LJ 8/3 - Mystery Sea Monster or Dog - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

The pelican · 08-05-2013, 03:11 PM

Launched at 5 a.m. with a friend. Saw some "signs" but didn't follow them because I was fishing with a buddy who didn't have the time required to go on an adventure (he had a wedding to attend at noon).

Trolled a few greenbacks around for most of the morning hours. Sea Lions were all over the place, I think because of a half day boat in the area. Lost a mac to one of the dogs.

The most interesting part of the day was a battle with a mystery sea monster. Here's the story:

My mac gets hit on the troll and I think sea lion. I'm a novice with only a half dozen YT under my belt but it doesn’t feel like a target species on the line. Much more weight. But it runs down in the water column and not just out along the surface as I would expect from a sea lion. My drag was pretty tight and it ripped off line easily. I fight it for a bit and eventually it’s almost directly below me and the line stops ripping off my reel. I pop the kelp stringers and immediately reel as fast as possible. Sure enough, I feel weight again! The thing on the other end is hard to feel but it’s still there pulling, somewhere between dead weight and a fight. I pop another kelp stringer and reel fast. Again, I feel the weight (but no fight) after cranking my reel a handful of times. Repeat the same process again. Finally I’m directly over my line pulling on dead weight. It’s not fighting. I would think I’m on kelp again but there’s no feeling like the spectra is sawing through the kelp. I pull and pull but nothing. I eventually decide to let the line go slack to see if that helps. Nothing. I pull so hard that the hook just comes out of whatever was down there. Does this sound like a dog to everyone else? Maybe it wrapped me up in the kelp, took the mac off the hook and I fought with a small kelp paddy for a bit? Any other ideas? Like I said, I'm relatively new at this, so I'm curious to hear the thoughts of others.

-Pat

Dannowar · 08-05-2013, 03:44 PM

BSB? coulda gone kaput right at the top?

lowprofile · 08-05-2013, 07:06 PM

thresher or 7 gill maybe... they bulldog like that and then get lazy. you cant lift a 200lber very easily. i fought one for over an hour that had to be 6ft to the fork plus the tail and it would just sit down towards the bottom and not budge. eventually the hook pulled.

bigbarrels · 08-06-2013, 12:37 AM

with kelp popping, slack then fish, kelp popping then slack and then fish......sounds like YT to me

driftwood · 08-06-2013, 06:48 AM

These things are all over La Jolla. Maybe you had one of these... Humuhumunukunukuapua'a? Pig face fish????

the dude · 08-06-2013, 08:16 PM

I think you snagged a kelp stringer on the troll and then fought it.

vincentek9 · 08-06-2013, 08:31 PM

BSB, or shark. the sharks i hook on do quick runs forward, but mainly shoot straight to the bottom. i've never hooked a BSB yet though.

if you say the fish STOPPED MOVING entirely.... then its not a shark. sharks have to constantly move in order to breathe (water flow through the gills). if they stop moving, they stop breathing.

maui jim · 08-07-2013, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by driftwood

These things are all over La Jolla. Maybe you had one of these... Humuhumunukunukuapua'a? Pig face fish????

Taste like Bacon....MMMMMMMMM

TJones · 08-07-2013, 05:17 PM

T Bone · 08-07-2013, 08:05 PM

Well the dogs breathe air so if one didnt surface,I would rule that out.You would not be the only person who has fought kelp for a bit.Sigmund fights hard for a while...

dorado50 · 08-07-2013, 08:53 PM

I think your buddy pulled" the water in the bucket" trick on you....... probably had a large wsb on ...u freaked out and it beat you

The pelican · 08-07-2013, 09:26 PM

Thanks for the feedback guys. It was probably the pig fish. I'm still mystified. My best sleigh ride yet, followed by kelp popping and reeling, followed by dead weight that might have just been kelp after it got off the hook. In any case, the initial run was awesome. Got a bsb a couple years ago and this thing swam faster than that. But no head shakes like a yt. Guess I'll never know.

08-05-2013, 03:11 PM	#1
The pelican Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: La Jolla Posts: 82	LJ 8/3 - Mystery Sea Monster or Dog Launched at 5 a.m. with a friend. Saw some "signs" but didn't follow them because I was fishing with a buddy who didn't have the time required to go on an adventure (he had a wedding to attend at noon). Trolled a few greenbacks around for most of the morning hours. Sea Lions were all over the place, I think because of a half day boat in the area. Lost a mac to one of the dogs. The most interesting part of the day was a battle with a mystery sea monster. Here's the story: My mac gets hit on the troll and I think sea lion. I'm a novice with only a half dozen YT under my belt but it doesn’t feel like a target species on the line. Much more weight. But it runs down in the water column and not just out along the surface as I would expect from a sea lion. My drag was pretty tight and it ripped off line easily. I fight it for a bit and eventually it’s almost directly below me and the line stops ripping off my reel. I pop the kelp stringers and immediately reel as fast as possible. Sure enough, I feel weight again! The thing on the other end is hard to feel but it’s still there pulling, somewhere between dead weight and a fight. I pop another kelp stringer and reel fast. Again, I feel the weight (but no fight) after cranking my reel a handful of times. Repeat the same process again. Finally I’m directly over my line pulling on dead weight. It’s not fighting. I would think I’m on kelp again but there’s no feeling like the spectra is sawing through the kelp. I pull and pull but nothing. I eventually decide to let the line go slack to see if that helps. Nothing. I pull so hard that the hook just comes out of whatever was down there. Does this sound like a dog to everyone else? Maybe it wrapped me up in the kelp, took the mac off the hook and I fought with a small kelp paddy for a bit? Any other ideas? Like I said, I'm relatively new at this, so I'm curious to hear the thoughts of others. -Pat

08-05-2013, 03:44 PM	#2
Dannowar Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 1,823	BSB? coulda gone kaput right at the top? __________________ "Beware the lollipop of mediocrity; lick it once and you’ll suck forever." — Brian Wilson

08-05-2013, 07:06 PM	#3
lowprofile #1 on fishstick's hitlist Join Date: May 2011 Location: Sea level Posts: 1,477	thresher or 7 gill maybe... they bulldog like that and then get lazy. you cant lift a 200lber very easily. i fought one for over an hour that had to be 6ft to the fork plus the tail and it would just sit down towards the bottom and not budge. eventually the hook pulled. __________________ MLPA- My Largest Poaching Area

08-06-2013, 12:37 AM	#4
bigbarrels Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Vista Posts: 1,111	with kelp popping, slack then fish, kelp popping then slack and then fish......sounds like YT to me __________________ The shorter you are, the bigger your fish appear

08-06-2013, 08:16 PM	#6
the dude Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Valley Center Posts: 271	I think you snagged a kelp stringer on the troll and then fought it. __________________ The dude abides.

08-06-2013, 06:48 AM	#5
driftwood Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: SAN DIEGO Posts: 1,086	These things are all over La Jolla. Maybe you had one of these... Humuhumunukunukuapua'a? Pig face fish????

08-06-2013, 08:31 PM	#7
vincentek9 MAYNEE-YAK Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: So Cal Posts: 531	BSB, or shark. the sharks i hook on do quick runs forward, but mainly shoot straight to the bottom. i've never hooked a BSB yet though. if you say the fish STOPPED MOVING entirely.... then its not a shark. sharks have to constantly move in order to breathe (water flow through the gills). if they stop moving, they stop breathing. __________________

08-07-2013, 05:17 PM	#9
TJones Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 2,523	mc pig fish

08-07-2013, 08:05 PM	#10
T Bone Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Redlands CA Posts: 871	Well the dogs breathe air so if one didnt surface,I would rule that out.You would not be the only person who has fought kelp for a bit.Sigmund fights hard for a while... __________________ Barachit Baralah,Elohim-In the beginning,God-Genesis 1:1 "Who among you,if your son asked for a fish would give them a serpent " Jesus Matt. 7:10

08-07-2013, 08:53 PM	#11
dorado50 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: La Jolla Shores Posts: 1,626	I think your buddy pulled" the water in the bucket" trick on you....... probably had a large wsb on ...u freaked out and it beat you

08-07-2013, 09:26 PM	#12
The pelican Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: La Jolla Posts: 82	Thanks for the feedback guys. It was probably the pig fish. I'm still mystified. My best sleigh ride yet, followed by kelp popping and reeling, followed by dead weight that might have just been kelp after it got off the hook. In any case, the initial run was awesome. Got a bsb a couple years ago and this thing swam faster than that. But no head shakes like a yt. Guess I'll never know.