, it just went into my cooler bag for the next 6 hours.  Came out nice and cold, ready to prepare.

I'm thinking the burlap bag is the ticket and will pack one under my cooler bag in the event I pull another "wet sleeping bag" up from the deep. 

Totally worth the effort, and crazy fun! 

Got a trophy to keep from the ordeal as well.  Beak marks all over Big Hammer.