Sombrio Beach Fishing Weekend Part I --VP Version

Hey Gang, I'm finally back and rested.  Sombrio weekend was one heck of an adventure for this 1st timer.  While I'm writing this, Snag's still up there fishing away and I think Fishin-T is coming today -- darn...

Snag and I drove there Friday afternoon, the drive felt really long as I was anticipating getting there and go fishing.  We drove past French Beach, then China Beach, Jordan River (this was really cool as you can just launch it right into the ocean) and then Sombrio was next.  The gravel road drive was a bit rough for me, park the darn thing and started unloading.  A 5 minute walk down the trail but with gear, it was more like 10 long minutes.

  wow, that view when you landed on the beach...it was gorgeous.  Sombrio had the view of the Olympic Mountains and it was clearly in a bay with blue ocean and lots of kelp beds.  I hurriedly set up my tent, and brought a few more things down and hit the waves.  Oh yes, those anchovies were getting so many hits, I was ecstatic.  I decided to try experiment with my Power Bait (lake trout lure) grubs.  That worked too.  I caught Greenlings, Black Bass, Rock fish and kept releasing them.  Only kept 3 bass.  Was still too nervous to try the open water and the current was swelling at times.  We had fireworks, one slight accident.  One of the guy - Harry set it up too close to our camping quarters and when it fell side ways, those roman candles, was shooting everywhere.  I was sitting in my seat having noodles when it shot left and right.  One slid down on my right side, burnt my fleece and left a hole including my brand new chair, my tent had a few holes too...oh well, a souvenir for the 1st timer.

Did I mention you're not allow to bring any lumber to build any kind of set up?  No power generator either.

Next day, got up early, didn't eat anything, somebody offer me instant coffee and I tried it...ouch bad idea.  Don't know if it was the coffee or the lack of food in my stomach but by the time I hit the ocean and getting the herring set-up, the ocean started to swell, another one coming, and then another....I was getting sea sick.  Gotta head for shore, oh man did I get it bad.  Almost threw up by the time I hit the beach.  The waves started coming in...went to lie down.  By the evening, I felt better.  But the ocean got really choppy.  Snag and I had one hell of a time trying to catch fish.  On the good side, we got to watch the Bald Eagles swooping down from the trees and snatching our fish carcasses on the beach...what a beautiful sight 

I was beginning to think if this keeps up, I'm going to head back early on sunday to French beach and try fishing there.  Luckily the ocean was calm.  Snag and a friend went into Port Renfrew town to watch the final Soccer Match (btw, Italy won...hooray!)  I told him I'd probably be gone by 1pm.  That didn't turn out the way I'd expected.

Oops.  Gotta get back to work.  Part II coming shortly after I get home!
VP

Yo VP!

I sure hope you have some pictures to post!

You're bring back so many memories of my spring trip to Sombrio.  Down to Harry starting trying to burn the camp down.  When we were there he was frying some fish and some how managed to start an oil fire on the propane stove.  That was a few moments of excitement.

And the eagles too.  Are the always there?

And oh yes, the fishing!  You weren't by chance using the 4" white power grubs?  When I was there I had been fishing 8" worms looking for Mr. Ling.  Every now and then I was catching a copper or black rockfish.  We would encounter some nice schools on the FF and I wanted to see what they were so I tied up a 4" white power grub on a 1 1/2 oz.  jighead that I had used to catch a greenling for ling bait.  Five drops later I had released 5 copper rockfish.  I had to changed grubs it was so mangled and proceeded to catch a bunch more coppers and black.  I've never so many coppers schooled up like that.

-Allen

Hey Pole!  Good to hear from you and that's hilarious what you said about Harry.  Man, the guy is nuts  he bought $300 worth of lumber, thinking he was going to be able to build some sort of stand and hang a hammock too...hilarious.  Offcourse it wasn't funny when we got there and the Warden wouldn't let him bring any of that down.  No electricity either even though we had a power generator to use...I guess they didn't want any squatters (they had this problem a few years back).

The eagles nest nearby and I was very blessed to see the two of them playing in the sky early on Friday evening as I paddle along the shoreline.  It was a sight to witness, specially when the sunset over the hills...it was beautiful even after 9pm the horizon was still an tinge of red and orange.

I didn't use the 4" white power grubs, instead, I use the funky Berkley power bait only 2" long, brown and yellowish green at the curly tail.  I even snag a ling cod with that small little grub...I think very few people there fish because anything we cast or put in the water, the fishes go crazy and we end up releasing...it was almost ridiculous...too easy.
At one point, I was trying to unhook a black bass, I just drop the lure into the water just so I can place the fish I caught in the tank well.  The minute the lure went into the water, another bass swim to the surface and grabbed onto my grub.  I was laughing so hard 

Yes, I took pictures of the trip.  I'll post it tomorrow.  I still have a bag full of lures that I did not have a chance to try out.  Maybe next time.

VP