More Fishing, and a lot more canoe paddling

 Back to the same spot for more fishing off the canoe. This time mom was hiking with friends so it was just my son and I. I had to haul everything up and down the boat ramp, and do all the paddling too. It was a beautiful day and we got an early start on the water by 8am. The weather was overcast and light breeze. We just paddled across the lake from the dock and hunkered down. I dropped the one anchor and we spun around it as the wind changed directions. This ends up with the line getting wrapped around the canoe and the anchor line, so I'm going to make myself another anchor of maybe a coffee can filled with cement. Or maybe score something off craigslist.

No bites and my son wanted to explore the shore. I made a mistake and landed along a muddy spot and we got muddy but walked around anyway. We saw a family of otters argue over a fish one caught and I scoped out a backwater cove that was high and dry that day. We went back to the canoe, got our shoes stuck in the mud, and paddled back to the dock. We sat on the dock and ate more snacks with a hook in the water and my son wrapped in my arms against the chilly breeze. I watched a heron catch a fish in the shallows and a cormorant strike like lightning to startle the heron and steal the fish it dropped. He was rewarded with all his cormorant friends responding to the commotion and chasing him off trying to steal the stolen fish. It eventually warmed up and we agreed to go for one more paddle around. I let a line hang in the water as I paddled us slowly downwind to the part of the lake where no power boats are allowed.

No bites, but I saw a seagull chasing a bald eagle around. And then the family of otters came close to see what we were doing. They got close enough that I got nervous and told my son to get his hands out of the water for a minute. By then we'd been at the lake for hours and we were out of food. I paddled us upwind slowly dragging the line behind us. Then it was back to hauling gear, but this time I parked the car down the boat ramp to save myself some steps.

It was a good long day on the water and we saw some wildlife and had a good time. My son might be done with "fishing" for awhile now, but I'll keep offering. I'm not done with it and might go out solo, or try some beach fishing or clam digging. I also want to harvest a meal worth of mussels once the season opens up for the winter.

Family fishing isn't fishing

With the canoe finished and the surf verging on terrible last weekend, I opted to take the canoe down to the reservoir and try some lake fishing with my 4-year old son. The slow start to the day was keeping things low stress, and actually blended well with my wife's plans. She joined us for the maiden re-voyage. With the three of us and unorganized fishing gear in the canoe things were a bit disheveled, but it was working out. It was late morning by the time we were on the water and we paddled directly for the only shady spot which was near a small peninsula. I experimented with the canoe anchor about 20-ft from shore and set-up my son's rod with some salmon eggs. I handed it down to him and he said, "I don't want that, I want to go to that beach." But we saw some fish jumping, and my wife tried to redirect him by offering him some of the lunch we packed. They ate while I held the rod and tried to deal with the swirling of the canoe in the light breeze. Half a sandwich later and my son was once again talking about shore. I could tell my wife wasn't enjoying sitting in the canoe, so we paddled over to shore and they got out. I paddled back out a little ways and sat with the rod. They played for 15min or so, and then the shade ran out and they were both ready to go. So that was it. Less than an hour of hook in water, just like the "First time fishing with your kids." websites described it would be.

When we got home I took a rest, but an hour later I was considering going back to the reservoir. With the unusually warm weather, the amount of effort it takes to launch the canoe, and the fact that all boats are supposed to be off the water by 5pm, I decided it wasn't worth the effort.

Next weekend is within sight and I'm wondering if I should try again with my son, or if I should go surf even with the poor forecast, or maybe I should go fishing by myself. It's kind of nice to have options, but it also can lead to decision paralysis. I have a few days to decide at least.

... but that's okay

I'm still a kook, but that's okay. I got out to surf in marginal conditions. It actually wasn't that bad, just not that good either. The weather was great and there were waves to ride and I felt good. The downside is that I kept stumbling on my take-off. Even once on my feet, there wasn't anything memorable about the waves because they would loose power and never got it back. It was good enough to keep paddling back out and keep chasing waves, so I got good exercise which is something I can always use more of.

On a related note, I used to like watching the pro women surfers because their surfing ability was closer to my own. I've never been as good as the best women surfers in Santa Cruz, let alone the pros around the world, but I was good enough to understand what I saw them doing. As the years have progressed, women surfers are getting better and better. The big wave surfers are way out of my league, and now this: Surf comes along and it's over for me. This is the first time Lakey has surfed this wave. I can no longer identify with what I see women surfers doing. It's just beyond me. But that's okay.

Instead of suyr

Instead of surfing this weekend I worked on "fishing." I completed the canoe restoration by installing the seats and second thwart. I had to order a few more parts and they arrived mid-week, so the weekend was spent trimming everything to dry fit, and then sealing up all the cut wood. I also sanded and added another coat of Watco to the gunwales. I had to wait for everything to dry enough to assemble, and by that time it was past noon on Sunday. 

Meanwhile, my 4-year old son was snooping in the unlocked shed and discovered the fishing poles I had brought home from my parents beach house. My parents have several poles decorating the walls of the beach house and every time we go down, my son is reminded that he wants to go fishing. So I grabbed two of the poles and whatever tackle I could scrounge up during one of my solo visits, not wanting my son to know what was in the works. But now the jig was up and he was so excited that I agreed to buy the other stuff that we needed to go fishing. We headed down to the sporting goods store with a list. One of the poles was beyond recovery, but single poles were nearly as expensive as a little starter kit of pole, reel, and a little tackle. I opted for the kit, so now my son has a brand new set-up just for him. On the drive back home I laid the groundwork for fishing next weekend. I explained how there wasn't time to test out the canoe for it's first try after we bought it and to go fishing. My son is to smart for me and laid out a logical argument for not testing the canoe and instead going fishing. He even knew where we could go! Well, he had a point, so we gathered up the tackle instead. 

The nearby water is the inner Oakland harbor. Not beautiful, but nice enough. It's saltwater, so the trout rod and tackle we had was ridiculous to be using, but I didn't tell my son that. Instead I rigged it up as well as I could with two salmon eggs, a split shot sinker and small bobber. I cast out a very short distance and had him mind the rod, watching the bobber. Meanwhile I tended to the old rod/reel that was still in working condition. I stripped the 20-year old line and put on some fresh. I got to practice the "fisherman's knot" because I had to rig my son's hook, then I used it to tie line onto my reel. I made every mistake I could, so I had to tie that knot about 7 times. I never even tied a hook to my line because it was getting close to dinner time. We left after only an hour or so at the water.

Now I feel like I'm ready for a mid-week surf. Next weekend I want to head to one of the nearby reservoirs and try fishing from the canoe. But the thing is, nobody in our house wants a fish to eat. I'd do it if I wasn't the only one, but I don't care enough to do it myself. My wife doesn't trust food that doesn't come from her favorite grocery store and my son doesn't like anything except chicken fingers and quesadillas. So sounds like we will catch and release all the fish. 

Did you know?

Did you know there is a species of dolphin in the Monterey Bay that grows up to 12 feet long? 

Risso's Dolphin

And that orca have different "ecotypes" which are the same species, but with different habits and variations in body size/shape? Although they typically live further north than the Monterey Bay, they do occasionally make visits.

Orca near Monterey Bay

How do I know this? Last week we ended our session short after one of the surfers saw a "fin too large to be a dolphin." This weekend we were at the same spot and didn't see anything. But when we got back to our car, another guy who had already changed back into his clothes said he was out at the reef and saw a very large fin. Unlike last week, this guy saw enough to know for sure it wasn't a shark. He said it came to the surface more like a dolphin but was very big. He even suggested it was an orca, and I described how dolphin fins are swept back, orca fins are tall and narrow at the base, and shark fins are closer to an equilateral triangle in shape. He couldn't fit what he saw with what I was describing, so went back to his car to do some google searches. He came back with a diagram of various types of orca. The fins I was describing were "typical" of what we see in the area, but with sea temperature rising, and exceptions always existing, I guess I should say "typical" next time I'm describing fins to someone who says they saw a shark. So the guy was convinced he saw an orca, but I think it's a little more likely he saw a Risso's Dolphin. In any case, it is a rare thing, especially to have a sighting twice! And neither is known as a man-eater. In fact, sharks typically avoid orca and dolphin, so seeing one should be reassuring.

And as for the surfing...Saturday dawn I walked down the beach in the first light and dense fog. I could tell there were waves and it was smaller than last weekend. I walked down to the left to see how it handles the swell/tide combo we had. I couldn't see the take-off from the shore so I paddled out to take an up-close look. What I found wasn't great. Some set waves were closing out. Not all at once, but enough to ruin the ride. Others were grinding in an intimidating but exciting way with less shoulder but  a hollow bowl. I struggled to work things out after deciding I didn't want to shoulder hop the biggest waves because the were fading as they rolled into the channel. Instead I wanted one of those grinders. What I needed to do (and failed at) was take off deeper where there is a narrow gap between the suck-out and the shoulder where a wave can be caught. If I could have done that, I would have headed into the next section with speed enough to navigate it. I couldn't take-off in the section because it was rolling soft then sucking out. I failed several tries, struggling to judge the waves coming out of the fog, and only able to use the kelp heads to line up on. I ended up just going in to see what the other reef was doing. 

From the beach I couldn't see the take off spot here either. I hesitated for awhile before deciding to go out anyway. I'm glad I did because there was one other guy out, and the waves were pretty good. Head+ on the take-off and bowling up nicely. Not classic for this spot, but showing signs of it. I struggled to get waves which I figured was due to being a little scared from the beating I got at the left. I caught a few, but not enough and as the tide filled in the waves got fewer and fewer. I went in feeling better than last weekend, but not ideal.

Then Sunday dawn I met up with JB for the same spot. The buoy report from 4am made it look like a good repeat of the day before. Once we started walking along the sand I knew the waves were bigger. We stopped to look at the reef and it didn't look that good, so we opted for the left. It was bigger, and something new was happening that made it really challenging. All the water was flowing off the other reef and out the channel at the left. By the time we paddled out the fog filled in and we were again out of sight of the cliff. The waves were bigger meaning the take off spot I was working on Saturday was the impact zone for the set waves. The set waves weren't great either, and it was frustrating because the current would push us out and deep, and with the fog we couldn't tell it was happening until a set came and we couldn't catch it. We over corrected and got hit by the next set. When one of us caught a wave it was awhile before we could see each other again. We decided to take the next wave in, and I rolled the dice sitting on the inside. It paid off and I finally slid into the wave and made a run at the suck-out section. It wasn't a great ride, but it was fast and I made it through several sections by dropping down and around. I washed into shore and waited for JB. He took awhile to get a wave and I couldn't see anything, and started wondering if he somehow made it to the beach before me and was walking back. I started in that direction when I finally saw him riding a wave through the fog.

We looked at the reef but couldn't see anything. We talked about how good it might be and he decided to wait and see while I paddled out. What I found was a little bigger and a little messier than Saturday, but still good enough. I was tired, but more confident. However, the dense fog made it hard to stay in the bowl and I only caught a few before calling it a day. I came in and told JB how it was and offered to paddle out for a few more if he wanted. He didn't, so we walked back to the cars.

After JB left I went to the other overlook to see. There were ridable waves, probably similar size to the reef I just left, and the tide had this reef covered in about a foot of water. The paddle out was from the other rock and looked like a bit of fight to make it to deep water. Nobody was out, it wasn't great, but it was surfable. The rocky spot looked maybe surfable too. Scott looked good in the way that it looks mushy, but it's actually pretty fun and a longer wave than any of the other spots along this area. The thing is it's perfectly visible from the road and therefore always the most crowded. It also doesn't make much of a section so it looks boring. If I had more energy I should have paddled out for one or two waves there also!

Next time I'll be able to surf multiple days in a week is Thanksgiving. So I hope the weather is good and there is a medium-small swell so I can surf without getting exhausted after one day.

Don't know what got into me,

The first big north swell since the doldrums of summer arrived Thursday afternoon. I opted to wait until Sunday when the swell was smaller, but more importantly the wind was lighter. My plan was to recon around and surf maybe twice. Coordination with JB was for dawn at the creek.

I arrived before dawn and went to the overlook. The tide was the highest since I found this overlook, but the reef was still out of the water. There were more waves than I've seen there, but nothing too organized. I headed back to the creek to meet JB. There were cars arriving and people suiting up and heading to Scotts. I wanted to watch, but JB wanted to find somewhere to surf. We watched a little bit and weren't excited at what was coming into Scotts. We decided to go to another overlook to see what was happening down at the left.

It looked good and empty, so we suited up and did the walk. I brought the Fred Rubble and the TH with the intention of getting a feel for both. JB did something unusual, he asked what the plan is if one of us gets bit by a shark. A fair question because these spots are out of the way, out of sight, and a good effort to get to. The plan is to stop the bleeding and then run to go get help. Seems like the best plan.

I started with the FR and struggled a bit. I couldn't get my feet set right on the takoff, and the wave was pretty short so there wasn't time to make adjustments. I rode some waves but never felt right, so I headed to the beach and traded for the TH. On the way back out I got rejected because I didn't have the strength to properly duckdive the TH under the set that caught me. I went back to the sand and walked around to the other side of the reef. When I got there, the group of three were all coming in saying one had seen a fin come to the surface too close for comfort. I asked him if it was a dolphin fin and what the shape was. He said it was just too big for a dolphin. I was skeptical, but because JB had brought it up, something he'd never done before, the situation got to me. My approach to sharks has always been to listen to my gut and follow my instincts. I've gone surfing after being told there is a shark in the water, and I've stopped surfing just because things felt off. This time I was 50/50, but decided to not go back out. All four of us tried to signal JB and we waited for him to come in. He finally came in (he said it was weird he was suddenly alone out there and came in to ask why) and by that time more guys were heading out. We told one guy the situation and he said, "Yeah, it happens." and paddled out anyway.

This would have been a good time to go look around and recon other spots, but for some reason I wasn't in the mood. It's a shame because this is what I've been waiting for, an opportunity to see these spots with a little bit of swell. Instead I headed to my parents place to reset the router for my dad and to steal some of his fishing gear. I should have checked the rocks and the point, but instead I just drove home. I don't know what got into me, but I just didn't take full advantage of this trip to the beach.

The good news is the family will be heading to my parents beach house next weekend, and there is a bit of swell forecast too. I'll get a bunch of chances to go surf.

Skunked

I wasn't going to post about last weekend's session because I was irritated at getting skunked. Worse is that the buoy made it look like it was going to be slightly better than the good time I had the prior weekend. I awoke and checked the buoy at 3am to find 1.6' at 17sec from 195deg. I was too excited to fall back asleep so I got up and went down early. Arriving at the beach in the dark I could hear the sound of waves through the closed car windows. I must have been a weather phenomenon because even in the first light when everything was still monochrom blues, I could see it was very small. I walked slowly taking a good look at every little spot. I didn't see much and even walked around the slippery rock to get a straight on view of the left. I ended up sitting on the beach for an hour, not seeing anything to get excited about, before finally paddling out because maybe it was better than it looked. I rode one wave and missed a bunch. I stayed out for 45-min only seeing one or two waves that were maybe just okay. I paddled in and walked back. I tried the left at the old man's spot and although it looked better, it was still not enough to ride. I gave it 30-min and paddled in. I walked up to the main reef, walking slowly because the tide was still a bit too low. I got there to find one person making the most of it, which wasn't much. I sat on the beach for 30-min and then again paddled out hoping it was better than it looked. I might have been able to make something of it but it was meager at best. I was done and not in the mood to fight it. As I was paddling in more people were heading out to give it a try. I got the impression that I wasn't missing it anywhere else.
I don't understand why the prior weekend was so good and this weekend was so bad. The buoy looked so similar!

Looking forward, the first big north swell since spring is on it's way. The forecast calls for wind, and the tide is high in the morning. It will be quite different and even if I don't surf I'll have plenty of looking around to do to see how different spots are working.

But first, I have several holes in my wetsuit I should repair before the weekend...