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Posted by Brendan on 19:18:22 09/22/03
I know of this secret little cove down in Pacific Valley. A few of you out there know which one I'm talking about. Its a bit of a hike, 600 feet or so, and you have to lower your kayak down a cliff. A bit of a schlep, but the wide open fishing makes it totally worth it.
Todd (a fishing buddy of mine since I was six years old and could barely cast a rod) and I drove down there Saturday night, slept out on the bluffs, then trekked our stuff down there early in the morning. Its interesting to watch how the launch out of a little cove no bigger than 30 feet wide can fill up with sand over during the summer. A spot with an easy launch just 3 months ago in the same size swell was now dangerous. Timing is of the essence and a helmet is necessary if you want to make it out through the rock garden and into the kelp beds. But hey, we all love this sport for the bit of thrill it adds to our lives.
Out on the water by 7:30 and it was beautiful. 7 foot swell, 30 foot visibility, tons of bait in the water, and no wind all day long. Padlled out past the kelp and into deeper waters. This area is pockmarked with huge pinnacles that often rise from out of 100 feet of water to just below the surface. The fishing so good out there you don't even need a fish finder.
First drop down was a huge red, then a ling, then more reds. It seemed as though the reds had moved into this area en masse. I always catch a few, but between Todd and I, we must have caught and released 30 between the two of us after keeping our limit. In addition to the reds, we sampled the smorgasborg of nearshore rockfish the Central Coast has to offer: olives, coppers, canaries (released), blues, blacks, gophers, starries, and chinas. We also caught a number of lings up to fifteen pounds, both keeping our limit. We then paddles out to T rock, a boiler located a good mile offshore and barely visible save the whitewash spilling off it with each swell. A whale rose within 30 feet of us while we were fishing out there, an eery yet humbling experience. After a good 8 hours of fishing, the heat of the day and lack of sleep finally set in, so we decided on one more drop before heading in. Todd hooks a little gopher, and as he's reeling it up, he notices a HUGE ling following it. So he tells me to come over to where he is, and we both watch in awe as this dinosaur of a ling eats this little rockfish. He gives it some line (big mistake) as it swallows it, then pulls tight. This giant immediately starts pulling him into the rocks. After a half hour battle of give and take, and a sleigh ride out of the kelp bed and into deeper water, the ling finally wins, busting him off in the rocks. This fish tale belongs up there with The Old Man and the Sea, by Hemmingway.
Once again, this was a wild trip into the waters of Big Sur. You never know what will happen, and at the end of each trip, I always find myself in awe of the beauty and wild fishing this place has to offer.
I've been fishing this area pretty frequently for the past 2 years, and have never seen so many reds. I've got a few pictures on my digi, which I'll post once my home connections back on line.
TL
Zen Fishing on the Central California Coast
Brendan
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