Doing the happy paddle times two

[Aaron&Julie]

We launched at 4:15AM. Shore break, but somehow we managed to get sloshed. Wet, but motivated, we paddled to the pier to make bait. Outside
of the surf zone dolphins were working the bait. They stopped to give us an escort for a couple of hundred yards. We were paddling 5 feet
apart and they were in between, and all around us, within a foot many times. The bioluminescence displayed their whole bodies. Julie was in
heaven, Aaron was a little tripped out at how close they were in the dark. These were good 8 foot specimens, and we were bouncing from
their wake.
After making greenies and spanish we made our way in front of the "big condo" just after grey light. It was a lake out there, no wind, no
waves. And the fish activity seemed the same, flat. No bait or fish seen by us for 2 hours as we tried mackeral both high and low, and the
Storm plugs.
We worked our way south and closer to shore to find bait ball after bait ball of sardines. Massive amounts. We threw iron at them, through
them, trolled past them, but nobody was home. So we went back to our normal routine, working our way north.
Around 9:00AM Julie's low mackeral has a taker. Off with the clicker, let it eat it, load, and she's on. The fish breaks the surface, makes
a few runs wrapping all loose lines, then sounds. Aaron clears the lines. Now the fish has found kelp. Aaron reminds her about the spectra
and to put pressure on it. Sure enough, she starts slicing through the kelp. Minutes later, up comes the white and Aaron sinks the gaff.
Julie's first white sea bass ever, and the completion of the kayak slam of yellowtail-halibut-wsb. This was something Aaron said would
happen when we bought our kayaks 2 years ago. Done deal.
Here's her beauty at 33 lbs:




The wind has picked up by now and we're being blown onto the kelp beds. We start making for the barn, trolling the rest of our macks. We
take turns getting hung in the kelp, each time the victim would paddle back to retrieve their rig. Julie was the last victim. As Aaron
paddles ahead and gets closer to the canyon, he's bit. Let 'em eat, load, on. Then the longest run he's ever had, a good 200 yards. Before
he can even get the forward momentum going on the kayak this fish has cut a dozen strands of bull kelp. Man, do we love spectra. Still, the fish is kicking his ***. Finally straight up and down, he works it, cutting still more kelp. Julie arrives, and lends a hand by clearing his other rod out of the way. Many curls later, up comes the fish, a 34 lb yellowtail.
This picture doesn't do justice to the shoulders on this fish:




We both did the happy paddle in, landing high and dry.

[CapnTim]

Good Job....again.

[Robert]

You guys ROCK! Nice fish!

Robert

[PerryC]

You two are my heros As always, Thank You very much for the report.

Perry