DAY AT SEA

DAY AT SEA - MARCH 31ST, 2010

Yesterday, March 31st, I had a fun mission to accomplish. Locate and map a few more pinto fishing holes for the upcoming Pinto Derby. Not bad duty.



This is a great tool for locating structure (rock piles) in any depth one would fish. The book says it's range is 3000 ft...Ah..just imagine the bottom fishing down there!

You can see the surface water temp is still on the coolish side...66-67 F on yesterday's 100-mile round trip. Coyote Bay - Mulege - Pt. Conception - Ille defonso - and back. Small wonder no dorado were around to strike the feather I trolled at speed.

When I slowed down later to better scan the bottom, I couldn't resist doing a little more fishing.


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While mapping some rockpiles on my sonar at 250-350 feet, I also trolled this favorite Mirrolure way back there..and bingo... pelagic hit!.

These size Mirrolures will dive to about 25-30 ft max.
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..And, a little closer to shore and rocky points, a couple of cabrilla gave chase and ended up in the box.

*You can guess which of these fish we'll have for our dinner tomorrow night..and which one will go to feed the cats.
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I had some fine company..including:

This family of porpoise making good headway into the wind.



And this handsome gull..who alternated between flying right above my head...and sitting on my bow. I think he just wanted me to hand over the contents of my baitwell.
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I shouted to the gull above: "Why has this month been SO DANG WINDY?"
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The gull replied something profound, I'm sure, but.. between the voices in the tackle box, the hull pounding into the waves, and the engine.. I couldn't make him out.


I had researched Buoyweather.com and it was right on again..the wind came up about the time I hit Pta. Teresa, about 20 miles south of Pt. Conception. South-southeasterilies to 20mph. It was going to get a leeetle bit bumpy later on...
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My consoling thought was...'Hey, I can go DOWNwind..and have great fun surfing for 30 miles.'



..and soon after 'ah...Yeah, sure... it really wasn't THAT much fun after the first 500 yards.'.

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Part of NOLS kayaking school expedition at one of thier base camps. You can just barely make out the people walking on the beach in this poor photo.

There are many such 'safe spots' along this shore.

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A cruiser at anchor next to 4-5 shore tents...a nice place to wait out the winds and get your passengers some shore leave.

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Well, that's my big day..Now I need to shake off the sea legs and have a dirty martini plus a massage.

A day well spent, though, cuz I now have some more pinto holes on my gps...ready for the Big Event..

.....................THE PINTO DERBY...coming soon!






[Edited on 4-2-2010 by Pompano]

Pompano, Thanks for sharing. Remember, you're only allowed so much time on this earth and when you're fishing, you're off the clock.

Quote:

Originally posted by Pompano My consoling thought was...'Hey, I can go DOWNwind..and have great fun surfing for 30 miles.'

I bet you wish you had my PLASTIC BOAT. for that stuff.

I just love skipjacks on the grill, BLAH

What??? No Co-pilot??? Your reports are really going downhill!!!!

Just kidding, thanks for the boat ride!!!

Hola Bruno,

My new Yar-Craft Storm is perfect for my style of fishing..both in the SOC and our huge lakes Up North. This tiller boat was engineered for just the short chop and 'storm' conditions we frequently experience on those big, windy northern waters..and fills the bill for the same crowded waves in the SOC.

It lives up to it's name.. 'The Dry One' .



It's deep-V, chines, deadrise, and air-ride pedestal seats gave me a comfortable ride home for 30+ miles in seas like the ones you see in my post above. There were some BIG rogue waves out there.




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Re: Co-pilot's now-famous radio call: "I don't like waves."

The only time I got wet was crossing from Pt. Conception to Mulege.. a distance of about 8 miles. The waves were rolling almost straight west then, and unfortunately for me, the wind shifted to a strong gust from the north. Well, you can imagine what happens at 20-25mph, smashing into waves with a side wind...yup..up goes the spray, catches the wind, and whoosh..into my face. Not too bad, though..and kind of exhilerating. I just slowed down a bit, trimmed the bow up, and took my time to the river's mouth.

Quote:

Originally posted by htnfool I bet you wish you had my PLASTIC BOAT. for that stuff. I just love skipjacks on the grill, BLAH

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Originally posted by Cypress Pompano, Thanks for sharing. Remember, you're only allowed so much time on this earth and when you're fishing, you're off the clock.

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Originally posted by DENNIS Quote: Originally posted by Pompano My consoling thought was...'Hey, I can go DOWNwind..and have great fun surfing for 30 miles.' Man...That is a big swell for being that close to the beach. .

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Originally posted by Pacifico What??? No Co-pilot??? Your reports are really going downhill!!!! Just kidding, thanks for the boat ride!!!

Exactly, Bob..not a great time for a coastal trip like those NOLS students...but hey, it's all an adventure.

And it's also an adventure right now for Nomads shari and Juan, who are boat-camping now in Conception Bay. We met in Mulege for dinner the night before, and then a couple days ago, they left thier truck/boat trailer in my yard and set off across the bay on a voyage of discovery. They should be having a ball, except for this dang wind! I gave them directions to places like The Painted Canyon, Baja Patty's old Rcho Margarita, Domingo Beach, the mine, etc. They have a handheld vhf radio for communication..just in case of an emergency. I'm checking on them periodically, just in case of a shortage of Tecate.

Handhelds are fine, but are somewhat limitied per the batteries.

Here's a map of my route the other day (blue outline)..and also where shari and Juan are exploring...(red outline) One thing I am sure of..is that wherever they're at this moment, like those NOLS kayakers, this nice couple is also having a great adventure.

However...if I don't hear from them via vhf by Saturday morning, I'll do a boat run along the peninsula's bayside to check things out.


Here's today's..and tomorrow's...wind forecast:

Friday 4/2

Morning
Breezy whitecapping conditions with moderate choppy seas. Small short period wind waves.
Winds: N 12 to 16 knots
Seas: NNW 2 feet at 4 sec.

Afternoon
Breezy whitecapping conditions with moderate choppy seas. Small short period wind waves.
Winds: NNW 11 to 15 knots
Seas: NNW 2 feet at 4 sec.


Saturday 4/3

Morning
Light winds with a slight chop. Small short period wind waves.
Winds: N 6 to 8 knots
Seas: NNW 2 feet at 4 sec.

Afternoon
Light winds with a slight chop. Small short period wind waves.
Winds: ENE 8 to 10 knots
Seas: NNW 1 feet at 4 sec.



[Edited on 4-2-2010 by Pompano]

looks nice this morning...

why does everyone use knots

my speedometer uses MPH and the little numbers are KPH
they are too small now that i need glasses

here is another forecast
but what happened to sunday
no weather

April 2, 2010 Sunrise in Conception Bay

Well folks, it's not one of the usual spectacular sunrises here in Conception Bay..but it IS one, which is better than the alternative..

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My hi-tech, new fangled temperature measuring device indicates air temp is exactly 58.875 degrees Fahrenheit at 6:38 AM Baja Sur time...

...and that Pepsi actually tastes better than Coke.

I sure hope Juan & Shari are OK. Yesterday it seemed calm on Shell Beach but by the time I got over to Deadman's it was victory at sea conditions. And that was on the quad.



[Edited on 4-2-2010 by Russ]

Hola Russ...don't worry too much about shari and Juan. He's an accomplished boatman and the Bay is not that bad. We are fairly well protected here in Conception Bay and it is never any great distance between places.

The Bay...taken just now:






When I get back later today I may take a Jeep ride around the south end to the peninsula and out to the mine...just to say Hola and visit a bit. Never know..they could be out of Tecate!

[Edited on 4-2-2010 by Pompano]

Thanks Pampano. Say hi and give'm an extra couple 6ers for me. I'll gladly pay ya Tuesday.
Also looking forward to some pictures of the Conception Bay Zoo. No zoo here this year nor even much traffic.