Homer harbor

Congratulations, Matt!


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Nice going Matt. A double header! Looks like you are our stomach contents ambassador! Heheh

KK, I went ice fishing this weekend. Hit a few different lakes in the Valley and blanked on all of them. 36" everywhere. It's gonna be a long spring until we have still fresh water to play in.


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Way to go Matt!! Perseverance pays! He has the hours to have earned those fish!!!

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I do worry about the sea lions though. Never a good sign when seals or sea lions are hanging around a salmon fishery whether in the rivers or the ocean. They do tend to stampede the fish and turn them off the bite.

There's gotta be a way to push the sea lions out of the area...maybe broadcast some orca communications above the surface to scare them off (and hopefully not the kings)?  Anyone have a large shark drone to operate in the area?   ;-)

Im going to start carrying pepper spray I think. At the first threat of bodily harm to me, they are going  to get hit.  Hopefully, much like a gun, I have time to asess wind direction and down wind potential of collateral damage. 

I cant be the first person to think of this...I need to research this.

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Im going to start carrying pepper spray I think. At the first threat of bodily harm to me, they are going  to get hit.  Hopefully, much like a gun, I have time to asess wind direction and down wind potential of collateral damage. 

I cant be the first person to think of this...I need to research this.

Great idea, I'm adding bear spray to my kayak fishing checklist. 

http://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/publications/protected_species/marine_mammals/pinnipeds/sea_lion_removals/112515_potential_deterrence_methods.pdf

NOAA says bear spray is good to go.  Also paintball/airsoft guns are interesting.  Cattle prod is on the list too, but probably not safe for kayak use.

http://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/publications/protected_species/marine_mammals/pinnipeds/sea_lion_removals/112515_potential_deterrence_methods.pdf

NOAA says bear spray is good to go.  Also paintball/airsoft guns are interesting.  Cattle prod is on the list too, but probably not safe for kayak use.

Didn't think of paint ball guns...they worked well on bear and moose when I was a Military Conservation Agent on Elmendorf, we used o/c pepper balls as well...double trouble for them suckas!

  I think a coordinated effort to de-habituate them from approaching kayaks might be in order.  But we need to be careful.  Im not concerned about breaking the law since the govt had already said we can use the deterrants mentioned.

BUT  if word gets out we are spraying or paint balling sea lions, we will come back to slashed vehicle tires and such.

On a completely different note, I wonder if sea lions have "revenge" in their mental capacity. Ive heard crows learn to harass people who are mean to them. Hmmm....  the last thing Id want is me hitting a sea lion with pepper spray and later it going after another kayaker thinking that they are noe the enemy



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I almost got to harpoon one yesterday. It got probably five feet from me and they chased John for a bit. I'm totally not cool with the herd of sea lions

I almost got to harpoon one yesterday. It got probably five feet from me and they chased John for a bit. I'm totally not cool with the herd of sea lions

At 5 feet, if they are facing me and not just passing by, they would get hit by the spray.....

Well, all you cowboys and fish wranglers might have to holster that bear spray for the moment. We might all be handcuffed in this developing situation.

These are western Stellar Sea Lions and are on the Endangered Species List which presents a whole new set of considerations regarding their status and what anglers and property owners would be allowed to engage in to prevent personal danger or property damage.

The eastern Stellar Sea Lions were DE-listed in 2013 as recovering but the break line is the eastern edge of PWS going west.  So the NOAA list of recommendations for

"Potential methods for use by private property owners to deter Pacific harbor seals, California sea lions, and eastern U.S. stock Steller sea lions from damaging property or stealing anglers fish" (http://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/publications/protected_species/marine_mammals/pinnipeds/sea_lion_removals/112515_potential_deterrence_methods.pdf)

is specifically identifying only the Eastern sub species for using possible deterrents.

 Any deterrent methods used on our western Stellar sea lions could be legally construed as harassment of an endangered species with the one exception in any case being in defense of your life....but not property like fish or gear.



Obviously with a bull sea lion reaching 11 feet and 2500 pounds and developing no fear of man or kayaker we are seeing something we all need to seriously stay aware of. NEVER hang a fish stringer overboard. The first one to steal a fish (let alone easily turtle that bobbing papaya) will set the stage for real concern. They learn from teaching their young and learn from others. Most likely the first behavior will be realizing an angler's hooked fish is an easy meal. Even in a landing net. Tethering a landing net in that scenario would be the same as the attached stringer situation. Flotation on the net would be a safer approach. I'm now seriously thinking about using a can of spray foam insulation to try and fill my net hoop and the entire length of my net handle and see if that is enough to keep it floating. In any case it would require much less external flotation material to get in the way.

Another potential threat is if they realize that a kayak may have fish onboard which may be stolen by merely flipping the boat or reaching up and snatching it. There is no doubt I'd be changing my shorts at my earliest convenience if I had a bucket-size mouth full of teeth just inches from my arse.

Seasonally the pupping period is still months away when at least the females would leave the area and head to their rookeries for raising their young. Doesn't necessarily mean the big boys will leave however they have mating to change their minds too.

Hopefully none of us this year will have the misfortune of teaching old dogs BAD tricks and seeing our little piece of heaven escalate into a battle zone.

You are right KK, BUT....

Any fish and wildlife, or regulatory staff that are willing to stand 5 feet away from a bear or Bull Sea lion and tell me they do not believe their life is at risk,  can ticket me once they prove it. (Obviously they can ticket me regardless, but I'll make sure they are exposed as morons).      If my kayak is at risk, and I am on the water hundreds of yards from shore, then my life is also at risk.  Non lethal de-habituating (is that even a word?) is a win win if it can be done.

Ok, ok...this is a knee jerk reaction to the Bull pucky that is the ESA listing of the Western Population segment. Bunch of Whacko extreme enviro warrior wannabe researchers hard up for funds (not all but enough of them to make a difference).  Don't even get me started on that.

Clarifying the rules would be a good thing however...

Thanks for the clarification KK, I'd hate to be on the wrong side of the law.  But, I second kardinal_84, if I feel endangered, I'm gonna protect myself with any/all means available damn the consequences.  Guess we'll just hope for the best and that the buggers move along on their own. 

Oh yeah...nobody tell my wife about the possible dangers out there, otherwise I won't be able to come out and play anymore.