Quick Report - 8/5 LJ - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

TCS · 08-05-2009, 08:27 PM

Had a few free hours this afternoon so decided to go for a paddle. There was a little windswell at the launch but the wind chop was lower than the last few days. Got a greenback shortly after the 1st can and started towing it out to sea.

After a little bit a HUGE sea lion shows up beside the boat, I reel in my mack as quick as I can and he almost gets it. He stays right under the boat for a few minutes and I'm thankful that he doesn't really want that mackerel, cause he could probably get it if he was motivated. I pick up and paddle away and and throw out the mack about five minutes later. After a bit I get a short zip on the clicker and then another, very seal like. I figure its the big dude again and hope I won't get spooled as I reach for the reel. Something is tugging but I am reeling it in pretty easily. Definitely not a seal..... I can see something brown coming through the water....

Turns out its a cormorant, one bad ass cormorant. He let's go about five feet from the boat and then makes a few runs under me to try and find the fish. Comes back up and gives me the evil eye, looks like he flashes some gang signs. The mack is dead so I toss it overboard, paddle a little ways and hook up my spare. Just as soon as it hits the water the damn cormorant shoots out from under the boat and grabs my mack! I grab it back. At this point I figure its like Hatfields and McCoys. He's goin Hatfield, so I'm goin McCoy. Left hand goes straight up with the paddle, right hand tosses the mack on the left side of the boat...The little bastard makes a run at the boat, BAM the paddle almost gets him. He definitely didn't expect that. (No, I did not plan on hurting the birdie, just scaring it...probably)

I paddle away a ways figuring I scared him off, throw my mack in. A few minutes later and click, click, zip...the little bastard kills the second one too!

Well, this post is long enough I guess, so I'll sum up. The birds were going crazy, but no Yellowtail for me. The tide was so high you could hardly see where the kelp beds were. Got a couple of nice Calicos where I thought the kelp should be. Got home in time for fish dinner.

Spyder · 08-05-2009, 08:38 PM

Oh man, that is some funny chit right there. Sounds like a new TV show "When Nature Acts Stupid" I have had cormorants eat my bait and get hooked as well. Let me tell you, they have sharp beaks!

You'll get em next time man.

joyjiggin' · 08-05-2009, 09:40 PM

That's hilarious! He must of been pretty hungry!

Geoffkoop · 08-06-2009, 08:52 AM

On sunday i had the same exact thing happen to me. My clicker went off and i was reeling this big brown thing up from about 15ft down and I thought at first it was a baby black sea bass or something...Got it up and it was a darn cormorant. About 20 mins later i was jiggin the sabiki and another cormorant came out of nowhere and hit it. It took 15 mins to get all the sabiki hooks out of him (with the help of my buddy).

kareem korn · 08-06-2009, 09:45 AM

Dude those birds are a pain. They hold on just long enough to kill your bait. You cant pass them off for anything.

bender0240 · 08-06-2009, 11:53 AM

I wonder if it's the same bird that's to blame. Usually they're way to smart to do that, but just like people, some of them have lower IQs(idiots)

I had a problem with the same type of bird a few years back. When I got it in it had like 6 other hooks in it's mouth. It looked like a Goth bird. I did my best to get as many of the hooks out. But as soon as I let him go, the simple bastard went straight for my next bait!

I think all the other birds we're ashamed of him

08-06-2009, 12:10 PM

hey at least you were out there fishing

08-05-2009, 08:27 PM	#1
TCS Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 478	Quick Report - 8/5 LJ Had a few free hours this afternoon so decided to go for a paddle. There was a little windswell at the launch but the wind chop was lower than the last few days. Got a greenback shortly after the 1st can and started towing it out to sea. After a little bit a HUGE sea lion shows up beside the boat, I reel in my mack as quick as I can and he almost gets it. He stays right under the boat for a few minutes and I'm thankful that he doesn't really want that mackerel, cause he could probably get it if he was motivated. I pick up and paddle away and and throw out the mack about five minutes later. After a bit I get a short zip on the clicker and then another, very seal like. I figure its the big dude again and hope I won't get spooled as I reach for the reel. Something is tugging but I am reeling it in pretty easily. Definitely not a seal..... I can see something brown coming through the water.... Turns out its a cormorant, one bad ass cormorant. He let's go about five feet from the boat and then makes a few runs under me to try and find the fish. Comes back up and gives me the evil eye, looks like he flashes some gang signs. The mack is dead so I toss it overboard, paddle a little ways and hook up my spare. Just as soon as it hits the water the damn cormorant shoots out from under the boat and grabs my mack! I grab it back. At this point I figure its like Hatfields and McCoys. He's goin Hatfield, so I'm goin McCoy. Left hand goes straight up with the paddle, right hand tosses the mack on the left side of the boat...The little bastard makes a run at the boat, BAM the paddle almost gets him. He definitely didn't expect that. (No, I did not plan on hurting the birdie, just scaring it...probably) I paddle away a ways figuring I scared him off, throw my mack in. A few minutes later and click, click, zip...the little bastard kills the second one too! Well, this post is long enough I guess, so I'll sum up. The birds were going crazy, but no Yellowtail for me. The tide was so high you could hardly see where the kelp beds were. Got a couple of nice Calicos where I thought the kelp should be. Got home in time for fish dinner. Last edited by TCS; 08-06-2009 at 11:34 AM.

08-05-2009, 08:38 PM	#2
Spyder Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: San Diego Posts: 169	Oh man, that is some funny chit right there. Sounds like a new TV show "When Nature Acts Stupid" I have had cormorants eat my bait and get hooked as well. Let me tell you, they have sharp beaks! You'll get em next time man.

08-05-2009, 09:40 PM	#3
joyjiggin' Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Huntington Beach Posts: 109	That's hilarious! He must of been pretty hungry!

08-06-2009, 08:52 AM	#4
Geoffkoop Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: So. Orange County Posts: 302	On sunday i had the same exact thing happen to me. My clicker went off and i was reeling this big brown thing up from about 15ft down and I thought at first it was a baby black sea bass or something...Got it up and it was a darn cormorant. About 20 mins later i was jiggin the sabiki and another cormorant came out of nowhere and hit it. It took 15 mins to get all the sabiki hooks out of him (with the help of my buddy).

08-06-2009, 09:45 AM	#5
kareem korn Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: C-bad Posts: 431	Dude those birds are a pain. They hold on just long enough to kill your bait. You cant pass them off for anything.

08-06-2009, 11:53 AM	#6
bender0240 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 118	I wonder if it's the same bird that's to blame. Usually they're way to smart to do that, but just like people, some of them have lower IQs(idiots) I had a problem with the same type of bird a few years back. When I got it in it had like 6 other hooks in it's mouth. It looked like a Goth bird. I did my best to get as many of the hooks out. But as soon as I let him go, the simple bastard went straight for my next bait! I think all the other birds we're ashamed of him

08-06-2009, 12:10 PM	#7
NextBite Guest Posts: n/a	hey at least you were out there fishing